chu-ee”, says Mohammed. When Mohammed ‘ka-chu-ees' is repeated no less than nine times, with brief spells for inhaling… It is the beginning of summer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and the onslaught of the unpredictable is about to begin! Middle of May and the mighty frost of sorts is invading the center of the country, two Degrees and going down. Wrap up the kids, boil the tea and defrost the defrost. Only yesterday it was 2 Degrees and rising. Un-flap the flap, un-zip the zipper and through the cap to the family parrot. Ice the tea and shut down the shut down…. The weekend was dusty and sudden unpredictable winds threw the drifting sands in all directions. Visibility turned nil and parking roadside, a matter of safety. Small cars were doing a cha-cha, while large and heavy cars were doing a ‘serious' mambo! How does one prepare for the day to day changes, let alone the early morning to late evening changes? “What should I wear?” becomes the second question only to, “What are you doing?”. Only the major hotels in the major cities are truly capable of handling the ‘frivolities' the Arab version of Mother Nature. The apartments of the poor are havens for a broad range of respiratory and other diseases. The diseases will broaden and carry a “torch” even into the tightly secure doors of the rich lawyer who will pronounce his own brand of ‘ka-chu' with perhaps no ‘ee' at the end. In time, one gets used to the ‘twang' sound of individuals which come from the nose of the affected Saudis. The twang together with the sneezing provide a unique harmony only heard from dessert to city and back again. The holiday season away from the Kingdom during the summer months is common and desirable. The problem arises when you try to book a ticket ‘out'. It appears that all bookings must be made centuries in advance and confirmed decades prior to the actual flight…. Patience and luck are after all the biggest hurdles when traveling anywhere in the Middle East. When you do arrive at the airport, don't be surprised if your flight has been cancelled. Meanwhile, the real and intense summer heat begins to rear its head gradually over the horizon and directly into the Kingdom. The intensity of the heat grown gradually but relentlessly, not at any time a predictable. The heat fluctuates from one day to the next. But the ‘attack' of 30 to 45 to 48 to 50ish, leaves things impossible to touch, meaning that without the properly working AC… you die! Older and really elderly ladies with too much make-up dribble from their noses and ear lobes, not a pretty sight. Men and women and just plain children sweat torrents and smell a touch ‘yuk'… Life is suspended… and palm trees seem to be saying one to another, “we did it again!” Stay ‘cool' mentally and physically… Be nice to cats … Change ‘under' and ‘over' clothes frequently… Shower 52 times a day ... and keep smiling. __
