This page tells a little bit about my two trips to Saudi Arabia. I was there from Dec 93 - Mar 94 and again from Jun 99 - Oct 99. On both occasions I was housed at Eskan Village, a village built and rejected by the Bedouins (pronounced Bed O Wins). On the map below you can see where Eskan Village is located relative to Riyadh. In my last trip there, I made daily runs to the King Khalid International Airport picking up all of the Official US Mail for those stationed in Saudi Arabia. I also picked up mail for the American Embassy.
This map shows Riyadh's location compared to the rest of the Middle Eastern Countries
In my first trip, I was assigned to Joint Taskforce, Southwest Asia, Intelligence Directorate (J2). We were located in downtown Riyadh at the time, part of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) complex. Each day we had to drive approximately 30 Kilometers (18 miles) to our duty location. It was a real eye-opening experience. Duty day started at 0600 and ended at 1800. We were a joint combined force (multi-service and multi-nation). We had USAF, Army, Marines and Navy as well as British and French forces all working together. The highlight of that tour was a flight out to the U.S.S. Independence (pictured below) for a tail-hook landing and cat shot takeoff while it was located in the Persian Gulf. Another highlight was playing golf at the Riyadh International Golf Course. It was actually an all dirt course with sand piles for greens. You had to carry around a piece of Astroturf to set your ball on in order to hit it.
My second trip was quite different. Security had tightened up immensely. I was one of the lucky ones and got to leave Eskan Village daily to pick up the mail at King Khalid International Airport. It was about a 40 Kilometer Drive and was some of the most hazardous driving conditions in the world. I had a great group of co-workers. Making the trip with me to the airport was a Filipino named Manny and an Indian named Kahn. Together they touted us as the 3 stooges because we turned the job into a fun experience. Usually we had to pick up more than 100 pieces of 70-pound mail bags. Then we had to wait for the Saudi Customs officials to rifle through the mail checking for unauthorized items (alcohol, porn, and Christian items). All but one of the Customs officials were quite rude and seemed to take pleasure in dumping out the mail bags. I wondered if they had forgotten what a wonderful job the United States did for them securing their country during the first Gulf War.
Below are some images from over there. The first couple pictures are the villas we lived in. It was always extremely bright over there and hot. Of the 7 months total I spent over there, I never ever saw it rain. Many days it got over 110 degrees but it didn't really feel that bad because their was absolutely 0 percent humidity.
This is the USS Independence. We actually landed on the little strip you see on the right. Takeoff uses a cat shot just like a sling-shot. What a rush that was. You go from zero to 200 MPH in about 3 seconds. The surface of the ship is supposed to be non-skid but I tell you, it sure felt slippery to me. There were more than 5000 sailors aboard when we visited it. Had one of the best meals ever aboard this ship.
The above is a Saudi McDonalds. Notice that all the women are wearing abyas (I'm not sure of the spelling). All US women venturing downtown had to don the same garments.