Number of near-collisions that I experienced while driving on the highways of the U.S. in a rental car during my three-week period stay this year: 2.5 (one was an encounter with a stationary drive-up ATM machine)
Number of near-collisions that I experienced in a four-hour time period this evening in Khobar, KSA: 13+ (five of which caused me to physically grip the side panel of the passenger-side door), but who's really counting when you're busy praying to keep your life for one minute more?
Oh, Saudi! You and your "every lane is a turning lane" mentality. Need to make a left turn at a traffic light, but you're in the far-right lane? Not a problem! Just turn on your left blinker and cut in front of four lanes of accelerating traffic, you'll get there just fine. No need to break as the car in front of you gives you a one-second warning break light that it needs to merge out of the lane mid-round about. Just speed up and drive around on the right of said decelerating car as your passengers grasp for anything that might act as an "Oh shit!" bar, even the automated window wind. It's all in an evening's drive in the Khobar area...
Went out this evening with e.s. and e.a.m. to acquire a kickboard, hand weights, and walk along the Khobar Cornice. The ride to Go Sport was pretty uneventful, but navigating along the Dharan and Dammam highways, King Khalid Street, and the Cornice made me want to reach for an ACE inhibitor. Every sporting goods store that admitted they didn't have hand weights over 2 kilos caused me anxiety with the knowledge that we'd have to get back into the '04 Odyssey and risk another near collision.
In the end, I was 95% successful with my purchase goals. The Speedo brand kickboard that I bought is a little small, but the only other option was a boogy board. I'm not that esoteric when it comes to my community pool water sports, so this will have to suffice.
A note to all who are in the market for an in-home treadmill -- before you purchase, you may want to ask the sporting goods salesperson whether or not they have allowed a scrawny, yet sporty, Egyptian man run on the treadmill of your choice on a nightly basis in nothing but his bare feet, tailored cloth pants, and an eighties-era sailing-themed collar shirt that your Uncle Arnold might wear at a Fourth of July barbecue. Why join a gym when you can use the equipment in your friendly Al-Raminia neighborhood Sports Store Co.? Was able to secure two adjustable chrome hand weights, though. Jealous?!
Streets of Khobar, you didn't take me this night, despite e.a.m.'s erratic driving skills. I'm sure we'll meet again, though...seatbelts fastened.
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