In the late 1990’s I was in Saudi Arabia on a consulting contract for a leading tourism company. I was to travel the Kingdom, putting together travel itineraries for the expatriate market. On this nearly month-long expedition, I was accompanied by Mohammed, my Saudi driver assigned to me...
Two a.m., Thursday, May 20, 1965, Cairo, Egypt. A Boeing 720B is in its second landing approach; the first attempt was aborted. The Cairo airport has just installed a new night-guidance landing system. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight 705 is inaugurating a new service: Karachi to London with intermediate stops in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Cairo; and Geneva, Switzerland. The plane is piloted and crewed by the airline’s very best.
It was a windy morning in Boulder, Colorado on December 30th, 2021. I had been woken up by the cacophony of the swaying trees. While the wind usually feels like a refreshing breeze, on this particular day the wind sounded rather ominous.
Dhahran is situated on a low hill a couple of miles west of Dhahran airport which is an enormous military airbase and at that time, a commercial airport. Within hours of President Bush announcing ‘Operation Desert Shield’ a continuous stream of enormous US Air Force transport planes began landing at the airport, depositing men, supplies and weapons.
Christmas in the Kingdom has been in the international news recently, with many stories detailing how more and more shops openly sell Christmas trees, lights, tinsel, and the other decorations westerners want to buy for their festive celebrations.
A mini Aramco Brat reunion was held Sunday, December 12th at Rocco's Tacos on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Florida. After dinner and drinks, we all went to see the 700 ton Christmas Sandi Tree at dockside. A fun time was had reconnecting with many embellished Aramco stories told.
In this photo essay, Mark Lowey recounts his travels to Syria with his wife and another Aramco couple in April 2011, which inadvertently coincided with the beginnings of the civil uprising in Syria. In Parts 1, 2, and 3, the party of four toured Syria’s capital, Damascus, the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, and Krak des Chevaliers castle.
Heavy-duty canvas, black with cream horizontal stripes, the tent sat on a knoll nestled in a large sand dune. Six or seven irregular, somewhat buckled, knobby wooden posts supported the tent, which seemed to hug the landscape. Sturdy guy ropes pulled it in every direction.
As Christmas approaches, the Holidays are on my mind, especially as it relates to how my holidays used to be. I came across a Charles Dickens quote recently and it made me think so differently about Christmas breaks in Dhahran. It’s now going to be the second Christmas that I am not going to be there [as my family retired].
The 2022 Aramco Hafla Reunion Cruise will be held October 31 - November 5, 2022, departing from Miami, FL. Ports of call are Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. More information to come.
The 2022 Aramco Hafla Reunion Cruise will be held October 31 - November 5, 2022, departing from Miami, FL. Ports of call are Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. More information to come.
Throughout the cooler winter months, the running club would put on a variety of races, typically of five and ten kilometres, in addition to half and full marathons. Barely three months after I had started running, a ten kilometre run seemed nothing out of the ordinary and was completed with relative ease. I was never particularly fast and although my times were respectable...
The town of Layla, located some 330 Kilometers south of Riyadh in the Al-Aflaj oasis, is noted today for the enormous sinkholes and caves that dot the surrounding gypsum rock formations. But that was not always the case.
Casey Garretson, the grandson of Byron and Sarah Garretson and son of Kyle Garretson, graduated with a doctor's degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Central Arkansas this spring. He received his license to practice in October and has opened an office in Little Rock, Central Arkansas Occupational Rehabilitation.
In case you missed it, registration is now open for the Hafla 2022 Cruise. We are looking forward to Annuitants, Brats, Aramcons, and Employees from Around the World joining us. Hafla 2022 Cruise will be a five-night cruise leaving Miami on October 31 and returning to Miami on November 5, 2022. We look forward to seeing you at Hafla 2022.
Pulling onto hard-packed sand we moved far enough away from the road to avoid any nocturnal traffic collisions and parked in the shelter of some rocky outcrops. Camp beds were erected and a small gas stove was lit to prepare an evening delicacy of baked beans and beef sausages.
In this photo essay, Mark Lowey recounts his travels to Syria with his wife and another Aramco couple in April 2011, which inadvertently coincided with the beginnings of the civil uprising in Syria. In Parts 1 and 2, the party of four toured Syria’s capital, Damascus, and the ancient Roman city of Palmyra.
I lived on the construction camp for three months before space was eventually found for me on the main camp. I was advised I would initially be moving into temporary housing until a more permanent residence became available.
My memory of Dhahran includes various emblems that marked my time there. One of these emblems is the Saadeddin Pastry shop/stop inside the Dhahran Commissary. When I first moved to Dhahran I was amazed by the colorful squares of chocolate wrapped in baby pink or turquoise blue covers placed symmetrically around a large gold plate.
Dhahran North Office Complex was a collection of twenty large, temporary office buildings located about half a mile from the residential camp. They certainly weren’t as swish as the more glamorous steel and glass offices on the main camp complex, but at least I didn’t have far to commute.