Hello Friends !!
Well I have been here for five paychecks now (five plus months, but the paycheck statement brings a chuckle from my fellow Aramcons). I am getting ready for my trip back to The Woodlands to spend some vacation time at home with Jane and Lauren (and Belle the dog). I thought I would share some random photos with you, and a short story with each before I head back. I will be in Houston from this Thursday until Lauren's Nutcracker performance (she dances the Waltz Queen on Saturday afternoon, seats are still available :-) ).
With all the Arab Spring stories in this area, I am sure you have heard of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain is an island nation, and is about 20 miles from the ARAMCO camp in Dhahran. Bahrain is a more liberal Arab nation in that everyone dresses in western clothes, restaurants and nightclubs are plentiful, you can order alcohol in restaurants, etc. To get to Bahrain, we drive across a causeway which has customs, passport control, etc. Naturally, lines on the causeway can be hours to get across when it is busy. I have only gone twice, both times on off-hours and it takes about 45 minutes total. When the causeway was built, the Bahraini oil company paid for most of it and insisted that they have a monument which is in the photo below.
Finally, for those of you who are worried about me getting out of shape while I am in the Kingdom, well, there is an 8 lane, temperature controlled (yes heated in winter and chilled in summer), lap pool about 1/2 mile from my townhouse on the Aramco camp. It is open to all employees and guests. There is also a 'play' pool on the same site, so the life gaurds strictly enforce lap swimming only! As you can see, I am enjoying this part of the camp.
Well I have been here for five paychecks now (five plus months, but the paycheck statement brings a chuckle from my fellow Aramcons). I am getting ready for my trip back to The Woodlands to spend some vacation time at home with Jane and Lauren (and Belle the dog). I thought I would share some random photos with you, and a short story with each before I head back. I will be in Houston from this Thursday until Lauren's Nutcracker performance (she dances the Waltz Queen on Saturday afternoon, seats are still available :-) ).
With all the Arab Spring stories in this area, I am sure you have heard of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain is an island nation, and is about 20 miles from the ARAMCO camp in Dhahran. Bahrain is a more liberal Arab nation in that everyone dresses in western clothes, restaurants and nightclubs are plentiful, you can order alcohol in restaurants, etc. To get to Bahrain, we drive across a causeway which has customs, passport control, etc. Naturally, lines on the causeway can be hours to get across when it is busy. I have only gone twice, both times on off-hours and it takes about 45 minutes total. When the causeway was built, the Bahraini oil company paid for most of it and insisted that they have a monument which is in the photo below.
One of the interesting aspects of living in Arabia are the different foods and drinks. You think coffee is the same the world over? Well Arabic coffee is quite different. It is made from young beans that are 'kind-of' roasted. The result is a more bitter coffee that needs sugar, and is served in little cups. Arabic coffee is always served from a specific urn that is represented in the statue below. In case you are wondering, I am known as the 'Medium Americano' to the coffee guy in our building at work....
At one time I recall, everyone had thier own 'galleria'. Houston's galleria is one of the biggest with three or four major department stores (Neidmann Marcus, Nordstrom, Macys, Dillards), an ice rink, two hotels and several hundred stores. I thought I would show a photo of the Galleria in nearby Khubar Saudi Arabia.
Finally, for those of you who are worried about me getting out of shape while I am in the Kingdom, well, there is an 8 lane, temperature controlled (yes heated in winter and chilled in summer), lap pool about 1/2 mile from my townhouse on the Aramco camp. It is open to all employees and guests. There is also a 'play' pool on the same site, so the life gaurds strictly enforce lap swimming only! As you can see, I am enjoying this part of the camp.
Take Care!
