We eventually made our way over to Prince Bandar where there are tons of abaya stores. Marie bought a fancy abaya with metallic green embroidery and little rhinestones in a fairly traditional design. Yes, a bedazzled abaya! Tom ordered himself a nice thobe.
We didn’t make it into any of the gold stores. With gold being so expensive right now, there’s not much to motivate us other than nostalgia.
The Ad Diwan building in Camp was hosting a family “mall day” with local vendors, so we spent a while shewfing at what was available. The Al Ashgars had a photo set and costumes available if you wanted a portrait taken in traditional clothes and setting from the different provinces of Saudi Arabia. Proceeds went to an orphanage in Dammam. We didn’t have photos made but, Marie couldn’t pass up the ladies, wedge-heeled Arab sandals. Munira Ashgar had them made somewhere in Khobar.
Thursday night was spent at the SAEA Dinner in the desert next to Lake Lanhardt in Dhahran Hills. The SAEA put on quite a spread and show, complete with a mock Arab wedding, camels, and a traditional Ardha band for entertainment. There were separate tents set up where you could hold a falcon, get a henna design painted on your hand or leg, watch bread making, or buy some traditional Saudi clothing.
The quote of the night came from Bridget (that’s her arm in the above photo) when we noticed a toddler running around and smearing her own henna tattoo all over her clothes, including inside the back of her pants: “That’s a poop stain that won’t go away any time soon.”
A bizarre moment: sitting on a carpet in a tent in the desert while listening to an Ardha band and responding to an office email on a Blackberry. That’s “messed up.”
We’ve posted some photos from the SAEA Dinner in the Desert, but check back soon -- we hope to post some video of the Ardha dancers.:
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