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The Belt Maker
How does he sit like this?
Today was an eventful day, but not everything comes out as planned…
The 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 9:00 am bus to Al-Khobar with “no photos please” Dave, Koen, and Andrej. We visited my favorite gift store to make some strategic purchases and tried to stay cool in the 116 degree heat. The staying cool part didn’t work out so well, especially in my long pants and long sleeve shirt (I can’t show any skin, you know). I took them to Latif, which loyal readers will remember as having the best Zatar (a spice) and cheese pizza this side of Mars. Even Dave, who is not impressed by much reluctantly acknowledged Latif’s goodness. And at less than a dollar a pizza, it’s the best bargain around (other than the Dining Hall). In fact, if I could roll a Zatar and cheese pizza and put it on a stick, it would be a sure-fire winner at the
Belt Maker
Hard at work. Minnesota State Fair. Hand down.
I made some additional purchases including a leather belt. The way that works is that you pick out the belt of your choice. The belt guy then measures it against your belt and cuts the belt to length and re-attaches the buckle, which is held on with a screw. See my photos for a complete belt-making lesson.
Surely I disappointed my traditional gift store guy by returning to his store (for a forgotten receipt) with bags from other stores. To make up for this grievous injustice, I bought one more Arabian coffee pot.
This afternoon was laundry day, which is what you do when it’s a Fahrenheit 452. Pat and I went to this place called the Hobby Farm. It's at Aramco, but about 5 minutes by car from where we are. It's a club where Aramcons can own/ride horses. They have a eating place that serves food a bit different than the Hobby Farm, so it's a nice break. We got there at 12:55 pm. According to the sign, they are supposed to be be open until 1:00 pm, but not so much. The doors were locked tight. I had my
camera, so I took some photos anyway.
This evening Glyn and I went to the party at the American Consulate. If you have visions of James Bond, tuxedo-clad people, which waiters carrying exotic hors d’oeuvres, put that out of your mind.
Let’s start with the cool part. Your cab drives through a virtual obstacle course of concrete barriers. You see lots of guys with machine guns. You go through two gates and you are in the parking lot. You then empty everything in your pockets into a gallon size zip-lock bag, go through a metal detector, and then get thoroughly passed over with a portable wand.
You then approach another person, who pretends that none of that was done and you are wanded again. Onward to a guard house. You present your passport, are checked against an invitation list, have your passport scanned and watch the guard go through all of the items in your zip-locked bag. You are then handed back your passport and worldly possessions which get re-stuffed into your pockets.
It’s time for another metal detector. Then you pass though a one-way gate where you are met by another guard. Glyn took a
Part 3
He cut off the buckle and extra length and he's making a new hole.
bit longer because he’s Australian (you never can trust those Australians, you know).
From here you board a van past many high walls with razor wire to a where the “party” is. Unfortunately, this is where it’s a bit of a let down. There is a patio area, which looks like some place out of San Antonio. It has two large music speakers and a bored looking person playing recorded music. This is nowhere near the Consulate. In fact, you can’t even see the Consulate. Inside the building looks like any VFW hall you’ve ever seen. There are a few tables inside (green or red table cloths) with folding metal chairs. The obvious attraction is the bar at the end of the room, just like a real VFW. The admission is 50 Riyals to get to the building. Drink tickets are another 100 Riyals, which buys ten punches. A beer is two punches, a mixed drink is 3 or 4 punches. The people are obviously Aramcons dressed liked American tourists (loud shirts and shorts). Um, that’s about it. And they all know each other and you don’t know them. Did I mention the bags of Doritos and pretzels on
More of belt making 101
Re-attaching the buckle. The buckle in the hands of the master
the bar? Those must have been the fancy hors d’oeuvres. To be fair, there was a popcorn machine in the corner.
Outside, surrounding the patio, there were more guards than people. I was told that photos weren’t allowed, so I have absolutely no photographic evidence of this party. However, I do have a shirt that I bought for 75 Riyals to prove that I didn’t dream this up.
Glyn and I left at 9:45 pm to get back to the parking lot because we had pre-scheduled a cab to pick us up. A guard rode along in the van and handed us off to another guard. He didn’t seem happy that we had to wait five minutes for the cab, but we escaped without another wanding. Even if I could take photos, there were absolutely no signs that said “American Consulate” nor even an American flag. Of course, we couldn’t really even
see the actual Consulate building which perhaps said something (but maybe not).
All of the bartenders and the DJ, as well as (strangely) almost all of the guards were not American. The signs were in Arabic and English, just like everywhere else. Oh, and the
The buckle is held with a screw.
Finished price: About $8. Beat that, Target!
shirts that say “American Consulate - Dhahran” are made in Haiti.
It was yet another unique once-in-a-lifetime experience and it was surreal enough to have been totally worth it.
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eve
non-member comment
Bummer!
OK, so maybe "bummer" is a little dramatic, but I was totally expecting it to be like James Bond and tuxes, etc., etc. You actually had to PAY for your hors d'ouerves (I use that term loosely)?! What was the purpose of this party again? The shirt is pretty cool tho! Think I missed the hobby farm part....did you get to ride the horses? Great belt making tutorial--how DOES he sit like that....