Night out with the boys in Jeddah

Had a great night out with some guys from work. One of the guys (Rami) was leaving for a new job and they had a little going away gathering for him. It is a rare thing as a Westerner to be invited to something like this and all three of us in our office were honored to be invited. I will personally miss Rami. He is a very gracious man with a good sense of humor, an infectious laugh and is pleasant to be around. Rami, you will be missed.

Me and Rami

Saudis are a nocturnal people, so we did not meet until around 9 PM or so this past Tuesday evening. We met on the Corniche near a tributary of the Red Sea just 20 or so minutes North of our compound. It was a small public park with a handful of grassy areas. When we arrived there were a few guys already there. There were several rugs laid out on the grass, pitchers of Moroccan tea and Arabic coffee, some local pastry munchies and such. The Saudis have taken pastry to an art form and amazing pastries are available everywhere you turn.

Party Central!

We really did savor the moment.

Three Westeners, Steve Long to my right and James Maloney to my left

The Moroccan tea is a very nice green tea with a special mint in it and it tastes simply amazing. It it pretty sweet, but not unbearably so. Arabic coffee is ground cardamon and while I like it, let's just say that it's an acquired taste.

Party Central. Tea, coffee, cell phones and food.

Boys will be boys. Some things need no translation and everyone had a great time. Lots of laughter, some story telling, and all in all, a great visit.

No translation needed... Horsing around is universal...

At around 10 or so, the food arrived. Three huge bowls (3 foot across easy) arrived chock full of rice, veggies, chunks of liver and in the middle, a rather large piece of  roasted goat. No flatware needed here. You grab your hot sauce, pick your spot in the bowl and dig in with you right hand. I watched a couple of the guys and got the technique down pretty good. Ate until I was full. When I looked around the bowl, I realized I was easily the lightest eater there. I thought I was doing pretty well but I barely made a dent in my section of the bowl. The other guys had craters in their sections where rice and veggies once laid... They teased me a bit about being a light eater... no worries... I gave it right back...

After the meal, we washed up and the cards were broke out and a couple of serious card games were started. Even though I had no clue what they were playing, there was plenty of friendly banter and chiding just like any card game anywhere else in the world.
 

Something akin to hearts, but I never did get it.

Around midnight we had to leave, but we knew from experience that the Saudis were just getting warmed up. I was back home and in bed by 12:15 and at work by 7 that same morning. Wednesday, I spoke with a couple guys who were there and the earliest that any of them got in was 3 AM! Talk about nocturnal...

All in all, a great night and a rare chance to be a part of something special here.

Good times in the desert!