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Kipling
Joined: 13 Mar 2009
Posts: 371
Location: ...Ah Mrs K peel me a grape!!!....and have one yourself!!!!
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 Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject: Various Questions |
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What is the situation with leaving the KSA during the mid-semester breaks?
Is it easy? Time consuming? Is an Exit visa necessary?
Are flights to and from Dammam Cheap and wide ranging? For instance to Turkey, Cyprus,Spain or Italy? Any recommended chill out places for a family?
I checked out Saudi Airlines and negatives seem to prevail.
Does anyone bake bread? Is it easy to get all the ingredients to do so?
What about gardening......flowers, tomatoes etc, is it possible?
How long is a piece of string? Best answers only please.
Cheers Mr K  |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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What is the situation with leaving the KSA during the mid-semester breaks?
Is it easy? Time consuming? Is an Exit visa necessary? |
Depends on where you work and if they keep your passport. The exit visa is not the problem....it is the re-entry visa that you have to be certain about. The biggest probem in traveling on breaks is that often employers wait until the last minute to make decisions about the actual days of the break....or at least mine does.
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| Are flights to and from Dammam Cheap and wide ranging? |
Yes, and so are tickets from Bahrain. Personally, I find it easier and far more pleasant to fly out of Bahrain. You can get very cheap tickets to India, Sri Lanka, and other sub-continental destinations. Many people travel from here to Egypt, Morocco, or Turkey and even European destinations are not that expensive.
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Does anyone bake bread? Is it easy to get all the ingredients to do so?
What about gardening......flowers, tomatoes etc, is it possible? |
I bake bread, but I buy most of my ingredients in Bahrain. I find the quality of regular flour here to be iffy, and in Bahrain you can buy special bread flours of all kinds. Al Osra Supermarket in Budaiya has everything you could need and then some.
You have about six months in the winter during which gardening conditions are great. In most places, you won't have too much actual land to garden, but you can buy big pots. The only problem is that the pots, even plastic ones, are very expensive. The plants themselves are very reasonably priced. Sultan Garden Center has a nice variety, but they are a little expensive. There are plant souqs in a couple of places in town, and you can also buy plants at the souq in Qatif. |
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sheikh radlinrol
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Spain
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject: Re: Various Questions |
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| Kipling wrote: |
Does anyone bake bread? Is it easy to get all the ingredients to do so?
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Bread? Why make bread when the local stuff is so good and cheap? Yeast is available. I used to buy it but not for baking bread. 30 litres of grape juice, 2 kilos of sugar and a teaspoonful of yeast. Your colleagues will be saying, ''Mr. Kipling does make exceedingly good w***''.
Going back to bread, anyone going to the Middle East should try Iranian bread if they have the chance. It's delicious. And so is Iranian cuisine.
Regards
SR |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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1) Situation? You can travel during the breaks, of course. Some employers, though, will ask faculty to stay during the non-religious midterm breaks, which are no more than a week long.
2) Yes, you need an "Exit Re-entry Visa" every time you want to travel. If you get one in advance, there is no reason you should be delayed. Planning is key. Get your tickets well in advance as well, as much as a few months in advance, to get the best deals.
3) Flights are plentiful. A lot of times you can get some amazing deals, for example, flights to Europe for SR. 1,500, East Asia and Australia for SR. 2,500. Countries you mentioned are all great for families. As are Oman, Greece, Malaysia, Singapore, Maldives, Mauritius.
4) I love to bake, but I have never baked bread. However, I just bought some specialty bread flour a couple of days ago. Do you know GNC, http://www.gnc.com ? They have many branches here. You can get great quality Bob's Red Mill products there ( http://www.bobsredmill.com ). A big variety of whole grains, cracked grains, various flours, wheat bran, wheat germ, oat bran, seeds, and other baking mixes (pancake, bread, gluten-free, etc). There are also a few local health food stores dotted across the city which sell imported American and European organic, health, and exotic foods. You can get grains and flours there as well. And all big chain supermarkets have a health/diet food aisle as well, where you can find imported grains, flours, seeds, etc. If you like pita bread, you can find great bread here. But if you are looking for sliced loaf bread, it ranges from terrible to decent.
5) I have been thinking about gardening for a while now. If you live in a compound, it is not that hard to do. A big range of ornamental flowers and plants can grow here, for sure. But which fruits and vegetables are easy to grow in your garden, I do not know currently, but intend to find out in the future for myself. You can buy a big range of potted indoor and outdoor plants of all sizes, as well as plant seeds.
6) All that matters is how long a piece you can hold! |
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Kipling
Joined: 13 Mar 2009
Posts: 371
Location: ...Ah Mrs K peel me a grape!!!....and have one yourself!!!!
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:44 am Post subject: Various Questions |
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Thank you, Thank you
A fabulous response from MX and Mr T very informative.
Mr Sheik, you are awful ....... but I like you!!!
Anyway, I don't want to head for a Sheik down in the KoH.
Mr T good effort on the string thing.
How long is a piece of string? Why, it's twice as long as half a piece!
Cheers Mr K |
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sheikh radlinrol
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Spain
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:40 pm Post subject: Re: Various Questions |
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| Kipling wrote: |
Mr Sheik, you are awful ....... but I like you!!!
Anyway, I don't want to head for a Sheik down in the KoH.
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What am I like, dear? Showing your age, darling. Bernard Bresslaw? Dick Emery? What next? Kenneth Williams? Charlie Hawtrey? Those ''gents'' would have enjoyed a ''sheikh down '' in KSA.
Enjoy the bread.
SR |
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Kipling
Joined: 13 Mar 2009
Posts: 371
Location: ...Ah Mrs K peel me a grape!!!....and have one yourself!!!!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 5:09 am Post subject: Carry on up the Kyber aka Hold that Camel (US) |
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We are all products of our youth Mr RnR and in our dotage we are betrayed by our past at every turn.Well spotted..... but I doubt whether any of those chuckle masters will be known or cared about in the KoH.
Infamy Infamy.......they've all got it in for me!!!!!
 :
PS What's the Ukelele situation in the KoH? |
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sheikh radlinrol
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Spain
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:14 pm Post subject: Re: Carry on up the Kyber aka Hold that Camel (US) |
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| Kipling wrote: |
We are all products of our youth Mr RnR and in our dotage we are betrayed by our past at every turn.Well spotted..... but I doubt whether any of those chuckle masters will be known or cared about in the KoH.
Infamy Infamy.......they've all got it in for me!!!!!
:
PS What's the Ukelele situation in the KoH? |
You're almost certainly correct, Mr. K. But can you imagine the team in Saudi? ''Carry on at the Kabba''. Hatty in a flimsy abaya trying to get old Kenneth ''in the mood''? It would have been great.  |
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tillymd
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 114
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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Didn't know there were so many baking enthusiasts out there.
Tillymd |
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Kipling
Joined: 13 Mar 2009
Posts: 371
Location: ...Ah Mrs K peel me a grape!!!....and have one yourself!!!!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Didn't know there were so many baking enthusiasts out there. |
"If you set a women to bake a bushel of bread a week she will hath no need of gallipots and phials" William Cobbett. "Cottage Economy"
Of course being a new man I never let the trouble and strife anywhere near the kitchen and I can assure you that Cobbett was right and I am gallipot and phial free.......skin like a baby's bum, as me mum.........used to say.Thank you Mr K.
PS The last lines rhyme but do they scan??? Must try harder if I can. : |
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Kipling
Joined: 13 Mar 2009
Posts: 371
Location: ...Ah Mrs K peel me a grape!!!....and have one yourself!!!!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject: Carry on at the Kabba |
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Mr RnR it would have been blasphemous and how much fun is that...well quite a lot I suppose if only you remember the 11th commandment 
Mr K |
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tillymd
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 114
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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Mr. K and RnR,
"If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time , insight and understanding of many things" Vincent Van Gogh.
Have a nice weekend.
Tillymd |
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Sleepwalker
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 454
Location: Reading the screen
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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You can grow tomatoes and many herbs (eg parsley) from seed very easily in the Middle East.
There are also lots of flowers that grow very happily.
Your only problem is that you will have to make sure they're watered every time you're away.
Happy gardening. |
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tillymd
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 114
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| Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| "A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker" Buddha. |
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Kipling
Joined: 13 Mar 2009
Posts: 371
Location: ...Ah Mrs K peel me a grape!!!....and have one yourself!!!!
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| Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:19 am Post subject: |
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Thankyou sleepwalker, and God bless you, Sir.
So true, Tillymd, and God bless you..........too.
Yes Herr Hitler never stopped running off at the mouth and look how he turned out. |
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