http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/TedTravel/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from TedTravel en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:48:18 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:48:18 +0000 I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh babe I hate to go... But my bags are packed so I'm ready to go...Yes tomorrow is my last day in the kingdom and I'm not sure if I will be returning now that they have a permanent replacement for what I've been doing. However I've learned that everything is unpredictable especially here so you never know.On past trips I've http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-446688.html One of the fun things about this work assignment is that I work with consultants from all over the world. This leads to a lot of cultural discussions. Apparently there is a tradition in Sweden of making something called in English Pancake Cake. Bjorn has given lessons to Pat and Wolf for making this dessert.What the Swedes call pancakes Americans and the French would call crepes. They are http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-446134.html Today eight of us headed two hours south of Dhahran to a town called Hofuf. It's about an hour south of Abqaiq which is another Saudi Aramco facility. We rented two large Suburbans and two drivers for the day. It was an amazing experience and yet another I'm not in Kansas moment for me.Hofuf used to be the capital of the Eastern Province the area along the Persian Gulf until 1953. At tha http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dammam/Hofuf/blog-445207.html And now for something completely differentI've been contacted by people from all over the world who have read my blog and I'm now up to 8700 hits. So I'm taking a momentary break from Saudi Arabia blog entries to give you some photos from where I live. There is nothing more Minnesotan than the Minnesota State Fair which takes place at the end of August. Here are some photos that my daughter http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Minnesota/St-Paul/blog-444713.html Both of these photos were taken within the last 24 hours. One was taken in Minnesota and the other was taken on my way to work this morning in Saudi Arabia. Can you tell which photo goes to which place OK that might not have been the hardest quiz question. While it's been snowing and below freezing in Minnesota it's been 100 degrees F. 38 C. here in Dhahran. I think I left at the right ti http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-444700.html I'm back in Saudi Arabia for trip 4 to Saudi Arabia and Aramco. However this time I'm only scheduled to be here for about two weeks including travel and my plane ticket is scheduled to leave Saudi on October 21 to arrive back home on October 22. The reason I'm scheduled for a shorter amount of time is that my primary mission this time is to train a couple of new internal employees to do th http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-444116.html Well I thought I had written my final blog entry for this trip. Irsquom using this loophole the previous entry was last EVENING in Dhahran and this is the last DAY in Dhahran. Think of it as like being an extra on a DVD. However there will be no directorrsquos cut of this blog.The last day of the last assessment session is kind of boring because I usually use the afternoon to do the p http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-405132.html I would like to thank you all for taking this journey with me especially those of you who have slogged your way through three trips worth of blog entries. Itrsquos been a fun journey and Irsquove enjoyed sharing it with you.As in any trip no matter how interesting and fun it is Irsquom looking forward to going home. When the exotic becomes routine and the new experiences grow old itrs http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-404625.html Last night I ate at a place called Heritage Village in Dammam which looks like an Arabian castle. Keep in mind that there aren't tourists in Saudi so this place survives on the locals most were traditionally dressed. Just what makes a building qualify as a ldquovillagerdquo is another Saudi mystery I cannot solve.The building is privately owned which is pretty amazing in itself. It lo http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dammam/blog-403997.html Friday was spent at the beach in Ras Tanura RT to those who are in the know. But first it was a trip to the Hobby Farm. I mentioned this in another blog but failed to explain what this is. First off it not just any hobby. For example this is not a farm for stamp collectors coin collectors or even Beanie Baby collectors. Well truth be known itrsquos not even really a farm. Itrsquo http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Ras-Tanura/blog-403604.html Today was an eventful day but not everything comes out as plannedhellipThe day started with a 2.00 breakfast consisting of a Spanish omelet no tomatoes toast and coffee. This is a weekend tradition with me unless of course I have the famous Dining Hall waffles or perhaps the pancakes. Well the coffee is a tradition.After breakfast I caught the 900 am bus to AlKhobar with ldquono ph http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Khobar/blog-403074.html I know that I haven't had much to say lately. Itrsquos been pretty much all work and no play so I donrsquot want to bore you to death with that. Although itrsquos a bit of an oxymoron happy Memorial Day.Pat is a Mac freak and has had some fun taking my photos from February April and the ones in Qatif and Tarut and has made a montage movie from them. And itrsquos all set to some real http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-401974.html Irsquove just spend the morning visiting two fascinating places Qatif and Tarut. As I write this it is 109 degrees outside and it is HOT.A bunch of us went to explore these two ancient towns with Hal an Aramco person who lives here. We took Halrsquos Land Rover and rented a taxi for the morning.The first stop was Qatif where we took a tour of the town to find the market. Fortunately t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Qatif/blog-400762.html Itrsquos Wednesday after work and if you are in Saudi that means itrsquos Miller time. Oh wait. Not quite. But it IS the weekend and thatrsquos something to rejoice in any country or culture.Today itrsquos was 107 degrees. No itrsquos NOT a dry heat. Itrsquos actually humid because we are about a half hour from the Gulf. Tomorrow itrsquos supposed to be about 114 degrees and http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-400557.html OK this is perhaps one of the most bizarre things Irsquove seen here. I turned on the TV and I watched this for at least 10 minutes before grabbing my camera. Yes I understand the ldquohoneyrdquo reference I think but whether this is a commercial or a TV program is beyond me. All I know is that this guy is very strange by any national standard. I have a short video because the dial http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-399939.html I set a new record for travel to Saudi. I left on Wednesday and didnrsquot arrive until Friday I got to Steineke Hall about 1230 am this morning. Dave who is an American but lives in Geneva missed his connection in Frankfort Germany to Bahrain and he had to fly to Jeddah Saudi Arabia and change planes for Bahrain. So we needed to wait about 30 to 45 minutes for Dave. Also because Koen http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dammam/blog-399204.html Here we go again.600 pm Wednesday Minneapolis time I'm sitting in the Minneapolis airport NorthwestDelta Princess Lounge waiting to begin my third trip to The Kingdom aka KSA aka Saudi Arabia. To get there I fly first to Amsterdam change planes and fly to Kuwait and then on to Bahrain. From Bahrain I will take a taxi over the causeway a very long bridge that has the BahrainSau http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Minnesota/Minneapolis/blog-398758.html Well itrsquos my final night here. Irsquove just packed up most of my stuff and Irsquoll need to take it over to the SAC Center tomorrow morning. As soon as wersquore done Don and I will jump into a cab and head over the causeway a long crowded bridge to Bahrain which is an island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It from there at 10 pm that Irsquoll fly to Amsterdam and t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dhahran/blog-396532.html I need to divide this entry into different sectionsMay 1Part 1 Aramco Exhibit We are Family NotLet me explain. Aramco has built a museum to showcase the history of the oil industry in Saudi. One assumes they spent a few barrels of oil to build this facility. One might also assume that they would want people to visit it. Not so much.Five of us piled into our rental car which I think is a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Dammam/blog-395685.html This morning Werner Pat Don and I headed for Khobar. I am now an official Khobar tour guide. However one place that I had seen and had even been in is Latif Lateef bakery. It has been recommended to me by several people so I wanted to give it a try.The place is really a holeinthe wall. I suppose the most decorative attraction is the box of stacked water or perhaps the discarded http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Saudi-Arabia/Khobar/blog-395191.html