"Warning - Death to Drug traffickers" stares at you grimly from the immigration form in Dammam. That's enough to make you swallow and gawp at your bags suspiciously.
In Saudi Arabia, The landscape is typically desert - barren, stark, endless and hypnotic. The sun is brighter, the glare is more blinding here, the scorching heat makes it impossible to venture out in the daytime. One salutes the resilience of the ancient desert tribes who survived the inhospitable conditions to build a civilization. In the distance one can see shaggy black camels in the desert. That's quite a sight and brings back childhood memories of the Arabian nights.
Outside, a dust storm is brewing, much to my delight. If the days are a furnace, the nights freeze up - typical desert climate that.
I brush up my fact file on Saudi Arabia. A population of 27 million and 8 million expatriates inhabit this oil rich kingdom. With it's wealth, its little wonder the kingdom is one of the most influential countries in this part of the world.
There is no dearth of space in this region and one revels in the feeling of expansiveness. The infrastructure is impressive - very much like the west : wide roads and high speed highways - in the city and in the middle of the desert. The city is very well maintained with beautiful villas and manicured greenery and a feel of the desert is always in the air.
The hotel is situated in a compound and this particular one is for men only. The compounds are highly secure and well fortified. It has everything - swimming pools, tennis courts, gymnasium, roads, the works. Laundry and 3 meals a day is included in the tariff. The dining room has an incredibly lavish spread. Very thoughtfully, the hotel packs in lunch for guests who go to work. There are no movie theaters in this country, but cable TV carries everything under the sun. Public transport does not seem to exist where we are, but the network of private taxis is very efficient and makes commuting very comfortable.
A visit to this part of the world always comes with stern do's and dont's from seasoned travelers. The list is long. And terrifying - Don't carry religious symbols, Don't venture out alone or carry too much cash with you, Don't wear gold - it's not allowed, No shorts or revealing clothes in public, avoid being out during prayer hours, Be careful of photography in public places, carry your passport all the time, Don't stare at women, even if all you get to see is the whites of the eyes. As detailed a travel advisory as you can hope to find. I honestly don't know how many of the above are true and I am not about to push my luck. The Muttawa (Religious police) monitors the strict standards in dress and behavior in this ultraconservative country and violations can land one behind bars.
The roads are deserted, one wonders where the citizens are. I get my answers during a visit to a mall during the weekend. The place is packed. There are thousands of people milling around, possibly millions. it looks like Inorbit mall meets Churchgate station at 6 pm on a Monday evening. A rising shriek in the crowd makes us look up in alarm. what looks like a riot turns out to be a makeshift parade of sorts with the mob jabbering away excitedly. The sheer numbers, the cacaphony and the colorful robes on display makes the sight quite scary. We inch back cautiously towards the wall. This is unlike any mall I've ever seen in my life.
As I wrap up my 2 weeks here, I can't help but wonder how different the world is from one corner of the globe to another. Will the east and west ever really meet?
