Riyadh was hit by a massive dust storm this afternoon, shutting down all air traffic and forcing residents inside. With visibility under 200 meters, most traffic came to a standstill.
The video you see above was actually taken right before the capital of Saudi Arabia was plunged into darkness for most of the afternoon.
Scary stuff.
For a smoker, nothing is more miserable than staring down a long flight without being able to light up. As if air travel isn’t enough of a chore, various regulations and health nuts have taken away our preferred coping mechanism. A Sudanese man fought back … and paid dearly.
According to the Daily Mail, the passenger lit a cigarette on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Qurayyat to Jeddah. The cabin crew repeatedly asked that he put out the coffin nail, and he refused. So, when the plane touched down, he was arrested.
Saying sorry wasn’t enough.
Though he apologized in court and presented evidence that he was in a smoking cessation program, the perp was sentenced to 30 lashes. Hey, the judge wanted to prove a point. And, it could have been worse. Last April, another in-flight smoker was sentenced to 50.
Not only does smoking kill … it hurts like hell.
Though many human rights organizations condemn this form of punishment, it is quite common for a number of offenses, from adultery to being alone with a non-relative of the opposite sex. Some crimes can lead to thousands of lashes, but they are meted out in batches of 50 over a period of months.
What gets you 1,000 lashes? I don’t know, but I suspect a post-coital cig after joining the mile-high club would put you in the running.
[Via Daily Mail]
As the global economy continues to spiral downward, and the price of oil hovers around the $40/barrel, down more than $100 from last summer, Middle Eastern countries are looking for new opportunities to bolster their coffers. To that end, Saudi Arabia has begun opening its borders to visitors from the West, although there are a few caveats for anyone planning to make the journey.
According to this story from the Times Online the majority of the six million travelers who visit Saudi Arabia are Muslims making their pilgrimage to Mecca, but this past November that changed, when the first group cultural tour to the country in more than seven years took place, and come March, British Airways will resume service to Riyadh and Jeddah for the first time in nearly four years. The Office of the Supreme Commission on Tourism says that the country will begin issuing tourist visas in the near future, ushering in a new era of openness for Saudi Arabia.
And what does the country have to offer western travelers? For starters, the region is rich in history that dates back thousands of years, and there are remnants of past civilizations to visit and explore. The rich and diverse landscapes of the desert are also a draw to tourists, as is the unique culture that is unlike any that most westerners have experienced before.Unfortunately, traveling in Saudi Arabia still has a few hurdles to over come before it can become mainstream. Terrorist activity in the country remains a real threat, requiring all outsiders to travel with a police escort at all times, and foreign women are required to wear traditional Saudi clothing, and are also not allowed to drive, visit Internet cafes, and are excluded from some restaurants.
Fixing those issues will take some time, and probably more exposure from the West. But it’s a big step for Saudi Arabia to open up to the outside, and a wonderful opportunity for travelers to experience a place that they haven’t had the opportunity to visit before.
Ever wondered how much you need to tip at restaurants while abroad? Or how many cheek kisses to give a new acqutainance? Or whether, in a particular country, it’s proper to wear shorts? (I’m looking at you, Andrew Zimmern!) One website has all the answers to those questions, and more.
While most guidebooks have sections on local etiquette, I haven’t found too many websites that aggregate all that information in one place. Thankfully, I’ve just stumbled across Travel Etiquette, a site with dozens of articles explaining the everyday customs and traditions of many of your favorite travel destinations.
From the Sri Lanka entry:
“Women should not touch a Buddhist monk under any circumstance and should also never try to give anything directly to a monk… It’s OK to take pictures of statues and images of Buddha, but it’s not acceptable to pose in front of Buddha.”
From the Saudi Arabia article:
“If you are planning on giving your Saudi acquaintance a gift, remember that men presenting women with gifts, especially flowers, is not always wholly appropriate. A gift for the whole family would be well received.”
Got it? Trying to pose in front of Buddha = bad. Giving flowers to Saudi women = also bad.
Check out more tips here. (thanks to AlphaTangoBravo for the pic)
Admittedly, I watched Oprah’s talk show when I lived in Singapore. Not often, but sometimes. The room with our TV was the only one with air-conditioning, so that had something to do with it. Still, there was a familiarity in all the advice.
Plus, since the shows were not aired in any particular order, some days Oprah would be thin, other days heavier, and along with her weight shifts were shifts in her hair style and clothing. Because Oprah was on every day, sometimes twice, I assumed it was because she was a big hit with the Singaporean audience.
In Saudi Arabia, women also watch Oprah, and with far more attention than I ever did. Oprah, according to this article in the New York Times, is a bit of a life-line for many Saudi females. The article starts by describing one woman who writes to Oprah Winfrey every month even though Oprah has yet to write back.
Nayla said that Oprah gives her hope and energy, and that Oprah is the only one who understands her. This feeling is echoed with Saudi women of all ages, but particularly with younger women. Part of what the women relate to is Oprah’s own struggles that she has overcome. As women in Saudi Arabia struggle to find their voice and use it, Oprah gives them a sense of how it is done.
The women also relate to Oprah because her style of dress fits Saudi Arabian women’s sensibility and taste. They would probably love Oprah’s closet, the store in Chicago where you can buy Oprah’s old clothes.
As I read the article, besides being interested in this particular Western influence on the Middle East, I wondered if Oprah has read the article yet and thought how terrific it would be if she would visit Nayla and Nayla’s friends–quietly and sincerely. It would not need to be a visit that showed up on TV, but one that would make a fairy tale ending to this story of a cultural mixing. I certainly hope Oprah has written Nayla back by now.
(About the photo: I couldn’t find a Creative Commons photo of a Saudi woman. This woman is from Iran. Yes, I know the difference. Please Don’t Smile, the photographer of this shot has several lovely photographs of women in Iran posted on Flickr.)