Polarised Lenses are Not a Joking Matter

To read about our amazing experience on the wreck, scroll down to the red heading The Wreck. However I encourage you to read the entire post to hear all about our amazing adventure.

As I wondered round Al Balad with Ali, we joked away as usual. We enjoyed the sights of the old town, the bustle of so many nationalities and hunted for somewhere to find some food. Preferably not somewhere where the flies would outnumber the plates, and where it looked like the food would leave us with a pleasant taste in our mouths without a strange rumbling in our bellies.

As we sat, enjoying our food. I picked up Ali's polarised sunglasses and joked that I could see headless people wondering around in the street, knowing that polarised lenses can sometimes change how you see things, I took this one step further and suggested that, like in 'The Sixth Sense', they gave the power to see dead people.

Driving along Route 5 out of Jeddah to a popular spot the next morning, I made the same joke. This time about seeing dead camels with three legs, walking along beside the road. It was stupid joking, but kept us amused as we drove along the barren landscape, before hitting the sea line.

We arrived at our general destination. We were looking for some friends we had met before. Most weekends they are to be found in a small, shallow bay, mostly cut off from the sea, kite surfing, and Ali and I were keen to speak to them about kite surfing, while the other guys were looking for a chance to swim and enjoy the sunshine, perhaps having a paddle in the water at the same time. As we drove around looking for our friend we passed an old wreck sitting, perched half out of the water. It looked to be fairly modern, but it had certainly been sitting there for quite some time. It looked fascinating, and was also a dead giveaway to the reef that lay beneath. We stopped and photographed it before driving on again. The Al Fahad was a pretty big boat and an impressive sight so close to shore.

We continued our exploring and found some interesting spots. This part of the coast is peppered with small bays cut in off the sea, mostly shallow, leaving the water a beautiful vibrant blue colour. Normally the entrance to these bays, has been bridged over, restricting some access from the sea, but also creating some little inlets where people have built small communities. There are little tin mosques, many fishing dhows, and makeshift buildings.Sadly also, amidst such beauty, there are still acres of litter, from left over shisha heads, to dirty nappies, plastic bottles dead fish and so forth. Thankfully looking into the middle distance, the eyes can block out this sight to take in the stunning colours of the water against the golden sand.

Turning around, we drove back towards the first little bay and as we looked to our left, saw the kites flying in the sky, about half a dozen of them weaving back and forth from the sand. We drove over and were glad to meet a few friends and acquaintances who were glad to tell us a little about what was happening and who could help us. Since the people we wanted to talk to were either on the water, or not yet arrived, we decided to take a look back over at the sea to avoid getting in the way of the boards, and to have a chance to have a look in the deeper water where we were in no doubt of finding some reefs.

As we climbed into the water, Ali and I agreed to stick together as we made our way through the breakers as the waves were pretty strong. We also knew that it was beyond this line that we would see the most interesting coral and fish. To be honest, I was hoping we might come across a sea turtle or two, and would not have been disappointed to see a shark either (though exactly how I would have reacted to this, I do not know). We decided that first of all we should go and take a swim around the wreck and as we made our way over we accustomed our eyes to the water and began to see schools of brightly coloured fish darting around under the waves across a sandy sea bed.

The Wreck

As we reached the wreck we discovered that the front end of the ship was in the air, lifted up well above the reef, with fish darting around underneath. We inspected the side to find the hull covered in barnacles and crabs scurrying around, just above the waterline, clinging on as the waves battered against it. It was hard to believe that such a hulk could remain there, balanced above the water. But it was. It was clear that it hadn't moved in many years, so although there was the constant thought that at any second in may topple over, we knew that this would not happen. We began to swim along the near side of the ship which was tilted towards the land. We could glance over and see the others back near the car and wondered why Mido had climbed out the water, but realised he had gone back to get his fins.

Under the water the reef was beautiful and I realised I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't brought diving gear and was already formulating a plan in my mind to return and explore more. I lifted my head out of the water to talk to Ali, to make this suggestion and looked quickly over at the ship, and that is when I got a sudden fright. There, on the side of the ship, looking straight at me, was a large pair of very white eyes, surrounded by a gaunt, black face, and accompanied by a row of white teeth. That he waved at me was immaterial as I began flapping my feet wildly and cried to Ali to look. For a moment I had to check myself. I realised I wasn't wearing any polarised lenses and that I wasn't seeing a ghost. Images of Pirates of the Caribbean came rushing into my head and I half expected a skeletal monkey to come swinging past my face. Across the water from Saudi Arabia is Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and not far away either, is Somalia, renowned for its pirates.

Surprised, Ali looked round and spotted them, and greeted him. Asalam Alaykum. He quickly established that he and his friend were fishing, but that, to be honest, that was all that we learned at that point. There was no sign of a small boat anywhere. It seems that Ali asked if was possible to get onto the boat and it turned out that we could. To our left was a large opening in the side of the vessel.

"Will it be safe to get on?" Was my question.

"Well it's not safe, but it is interesting." Ali replied.

"Remember I'm white!" was my response, thinking of how there has been so much trouble in the world recently, over this film. My Muslim friends had joked about people trying to fast track to heaven already, but now it seemed so much more possible. At the same point, to go on board was an opportunity I didn't want to miss.

It reminded me of a time when my sister and I investigated an old derelict shop in the village we grew up in. We were playing around in the area behind it and noticed an open door. We snuck in and climbed up the stairs and as we got to the top had discovered some men in there. I don't think I have ever shirt-tailed it so fast in my life, and we ran, unthinkingly back to our house to tell our parents, oblivious to the telling off we would get for doing something so stupid.

We swam to the opening and noticed that the floor of that particular deck sloped into the water so it provided quite a natural little jetty for us and we slid up , clutching the barnacles while trying to avoid putting our hands on the crabs, or scrape our knees. Once we reached a secure spot, we removed our fins and gingerly stood up, using a metal ridge, which at some point must have supported a wall, to press our feet against to avoid us tumbling back into the water.

As we turned to our left we began to enter a small corridor and could see into the rooms which were dirty and full of dust and grime. It was hard to know whether the mess was a result of the crash, or due to people ransacking the vessel at some point. In one room there were maps, evidently unharmed and not even wet. We reached a corner and turned to our right and found a corridor in complete darkness. We debated whether we should walk along the corridor or whether to turn and find another route, but establishing that there was a glint of light at the other end we pressed on into the darkness.

We soon came out into an open area and discovered the medical room and a flight of stairs. By this time we were beginning to get quite dizzy. There was at least a 30 degree tilt to the floor and walking along with all of the floors and walls at an angle was quite disorientating. We turned around and ascended the stairs, coming out in what was like a lounge where there had been a catering booth and rows of once plush chairs where families would have sat and enjoyed a meal. The seats were now in disarray, grey with grime and mould.

We heard some voices coming towards us and through an opening the two men appeared. They spoke to Ali, as my contribution was rather limited, "Ismee Dawud." They acknowledged me before turning and urging us to follow them. We stepped out onto the deck where we had initially seen them, and were glad of the rusted metal floor which gave us better grip than the linoleum  tiles we had been slipping and sliding on already.

Ali quickly established that these men lived on the ship. We could see a sack of potatoes, and onions hanging, and there were bottles and bottles of water lined up also. We set down our snorkelling gear and got chatting.

It turns out thatthe boat has been wrecked for 12 years. They spend a month on the boat at a time, with occasional trips to the shore to collect supplies. They are employed by the ship owners to man the vessel as they cannot leave it unattended at sea until it is removed. I guess it must be cheaper to pay these men to stay on board than it is to have the vessel removed. The owners employ people in 6 month blocks, recruiting from Sudan. Each month they get few hours trip to Jeddah, but other than that they are not permitted on land. This is a stipulation of their visa. They live in squalid conditions, constantly surrounded by the sea, and never have a flat floor to walk on. They fish from the reef to feed themselves and have limited communication with the mainland. They have an old mobile phone and I think that they get some kind of portable power system with which to charge it, however this was needing replaced and they had very little charge left on their phone.

They offered us tea and while we were waiting, one of the guys took us on a tour further up. His name was Ibrahim it turned out, and as we followed him we slipped and slid on the sloping deck while he walked with little difficulty, at an angle which just looked odd, but for him had become completely natural. We climbed some stairs, though to be honest they were more on the level than the floors were, and reached the top deck.  We looked out to the open ocean and over at the land which was sitting at an odd angle it seemed. As we looked to the shore we saw Mido, standing, staring out to sea and we called and whistled and waved until it seemed like he heard us, as he waved back. We realised he must have been worried about us  so were glad that he at least knew where we were, if not slightly perplexed by the situation.

At this point, the other guy, Mohammed, came with the tea. As usual around here, the cups were almost half full with sugar. He led us as we stumbled and staggered back to the deck where they spend most of their time, by a different route. He carried a tray with a flask of hot tea, with 2 tea glasses on it, and no apparent difficulty as we clutched on to anything we could to stay upright, while making sure it was not overly rusted. We didn't want it to give way were we to put too much strain on it.

He led us through another lounge area where they had set up a plank of plywood, like a ramp of the floor, and covered with a brightly coloured rug. This was the prayer room and the carpet was pointed towards Makkah. It seems difficult to understand how they prepare for prayer in such a place. How do you stay clean? How do you wash? Even now I wonder about where they must go to the bathroom.

We sat and drank the hot, sweet tea and began to make plans to meet with them when they returned to Jeddah for their next visit in around 10 days. We hope to go for shisha with them. As we looked back to shore however, we saw the car begin to move off. We quickly realised that perhaps Mido hadn't seen us at all, and that they were starting to get really worried and were possibly going to find help from the coastguard.

We debated as to how we could contact them to let them know that things were OK. Mohammed offered us the use of his almost dead mobile phone to call. He had to switch it on and enter a top up voucher before we could finally call. Our phones were back in the car so we called Ali's first, with no response, but on attempting my phone, Mido answered. It is hard to know what to say about his response. Firstly I didn't speak to him, but judging by Ali's responses he found it difficult to understand what was going on. How could we be sitting having a cup of tea on a shipwreck? He asked Ali to repeat the story in Arabic to make sure he wasn't hearing things and eventually believed us, and a few minutes later we saw the car making its way back to our spot on the shore. With relief, we finished our tea and made plans to leave.

They guys were sad to see us go, and invited us to stay for lunch, waving a large, freshly caught fish at us, but we explained that we had probably caused our friends enough worry and should probably get back to them. It took some convincing but when we agreed to return in two weeks, and reminded them we could also meet for shisha in Jeddah, they agreed this would be a good plan.

They kindly led us back down to the sea, carrying our snorkelling gear for us. Down the stairs, past the medical room, the map room, the dark corridor, and out onto our little jetty. As we put our masks and fins back on we continued to smile at the strange experience we had just had, and mused on the strange places one can pick up new friends. We shook their hands and slid back in the water to return to our friends.

On the return I struggled to keep the water out of my mask because of the huge grin on my face, and the constant need to chuckle about what had just happened, and the thought of two potentially very angry friends on the shore. We decided that on our return we will also dive, exploring the reef below.

We were glad to see that on the shore, our friends were mostly amused at the story, having recovered from the initial concern of not being able to find us. Hopefully they will join us next time as we repeat what was a truly odd adventure.

One Year On

It's hard to believe that I have been living in Saudi Arabia for almost one full year. It's strange to think how different life has become. It's interesting to note that wherever you go, the one thing that doesn't change really, is you.

I don't mean that thoughts, opinions, interests, relationships or even beliefs don't change, but there is something quite inherently me that, despite my travels and my change of circumstances, has remained consistent. I still need to be planned and organised with plans for a day off or I will literally sit and do nothing. I still fart around, procrastinating while leaving the more complicated or uninteresting stuff to gather dust in the hope that it will go away. However I still love getting to know new people, and enjoy helping people connect and become friends. I am a thoroughly people person who, while I enjoy my time on my own much more than I ever used to, thrive when I am in and around others with whom I share a common interest or purpose.

Not just my location has changed however. I left a busy, intense church and church family to live in a country where, while I am allowed to follow my own faith, there are no churches and congregational worship is generally 'discouraged'. I left a situation where the majority of my friends were Christian, and where I found it difficult to make time for activities out with what had become quite a substantial bubble. Don't get me wrong, I love many of these people dearly, and think about them often, but there was something that just didn't make sense to me. Christ said that his yoke was easy and his burden was light, yet I found that life had become very heavy. I don't think I realised how much, until on my recent return to see friends, almost everyone commented on how much more relaxed and happy I had become.

Does this mean that I have abandoned my faith? Not at all! However I am beginning to see things differently. This process had begun before I left, but continues as I walk through my time here.

I have also found it really refreshing to have friends who share different beliefs and views to me. It has been great to learn more about Islam, and what it means to be Muslim. I am by no means expert and in fact still find myself confused and frustrated at many aspects of it, but appreciate the opportunity to learn from experience instead of by misinformation.

I have learned that many things we automatically assume about faith is often cultural. There are many practices here that in the west we think are synonymous with Islam, but are in fact merely cultural norms for people living in the Middle East. I imagine the same is also true of our own society and culture. Things we often assume are Christian, are merely the way things have always been done. We only need to look as far as our celebrations of Christmas and Easter to find that they replaced traditionally pagan festivals.

Anyway, that will help to put you in the picture of how this year has impacted me. The baggage has been left behind, and I am on a journey of discovery and rediscovery.

An old hill-fort near Usfan

Saudi is a fascinating country, traditionally thought to be filled with endless sand dunes, camels and bedouin men living in tents. While these are true understandings in part, it is much more than that. I have learned that the country itself is roughly one hundred years old (give or take). For centuries it has been occupied by bedouin tribes, but has been rules by various different people groups. There is evidence of this in some of the old architecture and other such structures. There are abandoned churches, wells, and forts. Some of the wells and forts made up the routes of the ancient Hajj trails when the Turks would travel to Makkah with their camels. They dug wells and channels to provide water for their camels and forts to provide safe shelter for their groups.

Makkah is probably about the same distance from Jeddah as Edinburgh is from Glasgow. Some people commute from here to there and vice versa. It is a no-go zone for non-Muslims, which I find frustrating as I would love to visit and learn more about what makes it so special. I can also understand how it is considered sacred and why it is protected in such a way. I have heard that it is possible to visit, however I would have to have special permission from the King who is considered the Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques, Makkah and Medinah. It is also frustrating as when I make friends with people from Makkah, I have to rely on their ability to travel to Jeddah to be able to see them.

While driving past Makkah, on the non-Muslim by-pass, I can glance over, through the hills that surround it and see some of the lights, and catch a glimpse of the clock tower which stands tall above the other buildings there, and is illuminated so can be seen from quite a distance.

One of the Mosques in the Ta'if Old Town

Saudi Arabia can throw up some wonderful surprises though. A town I have visited several times is around one and a half times higher than the peak of Ben Nevis. You reach the top of the winding escarpment road to find a huge plateau covered in small towns, which largely are joined together these days to make up Taif. It is a more conservative town, but also seems more organised, cleaner and better thought out. It is much cooler up there also so, while it still receives much less rain than in the UK, is the major hub of farming in the country and many delicious fruits and vegetables can be found there, along with delicious honey.

Looking out over Wadi Mehrim

The surrounding areas ascends even higher and awe inspiring views can be found that look down into the Wadis which are river valleys which for most of the year are dry, but come alive during the rain. On a hike one day we found beautiful red dragon flies, tadpoles and frogs and numerous plants that can't be seen elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, it is still huge heaps of rock, but the variety of rock to be found in one area is even quite fascinating. These mountains are also home to many large, red bottomed baboons.

You can go higher still to places like Ab'ha, that I am still to visit, where they even will get snow in the winter months.

A friendly clownfish I met on my first dive

Jeddah also sits beside the Red Sea, where I have learned to dive. The lack of wildlife on land is more that made up for by the absolute wealth of wildlife under the sea. From tiny clownfish, to enormous whalesharks, dolphins, crabs, starfish and coral, all in colours you wouldn't imagine. Many of these can even be seen on a short swim from the shore without the need for diving equipment, but when you go under the water you enter another world of beauty and tranquility.

What do you call an exploding monkey?

Head along the coast to Mastourah, Rabigh, and Yanbu, and you find more and more delights. No two dives are the same so there is always something new to see.

Over the first few days of Eid, I am travelling to Bahrain and heading back, by car with some friends where we will explore some caves and an underground lake.

I haven't yet scratched the surface of what there is to see and do here in and around Jeddah, and what I have shared thus far is only a fraction of what I have experienced so far. I hope to try and pick up my blogger's hat more frequently to share about the exciting, often funny and fascinating experiences I have here. I hope that in some way, I manage to break down some of the preconceptions that people have of this fascinating country and a people that are so very often misunderstood.

King of the Road, without a suitcase!

On Thursday 26th of August, after a lovely, but stressful day I drove off in my parents car and left Glasgow, with a deputation of my friends and their kids waving me off. I must admit it took me all I had to hold back the tears. I've never been known for my lack of emotion.

Friends had pulled out all the stops to help me get organised and it was a reminder of the life I have built with these guys. When I moved to Glasgow in 1995 the internet (as we know it) was in its infancy. I was amazed at the prospect of email on an old Sun Mircosystems machine. Now though I can keep in touch with all these guys so easily and have been blessed to talk to so many of them already through Skype.

I've also been able to make friends with people I'll be working with through Facebook. So as I got chatting to one of them this morning I discovered that she and her husband live across the street. They have been so helpful and neighbourly already, lending me clothes as my case is still missing, taking me to the shops and showing me around. If this is how things continue then through this adventure I am going to make a whole new group of friends here in Saudi to add to the ones I have at home.

So it's been good so far. I flew from Edinburgh to Paris and the flight was delayed due to stormy weather in Paris. This almost made me miss my flight there but thankfully I caught it as it was also slightly behind. I was amazed at the difference in the Saudi Airlines plane. It was no where near capacity, with lots of space between the seats. Everybody had a pillow and a blanket on their seats. Maybe it is the difference between short and long haul, but it was nice.

I was soooo tired as I couldn't really sleep the night before and I struggled to nod off while flying. Many of the other passengers had the right idea and pushed up the armrests and stretched out on the seats. It was funny to see. Unfortunately, because of where my seat was, the armrests were fixed.

I got chatting to a really nice chap from Medina. A young dermatologist who has just got a job in Germany. His wife had just had a baby 8 days before. He had then flown out for his interview. He was keen to get back to see his son, but he was extremely talkative and eager to tell me what I'd love about Saudi.

When we eventually arrived the landing was amazing. This city just spread into the distance. It was lit up in the dark so you could easily tell where it just suddenly stopped at the edges. It was so colourful and brightly lit.

Next however was getting through customs! I got a bit diorientated and couldn't work out which queue I was to join. When I got to the desk eventually he told me to go and fill out a card. When I found the cards, I filled it out the best I could. I was encouraged by the warning of the penalty of death for drug smuggling. Good job I'm a good, clean living kinds guy ;-)

When I joined the queue again, a new flight had arrived, full of orientals. These were all men who had towels wrapped around their waists and wore another towel over their naked torsos. I don't know how that works with Saudi decency laws. It certainly didn't seem to stop them getting through but it just took forever.

So they took scans of all my fingers and thumbs, my photograph also and they let me through. PHEW!!! I was getting worried about how I would meet my driver by this point but I had to go and collect my case. That was a problem though because when I finally got to the baggage reclaim my case wasn't there and I still don't have it.

A representative from the school called to see where I was and I explained so when I finally registered my lost case I managed to meet my driver who had been waiting an incredibly long time for me.

I'm gonna leave it there for now and complete my saga tomorrow. However I am currently sitting in borrowed clothes, still not having my case. I'm itching to get in one of the various pools so will need to try and find some swimming shorts tomorrow.

Davey's on the Road Again

You know, it's times like this when you realise that people really care! I've never had a child but I imagine that what I've experienced the last few days has been a bit like that. Infact I think I may have a child just to relive the amazing friendship that has been poured out to me the last few days. Any volunteers to help with that?

I have had people come round to mow the lawn, paper the hall, clean my flat from to to bottom, take me to Ikea, B&Q, etc etc. I have enjoyed numerous gifts, cards and so forth and have had meals out, meals in, drinks bought, tears shed, hugs given and messages of support up to my ears.

With all of this it's a miracle I haven't decided to stay after all, but then it isn't friendship that is taking me away, but a chance at adventure and experience of new cultures, a chance to grow emotionally, professionally, and spiritually. I can't wait to see new sights, hear new sounds, and taste new tastes. I am looking forward to stepping out of all my familiar comfort zones.

All of this will be made all the easier by the knowledge that, back home in Glasgow I have family and friends rooting and praying for me. Friends like these don't grow on trees, but, like trees many of them have taken many years to cultivate and bring to a place of real maturity. So while all my friendships are important to me, it is these guys I have built life with through thick and thin over the last 15 years that I am truly going to miss. You are also my brothers and sisters and I will miss you very much! So you'd better flippin skype me :-) !!!!!

Learning How To Fly

Hey, I'm about to set off on the biggest adventure of my life... so far. On Friday I fly to Jeddah Saudi Arabia to take up a 2 year teaching post. I'm pretty much leaving everything behind except 23kgs of luggage and my hand baggage. I can't flippin wait. I'm gonna use this blog to keep folks up to date on all of my adventures, thoughts and musings. I hope you enjoy reading.