So, Tom, What Junk Food Do You Eat?

Ramadan is coming up in September so the stores are selling special products. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during day light hours and then celebrate during the evening. To break the fast, they enjoy a fruit flavored drink. Vimto (not shown), Towt, and Tono are three popular products used. They are concentrated syrups added to water (or bubbling water or other liquid). It is very sweet. Vimto has a web site www.vimto.co.uk where you can Shlurple the Purple and read about the health benefits of their product.
Frito Lay has some flavors we just can't get in the US. Vine Leaves. The bag states it "is a traditional Mediterranean tasty dish for all occasions. Rich in several important nutrients, vine leaves can also be savored along with yogurt." If you have had Greek grape leaves (dolmades) stuffed with rice (and/or lamb), there is a suggestion of that flavor. To me, it tasted tomato-ey (even though there is none), vinegary, olive-y. It wasn't bad and I may have it again.
This, of course, is Indian-based but quite popular here in Saudi. Again, the flavor is not strong but there.

Maybe Frito Lay should sell an international flavors pack.

New Apartment

The first apartment I was in was temporary until the Fluor apartments were ready. The first one was provided by Sipchem and is for a married couple.

This new apartment is half the square meters with no floor to ceiling windows or balconies, which I miss. I am fortunate, though, to have a single and not have a two bedroom to share with someone who may smoke, be noisier, or messier. The gentleman next to me smokes and comes through the walls or HVAC ducts or some gap I cannot find. This photo is how the living room was arranged when you step into the apartment. The sofa is long enough to nap on. The TV is flat screen which is nice. I have been watching the Olympics when I am home before and after work and today, Friday. The dining room table is right there.

Take two quick lefts and you are in the kitchen. The cabinets and drawers are about 3 inches shallower so dishes and boxes (aluminum, saran wrap) don't fit. Microwaves are not provided because they are considered unsafe here.

Step out of the kitchen and take a left and you are in the bathroom. The hand sink is in front of the toilet and the washer/dryer are to the left behind the door when facing the toilet. You can get a lot of business done in this one room!

Step out of the bathroom and left one more time and you are in the bedroom. I walked to the far wall and took this photo. You can see the refrigerator door down the hallway. The bed is a regular; in the first apartment it was a king. i do have a reading light and am reading "Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides. It is about Kit Carson and America's manifest destiny to the Pacific.

Quick Trip to Bahrain

I had my first trip outside of Saudi. Jorge, Khalil, and I drove to Bahrain across a long cause way. Normally it takes 2 1/2 hours. It took 6 hours. There are many stops to get across (in the order I remember and may not be the actual order)"
1. Toll
2. Car ownership
3. Saudi immigration
4. Bahrain immigration
5. Bahrain customs
6. Bahrain car insurance
7. Bahrain visitors bureau (to get hotel reservation)
We left Jubail at noon and arrived at the hotel at 8:30 pm (including lunch in Khobar, KSA).

The hotel didn't have any reservations for us but we could get a deluxe room for 90 dinars instead of the 67 we had already paid. Khalil talked to the manager and told him we were going out for dinner and expected our rooms to be ready at the first agreed to rate.

We ate at an Italian restaurant that Jorge liked because they had good wine (and food). It was good.

We stayed at the The Regency Intercontinental which is a 5 star Holiday Inn brand. It was not as nice as the other Intercontinentals I have stayed at though we did get rooms at the lower rate. It may because it was older. The staff was a mixture of Indians, Chinese, and Lebanese.








The lobby was decorated with beautiful statues.
















Looking straight up in the main lobby was like looking ouside.















The next day, Khalil took us on a tour of the city he grew up in. We drove to an island north of Bahrain and I stitched together this view of the city.







We visited the old Gold Souk (market) and drove his Denali down a road where I could reach out and take stuff off of tables. We could not have sped away because too much foot traffic. I saw a mosque and church near each other. The church runs the American Mission Hospital.

I also saw how boats were made in the old days and where the city has expanded by reclamation from the sea (like the Dutch have done). We also drove by the royal palace and parliament building. The city is all new with lots of skyscrapers and glass.

Contact Info - Just in Case (revised Aug 8)

Mail address (for envelopes):

Murjan Village
Apt F19 - Woodbury
Post Box Number 11721
Jubail Industrial City, 31961
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Street address (for packages):

Murjan Village
Apt F19 - Woodbury
Fahad Road (Highway 2)
Al-Khafji Street, Fanateer, Jubail
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

It is recommended to use DHL, UPS, or FEDEX that have package tracking systems. One person here used USPS priority postal service and has received 1 out of 3 boxes. The 2 missing boxes had tracking numbers but their whereabouts is unknown.

Fahad Road (Highway 2) is the road that runs east-west and parallels the water. Al-Khafji is the nearest cross street to Murjan Village. Fanateer is the neighborhood we are located in, kind of like The Plaza or Highland in KC. Jubail is the city. Jubail is located in the Eastern Province (which is not part of the address). And Saudi is a monarchy family name in the area of Arabia and hence the Kingdom.

Murjan Village phone number (from USA):

011 966 3 347 7777 extension 235

The phone system is like a hotel system where you dial the main switchboard and then the extension.

During daylight savings time, Jubail is 7 hours ahead of the East Coast so noon in Greenville is 7:00 pm here.

On Skype, my search name is olander11.

Night at Murjan

The lighting here at night is quite dramatic. The photo to the left is the front of my building. I used the ISO setting so it is "grainy" and no flash.

There are a few fountain around along with lots of shade seating areas. You can see the red, green, blue, and yellow lights in this shot. Everything is well landscaped with lots of flowering bushes and perennials.

Some of what I thought were palm trees are actually date trees. i had my first "fresh" date today, straight off a tree. The appearance reminded me of an acorn except it was not anything like that. The bottom half was ripe and colored a dark honey brown. The top stem half was a white yellow custard color. To eat, I bit the ripe part off and it was very sweet and creamy. I then extracted the seed out with my teeth and spit it out. Then I extracted the rest of the sweet meat from the middle leaving the white hull that was very fibrous which I did not eat.

Travel Route

This is one route we take some mornings to work. We vary it per Fluor rules.

There are several layers of security. once off the main highway, we first proceed through a checkpoint manned by the Saudi Marines complete with rifles and side arms. Trunks are opened. We navigate through concrete barriers past a bunker with machine guns.

The next stop is at the jobsite gate. This is run by a different group. Supplementing them are more Marines in another camoflauge house.

After work, returning back to the village, the car bottom is inspected with mirrors and the trunk is opened. There are concrete barriers and steel gates to slow the traffic. The opposite lane has tire puncture spikes.

The bay side of the village has a barrier to slow/stop boats. Rumor has it that there is a laser detection system like in the movies. At each end of our beach is manned and gunned observation tower.

We feel very safe and have not had any problems. It is reassuring that the Saudis protect their visitors so well.

The Weekend

I have been wondering if it is the weekend if it is one day long. It is better than no days off.

Last night Alex D. had his birthday party. He is the Process Control System Lead for the client. He had his party catered outside of the Murjan Village restaurant. There were about 20 people including Alex' wife, her sister, and another wife. Alex provided all the food and adult beverges, grain and grape varieties. The breeze died and it was very hot. We ate after the sun set and had grilled steaks, bar b q chicken, bar b q lamb chops, potato salad, cole slaw, other salads, vegetables, and desserts. It was all very good. Most of the people there were from South Africa and most were instrument engineers like me. There were a few of the client higher ups there. Of course I forgot my camera. I left at 11 pm exhausted.

So I have this photo instead to show the next day.





I didn't have a cuerveza for this shot. Those are some ugly hairy legs!

Independence Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I celebrated July 4th in a foreign country. What a reminder of the freedoms we have in the USA. We have freedom of press, religion, and the pursuit of happiness. We also have the responsibilities to exercise these freedoms for good or bad. There was no law stopping me from coming here. There is no law forcing me to attend church or mosque. No law to stop me from criticizing or complementing the government. I have a voice no matter how small. There is no law to stop men and women from interacting.





Today, some of us gathered on the compound and remembered our heritage with a multi-cultural feast of buffalo wings, chili con queso, grilled rib eye steaks, mesquite smoked chicken, potato salad, bar-b-que beans, corn bread, apple strudel, and water melon. We listened to Johnny Cash, Randy Travis, Neil Young, and other distinctly American music.





A view of the Arabian Gulf. It was quite beautiful. The water was green though the picture show it as blue. It was only 111 degrees F when I took this picture.





I took my first swim today in the Gulf. The water is very salty and I could float effortlessly. When getting out, the water evaporates very quickly making you quite cool. About 10 minutes later you have to get back in because it so hot. I was reading a magazine in the shade and the paper was noticeably warm.

Dust Storm

Today was my first experience with a dust storm (not the same as a sand stom). The sun came up as a white orb like the moon. It never became bright as the other mornings. Driving to the plan, the other chemical plants were not visible and the flares could not be seen. A dust storm is like fog limiting how for you can see.

In this photo, the water is not visible from my apartment as it has been in the earlier photos.

Here is a view of the beach at Murjan Village.

The water is also choppy because of the wind. Before it has been quite smooth.

Sunrise

It is 88 deg f at 5ish in the morning.















And here it is!















And one more with different setting.

Sunset

Looking south at the two apartment buildings next to me.

















Going.............













Going.............













Gone

View from Apartment

Murjan Village is located on the north coast of Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia. I went to Google Earth, made a screen capture, edited, and added the yellow arrow to point to the apartment building. My apartment is on the second level. The satellite view is a few months old. The complex has been completely landscaped with grass, flowers, fountains, and gardens. The beach area is complete with umbrellas and chaise lounges. It is a very nice resort area.


Looking north north west out the front balcony, is this view of the Arabian Gulf.

Looking out the back window of the apartment (south) is a view of the highway and street.

I used a program called Autostitch to make these panorama views.

A Quick View

It's around 6 pm and waiting for prayer time to start and end so that I can eat at the compound restaurant. Should be around 7 pm when it ends. There are a lot of birds here because we are next to the ocean and there is a lot of water because they water all the landscaping. Most everyone leaves at 5 pm because the work hours are so strict. Two people walk around each morning to take attendance. Two because one may be lying. They lock the lunchroom door 10 minutes before lunch so the Filipino don't start lunch early. Yesterday we had a mini celebration to hand out service awards (years worked at Fluor) and spot bonuses for jobs well done. They had Subway wraps, Lays chips (various flavors), Coke and Pepsi, and Kispy Kreme donuts. The Filipinos were grabbing 2, 3, 4 sandwiches and donuts so that there would not be enough for everyone. The project manager and HR guy yelled at them to take one each and IF there were some left, they were welcome to it. Wild.

By Saudi law, work stops when it is above 50 dec C (122 deg F). Officially, it has never been that hot. The unofficial thermometer on site ready 54 deg C (132 deg F). Whichever it was, it was HOT. You don't feel the perspiration because it evaporates so quick. It is easy to become dehydrated. There are signs all over about avoiding dehydration, the symptoms of heat stress/stroke, and check your urine color.

Murjan Village Apartment and Views

Bed Room

Entry Way

Kitchen Dining Room Living Room

June 18 off to Jubail.

I am experiencing the time constriction phenomenon of too many things to do in too short a time. Even though the date has been determined for 2 months, there just does not seem enough time to do all that should (not needs) to be done.
My wife and daughter have been most supprotive. This grand adventure I am readying to embark on is becoming a reality. The visa has been returned, the airline reservations made, the insurance being transferred to another carrier and determining the dispostion of the earnings (and tax implcations) are steadily progressing.
Today's mood is of trepidation and excitement. Fear of the unknown. Travelling to the unknown.

The Big Decision

It was tough, but I have decided to finish my project in Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Over 18 months have been spent designing this chemical plant and I feel compelled to see it to the end. My wife, Susan, and I have discussed this and the separation for 12 - 18 months and she has been very supportive of me. My family and friends are surprised and think that I am doing it for the money. But something inside me wants to see this extreme effort to its end. It will be a challenge.
The physical exam was passed, the chemical screening no problem, and completing the paperwork for the visa included a letter from the sheriff that I am a member of good standing in my community and another that bringing drugs into KSA is punishable by death. All that is left is the actual filing with the KSA Embassy.