This two-foot lizard was "puffed-up" and trying to look as large as possible as it ran across the road in front of our vehicle. It actually twisted it's body, while running full speed, so it's belly was towards us on alternating strides. I think it was trying to give us the largest view so we would think it was too big to mess with. Of course maybe the highway pavement was just really hot! Who knows?We are so lucky it didn't keep running, as it would've been extremely difficult to catch on foot. I saw a smaller one less than 20 minutes later and it had no intention of slowing down when it ran across the highway.The locals call it "dhub". They say it is good to eat and will pay me if I catch one for them. The smaller the better, as the older ones get tough. They also said it will eat anything, bites hard, and will not let go until you cut the head off.For those of you in the midwest, that kind of sounds like the alligator snapping turtle, doesn't it?
Salty Saudi Kitty, the cat I’ve been feeding the past few months, had her kittens a couple days ago and we finally found them today. I figured she had given birth because she stopped coming around to eat. Sure enough that is what had happened. She had snuck through an open doorway into one of the visitor villas across the street and had the kittens in a freshly made bed right up next to the pillow. No one would have found her for days or even weeks, but two guys just arrived to work here for a week and were assigned that house. They were surprised when there was a cat inside. They chased her out but she kept coming back. So they put two and two together and followed her and found the litter under the bed.
After a few phone calls around the neighborhood they called me. I went over and fed her and moved the kittens into a box and then behind my back porch. Salty Kitty ate and then immediately moved her brood to a hole under a house two doors down. She’s been to the back porch for food a few more times already this afternoon so I think she is okay despite a couple days locked up in the villa.
The question for the day is who is responsible for cleaning the sheets?
I had some extra energy today so I made yakhnit or traditional Arab stew. I pulled the recipe from one of those in-flight airline magazines. I used white beans from Saudi Arabia, tomatoes from Italy, chicken from Brazil, spices from India and I bought them all at our local grocery. To give you an idea of the wide range of food from other countries, I’ve seen Gala apples from South Africa, Lebanon and Washington, USA sold here. Funny thing is they all cost less than in the US and tasted just as good.
I used to go to Riyadh to do a lot of my grocery shopping, but I have transitioned away from that habit because it is about a 350 mile drive one-way. Our store here has good beef from Australia, but also a much larger selection of mutton and chicken. They also have camel, which I used in a beef stew last week when there wasn't any beef offered. Camel looks like nice red beef and tasted pretty much like beef to me. The fact remains though, if you want Mexican food, pizza, Burger King, McDonald's, Cinnabon, Cheese Cake Factory, or any other western food supplies, you’ve got to go to Riyadh.
By the way – the yakhnit was just like your mother’s!
So in a reply to my last email to the world, my friend Marjie from Lawrence asked me, "Why don't you have a blog?" Though I consider myself fairly computer savvy, I am mostly internet illiterate, but I thought why not? Sure enough, as the old saying goes, where there is a will there is a way.My goal is to give to whomever wants to read this blog some of the sights and experiences I am having the privilege of living.In deference to Marjie, to whom I owe this effort, I am posting this article from the Arab Daily News about a woman driver. As you may or may not know, it is illegal for women to drive here in the Kingdom. When I first arrived here, I wrote in an email, "women cannot drive here". Marjie rightly corrected me by telling me they are "not allowed" to drive. Though I have heard urban rumors of women driving out in the hinterland, I now have proof!I hope you enjoy this-Woman Breaks Law by Driving to Save Father
Arab News
YANBU, 23 January 2006 — A 19-year-old daughter saved her father by driving more than 25 kilometers in the desert, the Al-Madinah daily reported. The father was camping in the desert when he began suffering from heart pain. He called home for help. His daughter took her father in the car and drove at high speed for emergency treatment, saving his life by breaking the law against women driving — not to mention speeding.
