Breaking Barriers

Consider the fact that in Saudi Arabia it is illegal to perform music in public.

Consider also that the Arabain Oud - an unfretted stringed instrument - had its origins in this area of the world and travelled across Arabia through Northern Africa and into Europe. Once in Europe it became the lute which we believe to be the precursor to what we now recognize as a guitar.

So there is an historic culture of music deeply imbedded in the people of Saudi Arabia, but Islamic Sharia law doesn't allow them to play it in public.

That brings us to the Arabian Art and Culture Center in Dhahran. A center in which artists of all forms - art, literature and music can gather, commune and share their creative talents. If they can't perform in public, at least they can be here. Here is a pic of the outside of the center:

After our dinner in Dhahran, Chris took us to the Center to meet some talented local Saudi musicians. There may have been a language and cultural barrier, but music broke them down within minutes.

Thom noticed a Saudi playing some notes on his oud and commented that it sounded like "Hotel California" - and it turns out it was. I believe this may be the first Saudi - American version of the song:

During this amazing evening, musicians shared their musical creativity:

Then the Saudis gathered to play us an Arabic folk song:

And then it was the band's turn to tell them a little about a Red Neck Yacht Club:

With music we discovered that despite some cultural differences, we all have much more in common than we even realized. As the evening came to a close, many reluctant goodbyes were said, a few more measures were played and we left these beautiful musicians with an upbeat feeling that this was one of the most magical nights ever. And we believe that the Saudis felt the same way.

We have now returned home, travelling a little over 33 hours to get here. I am just now feeling a bit normal and ready to return to this wonderful life I have been blessed with here in the United States of America.

I'll be posting some closing thoughts in one more post after this. Thanks for being with us this whole trip. It meant a lot to everyone!

Jerry

Stars Shining Under A Riyadh Moon

As I write this, I am poolside at the Embassy compound. Its a chill day before we leave for home. And a perfect day it is, but more on that later.

Last night's event (and final show) actually had its roots in 2003 when Al Quada began doing its nasty stuff to US and other international installations here in Saudi Arabia. At that time, because of the dangers, all dependents - spouses and families - were sent back to the US. It is only recently they have been returning and there are many both working for the Dept of Defense, State and private companies. It is the US Embassy's mission to bring a little bit of home to these ex-pats here. It was a music festival atmosphere with American food - cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, corn dogs and such. And the music was definitely US/Western, with the band being the headliner.

Several companies helped sponsor the event including Exxon/Mobil. At sound check I took this pic of one of the table set-ups:

We were not allowed to take pics at the event (I'll tell you all about that when we get back home), but here are some pics of the program and our passes:

There were well over 400 people (mostly Americans) that was just an incredible audience. The band were definitely stars as the Riyadh full moon shone overhead. A perfect event to close out the tour.

We all slept in then returned to the Embassy recreational area to receive some t-shirt gifts and -best of all- some "job well done" challenge coins from Sgt Jeffers of the Marine detachment:

Then a couple of photo ops in the embassy:

Then off to the pool for a seafood fest:

I had a delightful chat with the Ambassador and his wife at the pool:

Its the perfect way to stand down after a rigorous week.

But wait, there's more. This is not my last post. I actually have several more things to share with you once we are back in the US and I think you'll be pleased to see those.

Stick around and talk to you soon,

Jerry

A Show For A Few Of The Ambassador's Friends

When you're an ambassador to a country like Saudi Arabia you can throw quite a party. You can invite anyone who is anyone and book a country music band from Nashville to be the entertainment. And, of course, we are the lucky ones who happened to be that band.

The staff made a great stage on the tennis court backed by an incredible American flag and covered the court with 154 rugs. I know. I had to count them. (My choice - my curiosity).

Before the show, Ambassador Jim Smith - a retired Air Force general -joined us for a great conversation "back stage":

The ambassador has an immense wealth of knowledge about Saudi Arabian history, culture, politics and of course Saudi-US relations. I can't imagine this important position being in better hands. We are very lucky to have him at the helm in this difficult area of the world.

Soon after, the band took the stage

This evening the performance was scheduled a little differently. Instead of a one stop show, it was divided into two 40 minute sets. After the first set, Todd befriended some children with his mandolin

A reporter from a Saudi television station came to interview Thom, but I think she liked the drummer. Todd made sure Tim was on his best behavior

The band was dead on and did their best show yet. As in Dhahran, they got an enthusiastic standing ovation and an encore

This time there was a sound crew that made our lives a lot easier by having all the gear set up and ready to go

I didn't get all their names, but they are all from The Phillipines and were exceptionally knowledgable and skillful with the sound. Thanks guys!

We dined and mingled afterwards with the nicest people you would want to know. Catherine, Todd and Gunny have put in long, long hours to make our stay an incredible one. We keep thanking them and it never seems to be enough to show how much we appreciate all they are doing for us.

Sleeping in tomorrow and a music festival sponsored by the Embassy tomorrow night.

Stay tuned!

Jerry

We'd Sand Board A Mile For A Camel

After breakfast this morning we headed out to some sand dunes for a little sand boarding/sledding. Gunny has been awesome and had the boards ready for us to wax and give it a go.

Here is Todd getting ready:

And up the dune hill we went:

Tim first gave it a try on a "sled" style board:

Then I took a shot at the sand board:

not so graceful, but a lot of fun.

Meanwhile, for those of you who remember Bob's appreciation of the universe in Germany on our last trip, he showed his thanks once again on top of a dune:

I walked around to find signs of life in the desert:

There were a few shrubs here and there with thick leaves and cool flowers:

On the other hand, Bob found himself in a desert predicament:

After sand had filled our shoes and found its way into a few other unmentionable places, we posed for a group shot before leaving:

On the drive to and from the dunes area we saw several Bedouin nomads with their camel herds and tents:

We got permission to take some pics of one shepherd and his herd:

This one seemed interested in my Flip video:

Here is a look inside the Shepherd's tent:

Before we left, Bob pointed out an interesting photo op. We had several caption ideas for this pic but decided to 1) leave it to your imagination or 2) put your own caption in the comments section below:

And the day is not over! In a few hours we go set up the sound system and do a check. Tonight's show is at the ambassador's home with several guests of Saudi Arabian royalty as well as other ambassadors from many other countries. We definitely will be in the midst of some dignitaries tonight. I'll get my next post up about it this evening so check back in soon.

Love the comments! Keep 'em coming!

Jerry

A Canoe In The Desert...

A short entry for now. This morning we checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport. Looking out the window, the desert stretches as far as the eye can see:

We did see a herd of camels (finally!):

Arriving in Riyadh, Gunny and Catherine greeted us and took us to our new quarters - some apartments in the Embassy compound. They are very comfortable and the best yet: a washer and dryer! Tim & I (roomates here) are on our second load now with two more to go.

Feral cats are all over Saudi Arabia. It has something to do with a story that the prophet Mohammed was once sitting at a meal and a cat came to beg his food. An aide tried to brush the cat away and Mohammed spared the cat saying they are Allah's creatures as well. Hence, cats are left alone - not necessarily taken care of, but not killed either.

A mom and her kittens are outside our apartment looking for a meal:

I forgot to mention that at Farid and Kim's house I found a canoe hanging in their back yard:

Kim explained that this is actually a canoe from India and although it will hold two people for paddling, that she just uses it now for a flower pot. Too bad.

We will be playing an outdoor show at the Ambassador's residence tomorrow and will be scheduling some time for shopping and maybe some sand boarding. Yes, sand boarding! Like snow boarding, but on the desert sand, of course. Should be interesting.

In closing, here is a short little video of Thom leading the audience in an international version of "Take Me Home Country Roads":

That's it for now.

Much more tomorrow!

Jerry

Food, Family, Friendship and Music

Another incredible day here for us in Saudi Arabia. Thom said earlier that all his preconceptions about Saudi Arabia have been thrown out the window. Once he has met these beautiful people, he (as I and everyone else) feels he has new friends for life. I am reminded of the phrase, "think globally, act locally." In that spirit, I sincerely hope we can bring some of that good will home and be able to do our small part in spreading the word that we all, regardless of our nationality, religion and race, have the same hopes, dreams and well wishes for everyone.

Today started with a trip to a really great local color shop called Desert Designs. It is a beautiful upscale shop of local art and decor owned and operated by a most delightful couple - Farid and Kim Bukhari. This is a pic of Thom with Farid, Kim and their multi-talented son, Raif (note that Raif is holding my guitar which you'll hear him play in a video below):

Check out the jam that spontaneously started when we handed Raif my guitar. That is Farid playing a Saudi drum:

I played Raif a little of "For A Little While" and he actually recognized it! We are now friends for life!

After our time together, the family invited us to their home for lunch. We enthusiastically accepted. They graciously opened their home to us vagabonds and were the kindest and warmest hosts you could ever want to have. Here are a few pics of their Saudi home.

The dining room:

a carpeted ceiling in the family room:

Lunch was ready and Kim gave us a description of the offerings:

I can enthusiastically tell you that it was, from the first bite, one of the finest meals I've had. We all agreed that if a restaurant offering these items were on a menu in Nashville that it would be wildly successful.

In one conversation, Tim discovered that the boys were Beatles fans only recently discovering them on the internet. That led us to go upstairs to their instrument/practice room and Tim broke out in a song you might recognize:

Smiles abounded in this home today and new international friendships were forged. The family does travel to the US from time to time and now want to plan on visiting Nashville. I told them I would cook them some BBQ if they came and that we'd put together a Bluebird round in their honor.

I can't tell you how much we appreciated this delightful family opening up their home and hearts to us. Shukrahn!

All good things must end and we had to head to our venue for sound system set up for the evening. The performance was much like the one for the Consulate invitees in Jeddah. The attendees were local Saudis, employees of the Consulate, and friends and family of those employees, some American, others international.

The stage was decorated beautifully:

and the band did a great job with a standing ovation following the performance:

We met some wonderful people from all walks of life and another hand of international brotherhood was once again extended and taken.

It was a great, great day and evening that I think we'll be talking about for a long time.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Chris, our contact/guide/information officer/schedule consultant/friend from the Consulate. We have run the poor guy ragged. Chris has put in long, long hours taking care of us and getting us where we need to go and trying to keep eight people on schedule. He deserves a "job well done" from the Consulate and some R&R!

Tomorrow Thom is being interviewed by two local newspapers then we check out and fly to Riyadh.

Thanks for being on this adventure with us.

Jerry