Christmas Shopping!

Ok, it's the day after Christmas.  But I wrote this shortly before leaving the Kingdom for the holidays...


Got my Tilley.  Got my list.  Got my sack pack.  I’m good to go!

Ok, so…  (Or as Shannon would say – Oh Queso... )  The camp I live in is named Dhahran.  It’s only a few miles from an actual city, named Khobar.  Khobar has around 165,000 residents, which is about 50K more than all of Provo.  When people want to get out of the camp, they usually go to Khobar.  In fact, Aramco has a free bus system that I can just hop on and go straight to many frequented sites.   They have at least two large shopping malls as well as the area known as the Alyssa Souqs – which was my destination last Saturday.

The walkway to the Souqs.
Gross and disgusting and only 4 years old

You may be wondering what a souq is.  Well, I think “souq” is translated as “market” or something like that.  In this case there are many city blocks dedicated to the various souqs.  Probably about 30 blocks or so.  They organize like shops with like shops.  So you have the clothing area, the jewelry area, the gifts/souveniers area, etc.  It’s sort of like a very large outlet mall, only much bigger, and way more run down, and the shops are much smaller.

Traffic in the Souqs

As far as traffic is concerned, there are no stop signs.  None.  You sort of take your life into your own hands every time you cross the street.  In fact, last night I saw a narrow one way street with cars parked bumper to bumper on both sides of the street.  And running down the center was the single traffic lane.  Only at this moment, three taxis were blocking that traffic lane (single file), and none of them had any occupants.  The traffic behind them had to back up/turn around and muscle their way onto a different block!  It’s much better to walk.

I talked with several shop owners that day.  It was funny: every one of them I met was so hospitable.  They would invite me in, insist on my putting my bags down on the floor.  Then they would (I’m not kidding) steal a glance at what I had already purchased.  If it was something that they stock in their store, they would act hurt and wonder why I got it at the other place, and “what price did you pay?”

Inside a Souq

Souq owner dude - No idea
why he chose this particular
facial expression!

But they all were very nice, in spite of the hard sale.  “You like that thobe?  60 riyals.  But for you 50 riyals.  But if you buy two, only 40 riyals each. Only one?  Ok.  How about a nice hat to go with it.  Here, try it on.  Nice.  You get?  No?  How about these gloves – tree sizes.  Tree (holds up three fingers).  No?  Then this scarf…”

And, interestingly enough, they ALL had top of the line stuff.  The real deal.  The genuine article.  Much better than the guy next door…  Every one of them.  Pretty amazing!

Anyway, my expedition was successful, and now I have to figure out how to get it all into my suitcase!

Remember those lovely photos of the nice landscaping within the camp?  Well, here are some pictures of Khobar taken from a moving vehicle on my way back to camp.  I’m sitting on a lovely air conditioned bus made by Mercedes.  

The camp is primarily for foreigners.  

This is the sort of thing the locals get.