Pics from London

Big Ben and Parliment.
In the London Eye, overlooking Big Ben, Parliment and The Thames.
Millenium Footbridge to the Tate Moder that is behind me and not in this photo.
Honor Gaurd welcome procession. Not sure who was being honored, but the guys in the funny hats sure could jam.
We headed to the London Eye for a one way trip all the way around please.

More dialogue to come but wanted to get these posted. I also had to use a disposable camera, because an hour into my day I noticed that my camera was running low on batteries and I had forotten my other SD card. Doh!!!!!.

More Paris Pics

In Rueil Malmaison outside of Paris.
The Louvre.
Proof that we are are france and spell our name funny.
Enlargement of proof.

Pic from Paris

Thursday was happy to not be in 100+ degree heat and dirt storm day and invovled a 4 hour ordeal at CDG airport in Paris after hopping a direct flight that null and voided my itinerary to get back to the London tomorrow. Needless to say I got to the Hotel and now have the blessing of taking a train throught the chunnel tomorrow to London. After I got in and showered, I went to Luxembourg Gardens which is less than 500 yards from the hotel and then to the Pantheon. Then to the hotel for a breather before meeting up with some students pursuing the saem masters I am after, and studying in paris at the moment. The next day was Bastille Day and the french put on a hell of a eventful day. My feet hurt from all the walking and sightseeing and I haven't even scraped the surface of what Paris has to offer for a tourist. I went to the parade on Friday and the Arc du Triumph, took a nap and then went to the Eiffel for the fireworks and dinner. The photo above is not indicative of how many people were there. Imagine shoulder to shoulder from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court Building on the other side of the Capital. That and the frenchies have an unspoken of pastime in freelance pyrotechnics as the serious amatuer fireworks started at about 7 and conitued hours after the main show. The fireworks lasted about 35 minutes and were set to Classical music that was piped through out the greenspace where everyone was chillin. They started pretty late as it doesn't get dark in Paris in the summer till 10:30; a lot different than KSA when it was pitch dark at 7pm. Today I went the Tour Montparnasse, the highest building in Paris at 59 stories, and then continued onto the Louvre for about 3 hours. I did take one noteworthy stop for an expresso on Avenue Daumesnil in the 12 Arondissement. For all my family members out there, regardless of whether we spell our name wrong, just to clarify, there is a Daumesnil... Place, Avenue, Rue and Lake in Paris, mostly on the southeast side. I looked for our spelling and found nothing sans "a". After the Louvre and a late lunch I went to the the hotel for some down time and then out for an adventure outside of Paris to the Institut of French Petroleum, where I intend to be sometime in the next year or so. It is suburban by still relatively high density, on the west side of Paris about a 35 minute train and or bus ride. Then back to town for dinner and that gets me to here, 11:30 and dead tired. Off to bed because I go to London tomorrow. Wish I had some of ya'lll here to take it all in with me (preferably someone that is fluent in french).

Au revoir!

Photos Sans Comments - 1000+Words

Trouble Posting, Sandstorms and one more day

Had some trouble posting last couple of days, largely download errors with this lightning fast and reliable internet we have here.

W ehave had some our of season weather recently, sandstorms. Well maybe more like dust storms since we are not in the desert, sothe dust stays suspened and makes it into the cities and yellows out the sun totally and makes it rather difficult to be outside. That said, its not as hot as it could be, only like 105. The pool at the coumpound has dand all over the bottom of it and the water is mirky and you onlyhave visibility for about a half mile if that, depends on the wind at hte moment. Its been like this the past 3 days at least, but seems to be clearing a little bit. And usually clearer in the mornings.

So we are headed out of Saudi tomorrow. Really looking forward to that, as it just feels like it is time. I also have some exciting stops on the way home to look forward to so that is probably a catalyst.

Gotta run and get to packing. Ciao for now.

JPD

"You want a toe, I can get you a toe...", Walter Socheck

Chad at the hospital the other evening in good spirits. Me on the other hand, well you see.

Glad we went to the hospital now that I look back on it. I was thinking band-aid.

So other than, our trip to the hospital, we are wrapping up our trip with a week of transistion meetings and hand-offs to the local implemetation teams. We have had a sand storm for the past 2 days. The sand/dust in the air make for a very yellow hue to everything, reminds me of the yellow in the sky before a hail storm or tornado weather.

I am pretty excited to get back home, but also really excited for Paris an London. Should be a fun trip. I'll post more when I have more. Thanks for checking in.

I have spent over an hour trying to get photos into this remedial blog, my apologies if it does not have photos

Hospitals, Tire Slashing and Toes

Well we, Chad Covey and myself, had our first experience with a Saudi hosptial yesterday evening. I am walking out of the Arabian Food Supplies Store on our compound and see Chad with al-be-it a bit of worried look on his face. It was a justified look as he had just given himself an accidental delf inflicted puncture wound to the big tow of his right foot and was trapesing around with what used to be a white flip flop prior to being saturdated in blood. He was coming back from the pharmacy across from our compound and forgot about the tire slashing devices to keep cars from driving the wrong way in the exit of a compound. Total mistake, accident anyone could have done it, but what were we going to do about it now. Clinic on the compound is closed, none of us are RNs or even good with a band-aid and some bacitracin so we are thinking amputate. But after consult with somone who has been around longer than us, the one (team member) they (I) call "Wilson the Wise" hospital is inevitable and stitches are starting sound like they are a good thing... 1:45 minutes later the driver is here and ready to take us to the Saad Specialist Hospital. Little did we know all the horrid ideas of hospitals and medical service in developing countries was about to be shredded like a tire (or toe) trying to go in the exit of a compound.

This Hospital was immaculate. Big building, ornate on the outside with collumns and arches, medium sercuity compound, but still inviting. Once in Vaulted ceiling with palm fans and crown molding every where, fish tanks bigger that I have seen and a coy pond in teh lobby next to the elevator. Leather chairs, decoratively lit and indoor ivy scattered aethetically about. The nurese was Rahel, cool chick from India, that took personal care to walk us to the ER for the stitches and make sure we got seen by someone pretty quickly (relative to my experience in an ER). An Egyptian doctor and Saudi ER nurse took it from their and he was stitched up and ready to go. So after lots of sillyness and some anesthetic, 3 stiches in the Burj Al Arab of Hospitals in Saudi - 1000 Riyals or ~260US. I was able to get some photos of the toe, let me know if you want to see (note if you are squimmish, might not want to). Back home by 12:30 am. No problem.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday and thanks again for reading my blathering, I mean blog.

Happy 14th of July Everyone

We'll get to the 14th part, no its not a typo. But first, take note that you live in one of the greatest places on earth; America or as our neighbors to the south insist that we refer to it, The United States (not America, cause they are America too). Right, OK, whatever, lo siento bro.

SO, Happy Fourth of July. If you have known me over the years you may have seen me as communal living, dreaded, know everything, wanna-be-hippie, with no patriotism, that welcomed self righteous (often hypocritical) conversation, about shit that didn't really matter, especially when it was about what was wrong with the democracy that I lived in, but didn't vote in; but oh yeah it was pretty fun and mind expanding. Now we have a slightly (some may argue) jaded, southern republican, capitalist, psuedo-outdoorsman, loner, traveling in the oil industry, who still has to be reminded that he doesn't know everything (sometimes a bit self-deprivating too). Little ironic I guess seeing as the transformation only took less than ten years. Key difference that I wanted to point out was that I am patriotic now and very "Grateful" for the life, opporutnities, experiences, shoot everything I have been given in my short time on this planet. If I was born elsewhere, I fret to ask what hardships I would have to endure or skirt just to make it to my current age.

"God Bless My Family, Friends and America"

To switch up a bit, I will be in France on July 14th for Bastille Day, a French holiday for their Nation. It is supposed to be a very busy and fun time to be in Paris. Can't wait to experience it. See the wikipedia link for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day

Headed to sleep, because we are working in the morning, take care and be nice.

Ciao and thanks for reading again.

ps Snoop Dogg is on the ipod and is a slice of US that I am really enjoying and appreciating right now; bow-wow-wow-wow--yippee-yo--yippee-yea.

Joe al-Dumesnil or Joe al-Denveri

So I have been very irregular rececntly, the past week, with my blogs. I will try to improve on that. Now get your head out of the toilet and keep reading.

Like you and a couple of hundred million other western's we have asked ourselves "what's up with the whole Al thing in the middle east"; and as if answered by Allah himself a concisely written article presented itself. See the link: http://www.slate.com/id/2144707/?GT1=8391.

One thing I have noticed is since you say so many "al"s throughout the course of the day it starts to really roll off the tongue without effort, becomes rather subtle.

Now for a lesson in expatriot Indians in the Middle East. Mumbai (or Bombay as it was called) is a happening city with a lot of capitalism and opportunistic folks, plenty of money, yada. However, not the same for the southern State of Kerala on the western southern coast. There are entire villages of Indians from this state over here. They tend to be more communal than their capitalistic brothers to the north. There just aren't enough jobs for these folks back home and rather than go to Mumbai or Delhi with the rest of the nation, many opt for the Middle East option with their buddies. Not kidding you, I asked our HR Manager here when he might go back to India and here said he wasn't sure he wanted to, because his family and village were all here in KSA.

Well that the update for tonight. Doing well and just kicking it over in Saudi. It hasn't been that hot recently, or at least as hot as it has been, still very dry. My eyes feel like they are in Denver.

Ciao and thanks for reading.