July 11, 2012

Finally it is a Friday again. I am not sure I would like the Monday through Friday work schedule. I am glad this week has provided me with some free time throughout the day. I can come back to my place or go use the internet and get various things I need to get done.

I took a medication exam today.  I believe I passed but some questions I feel didn’t quite have a correct answer but I will know this afternoon if I passed by getting at least an 80%.

I don’t want to bore details just mentioned so I will write about something more interesting.  I went on a tour of Riyadh or part of Riyadh, and mostly the outlying sights then the city center.  There was a mixed Aussie and Filipino couple and his parents.  When I make that statement which partner automatically is the male in your mind?  I would always assume the woman to be Filipino in this case.   Anyway there was also a couple other Filipino friends, and 2 Caucasian women from the US who are here doing some Cancer survey.

Our guide is , Farris, a local but lived in the Grand Rapids, Michigan for over 20 years.   We started our tour in the hospital van which seats about 15.  It was about 3pm and near the hottest part of the day, so even with the A/C blasting it didn’t get very cool.  I got a little nauseous for a while due to heat and lack of hydration.  We left the hospital and went to a nearby neighborhood with high cement walls and quite large houses.  He wanted to show us the wealthy section and design of the homes in this area. Farris, points out to us that there is about 50,000 Saudi royalties.  Farris then informed us that specific areas used to be cheap for land but when Royalty built on the land all the neighboring areas became expensive.

We visited or drove around Saud University.  Nothing too special about it. 

Then we were stopped nearby at the ancient ruins Al’ Diryah (spelled a number of different ways), which is currently being reconstructed.  The goal is for the area to be a UNESCO site but they aren’t preserving the area but rebuilding it. How does that make it a world heritage site?   Since they are rebuilding it; it is closed to the public unless you get a special letter, which Farris said he could get if I could gather a large enough group (meaning it would be monetarily valuable for him to make the effort).

We drove by many, many, many palaces of such and such prince.   I would never get that straight no matter how long I lived here. There are too many of them.  But the Palaces were very solid and outstanding.

Wadi Hanifah is a man-made oasis that is about 80 km long.  It has become like a park for the locals with a rocky walking path and various areas designated for picnicking and resting.  These areas are made of stone, there wasn’t any grass. Parts of wadi are landscaped.  For the locals it is a nice hang out in the evenings and weekends.

We also stopped along some bridge which in the Wadi below was a huge area for impounded vehicles. I have never seen such a large lot of confiscated cars.  I think once it is gone, the owner would never be able find it to get it back. J

The last stop worth mentioning in any detail is Wadi Namar, the man-made lake/reservoir which water is come from the sewage. There is a leaching system near to the highway, it filters out the waste and the water seeps through the rocks.  Some of this water is ciphened to this reservoir.  No, people don’t swim here but just sit or stroll along the tiered walkway overlooking the water.  I can imagine not having much water in the area, this must be a nice place to congregate even if you wouldn’t and couldn’t take a dip in it.

We also drove to the Ortega Produce Market which was closed for evening prayer.  It would be about 20 Riyals for me to take a taxi to the place so just not worth it if I was to go alone.  I am going to try the FreshVery delivery of produce and see how much that costs.  We then headed to the Fish Market which is near by the National Museum.  The National Museum has landscaped parks and seems to quite a nice place to come in the evening as well.  In the summer, Farris pointed out, they have a fair-like setup for the kids.  Farris also pointed out some of his favorite restaurants.

*A little side note. I was informed at the beginning of my orientation to look at the labels of the bottled water.  Some of them add quite a bit of Sodium, and we all know Sodium causes water retention.  I have noticed that some bottles will have 16-22PPM in 1 liter and other will only have 1-2.  That is quite a variable.

The government gives a 500,000 SR home loan.  They do not charge interest for the loan.  And if you actually make your annual payment of 12,500 Riyals on time, the rate is discounted to 9,500 Riyals.  That is amazing!  But it is interesting information one person tells you is negated by another persons personal story as is this case.*