Saying Goodbye

There are many ways to say goodbye.
Sainara, Au Revoir, Adios, Arrivederci but....
for some of Chris' co workers it's a Diet Coke and a little Shisha with a feather boa type Hookah.
(Shisha is the tobacco used in the Hookah water-pipe.)
Even though Chris doesn't smoke it was a thoughtful gesture.

Others say farewell with a 50 Mile social ride or an 80K hammer fest under 2 hours.

Some tear up, hug, or just say, "See ya later!" trying not to get
too emotional.

For me, saying goodbye has been bitter sweet. I will miss many aspects of the Expat Life: the travel, the 6 weeks of vacation, a nominal house payment and free utilities, saving money, having house help, a small close knit yet diverse community full of activities for the kids, everything on camp within walking distance, and dear friends such as these and many others not shown. It is very difficult for this kind of life to be replicated although I know small pockets exists all over the world.

I will not miss 36 hours of travel time home, sand storms, the 4 hour commute to church each week (other than the talking time with Chris), insanely crazy drivers, camel crossings, security checkpoints, imported American foods that just don't taste right like stale cereal and shredded cheese that arrives all melted and globby, the absolute inability of some nationalities to queue up properly, not driving, my Abaya in 100+ heat, and holes in the ground as public toilets.....just to name a few.

Saying goodbye to our houseboy Golum was also very difficult. Not only because he helped me immensely around the house but because he felt like family to us. We hope he felt compensated for a job well done. He will be returning to Bangladesh in September after working abroad for 10 years, 7 of which were here in Saudi. During his 3 month break he will marry and try and start a business so that after he fulfills his contract in Saudi he can be home with his wife and family. He was always kind and helpful and he adored the boys. They loved to go out and work in the yard with him causing him to get teased by the other workers for having little white boys as his helpers. We wish him the best and hope that he won't have to work abroad indefinitely to support his family.


This experience has enriched me in so many ways. My eyes have been opened by the things I've seen. I have served and been served. I have loved and been loved. I will cherish this time as it has helped me to stretch and grow and better understand the diversity of the world we live in. We do not regret our decision to move to Saudi. It's funny because when we decided to move there the common response from friends and colleges was, "What?! You're moving where?!" Now that we are leaving the common response from our expat friends was, "What?! You're leaving already?!"

Much thought and many prayers went into both the decision to come and to go and we feel that we are doing what is best for our family and Chris' career at this time and although the money was exceptional.....sometimes it's not about the money.

On that note we not only say goodbye to Udhailiayah but also to the Uda-Where Blog.
If you want to continue following the Jenkins Family Journeys you can find us at
www.thejenkinsjourneys.blogspot.com

The Road Less Traveled

Especially by ladies in spandex.

If felt quite liberating being out of camp in such a fashion considering where we are.

We went on one last Social Pace (meaning the guys didn't hammer it so the ladies could keep up) ride of the season. Everyone is packing up for the summer and some of us for good so we celebrated in Udhailiyah Cycling Club Style.

Our camp is surrounded by oil field roads. Some in excellent condition and others a bit pitted and ruddy and after 6 days of shamals the dunes have crept across parts of the road.

We rose before the sun and set out at 4:30AM. The wind was minimal, the dust low, and a commencing heat of 90 degrees for the 50 mile ride. Other than a camel crossing and a few photo stops we rode on an on passed nice garbage free dunes. There was the occasional dead goat dumping ground but thankfully the stinky microbe phase had passed.

By the end, even after drafting Chris most of the way home my legs were shot. I'm so glad the pack of wild puppies we passed decided not to charge because I'm not sure I could have out run them. Sad I know.

1600 calories later we ended with celebratory Krispy Kreme and some mango milk.

I was pretty much a waste of space the rest of the day but am so glad our hubbies took us out for one last ride.

Taking It To The Next Level

To take it to the next level you need:

To get up at 3:30AM before the real heat sets in.

You need to pack water....bottles and bottles of ice cold water.

You need to endure 120 degree heat over the pavement.

You need to keep the paceline.

You need to take the roads less traveled.

You need a lot of testosterone... natural not synthetic.

You need some of the smoothest legs in the Eastern Provence.

You need to know when to kick back in the shade.

You need to be just a wee bit INSANE!

You need to be on a first name bases of the proprietor of the local Bedouin-11.

You need a Sag Wag with a driver, A/C, and cooler of extra water.

You need 2 liters of fluid to replace the 13 lbs you left behind in the desert.

When you take it to the next level you start out a 105 mile ride as friends but you end as brothers.

One Of These Guys Is Not Like The Other

According to the reptile guy on this website

This is perhaps the most famous lizard in Saudi Arabia. Called a Dhub in Arabic, he is hunted and eaten just like certain species of iguanas. Dhubs are not small, the fellow in the photo below is close to two feet long and ten pounds. Dhubs are plant eaters. The Saudi peninsular is not one big desert, but harbors several climate types, enough for this big guy to keep his belly full and grow to a very respectable size.

...these guys are quite feisty and a reptile of that size could deliver a bite guaranteed to send a message. A Saudi friend of mine over here told me that dhubs exhibit a lot of local color variation. These guys are so big you can actually see them popping up out of their burrows from hundreds of feet away. They are extremely alert and very fast.
(I've only seen one in the desert by our house and yes it was fast.)

But it's got nothin' on these Dhubs!

The Bedouin (on the back row left) will eat any Dhub that tries to chase down our very own UDH Desert Rats as seen here during a water stop on an 120K ride.
(Chris is the second from the right on the back row.)

The Bedouins have been known to pick up stranded bikers, serve them tea, and occasionally curse them if they get too close to their camels.

Flower & Garden Show

This wasn't just a
FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW....

It was also a DELIGHT THE CHILDREN WITH THE EXTERMINATION PROCESS OF VERMIN AND REPTILES IN CAMP SHOW!

Ethan was delighted to try out the snake stick and

better understand the intricacies of the wild cat trap.

After a bit of indecision, on my part, of just how many and what types of plants to purchase we had a few minutes to stroll through this beautifully arranged garden.

Until recently this area housed portable office buildings. In fact Chris worked in one until last Spring when the new office building finally opened. A few months ago the buildings were deconstructed and shipped off for use elsewhere. Then a few days ago this showed up.

Truck loads of gravel, flowers, and brick were unloaded and the gardening crew went to work. The result is absolutely delightful. I hope they keep it, as it would just reemphises that UDH really is the "City of Flowers" but I'm not sure of the plans.

Both Zach and Ethan's classes had field trips here during the week complete with fun goody bags for all those who attended. They even had some toy blocks for Graham and a free house plant of my choice as a lovely parting gift.

The Red Sands Of Shaybah

Shaybah is a HOT SPOT not just because of the intense temperatures. But, because it's difficult to get to this camp in what is known as the Empty Quarter which is north of Yemen and west of UAE.

On most of the camps you have to enter a lottery for several years before you even get the privilege to take a bus and then a private jet to this REMOTE Aramco facility. For us it was a bit simpler. You do have to be present for ticket purchase, not been previously, or get really lucky like we did and be on the waiting list that had last minute spots open up.

Not only did we get to have this amazing experience

we get to do it with many of our closest friends!

Upon our arrival we sat down for some poolside snacks and some homemade chocolate cookies with Reeses chips in them. They were so good and I've been craving them every day since. It is possible to have too much of a good thing.

We then went on a short walking tour of the residence facilities. In the gym there is a massive mural showing bulldozers clearing sand away for a runway. As pictures of pictures go, this doesn't do it justice as the dunes are super steep and sadly lives were lost in this project.

We had a bit of down time during the main heat of the day and kept cool in lounge areas were pillow fights and games of tag kept the kiddos busy.

We then loaded up for a bus tour of the G.O.S.P. (Gas and Oil Separation Pipes or Pumps?) It was perfect timing for Graham to take a little snooze because the real action was yet to come.

We toured a drill site...with drilling in progress. It was nice to have a Dad that could explain what was going on. Other buses full of teachers didn't get the same tour as our bus that had several Engineers on it.

The day wasn't too hot as days go here but any shade was welcome as this was the hottest time of the day.

After loading up we drove up to the Shaybah Oasis which is a large tent with AC above the main camp. We snacked, watched a movie about the area, and kept cool waiting for the sun to set a little more so we could......

....go sand sledding or at least try. (Ethan is in the gray shirt in the middle of the picture.)
Some of us just relaxed and watched the others fill their undies and every other crevasse with sand.

Chris did a bit of exploring trying to find the perfect untouched dune.
When Graham did finally adventure down it was too steep for him to climb back up and had to be rescued....not that he was in any danger.

It was quite a work out for the daddies.

This picture of Zach and his best buddy "M" is my favorite picture of the day. Could those big smiles have anything to do with getting to ride a 4 wheeler over some dunes?
The boys were ready for some serious down time on the plane ride home. What do you expect after playing non stop with friends all day, exploring Saudi's wilderness, and a non stop consumption of juice followed by a surprisingly delicious meal out on the Oasis patio.
Thanks SAEA for another wonderful day trip.

Oh yeah and the Crown Prince just announced that Saturday will be a National Holiday as the King just returned from a successful surgery abroad. Yeah for 3 day weekends.

The Secrets of Al Hasa: Feasting & Gara

On the way to lunch we passed something I'm used to seeing in Al Hasa....local's garbage. What I didn't know is that the field that now holds refuse was once, like many others, a thriving rice field. I knew Al Hasa was know for being the largest natural oasis on earth, the largest natural oil reservoir, and acres and acres of date farms but this was the first I'd heard about rice.

I think the biggest secret we discovered is that Al Hasa has resorts and many of them. They are tucked away surrounded by walls so you really don't know that behind all the garbage is an extremely relaxing peaceful spot. Our guide said that many Saudi families are too large to gather at hotels so they come to spots like these.

Other than eating poolside, a bit nerve wracking with the little ones, we had a lovely lunch. There was this, interesting;), water feature and a small zoo that kept the older kids interested until it was time to move on.

In the afternoon we headed out of town about 12 kilometers to the Gara mountains. These sedimentary rocks became a refuge for the villagers during the hot months. Our guides' grandfather lived there and said the village was desolate during the day as the entire village went to sleep in the caves. Then in the cooler evening everyone came out and it was business as usual.
Zach and I missed this part of the trip. Zach chose to stay on the bus and read while I napped next to a sleeping Graham.
Chris, Ethan, and the rest of the crew enjoyed their time exploring.

Just before the Gara mountains is the famous Al Garash Dougha or Pottery Factory. This workshop has been passed down from father to son for many years. The pottery making goes through several stages. First the mud is gathered from the Harra Springs, then mixed with red and white mud and left to ferment for four days. Then it is spread out to dry and sprinkled with fine white sand.
Hanging from the ceiling was a unique fixture. I was told it is for making yogurt. After it is filled with milk then it is tied to a camel and the shaking forms yogurt. We did make another stop at a date processing factory for a quick tour of a sticky conveyor belt and bargaining for dates. Again it would have taken too much time to get Graham in and out of the car seat so we just remained on the bus.
At this point we would have been happy to just head home but we again returned to the resort for another wonderful meal.....grilled meats on yummy fresh flat bread.

Thin bread is made in clay ovens or on a piece of metal called Tawa. The dough is prepared in a big bowl before it rises. Tawa is then place into the fire and small piece of dough is put on top. Then it is spread by hand, or in this case slammed down with a big pillow, to cover the whole surface. The process was really fun to watch. I could not get enough of that hot yummy bread and since his set up was adjacent to our table is gave us easy, a bit too easy, access to the goods.

A little after 8 we loaded up to leave only to be stopped by the tour company and given a parting gift of dates and a woven flag. That was a very nice gesture to remember our day. As the kids drifted of to sleep we assumed that meant a struggle for baths and bed when we got home. Lucky for us they were too exhausted to even cry or fuss. Ethan practically slept through his bath and they all went down with out a hitch. Hallelujah!