Things that cost just 1 Riyal....

Here in Saudi we have come to expect the odd, the unusual and the unexpected. Notwithstanding that I never cease to be amazed and amused at weird and wonderful things that one can observe and get. Even better there are some great things that can be had for just 1 Riyal. This is just 29 cents Aussie.

Here is just a small sample of these.

Feeling thirsty? Need a Bebsi? No problems. It will cost you 1 Riyal and you'll find one on the street corner. Litteraly!

I they are onto something here. It will actually stop you from walking along the footpaths and breaking every leg that you have.

How about catching a bus? Get the one from the local public transport company and it will cost you only 1 Riyal to go anywhere. Here is a fine example of one of these fully air-conditioned, well maintained vehicles plying the streets of Riyadh:

The most fascinating thing about them is that they usually have a single gear and an indestructible engine that sounds as if it is revving close to the Formula 1 limit of 18,000 rpm. The suspension is usually in a fairly advanced state of collapse, but hey! Its only a Riyal.

Driving in Saudi is a fairly chaotic affair with many a bingle on display. The cars here often drive around with missing bits of bodywork such as doors, windows, fenders, bonnets, front or back ends, wheels, tyres etc. etc. But never fear. Had a bingle? No worries. The auto repairers here are all manufacturer certified tradesmen using only finest of tools and original components that will restore your vehicle to a showroom condition. And all for just 1 Riyal. An example below:

Note the careful paint matching, with a great deal of effort that has gone into masking parts such as lights, windows, badges, wheels etc. A particularly nice touch is customising the registration plate in the same colour as the two tone (flame??) bodywork. It's worth a Riyal don't you think? Pete please take note that this is the minimum quality that we will expect from your workshops from now on.

Just strollin' around. (Or how not to break a leg)....

I remember stepping out of our old home in Ringwood a while back and being fascinated by how the council workers had actually ground down the edges of the cement portions on the footpath making it very smooth and almost impossible to trip on. I guess someone had sued some local council after falling over and our overprotective overlords had deemed it imperative to shave the concrete to stop us clumsies from toppling over.

It is rather debatable I think as to whether that is the best use of our taxes or not but I'm afraid that debate has not reached us here as yet.

Stepping out for a stroll around here is literally an exercise in avoiding lower limb fractures and breaks. In fact an obstacle course challenge is more what comes to mind.

Here are some fine examples of what one is faced with on our fine streets and boulevards:

The very last picture is particularly telling. Note how the bollards have tyres around them in order to protect them. I mean we cannot have them damaged by reckless drivers now can we! I still have not figured out what these things are. Possibly some sort of stunted phallic totems. Who knows?

Lost in translation Part II.....

English is such a wonderful language. No matter what is written it is almost always understood what we mean by it. No confusion about this sign for example:

Imagine trying to order some of the chicken advertised below. It would more likely sound as if you are inviting them for a spot of intercourse.

On another note, Arabic language has a minor oddity in that it does not contain a letter P. Instead a letter B is routinely used as a substitute. It does create a few amusing situations from time to time.

This for example is a sign from a computer shop window spotted recently.

These adabters sound like a good device :)

Now imagine if trying to teach English here. Familiar little ditties such as the one below would end up something like this:

Beter biber bicked a beck of bickled bebbers. If Beter biber bicked a beck of bickled bebbers, where's the beck of bickled bebbers Beter biber bicked?

Or if you were writing children's stories they might go something like this:

Once ubon a time a bretty brincess took her bet hibbobotamus for a stroll along a bath....

Enough to drive a man to start drinking Bebsi..

Posted by Babak.

Lost in Translation…

Lost in translation is a well know phenomenon that afflicts the international Jet-Set members such as me and Jill. (I know what you are thinking but please keep those thoughts to yourself.). The examples of this are rather easy to find in a country like this.

This is a recent one from our local paper, "The Arab News" or the Green Truth as it is known locally. It is obvious that the journalist has never done any extensive web surfing as a young man. Talk about a misplaced context :)

On the other hand here is an example of my own name being mangled in ways that defy comprehension. If someone paid me to do this I am not sure that I could construct such spelling. Find my name in this :)

However there are some signs that are simply impossible to misconstrue. Here are a couple which are on par with those signs on our beaches which show dogs proudly standing over steaming piles of excreta.

There are many more fine examples of humans communicating. This is after all what makes us so advanced and superior to other species.

Toast mmmm…………..

Yes I have a toaster :) and it was so good to have my first slice of toast for brekkie :) :) Isn’t it amazing what one takes for granted.

It was pay day last week and we went and got a few more creature comforts. The first stop was IKEA…… nothing to get excited about one would think, but it was so good to walk into a shop that didn’t have cheap & gaudy (nasty) Indian or Pakistani gilded & bejewelled household goods on offer :) and the bonus was that is was set out the same as the Richmond IKEA but a lot cheaper.

For the grand sum of $460 Riyals ($130au approx) we got a halogen floor lamp (essential for me to knit & sew up baby items at night for our expected new addition to the family), a really good solid cutlery set, 2 dinner plates that fit more than a piece of bread on (Jesse actually almost broke into tears of joy at having a normal size serve on 1st use), an across the bath wooden rack for shampoos & soap etc, wooden soap dish, dish drainer, cutlery drainer, wooden chopping board plus the sheer joy of being able to walk around and see stuff you would buy.

 

Jesse was then on a mission to get a monitor so that he could get his own computer up & running. We found a really big 22” one and this is actually bigger than our tv :(  -  trouble being that we then required a transformer to get both lamp and computer working (lucky that things aren’t too expensive here)…….. the vagaries of Saudi living is that we have so many different types of power outlets in the apartment and usually nothing fits or works without either adding adapter or power board & now transformer. Our new digital clock is one of those weird Saudi type vagaries – you have to keep a close check on the time before going to bed as it either loses a couple of hours or gains a couple of hours (one would wonder how an electric digital clock could do this) and the end result was Jesse missed his bus on Saturday just gone which had him very stressed out (not).

Jesse is still so full of himself with his new title of DR. He shows me his emails and minutes of meetings all with this new & desired title of DR in front of his name – what can one say???? One can only shake one’s head & smile, followed by a bit of a chuckle. He almost has himself convinced that it is his divine right, his divine fate!!! Those who know him can imagine the delight he is taking in his newfound and unexpected promotion.

We have a new guy from the USofA in the compound and he is like us - usually on the nightly bus to the local Panda market to get bread etc just for the sake of getting out (Did I mention before that I am feeling rather like a Vampire – I only come outdoors at night). This guy is really amused at the words I use and am totally unaware that are different. He is always asking what did you call that? One is, I asked him what he did at the uni – I realised he didn’t know that word by the blank look given in reply, so I had to amend it to university. I then had to explain that Aussies will shorten a long word or lengthen a short one. Another was I was telling Jesse to put the shirts he had just picked up from getting ironed :) into our shopping trolley – this guy had never heard of that either – they call them carts!

Did I also mention that for the grand sum of $2 Riyal (55c approx) I get Jesse’s shirts ironed :) Yes I know, I am lazy – but the reality is I HATE IRONING, and I also do enjoy having my floors mopped & house cleaned without effort :) lol – Oh the hardship & trauma!!

Well I am still waiting for Jesse to download more pics for for me to add in as it makes the blog much more interesting to read with pics as a visual to give you all a better idea of what it is like. You will all have to email him or message him on facebook to get his A into G and download some pics for me :)……