So what do you wear to a visit to Saudi Arabia?  That was the first question that needed answering when I decided to attend the conference (see Part 1 post).  It turns out that the answer was quite simple for women- an abaya. The abaya is a long black robe and is used as outer clothing to cover females when they are out in public.  They were required for all female guests. Thankfully it was not necessary to purchase your own (where else would I ever wear it?) as they were going to be supplied at the hotel.  Even though we were not required to cover our heads in any of the locations we would be visiting a scarf was also provided with each abaya.  Interestingly enough I had always thought of abayas as simple unadorned black robes but it turns out that no matter where you live a sense fashion, in some context, is present.  The abaya I was supplied had some very nice decorations on the sleeves with relief in pink and the scarf matched.  I saw other abayas, which must have been for more formal occasions, festooned with gold and silver glitter down the front and on the sleeves or various brilliant patterned colors.  Certainly there were unadorned plain black versions as well but I was surprised at the variety I saw.  The ones we were provided were a light weight nylon material and surprisingly quite comfortable.

In my abaya- a dress for all occasions. They were not just plain black robes but all had some decoration on it. I never had to cover my hair, mainly due to the venues that I attended.

I was of two minds about how to approach this issue of female clothing requirements.  On the one hand I knew and could appreciate the desire to respect the cultural norms of the places you visit, on the other, as a successful professional female I did not want to put myself in a position where I was not accepted as an equal in the professional environment in which I was going to be mingling.  An interesting dilemma to be sure– where to draw the line, and a fine line it.  It is hard to pre-judge a head of time where you think you will end up drawing that line. After getting to the country and observing the culture, even the little bit of interaction that we had, I can say that a female walking around in the city of Riyadh would feel very exposed without at least an abaya.  The women in this most conservative city were usually completely covered with only their eyes showing or at a minimum had their hair covered.  At our conference and social venues it was enough to stand out as a Western woman by not covering your hair.  Out among the general population, in the local suk, or shopping area, however, several ladies from our group who did not have their hair covered attracted the attention of the religious police (who are typically escorted by a regular policeman whose job, I am told, is to keep the religious police in line) and were instructed to cover their head.

I was coming to find all kinds of interesting rules abounded.  The women can go shopping in the mall during certain hours of the day and during those hours the men cannot go there.  Some new rules were in the works to allow men to shop during those hours as well (the women remain covered).  In restaurants and other public places, there were partitions to separate the two groups – women and families from the males.    Women cannot drive and some of the men actually complained stating their lives would be easier if their wives could drive.  With the current restrictions the husbands have to do all of the running around and it can be very time consuming.  It was an interesting perspective. I had an opportunity to visit a school (female) and visit with some of the students there. Inside the doors of the school the abayas come off but conservative dress, long skirts and long sleeves, remain standard.  I found the students to be very inquisitive and eager for interaction and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.  It was like any other school anywhere else I have visited.

Sand dune seen from the airplane. The geometry was always a bit different and I found it fascinating to see the variety. They look huge from afar.

Saudi Arabia is a desert and that fact is evident everywhere you go.  There are small areas of green but the overall color from horizon to horizon is brown.  Dunes, gullies, dry river beds, scrub brush, and rocks all define the landscape.  Since it was November the temperature was pleasant, not too hot.  The architecture consists, in general, of square buildings, low to the ground with flat roofs, although in the city center various architectural styles are in evidence.   One day was taken up flying to Dharan on the east coast, a mere 35 minute flight, and the landscape did not change the whole way- brown and flat in every direction.  The dunes were rather fascinating, though, changing shape and size rather regularly.

On one excursion in Riyadh were were shown a local environmental restoration project for one of the major wadis (catch basin/river system for water).  Apparently many years ago it had been polluted and chocked up.  The government decided to restore it and slowly, over the last ten years, has been cleaning it up and installing a natural bio-filter system.  They have also turned the area along the wadi, some tens of kilometers, into a park for the local population to enjoy.  I was told that on the weekends the area is packed with families drawn by the water and the massive open spaces.  This is an interesting experiment in social mixing as people come gather in one massive mob -there are no segregated areas along the whole wadi.

The wadi and part of the open park space next to it. A massive ecological recovery project that is fairly impressive!

The hospitality we received wherever we went was incredible.  One memorable excursion was “desert night” where we were taken to a replica desert outpost, complete with a village and main hall.  We enjoyed camel rides, native dancing, an illustration of native crafts and a wonderful meal.  Even though it was a bit cloudy I enjoyed watching the sun set over the desert.  We were able to visit a history museum which highlighted the many centuries of human activity that has taken place in this part of the world.  Reading about the development of different civilizations and the constant travel of merchants criss-crossing the desert made me wonder how many spectacular archeological sites must be buried, still hidden, in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.  I could have lingered longer at the history museum but we were ushered to yet another amazing feast.

Sunset in the desert. As I have mentioned before not many people stop to appreciate the simply beauty of a sunset but I separated myself from the crowd and just drank it in.

Which brings me to the food.  I am not sure where to start in describing the amazing array of tasty, new and interesting types of food I was able to experience.  One of my favorite things was the juices.  No alcohol is allowed in the country and when we had receptions or were gathered in groups, fruit juices of various kinds were always offered.  The juices were widely varied and always fresh!  There was orange juice, pineapple juice, strawberry juice, kiwi juice, guava juice, mango juice, pomegranate juice and others I cannot recall.  All were delicious.  There was also Arabic coffee and dates at every turn as well.  Many times the dates were stuffed with different things- nuts, chocolate, various fruits.  I never passed up an opportunity to taste a new version of a date.  Arabs apparently love sweets because were very much in evidence wherever we went as well.   Common themes for the sweets involved honey, pistachios, almonds, sesame seeds, various kinds of breads/pastries, and chocolate.  I can honestly say that I saturated on sweets, which is hard to do when you have a dedicated sweet tooth.  Of course there were many of the standard foods, dolmas, hummus, taboulah, lamb, rice, various meets, all of which was very good.  I really cannot think of anything I tried that I did not enjoy.  The cultural experience with the food was a wild success!

Overall the trip was very interesting and I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to visit such an amazing place.  I learned a lot, met a lot of people, rode a camel, and expanded my horizons in a new direction.  The perfect adventure!