the kingdom of saudi arabia

My cousin, LawrieLookAlike & his father, UncleTigerBeer both work in Saudi Arabia as ex-pats. While UncleTigerBeer & family first lived in Dubai as ex-pats, he eventually made the transition to Saudi. However, Saudi Arabia is nowhere near liberal when compared to Dubai, UAE. The UAE is the most liberal middle eastern country you can live in & contrary to what people think, this is not a recent phenomenon but one that has been in place since the 70's.

So, how different is life in Saudi? Last year, I told UncleTigerBeer that I'd visit him in Saudi sometime. He responded: Sure, I'll pick you up at the airport & be sure to bring you an abaya. Say what? I have never worn one in my life & I am not about to start now & I'm not even Muslim. Doesn't matter, he says. Anyway, I will probably rethink that idea.

LawrieLookAlike has been regaling me with some interesting tidbits about this kingdom this past weekend. How great is MSN & Google Talk & thankfully not blocked by the ISPs in Saudi. I'd heard second hand versions of Saudi's nuances before, but having someone tell you as it happens is getting a glimpse of a life that's normally censored to the rest of the world. Thanks Cuz.

I also looked up some Saudi blogs & the one I found most interesting is: Sand Gets In My Eyes by an American author. It's also added onto the Blogs I Read list. So check it out if you're interested about life in Saudi Arabia through the eyes of a woman & through the eyes of these Saudi women.