It has been eight weeks since my last haircut and I was starting to look somewhat scruffy. Last weekend I checked out the location of the nearest barbers and also spoke with the tea boy establishing a haircut cost him 20 Riyals. At 5pm yesterday I walked off the compound to the nearest Turkey Barber. On entering the shop I made the gesture of cutting hair and rubbed finger and thumb together to indicate the cost. The barber grabbed his calculator an punched in 35. Thereupon I thanked him in Arabic and went to walk out. He immediately gestured for me to take a seat but I walked away.
Two hundred metres further on and around the corner was a second Turkey Barber. He used hand gestures to give me a price of 20 riyals. Consequentially he got my business and I even gave him a 5 riyal tip on the basis that he would remember me when I next visited. After the haircut I took a long walk to the Centrepoint Shopping Mall. There was daylight for the first half of the outwards journey and I happened to notice someone had gone to the effort of marking the exposed shallow trench running part way across the road outside the compound. Ghaleb hit it with the car when we returned to the compound earlier in the day.
Not much of a marker and I wonder how long it will last? But at least someone recognised the hazard and attempted to do something about it!
My plan was to walk 5km along the ‘main drag’ just to see what shops lined the route. I also wanted to get a closer look at the reason for the roadworks. The centre four lanes have been excavated. It looks like they are constructing a large concrete ‘box’ culvert. My guess is it is either a sewer or stormwater drain. Probably the former.
Quarter of the way into the walk I noticed the maintenance area of a garage. It was filthy and full of rubbish. Would you be happy to have them service your car?
Having seen the locomotive maintenance facility earlier in the week, the condition of the garage didn’t particularly surprise me!
It was dark by the time I reached the major grade interchange on the junction where the mall is located. This is also the location of that large mosque I previously mentioned. This time I was able to get a better photo.
The next photo shows the 14 lanes of traffic I needed to negotiate to reach the shopping mall.
Upon reaching the first mall I discovered it was mostly full of the types of items you would expect to find in a ‘flea market’. The adjacent mall (Centrepoint) was considerably larger and more “up market”. However it again had little of interest. How many handbags do I need and would that gown with the sequins look already on me? 
Jewellery isn’t my thing and I don't need designer spectacles or a new watch. However I did find a shop at the far end worth exploring. It was ‘Radio Shack’ and in one corner they had a set of wireless TV headphones in tired wrapping and covered in dust. Upon asking I was informed the price was 300 riyals. That’s less than a third of the price ‘Extra’ wanted for their headphones when I asked last weekend. So I now have a pair of headphones which enables me to hear the TV.
On the way back to the compound I intended to stop at the Scottish restaurant, however just as I reached it the minarets all started wailing and the shops closed. Another plan gone to hell! When I first saw a ‘Wooden Bakery’ I though it was a “one off”. However I passed a second outlet last night so it must be a franchise. It was closed for prayers (of course) so a visit will have to wait for another day!
Back to work tomorrow.
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