Blogs from Saudi Arabia, Middle East - page 15

NOTE: 2 Pages of Photos I have lived on a Saudi employee compound for the past five weeks. I have had the fortune of being able to visit a variety of “remote” compounds up and down the eastern coast of the Arabian gulf, from just south of the Kuwait border, to within 100 KM of the “ Empty Quarter”—that portion of Saudi made famous in David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia”. Compounds are Corporate-developed Oasis in the middle of dry and barren land within close proximity to petroleum and gas production sites. No expenses are spared to make these compounds comfortable and inviting for the employees and contractors who make this their home-away from home. The typical compound is luxuriously landscaped-and has all the amenities of a nice resort—Pool, workout room with the most modern equipment, sauna ... read more

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 (La-teef) bakery. It has been recommended to me by several people, so I wanted to give it a try. The place is really a hole-in-the wall. I suppose the most decorative attraction is the box of stacked water, or perhaps the discarded industrial size mixer that is by the door. However, if you ask nicely, you can get a box of tissues to use as napkins (that’s pretty common here, by the way). Pat had eaten here previously and had a few suggestions. It’s called a bakery, but it’s more like Wolfgang Puck designer pizzas. Take a look at the menu. I ... read more

I have no idea whether this will work or not because I've never tried to upload a video before, so let's see what happens. This is a video of the jelly fish I saw in Khobar on April 23. Enjoy!... read more

In traditional Sunni Islam, the Five Pillars of Islam (أركان الإسلام) is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. These duties are Shahada (Profession of Faith), Salat (Prayers), Zakat (Giving of Alms), Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Salah is the name for the obligatory prayers that are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam and there are no priests. Prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur'an and is generally chosen by the congregation. Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. These five prescribed prayers contain verses from the Qur'an, and are said in Arabic, the language of ... read more

Did you know that if you double click on any photo, you can see an enlarged view? Also, when you do this at the top there is a navigation gizmo, so you can scroll through all of the photos at a larger size. And as if that wasn't enough, there is also a slide show icon on the right side of the screen. ... read more