back on again...

Okay, I decided to let the family sleep a little longer before we get up to go to the airport. We have been so busy this whole time I haven't had time to write. I will see what I can do right now...

We are going to miss our house on the ocean. You can throw a rock from the back patio and hit the water we are that close! We have been staying a friends of Peter's Dad's and they moved out and are house sitting for someone else so we have the entire place to ourselves. Plus they gave us a car to use! We have enjoyed listening to the waves crashing at night while we sleep. During the day the water is calm and blue like the caribbean.

The second day were here we took a bus tour to a town call Hofuf. We toured some caves, went to a date factory and had lunch with prominent Saudi business men. Everyone loved Jake! He was entertaining everyone the whole day and then let him talk on the microphone before the lunch to the whole tour. He welcomed everyone to the Hotel Intercontinental - it was so cute! They smile at Bailey but since she is a girl they pretty much leave her alone.

We attended a welcome dinner at a country club owned by a prince. They had tables set up on the beach - it was very lavish. I will upload pics when I get a chance!

We have had several lunches, a dinner set up a in tent in the desert complete with camel rides, henna tattoo and dancers (male dancers).

We have gotten used to the amount of security here! Everyone time you enter one of the company camps you go through 3 security check points. I would love to take pics or film this but it is not permitted. They have big metal barriers that rise up and down and you enter. They have huge spotlights at night shining right on the cars. They have bomb dogs, mirrors to look under the cars. They search the trunk, they look at ids. They also have landcruisers with built in guns off the back of the open end with guys waiting in them ready to chase someone down if needed. Crazy!

The camps are nice. They all have restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, grocery stores, libraries, pools, fitness center. Everything you could need. After seeing how Peter grew up he makes a little more sense to me now! :) When we were looking for our current house and he saw our neighborhood that is gated with a guard, two clubhouses, restaurant, pool, fitness, elementary school and organized community activities he knew right then that is where he wanted to live. That is what he was used to growing up! Except our guards do not have machine guns and uzis.

The first day we were here we pulled up to the first checkpoint with our driver we were met with 5 guys running up to the car with machine guns and bullet proof vests - quite the greeting!!! They quickly backed off thought as soon as they saw our passports. However, they wouldn't let us in camp with the driver until we had our host meet us at the gate and drive us in.

More on the driving later... I probably will write more on all this next week when I get back. I really have to get everyone going. Today we are flying out. Orginally we were going to Cairo for four days but then decided there is so much in Luxor we want to see so we threw in another flight from Cairo to Luxor. So we will do two nights in Luxor and two nights in Cairo then home!