Actual Tour (Camel Tour Part 3)

White Camel at Festival

 We left the hotel early in the morning... around 4:45 am or so. Getting a cab was easy, and while negotiating a price wasn't as difficult this time around, I am still not comfortable with such necessities.

The ride took about half an hour. Finding the meeting spot wasn't as easy as it should have been, but we arrived safely and relatively quickly. We boarded the bus and commenced with the waiting. They pointed out the tea and coffee that was available for us to make should we desire. I should have known then that it was going to be a rather odd day!

The bus ride took forever! It wasn't really uncomfortable, just long. It was basically long stretches of desert with occasional camels and/or goats dotting the landscape. We also passed through a town/city every now and then as well. Somewhere along the way a couple of the other passengers decided that we weren't too odd to actually talk with a bit. Eventually we arrived!

We were a little late for the festival, so we apparently missed some cultural performances. As I am not sure what exactly we were supposed to have seen, I really don't feel like I missed out on too much. After we had offloaded the bus, we were taken to a place on the opposite side of the ring as the rest of the spectators. I felt like we were being given VIP treatment. This feeling was supported by a person in an SUV who upon exiting stopped to say "Hello. I hope you enjoy the festival!" Not very profound words, but the "guide" informed us, as the SUV pulled off, that the man was one of the high princes. An early morning greeting by a high prince of Saudi Arabia while being led to an exclusive viewing area at a camel festival? Yes, definitely VIP experience!!

We didn't get to see all of the camel judging. It was a typical tour at this point in which it was a bit rushed as there was a schedule to keep and such. But what was to come was as much of a joy! We made various stops where we had tea, Saudi white coffee, dates, and were given gifts of hats and trinkets. (I now have about 4 or 5 hats that I will need to give away.)

One of the many cups of tea!

Amid all of this hustle and bustle, we also had lunch. I was under the impression that it was going to be Subway as that is what one of my traveling partners was told. It turned out to be a huge spread of pita bread, various hummus dishes, chicken, kebab, lasagna, fish, fruit, and whatever else I may be forgetting at the moment! There was no way to go hungry here!

While the food was wonderful, I was even more pleased by the discussion. Our tour guide was a Saudi woman who had earned her PhD in Special Education from the University of Syracuse! The topic of women driving came up, and she informed us that many women were actually opposed to it because of the responsibility they would have to take on if they were allowed to. She also told us about the body of 100 people that advises the king: 30 of these are women.

Off we went again. We saw a camel up close, listened to a man play a Saudi instrument (I wish I could remember what it was called, but it escapes me at the moment), and just relaxed.

Camel, man playing instrument, and
child from tour enjoying herself.

There was also a stop at a Wildlife Society station where we watched a video while sitting in very comfortable chairs. Again, included in all of these stops was coffee and a date! I think I had more coffee and tea in this one day than I did previously in two or three months!

Then we started home. To make up for not being able to stop at the souq (shop), we stopped at a store on the way home. Here there was a place one could buy dates, one that sold homemade cheese, butter, milk (cow and camel apparently), and large convenience store where they sold just about anything you could possibly want.

Family centered doll set. 

 The toys they sold surprised me a little. They had your everyday toy AK-47s, cowboy hats, and rocking horses, but they also sold dolls. These dolls were not covered; they were your standard dolls that one would find in stores across the western world. For a place that says they censor tv, movies, magazines, and the like, allowing such things as these seems a bit on the odd side. Of course after having seen the magazine selection they have here, I am of the impression that things aren't as heavily censored as people have made it sound... at least not in this area.

Then it was time to head home again. The women who had allowed themselves to be subjected to my tea induced giddiness were kind enough to continue talking with us. My tendency for puns/word-play having been greatly increased, I commend them for not throwing me off the bus any number of times!

It was quite the diverse make up, our group. There were the two of us strange Americans (plus the other who was sitting across the aisle), a South African of Indian decent, a Maori woman from New Zealand, and occasionally a British woman. It was great meeting them, and I am hoping that it isn't the last time for such an honor. As it was, they exited the bus early, and not too much later my group was at the shopping center finding a place to eat before heading off to the train station for the long ride back to Dammam!