For a complete listing of all our travels (as nearly as memory can recon it, anyway) check out the Travel Timeline.

Cyprus - Kýpros

Spring Break 2008...it is time to get out of Riyadh and go someplace totally new to all of us. After looking around at flights, costs, time to travel, etc. we discovered that it is only a two and a half hour flight to Cyprus. We also started asking our two Cypriot students at school about the country; next thing you know we are there and having a great time. So, here is what we did:

We landed in Larnaka and were greeted by a friend of one of the aforementioned students father who presented us with a rental car for the week...the only way to travel except as a former British colony they all drive on the wrong side of the road. In all truth we did not have that much trouble adapting, except that we kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal. Why? Because everything is backwards in the British system. Yes I know that is terrible "American" of me, but, well it is backwards!

From Larnaka we drove about two hours to Paphos where we had rented an apartment for the week. For those of you that have never traveled by apartment, give it a try, you won't willingly go back to a hotel again. Paphos would be a fine place to go if you were into the night club, party and cabaret scene...while Dante was excited about taking in a show the rest of were not so sure. It is, however, centrally located and served just fine as a base for travels out into the country. Keep in mind Cyprus is a relatively small island and getting around by car is pretty easy. After a trip to the beach we had a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant that actually had good Mexican food. Why Mexican? Well being a touristy kind of place we could not find a "Cypriot" restaurant in Paphos.

The next day went for a drive in the mountains.This was our first taste of left-handed mountain driving, and when the two lane road turned into a one lane track it was a bit of a surprise...more was to comein the way of road conditions later. Our first stop was a town called Fioni via Kato Platres. We stopped in the little town for a snack and a chance to stretch our legs. As you can see sometimes it was not too clear if you were driving through someone's living room or just passing through their front yard. But the view of the valley was fantastic.

After a little snack it was on to another village, and a place we'll stay should we return to Cyprus, Omodos. This town had a nice monastery, lots of little shops and restaurants. And, as we discovered everywhere in Cyprus, very genuinely nice people. There was also a very cheesy old home called the "Socrates House" - run by a very nice old couple it shows off their families heirlooms, and real looms, along with some homemade wine and schnapps. The rub is that you are expected to buy something; either the alcohol, hand made lace or just drop some money in the "donation" box...should you not you are given a disgusted look and shown the door...our only mildly un-friendly reception the whole trip.

On day three we took a looping trip to the town of Polis. On the way we went through the little town of Kathikas...the second place we would stay should we go back to Cyprus. In Kathikas we had our first cup of Cyprus coffee...essentially Turkish style coffee, but you don't say the word "Turkish" to a people who were bombed by the Turks in 1974. There was a nice simple little church there they we were lucky enough to catch at cleaning time and as such could look in. From there it was on to Polis. This Northern coastal town has a slow, left-behind feel. There is a pedestrian street with a few shops, but the highlight for us was the 600 year-old olive tree and the archeological museum. From there it was back to Paphos via-three small villages.

On Sunday, day four for those of you keeping track, we went to the premier tourist attraction in Paphos: The Paphos Mosaics. From roughly the Second Century B.C. to the fall of the Roman Empire Neo Paphos was the capital of the island. Beginning in the 1960's some of the ruins began to be excavated and what was discovered were hundreds of wonderful mosaics. While the site itself is poorly maintained the mosaics make up for any lack of facilities or maintenance of trails. Perhaps the less said, and the more shown for this part of the trip is best:

These last photos are in an old amphitheater having a little snack and getting ready for Isabel and Dante's rendition of The Lion King - involved a lot of roaring lions mostly, but was an excellent show none the less. Here is a video of the show:

 

It was a little windy, sorry.

Day five was another drive up into the mountains...see the trend? We were going to the town of Kykkos but first stopped off in Cedar Valley. The drive takes you right to the head of the valley to a little parking place with restrooms (a hole in the ground with a roof over it) and a telephone, yes a telephone. Take a close look at the phone and you'll see why we were amused. (click for a closer look) The hike up the trail was really nice, the air was fresh and the birds were singing. It was a perfect start to the day. It is really hard to put how nice it was into words; perhaps the best way is to say that all four of us felt sort of "cleansed" by the beauty all around us. From there it was up to the Kykkos Monastery.The place is a maze of buildings, museum (seriously the nicest, cleanest museum ever) and monks rooms. The church was on of the most dazzling places we have ever been. Every surface painted, guilded and then guilded again. The chandeliers left no room between each other and were so ornate as to be a show in and of themselves. The front of the church, being Byzantine, has all sorts of icons that are guilded and then framed in guilded frames. It was an overpowering, overwhelming and over-the-top place. The monastery. was built when the Christians fled the Muslim invasions: They must have liked the place because they are sure there to stay. After a bland food-bar lunch it was down the other side of the mountain through Troddos and Neo Platres (another town we would gladly stay in).

Our last day was more laid back. We went to the beach, visited the Polish lady and her son, made a last check of the apartment and headed out. We had one more stop though. We went back to Kathikas for a last Cypriot meal and, finally, had one! We stopped at a very nice restaurant where the hostess/cook/waitress greeted us in her three words of English, and we responded with our two words of Greek. From there it only got better. We had a fantastic meal, completely enjoyed the atmosphere and had a delightful time with the hostess. Of course it helps that she loved Isable and Dante and that they really liked her as well. What a great way to end our stay in Cyprus.

We really had a great time there, and more importantly, so did the kids. We would really recommend going, and should you wish some company give us a call!

 

 

 

Al-Ghat - Trip Two - موقع محافظة الغ

So we have returned to our student's family's farm. This time we spent one night in what might appear to be a hotel. In reality it is a series of rooms (even numbered like in a hotel) that were built to house family members when they come to visit. Unfortunately the family could not join us but we were still treated as honored guests by the staff. We had a cook, aid, guide and local historian at our disposal.

Accompanying us was another family from the school; Jaison, Crystal and their little boy Aidan, who is Dante's age.

Upon arrival in Al-Ghat we went to the library the family built for the citizens of the region. From there we went to the family compound. After a banquet sized lunch (and as it turned out all the meals were large enough to feed a small army) we went out to see the other house the family had built in the area. The main reason for going there, though, was to ride camels! And this year Isabel rode too! By far the most excited of the bunch was Dante. He LOVES camels and spent the time grunting at them and waving his hands up and down excitedly. The highlight for him was when one sniffed and then nibbled (with its lips) his hand. After that we returned to the compound for a fantastic dinner.

The next morning we went to see Old Al-Ghat. The government is funding a restoration of the old palace and surrounding buildings. The palace was the Al-Ghat residence of the first Saudi King `Abd al-`Azīz Ibn Abdur Rahman Al-Feisal Āl Sa`ūd عبدالعزيز آل سعود

The job of restoration is a big one, but it looks like they are making good progress. There is also a nearly completed restoration of the original house the great-grandfather (of the family we stayed with) lived in. When finished the family plans on letting out rooms...it could be really interesting to stay in the old-style houses, however I would hope for a few upgrades...like running water!

 

After the old town we went fossil hunting out in the...well I am not sure what to call it other than "open." But Jaison, who is an avid fossil hunter, was happy with the days haul.

After that we headed back for a big lunch and then the drive home to Riyadh. We were glad to get out of town for a while, have good traveling companions and even gladder to have found such wonderful people who are willing to open their homes and hearts to us. We are very lucky indeed. If you wish to see a slide show of a few photos please click here. The slide show has been a bit glitchy but I hope you enjoy it.

Lastly, I thought you might enjoy a panorama of a date farm.

 

Trip to Al-Ghat - موقع محافظة الغ

So how does the camel get to the other side of the road? On his own overpass, of course! (rollover image)

Our latest trip was to the family date farm of one of Charmagne’s students. Every year the family hosts all of their children’s teachers for a camping trip on their desert property. Now, let’s preface this with a little family history. This family belongs to an offshoot of the royal family, and the patriarch, Grandpa, was the governor of a large northern Saudi state for many years. In addition, their very large working farm produces some of the finest sweet-dates in the region. And as we soon discovered, if people back home camped the way we did, it would be a national craze!

We began our trip with a three hour drive out to the farm. Before arriving at the farm we stopped at the Al-Rahmaniah Cultural Center in the nearby town of Al-Ghat ( موقع محافظة الغاط). The center was entirely built and founded through the family foundation. It boasts beautiful gardens, a mosque, two libraries with quite a few volumes, and a theatre that has remote video, multiple language translation and secure audio feed for each seat, plus a link to the ladies side of the library. That’s right, the ladies side. This center is also home to the first women’s library in the country. It is just as nicely done, though fewer volumes of text sit on its shelves (women have access to the volumes on the men’s side and vice-versa) and has a video and audio feed to the theatre so that women can participate in conferences right along, if not alongside, with the men. In Saudi Arabia this is a huge leap and wonderful accommodation to a system that many feel is a bit more traditional.

After touring this very impressive facility we left for the farm. Once there we arrived at what we thought was the family home. It turns out that this was a place built by Grandpa for family gatherings. It looks for all the world like a very comfortable, though slightly dated, hotel…the room doors even have numbers. It lies in the middle of one of the date-palm plots and is quite comfortable, if lacking a little homey touch. We had a lovely lunch, went on a walk through the date-palm plots, took Isabel horse back riding and then headed out to what is the family’s actual home. It is still under construction, but is nearly complete. It sits on the crest of a low ridge of hills overlooking acres of date palms and open desert. We toured the home, very beautiful, practical and in no way flashy – though the veranda pool that overlooks the valley, groves and oh yes, private soccer field for the boys (the family doesn't have any daughters) do make it impressive. While hiking around in the dunes behind the house we spotted a heard of around 75 wild gazelles, too far off for a picture, but beautiful none the less. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand and while Isabel collected sticks, sticks and yes more sticks, Dante crawled around in the sand. From there it was off to the camp site.

We camped close to the house, but far enough up a sandy dune that we had to off-load the gear into a 4x4. In camp we found two tents, each could hold 10 or more, plus an open sided tent that formed the base of the “U” that was camp. As it turned out the four of us had one tent to ourselves - something about having a one-year-old I think. As we walked up (only the gear, Isabel and Charmagne rode in the 4x4) our camel and his trainer showed up. We all got to go for rides – Dante and I went together. I had no idea that a camel’s getting to its feet was such a violent affair! The first end to get up is its hind quarters, not exactly what I was expecting. It was all I could do to keep from squishing poor Dante between myself and the pommel of the saddle for when those hind legs straighten out and the front are still on the ground, you are looking straight down at the back of its head. It was quite a start, in more ways than one. Next to go was Charmagne, sans Isabel, but with Dante again. Though she had earlier ridden a horse back at the farm after much coaxing, this was too much to ask…next time, no doubt. Either way Char and Dante both had a great time on the camel.

After this some of the boys, including Char’s student, showed up with a couple of four wheelers. These were a huge hit with the two sons (Middle School aged) of some of the other teachers.

By this time it was around 7pm and both of our kids were plum tuckered out. We got them changed and into bed – Dante in his pack-n-play and Isabel into a sleeping bag that later she shared with one of us. Well, though tired, they were still wound up and it took a bit for them to fall off. In the meantime our dinner arrived, accompanied by a staff of about six. There was everything you could imagine. Vegetarian dishes for Char (this is only a small reflection of our hostesses’ kindness and thoughtfulness) as well as many other fine dishes. All in all there was enough to feed many more people than us…and we found out why later. After a very pleasant and filling meal our hostess left us in the care of her main assistant and a driver “just in case we needed anything,” and her household staff arrived to have their meal and then remove the trappings of our meal…which included skirted tables and copper chafing dishes no less.

At this point we were, needless to say, bemused at how we were really roughing it in our “camping” adventure when the very nice personal assistant announces with a big grin and in very broken English; “Mrshmlo!” At this we all must have looked very confused because he then brought forth a big bag of, you guessed it, marshmallows! Our assistant was very proud of this western touch and called the kids around to roast their marshmallows. The boys eagerly approached the fire to grab their skewers and marshmallows, only to find the assistant refusing to let them roast their marshmallows. But rather he insisted on doing it for them! (As they watched the assistant roast their marshmallows, one of them even asked to have it made a little browner!) This was too much for us and we all burst out laughing; we insisted that the boys roast their own and our assistant seemed to understand as he pointed to the ground, called one of the boys over to him and pretended to let the boy roast the marshmallows. After this we all drifted off to bed, and though sand is a little bit harder than I had thought, and Dante’s frequent outcries (another tooth!) made sleep a fitful thing, we all awoke to a beautiful sunrise, crisp clean air and a pot of fresh coffee, tea and dates.

After coffee/tea we all packed up, headed back to the farm for breakfast and then parted ways for Riyadh. We had such a great time, and are truly grateful to have had this glimpse into Saudi culture and life.

 

Trip to Hofuf (الهفوف)