Beach!

After what felt like the longest week ever (working six days a week and waking up at 5am everyday to do so, will do that to you) I finally got a day off. To my delight I was invited to go to the beach. I briefly mentioned the idea of going to the beach as a foreigner and I can now tell you that they exist. So the day started with breakfast as we decided who has going and what beach to go to. Once that was settled we all packed our bags and us girls put on our abayas (over our other clothes) and we all got in the car. We only drove about 30 min from our hotel and stopped at an unmarked, very bright blue metal door. Next to this door is a very small window. When we pull up, a man appears at the window and asks us where we are from, we proceed to tell him that we have Italians, an American, and a Colombian. We show are passports, pay 100SR (which is about $25USD) and the bright blue gate opens and we drive into a parking lot.

I discovered that they ask for nationality because they do not allow Saudi nationals attend and the only way they even get away with existing is that they are a "private" beach (thus the entrance fee) and are surrounded by other "private" beaches who don't care that there are expats showing skin.

And how much skin! I mean by comparison to the very proper and "modest" dress code at KAUST and of course the lovely abayas everywhere else, I almost forgot (for a split second) that I was in KSA. I do have clarify, the KSA shore is apparently not sandy, it is rocky and not really meant for lounging about. So what this beach (and I've heard the beach at KAUST) have done is that they have shipped in their sand to create a beach where people can lay out. Silver Sands beach (where we were) is only about 1/2 a mile long and maybe 200 feet wide, and it was packed. There were people from all kinds of nationalities, I heard people speaking in French, Italian, English, Spanish, Arabic (the Lebanese expats apparently really like the beach too) and an amalgam of other languages.

So the beach isn't really that spectacular, but the water was. It's as blue as you see in the Caribbean and just as clear. Getting into the water, however, is not as smooth as it is in the Caribbean. Because they have made this beach it has lots of little coral pieces all over the place, so you actually have to be really careful when you walk in or out of the water. The water was cool but not cold and lovely to swim in. It is after all KSA. It's always hot (even in January).

Now for as much fun as I had at the beach I have to say that one of my favorite moments actually happened in the bathroom of all places. When I was washing my hands I noticed a sign that read "please don't throw sanitary tiles in the bathroom." They try, the honestly do, but sanitary tiles? I mean I certainly hope the tiles in the bathroom are sanitary, and no one is throwing them around!