Countdown on For Next Trip!

In just 19 days I depart for my first trip to the Middle East. Steve and I will be visiting his sister Andrea, her husband Patrick and our niece Helena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over the holidays. This is the country's flag (in case you haven't seen it before).

The visa process was quite complex and drawn out, but Andrea and some other helpers made everything go as smoothly as is possible with the bureaucracy in the "Magic Kingdom". I have to admit I was a bit nervous throughout the process despite assurances, having shelled out for a non-refundable ticket to keep costs down! Everything should be smooth sailing from here on in... provided we don't experience bad winter weather in Ottawa or London (we're transferring planes at Heathrow) on our travel dates!

Now that the visa process is complete, it's beginning to sink in that we are actually going and the departure date has been sneaking up on us quickly. I've been slowly tackling "The Arab World Handbook", which is a pretty decent cultural primer for any traveller to the Arabian Peninsula. We'll always be in public with our hosts -- who know the local ways and can communicate in Arabic -- so I'm sure they'll help to keep us out of trouble. We are fortunate that our hosts have been developing a very fun group itinerary and will be taking care of sorting out the details, which is no small feat.

I'll post our general itinerary and any interesting preparation notes before we leave. Stay tuned!