On Thursday (June 17), I flew Gulf Air 214 from Kuwait to Bahrain. Thankfully my flight arrived in Manama right on time at 12:15 pm. I collected my luggage, cleared customs and then met my driver and we were off to the King Fahad Causeway which connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. At the Saudi border, I was fingerprinted and photographed and then cleared Saudi customs after which time we continued on our way into Dhahran. It took exactly one hour and twelve minutes to get to my destination where I checked into Steineke Hall - the main guest residence facility here in the Saudi Aramco camp.One of the highlights of my 5-day visit was a trip to Udhailiyah - a work/residence camp that Saudi Aramco maintains in the southern area of Saudi Arabia.
Along the way to Udhailiyah, I spotted several interesting rock formations called jebels. Basically these are areas of soft rock worn away by continual sandblasting by the blowing sand.
Again, these are all made from soft rock and hence these shapes shift from time to time.
Meanwhile, back in Dhahran, headquarters to the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, or Saudi Aramco as it is commonly called, the above home shows how the family residences in Dhahran look. This particular home once housed one of the more famous engineers who worked with me during the many trips I took to the Kingdom between 1989 and 1995.
The Dhahran residential area is like a slice of middle-America transplanted to the desert here in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. I may have alreday said this in a prior posting but I'll say it again - Saudi Aramco can be a great place to work if you don't mind being in the Middle East and if you possess the technical skills needed.
As we left the Bahrain Airport and headed into Saudi Arabia, we made our way through traffic in downtown Manama (the capital of Bahrain) and passed the new World Trade Center building complex (right next to the old Sheraton Hotel).
Another unusual looking building (next to the World Trade Center).
A poster along the highway shows the current monarch, the King of Bahrain.
I bid a fond farewell to Kuwait last Thursday (June 17) as my driver took me along Highway 40 towards the Kuwait International Airport. I hope to return sometime later this year.
2 comments:
I really enjoyed catching up with your posts, Chemist. Thanks for the beautiful posts. I really enjoyed them. I wish that I will see the Middle East in one of my pleasure trips. It looks very interesting. Keep posting my friend and be safe always.
Searching Soul:
As always, thanks so much for stopping by!! And, YES, despite the grim news we often receive in the 'media', the Middle East can be a very interesing place to visit. For a Westerner deciding where to make a first stop, I'd suggest either Dubai or Bahrain. Both are very safe and geared for tourists. Especially Dubai - although you'd better bring along a credit card as the place is moocho-expensive!
Traveling Chemist
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