Hello friends and family
A couple of recent developments here in KSA -
I got a car to help me get around camp and town. I am now the proud owner of a 2002 ML 320 Mercedes. It is tan inside and out. Bought it from another expat who brought it here from Texas. The purchase went well, then it took 2 weeks to get the paperwork done! Anyway, now I am able to easily get out and about so I have been doing what everyone here does - shop!
The city of Khobar starts right outside the camp gates and goes to the Arabian Sea (about 10 miles). There are a couple places to shop. The first is downtown Khobar which has a shopping district much like you see on TV or in the movies for the Middle East. It consists maily of one story small shops that specialize in certain items. For example there is one store for coffee beans, one for nuts, one for trinkets.... There are a few photos of the shopping district to give you a flavor. These were taken at 8:00 am and are not too crowded. By 11:00 it is so crowded the streets fill with people and you can barely walk, yet alone drive.
Gold jewelers are big here, they seem to be all over the place and sell 18, 21 and 24 gold made into anything. most things are sold at gold content value so they are sold per gram. Unfortunately gold reached an all time high last week so I came home empty handed this trip :-)
Driving here is also an experience. Most roads are either under construction or they need to be. Stop signs at cross streets appear to be optional. And apparently it is OK to park a car or delivery truck anywhere on the street. Most expats from ARAMCO only go to town early in the morning and then head back to camp in the afternoon.
The other place to shop is closer to camp and consists of two large malls and an Ikea store. The malls are about the size of The Woodlands Mall times two. The strange thing to me is they don't have anchor stores. No Macy's, Sears, etc. It is a lot like downtown Khobar with lots of smaller shops, but it is air-conditioned! The shops in the mall a more western - forever 21, GAP, American eagle, Zara, etc. And restaurants like Chillies, Tony Roma, etc.
I have upgraded much of my original rental furniture at Ikea. Most of it is in the Hemnes line (for those of you Ikea fans). I am truly impressed with the bed technology. The mattresses are all combined springs and mattress. I bought one that has a memory foam top and have been sleeping great!
Next time will concentrate on more sights and sounds of KSA.
A couple of recent developments here in KSA -
I got a car to help me get around camp and town. I am now the proud owner of a 2002 ML 320 Mercedes. It is tan inside and out. Bought it from another expat who brought it here from Texas. The purchase went well, then it took 2 weeks to get the paperwork done! Anyway, now I am able to easily get out and about so I have been doing what everyone here does - shop!
The city of Khobar starts right outside the camp gates and goes to the Arabian Sea (about 10 miles). There are a couple places to shop. The first is downtown Khobar which has a shopping district much like you see on TV or in the movies for the Middle East. It consists maily of one story small shops that specialize in certain items. For example there is one store for coffee beans, one for nuts, one for trinkets.... There are a few photos of the shopping district to give you a flavor. These were taken at 8:00 am and are not too crowded. By 11:00 it is so crowded the streets fill with people and you can barely walk, yet alone drive.
Gold jewelers are big here, they seem to be all over the place and sell 18, 21 and 24 gold made into anything. most things are sold at gold content value so they are sold per gram. Unfortunately gold reached an all time high last week so I came home empty handed this trip :-)
Driving here is also an experience. Most roads are either under construction or they need to be. Stop signs at cross streets appear to be optional. And apparently it is OK to park a car or delivery truck anywhere on the street. Most expats from ARAMCO only go to town early in the morning and then head back to camp in the afternoon.
The other place to shop is closer to camp and consists of two large malls and an Ikea store. The malls are about the size of The Woodlands Mall times two. The strange thing to me is they don't have anchor stores. No Macy's, Sears, etc. It is a lot like downtown Khobar with lots of smaller shops, but it is air-conditioned! The shops in the mall a more western - forever 21, GAP, American eagle, Zara, etc. And restaurants like Chillies, Tony Roma, etc.
I have upgraded much of my original rental furniture at Ikea. Most of it is in the Hemnes line (for those of you Ikea fans). I am truly impressed with the bed technology. The mattresses are all combined springs and mattress. I bought one that has a memory foam top and have been sleeping great!
Next time will concentrate on more sights and sounds of KSA.
