Day 2

 
 It is officially Day Two of our trip- we left early evening March 2 and got here in the afternoon on March 3. Our first taste of Saudi was actually some rather good food on the plane; many people ordered the lamb, which received rave reviews. Our second taste was when we entered Saudi airspace and the women on the plane began to change into their abayas and head scarves, which included the ladies in our party. After landing, we passed through immigration and met our guide, Saad, who is rather funny and very nice. On our way to the hotel, we noticed right away the massive amounts of construction that are taking place, almost like brand new cities are being built all at once. The rate of construction here is astounding, thanks to deep pockets of funding from government and business.

Thanks to the KSA, we are staying at the Ritz Carlton Riyadh, which is one of the luxurious hotels I have seen in my life. it's a little over-the-top, but one can appreciate the intricate details that were put into every room. Apparently, it has been open only three and a half months and already it has been ranked as the top hotel in the Middle East.  Our guide shared with us that it took 3000 people working each shift for 24 hours a day to complete construction in just two years. We went on a great tour of the hotel this evening and saw beautiful ornate wall decorations. Apparently they are made out of a special material from Morocco. A few pictures of ceiling decor are included here. Ken also made good use of the baby grand piano and led us in a brief sing-a-long in the room overlooking the pool.

When we left for this trip, we had all been aware that the sexes are treated differently in Saudi Arabia; the women were expecting not to be able to swim in the gorgeous pool or use the spa. What we weren't prepared for is how easily we are slipping into a subconscious division amongst ourselves; it could just be coincidence, but our last three meetings found us grouped in girls and guys, which hadn't been an issue at the Dulles. There are still some things we aren't sure about, like when its acceptable for women to sit with men (we made sure to wait to be seated at the restaurant) or being able to wander around by ourselves. This is a fairly international hotel, but according to the staff here, they too are still trying to figure out which norms to use in common spaces.

We had a lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant (only one is open so far). We were pleased with the international cuisine- there was so much to try -especially with some of the fun desserts that had what appeared to be gold dust on top and lots of pistachio-themed goodies and an extensive salad bar full of olives, various types of hummus, tons of fish salads and smoked fish, and of course, labneh. It's been a long day and we're all eager to hit the hay. We're excited to learn more about Saudi Arabia tomorrow and embark on male/female adventures to the universities.