You know, warm, forthy camel milk straight from the source ain't so bad. I bet it would even go well with coffee. A Saudi Starbucks original! Starting in Houston, our group had been teased with the prospect of a visit to Shaybah, a major oil drilling development in the Rub' al-Khali (or Empty Quarter), an area of dramatic, towering red sand dunes. A desert's desert. But, alas, a tease was all it was. But, thankfully, our Aramco guide, sensing our disappointment, organized a venture into the desert just outside of Dhahran where we got to meet a camel herder. While perhaps not as spectacular, this visit was the first time on the trip that I felt: yes, I am in Saudi. It was also the moment I began to see just what a muddle of tradition
... read more