Fishing Off Ambergris Caye 6th Installment

Patricia and Eric Admiring One of the Many Black Snappers She Caught

At around noon Clifford asked if we wanted to continue fishing or head in and cookout and then fish some more afterwards or just keep fishing. Patricia and Erina didn’t want to stop so we kept fishing for another couple hours at another pair of high quality stops. We finally headed inside the reef where Eric dropped anchor in around 15 – 20 foot of water so Clifford, Erina and I could go snorkeling.

We jumped right in and Clifford, who had taken his spearfishing gear, shot a fish through the midsection. The fish squirmed and Erina and I were startled to see a big nurse shark appear from nowhere and quickly take it right off the rod. Clifford showed me how to find the conch and told us to let him know if we saw any big fish. I dove for the conch while Erina swam them back to the boat two at a time.

Eric, meanwhile, remained on board and made the switch from captain to cook. Patricia watched him use the ocean to clean the plywood and knife we were using to cut up the bait, he flipped the wood over and began cutting up piles of our day’s fish catch, conch, tomatoes, onions, peppers, limes and potatoes. He trimmed and then washed a ripe pineapple off in the ocean again, then sliced it and offered it to Patricia as an appetizer. Patricia thought it was so ripe, fresh, and oh-so-mouth-watering good.

Fishing Off Ambergris Caye 5th Installment

Patricia Showing Off the "Technique" She Used to Catch the Biggest and Most Fish of the Day

We moved to another “special sure-to-catch-some spot” and I switched to the front of the boat and the big rod and reel, while Patricia positioned herself aft to try her luck with Erina. Clifford put a bonefish fishhead on my hook for bait and I lowered it away. He set Patricia and Erina up for more bottom fishing all the while chattering about growing up on the sea in Belize.

Clifford told us when he turned 15 and an old fisherman took him in and taught him how and where to fish all the best “never-tell-anyone-else” spots. Not shy at all, he told us how he was basically the best four-sport athlete around and still played in weekly soccer and basketball leagues. He continually interspersed his entertaining stories with, “sink it back down Lady,” “reel it in Girl,” or “Eric, turn the boat, man.” His lively chatter was constant even though he never seemed to stop baiting hooks and removing bulging-eyed black, yellow tail and vermillion snappers Patricia and Erina were reeling up. I only got two really solid bites but lost both fish. The first one broke the 80 pound test line I was using and the second bit through my steel leader and then neatly cleaned Erina’s line too.

Patricia twice caught two fish at a time on her multiple-hook line and ended up catching the biggest and most fish of the day. Erina came in a not too distant second. I ended up last although I had the most fishing experience and was the one who pushed so hard to go fishing in the first place. I didn’t mind it one bit though. I enjoyed seeing Patricia and Erin filling the big cooler with fish and having a bunch of fun doing it.

Fishing off Ambergris Caye 4th Installment

Eric Showing Off One of Erina's Black Snappers

Erina and I went to the back of the boat to fish first, while Patricia remained up front just wanting to make sure she wasn’t going to get woozy. Clifford gave us some quick instructions on the “techinique”, which was performed by pulling the tip of the rod up and then quickly reeling the slack line in. He then cut out some three inch bonefish cubes on a piece of plywood and baited our round hooks. We followed his instructions on sinking our bait, which took quite some time as we were in approximately 600 foot of water. Clifford said the bottom was sandy and he was looking for a specific type of fish found around that depth.

The fish would take the hook as soon as the bait was lowered. I caught a small vermillion snapper and Clifford deemed I was ready for the “big ones”. I eagerly agreed and had visions of landing a big grouper or shark. Erina on the other hand was content with the considerable effort it took to pull in the 5-10 pound snappers she was catching.

Fishing off Ambergris Caye 3rd Installment

Erina - Always Happy to be In or On the Water

Clifford squawked in his Pidgin-soaked accent, “Are you ready to go fishing?” We all said yes, loaded our gear and found a cushioned seat in the 24 foot outboard. We headed offshore beyond the reef while Clifford and Eric agreed on our first stop. Cruising outside the reef we split a school of flying fish which got everyone looking outside for signs of fish. We were all so amazed at how far they effortlessly glided across the swells. Erina was looking left while I was excitedly yelling for her to look right, not realizing the school was so large we had fish gliding on both sides. What an awesome sight.

Eric piloted the boat to the first spot, slowed and then pointed the bow at a landmark onshore. He put the engine in reverse and steered to maintain position, while Clifford barked out depth estimates. Clifford told us he was starting us out on the “small ones” so we could get used to this type of fishing. He said he was using the different colors of the water to estimate the depth. The color differences to Patricia, Erina and I were imperceptible. It all just looked very, very blue to us.

Fishing off Ambergris Caye 2nd Installment

Eric (left) and Clifford - Our Fishing Guides from Uprising Tours


All the hesitant feelings changed when we met our guides, Clifford, and Eric, who doubled as the boat’s captain. Though we had been on Ambergris Caye for only three days we immediately recognized Clifford whom we had met at Baller’s Barbershop on our first day downtown shopping around. Neither looked like the guides you see on the ESPN Sunday morning celebrity fishing shows. Eric had multiple tribal band tattoos, earrings, a Bellikin beer ballcap and a t-shirt with a “Mary Juana” logo on the back. Clifford was sporting his own earrings and a Columbia soccer t-shirt. Their bare feet and attire gave them a modern day “Pirates of the Caribbean” appearance, which Patricia and Erina easily related to as they are big fans of the movie (read Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom here), and had the affect of putting them both at ease. Also, Clifford and I had hit it off pretty well at the barber shop while talking fishing so I was confident we were being well-guided for our first day of relaxing fishing, snorkeling and sunshine.

A Day Fishing off Ambergris Caye, Belize

View from The Blue Tang (our Hotel)

Though we all had widely varying opinions on going deep sea fishing, the day we spent fishing was one if the highlights of our vacation. Our morning began with distant springtime thunderheads in the East casting shadows on a glistening crystal clear blue sea. The western Caribbean looked to be promising another beautiful day. While gazing at the beauty of the sea and sipping a hot cup of Belizean coffee with Patricia and Erina, I thought back on my childhood open ocean fishing trips. My father and his Hawaiian Navy buddy used to take me out to Mummy Island off the coast of Mexico south of San Diego. We would leave before dawn and spend all day fishing. We’d get back late, exhausted but very happy, and we always had a great time in any conditions. Today, I was hopeful we would catch more than our fair share of fish and have a great time in the process.

Being the organizer of this fishing expedition, I bantered, cajoled, threatened and heaped shame at my 14 year-old daughter Erina and my wife Patricia until they descended the steps of our third story deck overlooking the sea and were headed down the beach for the pier. Patricia was worried she’d get nauseous riding in a small fishing boat and she’d been fresh water fishing many times before and knew fully well what a patience-driven sport it could be. Erina, on the other hand, appeared she would rather have spent the day strolling, shopping and touring downtown San Pedro.

Okay - Funtime is Over - Back to Work

Just got back to work here in Saudi Arabia from the best vacation I have ever enjoyed. I spent a few days catching up with the family at home and then went with my wife and daughter to Belize for a scuba and fishing trip.

Glad to be back at work but I am already counting the days to the next vacation. I'll have a few stories and photos posted in the days to come.

The photo is of a spotted eagle ray we saw while scuba diving off Ambergris Caye.

Whole Sheep Recipe

Shallah and I Tie the Legs and Belly Cavity


INGREDIENTS
One 2-meter long pole sharpened at one end
One butchered sheep
Baking twine
Hot coals
3.5 - 4 Hours of roasting
12-15 friends
(One small 45-50 lbs. sheep easily serves 12)

We basically skewer the sheep. Tie it's backbone to the pole in a couple places. Then tie it's front and hind legs to the pole. We put in onions, garlic and a little salt inside it's internal organ cavity with the kidney and liver. Sew the cavity closed with the baking twine and then roast it over the hot coals. It takes awhile, but if you've ever cooked out on the open fire while camping, you'll have an idea of how good this tasted when we finished!

David and Ray waiting for the feast

David, Ray and Mohamed Giving Their "Seal of Approval"

Herd Guide

This sheep is a guide for the herd. They are not shaved like the other sheep so they are easily identifiable to the other sheep (I think). The guide is trained to stay near the sheperd and the other sheep follow the guide.

Finding and Choosing from the Herd

Mustafa Surveying the Herd

We drove North into the desert for about 45 minutes. I asked Shallah how were we going to find the herd? GPS? Satellite phone? Road and trail markers? He said we'd go to their last known location (two months old!) and go from there. They should be close.

We drove to the last known grazing area and I saw them way off in the distance. It was relatively easy finding them because you can see really, really far.

Sheperd's Home

Three of them live here. One each from Syria, Bangladesh and India. In the distance to the left you can see where they are training the "guide sheep".

Selecting the Meat for a Barbeque

These last couple weeks I've been so busy getting ready to go back to the U.S. to see my family and for vacation. Prior to leaving Saudi Arabia, a few of my my friends and I got together for a Saudi-style barbeque.

As you all know, the first thing you have to do if you're having a BBQ is to select the meat!

This is a photo of Anwar (he is from Syria) who helped us select a sheep from my friend Shallah's brother's sheep herd (say that fast three times!).

Modern Saudi Arabia

My Saudi friends tell me they wished that I posted some of the modern things from their country. I admit I am guilty of posting the scenes I expect to see from childhood stories and maybe the sights a westerner can see only here in the Middle East. Camels, sheep, sand dunes and sand storms, etc. For me it is still all new.

My friends are very proud of their modern buildings and modernity in general (as they well should be). Yet they also enjoy a picnic, overnight campout, or a stop for gahwa & tea in the desert just as much.

To me, the modern Saudi Arabia is exemplified by a sight I saw at a fuel station while traveling one day. I saw a car pull up and three young Saudis get out. The first was in traditional Saudi clothing, the second in traditional garment but with a baseball cap and the third in western clothing. All the young men seemed to be equally comfortable dressed in the clothing of both worlds.


My buddy Russ took this photo of the Mamlaka skyscraper at dusk. I took the night time photo on another trip. Every time I go to Riyadh I search for it in the distance as a sign of my journey's end. It lights up at night in varying colors of purple, blue, green, gold, orange and red.

Jeddah Traffic Circle Art

Back in my hometown we have a committee whose mission is to select art to display around the city. I don’t know if Jeddah has the same set-up, but one thing is for sure, in my opinion, Jeddah is way ahead in the selection process. Here are some examples that demonstrate humor and beauty for both night and day.

Jeddah is also known in Saudi Arabia for it's fountains. Next trip I'll try to get a few shots of them as they are equally impressive.

More Jeddah Traffic Circle Art

These are camels sectioned into three parts. I have seen a herd of horses done this way too. Maybe next trip I'll have better photos.

More Traffic Circle Art

This huge globe lights up at night and is made of individual blue, green, grey, and shades of brown tiles that glow.

Jeddah Traffic Circle Art

Script from the Quran "There is only one God and Muhammed is his prophet….. " shaped into a dhow.

Gahwa

This photo is of a traditional Arab coffee pot. If you look closely you can see the saffron spice in the pouring spout, which is the gahwa's last ingredient before it reaches your cup.

One of the differences between gahwa and American coffee is the gahwa coffee beans are green and then slightly roasted before grinding, whereas the American coffee is already roasted. Another difference is gawha has cardemon added for flavor.

The Drink Maker

Faisal made traditional arabic coffee (gahwa) and sweet tea all night long. Tradition for the coffee is to take take an odd number of cups. The cup is never filled entirely full, as that is considered an insult. Gahwa is usually served with dates or some other small sweet snack.

Four Hours to Cook - 30 Minutes to Eat

Shallah, Mustafa and me in the early stages of cooking our supper.

My friend Shallah invited me to a barbeque out in the desert to celebrate the graduation of a few of our friends from a local college. Of course, I accepted. Just after sundown, I went out into the desert to find the BBQ spot with one of my diving buddies, Mustafa, who is also an American. We found Shallah busily readying the coals for the cooking fire and setting up three foot high canvas windbreaks around the sitting and cooking fires. Next to the cooking fire was a tasty looking sheep skewered on a long wooden pole. It’s belly was sewn shut with sweet white onions and garlic inside. Shallah set the sheep cooking pole on wooden stands across the fire about 7:00 pm. While the sheep was cooking, more of our co-workers came in intervals throughout the evening to drink gahwa (Arab coffee) and shai (sweet tea) and talk about sports, politics, religion, and everything else under the moon. We ate under starlit skies, a perfect light breeze and a three-quarter moon about 11:00 pm. The sheep was excellent. Then after cleaning up we sat around the fire and talked further into the night. Some of the guys had a graduation to attend the next morning and we all had to work the next day so we didn’t stay out all night. Mustafa and I talked about if and how we could do a barbeque similar to tonight’s back home in the States. One thing is for certain; you cannot just pull off the side of the road a couple hundred yards and pick a spot out in some field back home. Otherwise, this would be a whole bunch of fun for an evening get-together.

Beauty Contestant

The white camels are considered more pleasing to the eye than the other colors. Isn't she a beaut? I took this photo early in the morning on the side of the road while on the way to Riyadh with Russ.

If You Feed Them, They Will Come

My little wild kitties are getting friendlier since their mother has started weening them. They have even resorted to testing their claws on my shoes while I am dishing out their food. Or maybe they are clawing and trying to tell me to hurry up.

Jeddah - What A Jewel

Having not been away from work (other than shopping trips to Riyadh) since early December, a "getaway" was in order. A few friends and I went for a quick weekend on Jeddah's beautiful reef. This is my second time diving there and the legendary Saudi people's hospitality is truly everything I had always read about.

Access to the Sheraton Hotel's dive site is included in the hotel rate and it is first class. The reef condition and visibility was excellent. The night diving was awesome. We were the only people there and when we finished we simply cleaned our gear and left it hanging for the next day's diving.

Camels in the Camel Crossing

It took a year but Russ and I were on our way to Riyadh and finally were able to take a photo of camels in the background of a camel crossing sign. We had sheep photos, we had goat photos, but only a camel in the background would do.

Colorful Chicken

I had a chicken recipe that sounded good but by the time I finished adding the "extra" stuff I like it ended up being much more colorful and much more flavorful than the original. I baked this in the oven and it tasted great.

Fahga (Truffles)

The Northeastern area of Saudi Arabia is the number #1 prime location for growing fahga. I went looking for it in the markets in Hafr Al-Batin and couldn't find any. So I called my friend Fahad Al-Sahli and he told me to quit looking and he would bring me some to work in the morning. I told him I was wanting a kilo so I could share with my friends and that I would pay him. True to his word, he brought a kilo the next morning and would not accept any money for it. According to the paper the going rate is 200-250 SAR ($50-$70 USD) per kilo.

I shared with some of the guys and I scoured the interent for recipes and kept coming up with fancy French methods. I talked to some friends and they gave me guidance from "cook it like a potato" to " cook it like a piece of meat". I ended up cooking it with pasta and a bit of garlic, with pasta and a spaghetti-type sauce and with a tomatoe, onion and pepper sauce. It gives the food a smoky-earthy flavor not at all like any mushroom I have tasted. All were equally good and I will try it again next year.

Can You See Me?

This is the first photo of SSK's kittens since soon after they were born. This one thought she was hidden well until the camera flash went off and she hissed and retreated further back into the bushes. Whether you like or don't like cats, you've got to admit their kittens are always entertaining.

Another funny note is these little runts can climb a stucco wall with no problem. After they get up there though, there is no place to go but down. One of the Laws of Physics (gravity), you know.

I guess I am one of those people who are easily amused at animals because I can remember laughing out loud watching pigs run as if on cue every time Rick or George honked the feed truck horn out at the Stephens' place. Picturing a mass of young pigs all snorting and running to who knows where is still hilarious to me now.

SSK Kittens

My immediate neighborhood is about 8/10ths of a mile all the way around with 55 houses or villas as they call them here, of which less than half are occupied. With that many hiding places for a cat to choose from I haven’t been actively trying to find Salty Saudi Kitty's kittens. I figure when they are old enough to eat solid food they’ll be around my back porch often enough. Nothing is more fun to watch than little puppies or kittens play so I admit I have been anticipating seeing them.

My co-worker, Russ, is coming back from vacation soon so I was doing a little bit of work on his car when SSK appeared. I searched around a little and she had hidden the kittens behind Russ’ house in a lantana bush. They’re real cute but are feisty enough to hiss and howl if you pick them up. I tried to handle them a bit, so they’ll get used to people, and paid for it with a couple scratches here and there.

How Soccer (Football) Explains the World

I have a book titled How Soccer Explains the World, by Franklin Foer, which attempts to explain our world through the history of teams from soccer-loving nations. I lived a little bit of Foer's book the other evening.

This is a photo of my buddy Shallah’s tent which is in front of his house, inside his 3 meter stone fence. This is where we watched Saudi Arabia play Portugal in an International Friendly Football match. These matches are played as tune-ups for this year’s upcoming World Cup matches to be played in Germany beginning June 9.

It is true Sports transcend cultural, national and political boundaries. I enjoyed rooting for the Saudis even though they lost. It was so funny, because just like after a Chiefs or Jayhawks game, the Saudi analysts opined about the plays and players for another 2 hours. I can only understand bits and pieces of the language but the expressions and animation of the Saudi team's analysts didn't need any translation.

I am very jealous! Shallah’s tent has everything guys need to have a good time. It is carpeted, fully lighted and has running water, a TV, fireplace / grill, back rests galore and soft pillows to lean on while you drink your tea, coffee or snack on fruit. I think I'll bring one home with me.

Springtime is Barbeque Time

For all of you who barbeque even in the snow and rain (like my family and I do at home), you know it doesn't have to be good weather to cookout. Well, this weekend was SO NICE I had to cook something outside.

I went to the local fish market and bought a tuna and a grouper. I had the tuna cut into steaks and filleted the grouper. I cooked the grouper enclosed in tin foil with a mix of scallions, onion chunks, fresh garlic, green peppers and tiny little hot pickled peppers from Turkey all covered with a bit of teriyaki, soy and Worchester sauces mixed together and OH MY GOSH! I cooked a potato with garlic and onions to go with it and nuked some frozen peas. The fish was so good I forgot the peas in the microwave until I was almost finished.

What a perfect barbeque. Only thing missing was family and friends! :-) BTW - SSK had a fish-head soup feast for about four days. She REALLY loves me now. I may not do that again though, as I had a heckuva time getting the fish smell out of my soup pot. Any pointers from you cooks out there on how to get rid of that fish smell?

Shopping in Hafr Al-Batin

Hafr Al- Batin lies about halfway between Majma'ah and Kuwait City. While you are driving to Hafr, with just a little imagination, you can visualize a caravan trekking across the desert on the same old route. This sign mandates a 120 kilometer per hour speed limit. In the background you get the jist of how desolate this area can be.

The travelers across this land must've been so happy to get to Hafr in the olden days. This is a small portion the main souq or marketplace in Hafr Al-Batin. You can find anything you need to sustain yourself in the desert or city for that matter. Tents, pots, stoves, rugs, pillows, camel saddles (I have one in my living room I use for a foot stool), food, sacks of spices, shoes, clothing and gold. It's more fun than going to Riyadh.

In the "Office"

This is what the cockpit portion of my "office" looks like for those of you who wonder. From the seats forward the simulator is about 99% exactly like the aircraft. However, it is more difficult to fly than the actual aircraft. Partly because it is more sensitive to control inputs made by the pilots, but mostly because literally any combination of weather (ice, sand storms, low ceiling, bad visibility or even lightning & thunderstorms) and mechanical emergency problems can be programmed to stress the pilot's workload.

The Pearl Monument

The fishbone looking supports are supposed to be dhow 'sails' holding aloft a giant pearl. The dhow is a sailing boat / ship found in this region. This is one of the more recognizable landmarks in Manama, Bahrain. Before cultured pearls were farmed, Bahrain was known well known for it's pearl trade. The pearls were harvested from the shallow waters of the Gulf surrounding the island.

Salty Saudi Kitty's Kitties

With the help of Charlie, a neighbor across the street, I found SSK's kittens again. She had crawled through a window in the middle of the night and had found a clothes hamper to hide the four little one's in. Charlie was a little miffed, but he got over it.

I moved them to my house in the original box I had for them. The kittens have since been moved again to who knows where.

Future Pilots?

One gratifying aspect of aviation is seeing the smiles and enthusiasm on children's faces when they see aircraft up close and personal. Today we had a large group of grade school visitors and at least one of them was reported to have said that as of this day he would one day become a pilot.

Camels Everywhere

Though it is 7-8 hours going to Riyadh and back, traveling through the desert is never boring. Due to the limited rain and the resulting grass, there are goats, sheep, and camels everywhere this time of year. The camels tend to graze closer to the roadside and sometimes travel on the shoulder. The two babies in the foreground illustrate the extremes in the coloring.

If you click on the photo it will open in a larger view. Look closely in the left rearground and you can see one of the shepherds riding along on a camel.

Bahrain Trip Home

I’ve had a busy week at work and haven’t finished posting the finale of my trip to Bahrain last weekend. So here it is.

I left the 70 degrees and sunshine and started home. On the way the temperature dropped and it became progressively windier as I went further north. More and more sand started blowing and in less than an hour the sun was obscured. The sand actually accumulated on the highway sort of like drifting snow in the Midwest.



I had some roadway obstacles to contend with along way too.



By the time I got within 50 miles of home it started raining.

Is Manama the Next Dubai?

Anwar took me into Manama, which is the capital of Bahrain, and we searched high and low but never saw the one-glove-singing-dancing-man Michael Jackson. It could’ve been we saw him and didn’t even know it if he was dressed like a woman again. I don’t know.

In Manama, the Bahrainis are beginning to build on a scale similar to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Think back just ten years ago and you probably wouldn’t have heard of the Dubai Desert Classic (Tiger Woods recently won this year) or the Dubai World Cup (the richest horse race in the world) or the Burg Al-Arab found in Dubai, which is in my opinion the most beautiful hotel in the world.

Bahrain is busily building 50+ story skyscrapers, hosting it's own Fomula 1 race for the first time this year, and has begun improving their airport to handle the expected increase in visitors. With all of this progress, I hope it doesn’t lose the qualities that make it such a desirable place to visit here in the Middle East.

Visit to Bahrain

I went to Bahrain yesterday for a short visit. I had to make the trip to keep my visa valid, but that is another story to tell some other time. I left the house around 5:00 am for the 4+30 hour drive expecting to see the sunrise and lots of camels, goats and sheep. I have only driven down there twice and both times there were herds everywhere.

The first 100 miles of the trip is very flat, and unless you see a herd of sheep goats or camels here or there, it is totally void of remarkable features. This is the part of the desert where I met dhub (see one of my earlier posts if you are not familiar with dhub the lizard). I drove with only my headlights lighting the way and anticipated the sunrise. I know there are Bedouins living in this area, but without any man-made lights or sunlight of any kind, it is total darkness and you can only guess where they may be. Not to mention the fact they’re spread out miles away from each other and are always moving their tents for better pastures.

I saw the suncome up and after one stop for benzene (that is what gasoline is called at the pumps here) I pulled into Al Khobar on time and met Anwar, from India, at none other than the Holiday Inn! I am not allowed to take my vehicle outside the Kingdom so I had arranged to meet Anwar to take me across the causeway. What a gorgeous day for a visit! Not only did I not have to drive, which allowed me to sit back, relax and take some photos, it was perfectly clear and around 70 degrees.

I had never been across the causeway and didn’t realize it was such a short trip. I think it is something in the range of 15 miles of bridges. A couple are high enough so ships can make their way underneath, while some are on little manmade islands and finally others are on concrete pillars sunk onto the sea floor. The view of the Gulf was spectacular and I enjoyed it very much.

Another View

This is another view of the mosque overlooking the Arabian Gulf.

A Normal Day

I’ve been asked what a “normal day” is like here in Saudi Arabia. First of all, we start our work week on Saturday and end it on Wednesday. That leaves Thursday and Friday for weekends.

A normal day starts here about an hour and fifteen minutes before sunrise when the Muslims go to the first prayer. There is another prayer at sunrise and then everyone goes to work until mid-afternoon. Most people go home for a light noon meal and then a nap.

Work starts back up at 4:00 p.m. until the sunset prayer, the time of which varies of course depending upon the time of year. The sunset prayer is followed an hour and a half later by the final prayer of the day. Then the stores open back up again until midnight or 1:00 am. It is not unusual at all to hear children playing outside at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning.

The normal day in Saudi Arabia follows the seasons and cycle of the rising and setting sun. For example, last summer on a Tuesday night, I was called by a friend of mine and asked to go to a barbecue at 8:30 pm. I went and didn’t get home until 4:00 am, just in time to get cleaned up and dressed for work. It was just another normal day in Saudi Arabia.

Gem on the Seaside

I took a short weekend trip to Damman, Dhahran and Al-Khobar, which are on the Arabian Gulf and saw this beautiful mosque right after the noon prayers. The white of the exterior against the blue water looked so nice. I just had to photograph it for future memories.

I am always very careful when taking photos around people because of the high degree of emphasis placed on privacy and security here, however there was absolutely no one around.

I enjoy admiring the buildings over here including everything from homes to skyscrapers. The homes usually have a six foot high privacy fence around them with a court yard inside. The gates to the fences are especially interesting. They normally have varying degrees of welded designs. Some very fancy and other somewhat plain, but nonetheless pleasing to look at.

During Sandstorm

This is the view of the gate this morning.

Yesterday gave absolutely no hint of today's weather. It was Southern California warm and sunny with only a slight wind. Today is another story. Windy and dust everywhere with the taste of fresh dirt in your mouth.

If you're the type of person who pops popcorn and has a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings DVD marathon on a rainy or snowy day you'll know what it is like.

Before Sandstorm

This is what the area entry / exit gate usually looks like on a clear day.