***
Some highlights from the US State Department's International Travel Information on Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by a king chosen from and by members of the Al Saud family. The king rules through royal decrees issued in conjunction with the Council of Ministers ... Islamic law is the basis of the authority of the monarchy and provides the foundation of the country’s conservative customs and social practices.
Women visitors and residents are required to be met by their sponsor upon arrival. Women traveling alone, who are not met by sponsors, have experienced delays before being allowed to enter the country.
Women considering relocating to Saudi Arabia should be keenly aware that women and children residing in Saudi Arabia as members of a Saudi household ... are considered household property and require the permission of the Saudi male head of their household to leave the country.
[Ed. Note: I will not - whew! - be a member of a Saudi household.]
The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia. There is an on-going security threat due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, some affiliated with al Qaida, who may target Western interests, housing compounds, and other facilities where Westerners congregate. These terrorist groups may also target Saudi Government facilities and economic/commercial targets within the Kingdom.
Although terrorists have not conducted a successful attack against Westerners since February 2007, the United States Mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns.
American citizens who choose to visit Saudi Arabia are strongly urged to avoid staying in hotels or housing compounds that do not apply stringent security measures and are also advised to maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners. American citizens also are advised to keep a low profile; vary times and routes of travel; exercise caution while driving, entering or exiting vehicles; and ensure that travel documents and visas are current and valid.
Street crime is generally not a problem for travelers in Saudi Arabia. However, private Saudi citizens who perceive that a foreigner is not observing conservative standards of conduct may harass, pursue, or assault that person.
Saudi customs authorities enforce strict regulations concerning importation into Saudi Arabia of such banned items as alcohol products, weapons and any item that is held to be contrary to the tenets of Islam, such as pork products and pornography. Imported and domestic audiovisual media and reading matter are censored. Saudi customs and postal officials broadly define what is contrary to Islam, and therefore prohibited. Christmas decorations, fashion magazines, and "suggestive" videos may be confiscated and the owner subject to penalties and fines.
Islam is the official religion of the country and pervades all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. Public display of non-Islamic religious articles such as crosses and Bibles is not permitted. Travel to Makkah (Mecca) and Medina, the cities where the two holiest mosques of Islam are located, is forbidden to non-Muslims.
The norms for public behavior in Saudi Arabia are extremely conservative, and religious police, known as Mutawwa, are charged with enforcing these standards. Mutawwa are required to carry special identification and usually are accompanied by uniformed police; however, in some cases they have detained persons even without police presence. To ensure that conservative standards of conduct are observed, the Saudi religious police have accosted or arrested foreigners, including U.S. citizens, for improper dress or other alleged infractions, such as consumption of alcohol or association by a female with a male to whom she is not related. While most incidents have resulted only in inconvenience or embarrassment, the potential exists for an individual to be physically harmed or deported.
The Saudi Embassy in Washington advises women traveling to Saudi Arabia to dress in a conservative fashion, wearing ankle-length dresses with long sleeves, and not to wear trousers in public. In many areas of Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh and the central part of the Kingdom, Mutawwa pressure women to wear a full-length black covering known as an Abaya, and to cover their heads. Most women in these areas therefore wear an Abaya and carry a headscarf to avoid being accosted. Women who appear to be of Arab or Asian origin, especially those presumed to be Muslims, face a greater risk of being confronted.
[Ed. Note: Ain't no one gonna be presuming I'm Muslim. Dodged a bullet with that one. But Riyadh = Abayaland, nonetheless.]
Some Mutawwa try to enforce the rule that men and women who are beyond childhood years may not mingle in public unless they are family or close relatives. Mutawwa may ask to see proof that a couple is married or related. Women who are arrested for socializing with a man who is not a relative may be charged with prostitution. Some restaurants, particularly fast-food outlets, have refused to serve women who are not accompanied by a close male relative. In addition, many restaurants no longer have a "family section" in which women are permitted to eat. These restrictions are not always posted, and in some cases women violating this policy have been arrested. This is more common in Riyadh and the more conservative central Nejd region.
[Ed. Note: Should be interesting given that my entire team from work is male. And we'll be based in Riyadh. So much for jaunts to Starbucks with the colleagues.]
In public, dancing, playing music and showing movies are forbidden.
Saudi authorities do not permit criticism of Islam or the royal family. The government prohibits the public practice of religions other than Islam. Non-Muslims suspected of violating these restrictions have been jailed. Homosexual activity is considered to be a criminal offense and those convicted may be sentenced to lashing, prison, or death.
***
No, but really yay, I'm not saying that ironically. Despite the above (and perhaps because of it, knowing me), I am super-excited to start spending the majority of my weeks out of Dubai for the next couple months - and my weekends somewhere else altogether, thanks to that wonderful perk of consulting known as the weekly fly-back budget. (Why fly "back" when you can fly... to Yemen or Eritrea or Kenya or the Maldives?!)
I don't know how or when exactly it happened, but I've been feeling slightly nonplussed with the DXB as of late. Maybe it's the 14-month itch, maybe it's fallings-out I've had recently with a couple of friends, maybe it's turning 27 and realizing that I only have 3 years left to become an adult, maybe it's just that I'm in a rut and I need to get away for a bit longer than my usual 48-hour weekend excursions. At any rate, don't worry, I don't think the sheen has worn off, I just think it needs to be... polished a bit. By spending time in... Saudi Arabia. Because that's... normal.
WHATEVER, GO WITH IT.
In the meantime, tonight I am going to dinner at my Older Wiser American Friend M's house. She has a husband. And dogs. And furniture that's not from Ikea. And plans to have a baby soon. And all of that seems SO VERY CIVILIZED and wonderful. Granted, the husband's away on a business trip and the dogs are at the kennel and we plan on cracking open several bottles of wine from their cellar, but still. It will be nice to hang out with someone in this city who is not from Demographic Group: Crazy.
For once.
