Category Archives: Travel

May2

Camel Auction, KSA Part 3

Posted on by
Camel Auction, KSA Part 3

The dust from the road mushroomed up around the car as we drove on, Batil and Yahya could still not find the camel auction for which we searched.  It was held daily outside of Riyadh within the labyrinth of camel corrals we now passed through.  They were deeply apologetic, but really it was fine because, despite the fact that earlier that day at the souq we had purchased camel saddles, and had just bought a saddle bag from a woman selling camel accessories, they were just to bring home as souvenirs.   It’s not like we were actually going to bid on a camel that day anyway.   My husband and I were already transfixed and entertained by our surroundings. As far as the eye could see the camel corrals surrounded us. They each held anywhere from one to ten camels and the desert stretched into the infinity beyond.

Our friends Batil and Yahya

To Batil and Yahya, (who both worked for the hospital where my husband’s conference was being held and were kind enough to take us to see the camels we had asked about), this trip must have seemed mundane.  Where as just the process of driving out from the center of a bustling modern metropolis, through the construction filled surrounding suburbs, that then suddenly gave way to desert and camel territory, to us was amazing.  The camels in Saudi Arabia are Dromedaries with one hump.  In our eyes the camels are exotic and humorous creatures, and we were thoroughly entertained just observing them as we passed by.  To Saudi Arabians camels are as common as a horse is to Americans.

Batil explained that the white ones were particularly valuable and a really good camel can be worth as much as almost a million dollars.  In the KSA camel racing is a form of entertainment, and a great source of pride to the trainer and owner of the winning camel.  Spectators come from around the world for the big races.  In the camel market men wearing the traditional long robe called a thobe, led small packs of camels through the path.   Baby camels trying to make a run for it had to be chased down by these guys, and they reminded me of running after my children as toddlers when they would make a break for it (except I didn’t have that long stick they used to thwack them back into line).  Finally we gave up our search for the auction, happy with what we had been able to see of the coral area itself.  We pulled over at a roadside camel milk stand outside of the market to pose with the camels for pictures and I squealed as they sniffed my headscarf and neck while I tried to smile for the camera.

Doesn't it look like the camel is smiling for the camera!?

This was a very friendly bunch, and it turns out camels can be friendly and docile creatures if treated well. They have been domesticated in the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years and are ingrained in the culture of the region.  We didn’t get to bid on a camel after all, but loved our glimpse of the Saudi Arabian camel culture.

Apr25

Malaria,Garlic, and DEET

Posted on by
Malaria,Garlic, and DEET

Caroline

We were given a pharmacopeia of Malarial drugs and told to pack 100% DEET insect repellent for our 6 month overland trip to Africa years ago.  It worked pretty well, until we hit Sub-Saharan Africa that is (where the Malaria is really a problem).  There we found the mosquitoes laughed at our DEET, and feasted with abandon on our flesh.   Our driver, who had been this route before, laughed at our flailing dances as we slapped at the insects.  He told us the one sure preventative he had found to work, and it wasn’t pretty, but miraculously effective. We each ate a whole clove of garlic a day, and that seemed to keep the mosquitoes away.  Go figure! This was at the point in our trip when we were crossing through remote areas where we went for almost a month without a proper shower. We were camping the whole way and would resort to standing out in the occasional torrential rainstorm with shampoo and a bar of soap to do the best we could.  Scientist theorize that the garlic oil exuded from the skin after eating garlic forms a natural repellent barrier to mosquitoes, possibly obscuring the scent that attracts them.  This may be where the garlic repelling vampires comes from.  As you can imagine we stank something terrible, but since we were all in the same shape it didn’t really seem to bother us.

About a year later, my friend Caroline who had been on the Africa trip, and now lived in Washington D.C., became very ill.  Her fever was extremely high, but then the next day it was completely gone, and she felt fine.

Caroline in Africa

This repeated itself for a few days before she went to the doctor, who was also perplexed.  I can’t remember exactly how they came to the diagnosis of Malaria, but when they did the teaching hospital was apparently excited to have a live case to present it’s residents. She was treated and completely cured, the only lasting effect being a great story to be told.

Although malaria was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1950s, cases do appear every year mostly brought back by travelers.  Mosquitoes here still pose the slight threat of encephalitis and West Nile virus which can both be deadly.  I have avoided the 100% DEET since my Africa trip, but that’s not to say I can get away with eating a clove of garlic a day either. I would keep much more than just the mosquitoes away if I did!  As a mother I like to avoid chemicals as much as possible and the American academy of Pediatrics recommends that repellents used on children contain no more the 10% DEET. Some of their examples are:

Photo by Elizabeth Atalay

OFF! Skintastic for kids pump/spray has 5%DEET

OFF! Skintastic Fresh Scent Lotion 7.5% DEET

Just for Kids pump/spray 5% DEET

Repel Camp Lotion for Kids Lotion 10% DEET

Above all else, I prefer to use all natural products on my children such as Brittanie’s Thyme Outdoor Harmony Organic Bug Spray which can be found at Whole Foods or ordered online. Brittanie’s Thyme was kind enough to send me a sample of their bug spray and bug bite relief (both organic) to review in my quest for organic products to use on my family.  I like the fact that this is a company owned by women committed to organic, safe, sustainable and socially responsible products.  Though the scent is very strong when first applied, it is that which keeps the bugs at bay.  The bug bite relief is soothing and has natural anti-itching and antibacterial properties as well.

Photo by Elizabeth Atalay

 

Unfortunately outside of this country a child still dies from Malaria every minute.  Today has been declared World Malaria Day in an effort to bring attention to a preventable and curable disease who’s victims are most often under 5 years old. The simple step of distribution of  insecticide-treated bed nets can save lives.

World Malaria Day 2012 #endmalaria

www.malarianomore.org/minute

 

Watch the brief video below for more information:

click to watch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*  I received a free sample of Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Bug Spray and Organic Bug Bite Relief for reviewing purposes.   All my opinions are my own and not swayed by outside sources.

Apr23

The Power of ONE; Bringing Vaccines to Ghana

Posted on by
The Power of ONE; Bringing Vaccines to Ghana

In the developing world more than 7.6 children die each year before they reach the age of 5 due to preventable or treatable diseases. Many of these deaths could be prevented through simple, cost-effective vaccines that fight diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and polio.  Here in the U.S.A. we take the availability of vaccines for granted, but for millions of parents across the world they are simply inaccessible.

Photo by Elizabeth Atalay

Today ONE.org is on the ground in Ghana with a team of Bloggers from ONE Moms to document the inoculation of children there for the first time with vaccines to prevent pneumonia and diarrhea.  The White House credits ONE and it’s supporters with pushing for monetary commitments to help fund the GAVI campaign  (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations) last year. By 2015 millions of lives will be saved by actions you may have taken to support the campaign.  All this goes to once again prove the power of one.

You can follow along on the trip on Facebook and Twitter (#ONEMoms @ONECampaign #vaccineswork #GAVIAlliance) and of course the ONE Moms Blog to get the latest information from the field.  You can also follow the blogs and tweets of those traveling with us to Ghana:

 

Ana Roca Castro, Babble Voices @AnaRC @BabbleEditors

Amy Graff, BabyCenter, @bayareamoms

C.C. Chapman, CC Chapman/Passion Hit TV @cc_chapman                                  

Rich Galen, Mullings @richgalen

Bryant Shannon, Life In Rupees, @BShannon

 

Apr18

Saudi Arabian Coffee, KSA Part 2

Posted on by
Saudi Arabian Coffee, KSA Part 2

As we ascended into the sky the Saudi Arabian Airlines hostess handed us tiny cups of Arabic coffee and

Arabic Coffee served with a date

a date to welcome us on board.  I mistook the coffee for tea because of its light color and almost root like flavor, a complex taste I would later learn involved cardamom and saffron.  I had been expecting Saudi Arabian coffee to be more like Turkish coffee which I love, dark and murky with grinds, and tasting like a super strong espresso.  The Saudi Arabian form of  Arabic coffee surprised me with its unique pleasant taste and lightness.  This new and unfamiliar taste of coffee signaled to me the very beginning of our trip to the Arabian Peninsula. This ritual of coffee service would be played out repeatedly over the next week of our visit.  The scenario also demonstrated perfectly why I always enjoy taking the national airline of my destination. The entrance into another culture begins upon take-off and is drawn out until disembarkment back at home.  After checking in for our flight I had noticed I was the only woman in the waiting area not wearing an abaya, so I slipped mine on over my clothes before boarding the plane.

When a Muslim prayer was recited over the loud speaker just after take off, we knew we were not in Kansas anymore.  Once we were in Riyadh we noticed many American style coffee shops, including Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. Clearly the Saudis liked coffee, but the etiquette of Arabic coffee being served as a welcome  gesture became clear as it was offered at each new venue as we arrived.  The tiny cups of light coffee, which were generously refilled, were always offered accompanied by dates.  

The KSA is the second largest producer of dates in the world , and in areas of Riyadh the streets are lined with date palms, so it is no mystery why the fruit is so ubiquitous in their food culture.  One of the treasures I found in the Souk for us to bring back as a memory from SA is a beautiful traditional Saudi Arabian coffee pot complete with the crossed sword and palm of the Saudi emblem on it.  

I am a coffee girl, so when we weren’t being served the Arabic coffee, my husband and I went to the Starbucks near our hotel. Men may enter in the front entrance, but  as a woman, and a couple we entered in the side “family entrance”.  This led us to an entirely separate mini Starbucks for women and their families.   A man is only allowed in the family section if he is with a woman, he is not allowed to go in alone.  Despite our hotels proximity to Starbucks, and my coffee habit, during our trip I much preferred the ceremony of the Arabic coffee. I was aware that it was a taste I would only be able to experience easily while we were there, and deeply appreciated the craft and the sentiment with which it was always prepared and served.

Apr16

Visit To The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Part 1

Posted on by
Visit To The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Part 1

When my husband was invited to speak at a medical conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he was honored by the invitation.   Despite the fear of the un-known, and the idea of being so far away from the kids, I desperately wanted to go with him. Not knowing what to expect we asked advice from someone familiar with the country.   He sent back an e-mail saying I should probably stay home “since there is virtually no tourism, as a woman she may not be able to go out on her own, and she would have to wear their traditional dress”.

He had me at “no tourism”.  The exact thing to say to me that would make me want to visit a place more than ever.  I have always been electrified by entering into a culture different from my own.  Even more so knowing it is a country difficult to get into.  Though word is that tourism restrictions are easing up, you still must be invited to go to Saudi Arabia,  there are many business travelers, but the majority of tourism permitted is for groups.  Islam was founded there, and the two holy pilgrimage cities of Mecca and Medina draw millions of visitors each year. In fact every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to make the trip is required to do so once in their lifetime.

My in-laws with the boys

The real key to any travel for me is my amazing mother-in-law. My father-in-law often can’t join her due to his work constraints, but she will still always come to help us out.   With four kids I would not be going anywhere without her!  Our kids are always so excited to spend the time with her; they barely mind us taking a trip.  It is an incredible feeling for us as parents to know our kids are completely safe, happy and loved while we are away.  (I am deeply grateful, and highly aware of how lucky we all are for her!)    Though I have joyfully to set aside my wanderlust to raise our children, a unique opportunity such as this was too much to let pass by.  I have always been fascinated by the experience as a traveler to have to forget everything I think I know, and try to figure out another set of customs and social norms in different countries.   When the written language is entirely different it gives one the sense of being a child in a way, vulnerable but trusting and it is always an enlightening scenario.  It also gives me a great empathy for foreign visitors in my own culture, and an opportunity to see how universally kind and generous most people really are.

Trying on my hijab & Abaya before the trip. I got them on Amazon.com

Posing with female college students outside the Ritz

I had no problem with the idea of donning an Abaya and hijab, the traditional dress in public for Saudi women. As a visitor I feel it is just basic respect and good manners to adhere to the dress codes of your host culture, anywhere in the world.  Besides, I would much rather blend in and observe and learn than stand out and garner possible unwanted attention.   I bought my Abaya and hijab for the trip on Amazon.com.  Our hosts thoughtfully provided an abaya for me upon arrival as well, just in case.  Not all women had their head covered in public, but almost all did, so I personally felt more comfortable with mine under a scarf.

A model of what the city looked like 100 years ago.

The trip did not disappoint.  In Saudi Arabia where the language is Arabic, we could not even begin to understand announcements or decipher the writing or signs.  We did however find that many people we met spoke English, which they are taught in school.  The crime rate is extremely low and we felt very safe.  We returned deeply touched by our host’s hospitality and the kindness of the people we met.  The modernity of the city impressed us, as well as the emphasis on higher education, and the rich history of the region.  Previously a tribal and nomadic population, the country and the city of Riyadh itself is young.  100 years ago there were approximately 19,000 people living in the desert oasis that became the Kingdom.  Today the city is a metropolis rising like a vast shimmering mirage out of the sand with a population in and around the city of nearly 6 million.

A night view of part of Riyadh 2012

Modern architecture, impressive medical facilities, and all the iPhones in use make you feel like you could be in any major city in the world.  Shopping malls boast high-end stores from the GAP to Missoni, and include  food courts with McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts, while American chain restaurants line the main shopping streets. In this way Riyadh was very much the same as home.   The call to prayer five times a day, the dress code, the separation of men and women and the desert that surrounds the city as far as the eye can see and beyond are up front reminders of the differences. In our brief visit, my world was opened wider, I feel like I learned so much and am excited to share some of it with you over my next series of posts.