The night before Christmas, Saudi-style
Trip Start
Nov 30, 2007
1
23
34
Trip End
Jan 17, 2008
Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Not a creature was stirring, they got stuck in loose sand.
My cousins in PJs, and me in my bisht
Had just settled down for the long sleep I wished.
When all of a sudden, I heard such a noise
That it made me forget all my travel tech toys
I arose from my bed, though I sleep like a log.
"Something's happening", I said, "I can put on my blog".
Then what, to my wondering eyes should I spy
But a battered old truck, with eight camels inside.
And driven, it seemed, by a withered old man,
Who flashed high beams and honked as the signal he ran.
He parked on the lawn and got out of his ride
Went to my uncle's house and he strolled right inside.
He smelled of cigarettes, zattar and of foul,
I knew in a moment, this must be St. Abdul.
His thobe was disshevelled, and his gutra untamed,
And I stood there astounded, as my travels he named:
"From Dubai! From Muscat! From Dhahran and Abha!
From Al Ain! From Nizwa! Bahrain and Al Hasa!"
He walked over my way, and he then shook my hand
And went on to name the next stops in my plan:
"On to Amman! Damascus! Crac and Palmyra!
Tel Aviv! Jerusalem and on to Petra!"
He reached into his bag, and pulled out from his stash
My wallet, intact, (except for all of the cash).
He looked in my eyes for any kind of sign,
But thanks to my mom [1], my situation was fine.
I gave him a smile, but a firm "La, shukran"
I pointed him to the truck he had parked on the lawn.
And I heard him exclaim, as he left the front room:
"Eid Mubarak, insh'allah, wa salam alaikum!"
[1] Thanks actually to my mom, my uncle Lorne, my cousin Russell, MasterCard, my bank, and Milind, from the internet cafe in Muscat. But mostly to my mom.
I still have to do some Saudi entries, so some of this will make more sense later.
Glossary:
bisht - heavy Bedouin robe, lined with fur and worn in winter, particularly to special occasions
zattar - mix of spices served on bread; sort of like a pizza folded in half
foul - pronounced "fool"; literally, beans, but practically short for foul meddames, a mixed bean dish served for breakfast
thobe - Saudi term for the white dress-thingy the men wear
gutra - Saudi term for the Arabian hat that consists of a handkerchief held on with a rope
La, shukran - "No, thank you".
Eid Mubarak - The equivalent of Merry Christmas; Eids are the two major Islamic festivals; one at the end of Ramadan and one at the end of the Hajj -- this year the Hajj finished Dec. 22 or so.
Insh'allah - literally "if Allah wills it"; common phrase, like "God willing", but used much more frequently.
wa salam alaikum - literally, "and peace be with you"; salam alaikum is the standard Arabic greeting.
