GREETINGS FROM SAUDI SANDY

We just got back from Al Khobar where we were working some more with our travel agents for our trip to Kerala India. We have two Indians working with us. One does all the flight stuff and the other does all the 'ground tour' stuff that includes the hotels, tours, and driver. Every time we walk into their office, they quickly turn on the AC. They like the heat, and we die! So, they are VERY nice to us, and always flick the switch to ON when we come. When we walk out of the office, I think they turn the AC off again.

We confirmed our flights..leaving on March 27th and returning on April 7th. The hotels are still being negotiated and that should be all settled by Wednesday when we go back downtown to pick up our passports with the India visas and pay for our airline tickets. These Indian guys talk SO FAST!! Jim and I keep saying, "Excuse Me?!" They laugh. I keep telling the one who is booking the hotels etc. that we are NOT rich ARAMCO oil people, but poor university professor people. He just laughs some more. I did find one hotel for $30 a night on the internet that looked great and clean etc. My logic is that we can stay there for ONE night and then in a big, beautiful TAJ hotel for one night and the price averages out. Anyway, we are all working together. It is fun. Hope to be able to post our Itinerary before long.

Jim had this morning free, so after the travel agent, he took me to the Primadonna Ladies Center to get a hair cut. Only women are allowed inside and there is a guard stationed outside in a guard house to make sure that males do not enter. All Ladies Centers are like this. Beauty Parlors here are referred to as Ladies Centers and they all have guards outside to keep the men out.

This Center sure seemed very quiet when I walked inside and I saw about four female janitors hard at work washing off the massive entryway and grand staircase that led up to the beauty shop. Not a customer in sight. I found one female staff member getting herself some tea and asked if I could get a hair cut. Well, no one was available until mid to late afternoon. I was there at 10:30 AM. OOPS, forgot that the female Arab population here really doesn't start their day until about 4 PM. and the majority of businesses here for women are not prepared to serve the public until then. They are opened, but not fully staffed until the afternoons. So, I made a reservation for 3 PM this afternoon. Saudi women or American women married to Saudis often own the Centers, but all the work is usually done by Filipino ladies.

I came back down 4 flights of stairs and got in the car with Jim, who was prepared to sit there and read for the hour or so it would take me to get my hair cut. He was surprised to see me as we both thought this was a great time for me to stop by and get a haircut. I found out that he has a meeting with a student at 3 PM, so he will now not only have to return me to the beauty center, but also hurry back to his own appointment. We will meet up in the family area of the Starbucks , that is close by, at about 4 PM when I am finished with my hair appointment and he is finished with his meeting. Nothing, but NOTHING is easy here.

I was making a special pie the other day for guests and ran out of corn syrup. Nope, couldn't just have Jim make a quick trip to the store because it was prayer time and nothing would be opened. After about 45 min. we were able to drive to the closest store, but they did NOT carry corn syrup, and there wasn't time to drive to the city of Al Khobar and check out the Tamimi store there that carries more Western supplies. Guests were coming and another prayer time would be following the one that just finished. So, had to come back home and call one of our dinner guests and see if she had Corn Syrup. She and her husband were coming over in a taxi from another compound. Her husband refuses to drive the streets here and always hires a taxi. She had some corn syrup and would bring it over when she came for dinner. So, the pie fixings had to sit for another hour before I could continue.

Whew, and I do try and make sure I have everything I need before I start cooking. It just gets pretty nasty working around prayer times if I am not totally organized. I am finding I am not as organized as I used to be with each passing year and boy, do we suffer for it here.