August 18, 2005
Tourism Visas to be Issued in Saudi Arabia
One of my favorite blogs to peruse while I was living in KSA was "The Religious Policeman", written by a very moderate Saudi citizen who had an interesting perspective on the kingdom and what went on there. He was rather...Read this update
Posted by djf at 01:10 AM |
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August 15, 2005
This Just In...Women Cause 50% of Traffic Accidents in KSA
It's been a while since I've had an update from the Magical Kingdom, and when I saw this in my Google News this morning, I couldn't resist throwing it up here. The funniest line in this article has to be...Read this update
Posted by djf at 02:35 AM |
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April 12, 2005
What an exciting year...
Well, as you may know, my time here in the Magical Kingdom is rapidly closing...I leave on Friday and leave the Sand for the Tsunami part of our blog, Japan. I'll be finally joining my wife of 16 months, and...Read this update
Posted by djf at 11:23 PM |
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March 21, 2005
This Just In....When Old Ladies Attack
Haggling Woman Attacks Fruit Seller Arab News URL: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=60757&d=21&m=3&y=2005&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom MAKKAH, 21 March 2005 — A fight between an old fruit seller and a burly Arab woman over the price of guava turned nasty the other day, Okaz reported. The woman...Read this update
Posted by djf at 05:07 PM |
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This Just In...
In an article in the Saudi Gazette discussing plans to build a cinema in Jeddah, I gleaned a couple of interesting tidbits...They highlight (somewhat humorously to my American way of thinking) some of the differences here in the Kingdom Youths,...Read this update
Posted by djf at 02:20 PM |
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Yes, we're still here...
Just been busy, that's all. I have been involved in getting things all sorted so I can leave next month and head to Japan. Thursday marked my one year anniversary in this Magical Kingdom, and was celebrated with minimal fanfare....Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:37 AM |
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February 20, 2005
Motto
A few weeks ago, our Big Boss asked for suggestions for a unit motto. Tradition in the military is that every unit have something that you use as a greeting, and a response with which the person originally greeted replies....Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:02 PM |
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February 18, 2005
Pic of the Day
Today, we went out to a deliver some stuff that we've collected for a charity here in town. While out there, we got to see one of my favorite things...a puppy. Mel and I love dogs, but due to the...Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:29 PM |
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February 15, 2005
The Sky is Leaking...
I walked outside this morning to get in my truck and drive to work, and had to go back in and call in a work order to fix the sky. It was leaking. As one can imagine, it doesn't rain...Read this update
Posted by djf at 10:34 AM |
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February 14, 2005
Happy Valentine's Day -- NOT!!
Well, for most people around the world, today is Valentine's Day. But not here. Nope, it's a "Christian" holiday, and so it is banned. The Muttawa, members of the "Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" go...Read this update
Posted by djf at 11:11 AM |
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February 12, 2005
Weekend Warriors
Well, this weekend, in our ongoing efforts to ensure our safety during our stay here, we got to qualify on the M16A4. It's not the short, carbine M-4 you see most of the guys up in Iraq and Afghanistan carrying,...Read this update
Posted by djf at 06:47 PM |
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This Just In...
Found this article in the Arab News this morning...Dr. Rabeeah is a world renowned separator of conjoined twins who works at the King Fahad National Guard Hospital. My boss works directly with him in his capacity as advisor. Not so...Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:55 AM |
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February 06, 2005
This Just in...
Now It's the Turn of Boys to Be Chased Arab News DAMMAM, 6 February 2005 — Teenage harassment is no longer the exclusive domain of boys. Strangely enough for the conservative Saudi society, girls are getting bolder to the...Read this update
Posted by djf at 12:00 PM |
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February 02, 2005
Been busy for the week...
It's been a pretty busy week. We've got several guys leaving, and a couple of new guys who've come in, so there's been a lot of work to spin up the new ones, and get the old ones gone...Also, since...Read this update
Posted by djf at 05:27 PM |
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January 17, 2005
The Call to Prayer
Depending on where you live, one of the neatest things about living in an Islamic country is the exotic sound of the call to prayer five times per day. I say "depending on where you live", because, if you live...Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:26 PM |
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Not much going on right now...
It's been sort of slow lately, with Christmas holidays, and now Hajj going on. Therefore, it's been hard to keep the word count up (as Erik Trinidad of my favorite BootsnAll blog, The Global Trip 2004 (http://blogs.bootsnall.com/theglobaltrip/) might say...I highly...Read this update
Posted by djf at 08:43 PM |
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January 12, 2005
Is that a snake in your pocket? Or, Sis, if you're reading this, you might want to skip this entry...
So the other day, we were helping with a command post exercise, and there was a Saudi kid who was attracting a bit of attention from his compadres outside. Someone came in and said, "He's got poisonous snakes in...Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:05 PM |
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December 31, 2004
Just how magical IS this kingdom?!?
Some of you may ask why we call it the Magical Kingdom here in Saudi Arabia...Well, for a good example, we need look no further than the events that happened 2 nights ago. In firey puffs of black smoke, two...Read this update
Posted by djf at 05:15 PM |
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November 17, 2004
Day 5, 17 November 2004 – Pulling off Bumpers and Petrifying Wood
When morning came, we once again began the familiar routine, though with the prospects of porcelain in our future, the amblings off into the desert with shovels were non-existent. I popped up on the hill to get a quick...Read this update
Posted by djf at 11:52 AM |
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November 16, 2004
Day 4, 16 November 2004 – City Tours and Evading the Authorities
Everyone started getting up around six or so, and shuttling to the bathroom for business, or the kitchen for coffee. The General’s sons had left an assortment of bread and jam for us to breakfast on, so we all...Read this update
Posted by djf at 01:46 PM |
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November 15, 2004
Day 3, 15 November 2004 – Out of the Dunes and Into Detention
First thing this morning, I learned a valuable lesson: When taking care of business on the side of a hill, be very careful where you place your roll of toilet paper. It was a helpless feeling that I had...Read this update
Posted by djf at 01:07 PM |
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November 14, 2004
Journey to Nowhere: The Empty Quarter Day 2 - Into the Dunes
Day 2, 14 November 2004 – Into the Dunes The sun rose this morning to guys meandering off into the desert with shovels to take care of personal business...Everyone ate breakfast and packed up their trucks at a leisurely pace,...Read this update
Posted by djf at 10:25 AM |
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November 13, 2004
Journey to Nowhere: The Empty Quarter Day 1 - Petrol and Petroglyphs
After five days of driving thorough some of the most punishing desert in the world, we've made it safely back to Riyadh, but not without a few battle scars. The trip into the Empty Quarter was an incredible experience....Read this update
Posted by djf at 12:43 PM |
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November 12, 2004
Out into the big empty...
Tomorrow and for the next few days, I'll be away from the blog...We're headed out into the Empty Quarter to do a bit of camping, driving, rock hunting, and the like...There's a lot to see out there, and a...Read this update
Posted by djf at 02:42 PM |
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November 10, 2004
Eid Break
Well, we started our Eid al Fitr break today. The end of Ramadan is rapidly approaching, to be followed by the 3 day feast of Eid al Fitr, the official breaking of the fast of Ramadan. That means that all...Read this update
Posted by djf at 05:31 PM |
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October 30, 2004
Heading off to Jeddah again...
Man, it seems like since August, I've done nothing but travel. 2 trips out to the East, 3 (and after tomorrow, 4) out to the West, and 10 days in Japan...Add in a week in the field here in Riyadh,...Read this update
Posted by djf at 07:34 PM |
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October 25, 2004
The Shabbiest Nice Hotel in Medina
I made an overnight trip out to Medina on Saturday/Sunday. It was pretty productive in setting up some medical training for the Saudis out there. I'm sure Medina is a pretty nice town...if you're Muslim. As an "infidel" though, it's...Read this update
Posted by djf at 08:47 PM |
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October 21, 2004
Kuwaiti Souk, the Ugly Shirt, and Siwaak
Last night, we had a chance to go downtown to the Kuwaiti Souk. It's a shopping area that has mainly normal, day to day stuff that people buy. For that reason, there are no shops with touristy crap, and thus...Read this update
Posted by djf at 02:23 PM |
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October 20, 2004
Medical Issues and Hajj
The next few months in KSA are dominated by religious events. Ramadan is going on now and for the next 3 weeks, followed by Eid al Fitr, the celebration at the end of Ramadan (corresponds roughly to Easter following Lent...Read this update
Posted by djf at 12:11 PM |
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October 15, 2004
Ramadan Mubarak!
Well, today marks the first day of the Muslim month of Ramadan. It is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, and shifts about 10 days each year. When I was in Somalia in 1993, it was in February....Read this update
Posted by djf at 03:22 PM |
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October 13, 2004
Jeddah...Much cooler than Riyadh...
Just got back from Jeddah, and wanted to cram a few pictures in before adding some more detail tomorrow... Suffice to say, as the lead in implies, Jeddah is a much nicer place overall than Riyadh. Will fill you...Read this update
Posted by djf at 09:10 PM |
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October 10, 2004
Will be in Jeddah for a few days
I'm headed to Jeddah this afternoon for a few days. Will try to update from there, but most likely will be giving a report when I get back. Have a good week......Read this update
Posted by djf at 12:20 PM |
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October 09, 2004
A Chance to Get Out
Last night, a few friends and I went out to visit some friends at another compound. Since all the terrorist stuff going on in KSA in the 6 months that I've lived here, it's been difficult to go do any...Read this update
Posted by djf at 07:16 PM |
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Saudi Classifieds
This just in from the Arab News... For Rent Workers’ camp for rent. Located at Kilo-14, Old Makkah Road. Can accommodate 350 workers. Our contact Tel: 01- 4657674, 01-4649349, Mobile: 0505286850 (from 8 a.m. to 18 p.m.) After all the...Read this update
Posted by djf at 06:37 PM |
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October 08, 2004
How we got here...
For starters, we're both in the military, but are different services (Army and Navy), therefore, it's a mixed marriage. It also makes it difficult to get stationed together. So, realizing the way the military works, we decided to pre-empt the...Read this update
Posted by djf at 02:02 PM |
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