Once Upon A Time, in the Magic Kingdom…

…Lived a semi-newlywed couple trying to figure out married life in the most conservative part of THE Muslim Middle East country. Intrigued? Good, there’s more.



This is our inaugural posting on our travel blog. We hope to capture all the places we go, things we see, and experiences we have. Since we’ve already lived here going on seven months, here’s the skinny version. I’ll write some more detailed posts about Saudi Arabia and our life here soon.

Home Sweet KSA

View from our balcony.

We arrived in the Kingdom at almost the worst time possible – Summer. There aren’t enough metaphors to truly explain what 40 degrees Celsius feels like; just trust me, it’s about the hottest thing you’ve ever experienced.

Of course I expected that wonderful dry desert heat that all Arizonans claim is so pleasant. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. We are right off of the Arabian Gulf coast so the humidity is frequently above 80 percent during the summertime.

Wearing the neck-to-toe abaya that is expected of all women while in public was a little strange to get used to. Picture a black choir robe – that’s about it. Although I’ve heard and discussed a lot of opinions on the abaya, I will say that it helps make you a little more comfortable when you blend in a little bit and when men can’t see your figure. More on that in another post…

We currently live on a great compound right on the beach. Our apartment has a great view, and we feel very blessed to have met some amazing friends that we know we’ll keep our whole lives. As strange as it is, I was ready to come “home” to KSA in January – even though we were in the States for the holidays, it was like we were only celebrating with half of the people we cared about.

Oldie but a goodie - the "gang" during Ramadan 2010

The Seychelles – A Little Emerald Paradise

Anse Lazio Beach - Ahhh....

In November, we took our first big excursion to the islands of the Seychelles. They are located off the African coast straddling the Equator. Our short 5-day trip was exactly what we needed – sun, sand, relaxation, exploration – and a little of what we didn’t – seasickness and sunburns.

We stayed on the island of Mahe and rented a car to get around the island. We had quite an experience getting used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road, and driving the stick shift up and down hills. Since we are prohibited from driving ourselves in the Kingdom, this was our first time behind the wheel in five months. Every ride was an adventure!

On our second day we were able to join a group that was going SCUBA diving off Silhouette Island. While the big sail boat we boarded looked beautiful and great, the windy day and choppy waters soon got the better of both of us. Sparing you the messy details, suffice it to say we were happy to finally get in the water. On our two dives that day we saw conchs, manta rays, a giant sea turtle and unbelievable coral and fish. Other than also forgetting to put on sunscreen that morning – it was great!

Our final day in the Seychelles we travel to the neighboring island of Praslin where we walked through the prehistoric Valle de Mer UNESCO Nature Preserve. It definitely felt like we were walking through a set of Jurassic Park! After our hike, we visited Anse Lazio beach – one of my personal favorite places on Earth. Once you got past the elderly topless women, the beach was spectacular, as you can see in the pictures (of the beach, not the topless women!).

Life can't get much better....

Overall, I would return to these islands again in a heartbeat!

New Years in Paris – Bon Annee!

New Years 2011

We piggybacked our second trip abroad onto our holiday travel. We spent two weeks back in the States with our wonderful families, then travelled to Paris, France, on New Year’s Eve for a week. Paris was everything I imagined – cultured, full of life, full of wine. The New Year’s Eve celebration was definitely lacking for us Americans – no fireworks at the Eiffel Tower! Nevertheless, we spent the next week gorging on museums, landmarks and Versailles.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Paris in the winter was probably the best way to see it for the first time. We enjoyed fewer tourists at most of the major attractions, but I’m looking forward to seeing it all again in the summer. To see the fountains working and people enjoying the beautiful landscape would make it all feel perfect!

 

 

 

 

Up Next: SCUBA Liveaboard in the Maldives

In less than two weeks, we will embark on our first SCUBA liveaboard trip in the Maldives, a group of islands off the coast of Sri Lanka. The diving is known to be some of the best in the world. We are going with two of our close Saudi friends – Micah & Stephanie Sperling. After a month of long-term subbing 7th,  8th, 9th and 10th graders in math, I can’t wait for a week in the middle of nowhere with grown-ups!

More to come…stay tuned!