dave-O Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Have a good trip, don't die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Oil. Lots of it. I work for a company called SEOS that develops fancy-schmancy visual display systems with high-end projectors and heavily developed multimedia presentation capabilities. The systems are gorgeous. Aramco hired us out to upgrade four of their data mining presentation rooms. wow. well then...this puts you ina bit of a spot. the 2nd most disliked foreign thing in the kingdom (after Uncle Sam's troops) are foreign oil workers. having said that, your chances of being kidnapped are probably in the same range as winning the lottery or being struck by lightning. on balance, i'd still say go. it's like nowhere else on earth, and will increase your understanding of what's going on in the world like nothing else i can think of (other than getting drunk with dick cheney and having him l;et his guard down...) keep us all posted! and good advice from velvet, if you get kidnapped, be a man on tv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Giv'er! As if Saudi extremists would ever react to western presence in their country.... (but srsly, I'm sure you'll be more than adequately protected) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 I'd say do it... you can find bad luck anywhere, or good... you odds are slightly higher to run into a political situation over there... walking around in any city anywhere in north america you could run into a gang situation or random crazy person situation, doesn't keep people from going to torontoodds are still highly against anything happening to ya... and I think it'd be really interesting to be there first hand... see and feel whats really going on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Freak Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Large Marge Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 (hopefully not connected to Saudi Aramco) WHAT'S WRONG WITH ARAMCO?!! They are exactly who I'd be working for...... My Dad's been living in Dhahran (working for Saudi Aramco) for the past 12 years... 2 of his colleagues have been kidnapped (one of whom never turned up) and a car bomb went off across the street from where he was parked outside the consulate one day, sending shrapnel through his windows (thank Allah that he, my step-mom & sister were still inside the building - and that they didn’t bomb the consulate directly!) This kind of thing really is a personal choice, as I’m sure those encouraging you on this thread might second guess it were something bad to actually happen (or not - we can’t live by fear, can we?) I’m going to suggest that the risks are much greater than they would be were you to stay at home, but that they are not nearly as bad as we might imagine from the news. Try to remember that there are hundreds of thousands of Westerners who have infiltrated Saudi Arabia… my Dad’s compound alone has over 60,000 ex-pats. Imagine the bombings and hostility that would erupt in good ol’ U.S. of A if the Saudis’ set up camp like that on their soil!!! If it were me, I would go, just to say I did, but that’s the kind of Americanized thinking that makes me so unwelcome in the first place and subsequently susceptible to Arabian hostility. Morals and safety issues aside, it’d definitely be a career building move should you make er back in one piece Send me a PM if you want me to contact my Dad for the inside scoop. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im going home Donny Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Have a good trip, don't die.word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 GO. don't even think for two seconds that you 'don't want to die'. death is the same fate that we all share and whether you're smoked by a bus tomorrow crossing the street, get nabbed by an muslim fanatic or die a peaceful death in your sleep at 85 you can't avoid it. Not taking opportunities like these are worse than death. They're living your life carefully. Don't be careful. Careful is pathetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im going home Donny Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 I'm not sure what the opportunity is exactly....doesn't sound to me that its traveling and experiancing culture yadda yadda....sounds like its about money.If its about money...well f*ck that is all I'm saying.So...Andrew whats it about for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 "don't die"Ahem...I believe that is "don't die".Roller, I should also add that if you decide not to go you aren't being afraid or paranoid, you're being smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Of all the places Deb and I have travelled, and there have been a bunch in all corners, the most nervous for our safety I've ever felt was in New York city - and that beats arriving in Calcutta at 2 in the morning, hands down. Still, bad or importune advice would be really shitty. Flip a coin; blame it on the coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 "Flip a coin; blame it on the coin"Not a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 so basically he sits on his ass and makes money in london... or he sits on his ass and makes money in Ridyadh... maybe a coin flip is the best way to go. there's always the chance.if i were you buddy i'd take a day to myself (call in sick) and head over to mecca... see what that shit is all about!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 I don't ever sit on my ass. If I sat on my ass my life would just be a waste of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 "Flip a coin; blame it on the coin"Not a bad idea.seconded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaidy Mae Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Not taking opportunities like these are worse than death.True. Very few people sit around and tell their kids about the trips they could've gone on. However, as a woman I would have to think long and hard before going. I know you're probably REALLY sick of hearing things like this, but as a man you do have an advantage here. Take this opportunity, but certainly don't go in blind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 Well I fly out on Saturday to Bahrain, and then into Saudi Arabia from there. I am extremely excited by thid once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.I checked the weather, and it is just a balmy 44 degrees there. Lucky me. At night it may drop down to 33 if I'm lucky. Did you know it's badly seen if a man wears shorts in Saudi Arabia. That's right, I'll be wearing full on pants in that weather. This place better have AC or I'm a dead man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 (edited) Well I fly out on Saturday to Bahrain, and then into Saudi Arabia from there. I am extremely excited by thid once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.I checked the weather, and it is just a balmy 44 degrees there. Lucky me. At night it may drop down to 33 if I'm lucky. Did you know it's badly seen if a man wears shorts in Saudi Arabia. That's right, I'll be wearing full on pants in that weather. This place better have AC or I'm a dead man. have a safe trip, low roller, and don't worry about air conditioning. Everything is air conditioned. seriously. i spent about a week and a half on a giant farm complex near Hofuf. they had shaded areas for the cows, basically long buildings with no sides so the cows could walk in and out. these buildings had air conditioned air blowing down on ot the cows all day.when you're sitting on the largest gas & oil reserves on the planet, a few more megawatts of power is nothing ... Edited June 29, 2005 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im going home Donny Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 Have a good trip, don't die. Looking forward to your safe return...then we can heckle one another about same sex views dinnasaur boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 Well I fly out on Saturday to Bahrain, and then into Saudi Arabia from there. I am extremely excited by thid once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.I checked the weather, and it is just a balmy 44 degrees there. Lucky me. At night it may drop down to 33 if I'm lucky. Did you know it's badly seen if a man wears shorts in Saudi Arabia. That's right, I'll be wearing full on pants in that weather. This place better have AC or I'm a dead man. Are you allowed a camera? I hope that you'll be able to post photos and some stories for us to feel a little closer. I'm curious at how friggen hot it will be compared to Ottawa and Toronto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 have fun man, that'll be a memorable experience... 44 degrees is hot but at least it won't be humidpost throughout your journey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 Good luck.Be brave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassedOutGuy Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 All the best LR... its gonna be one hell of an experince for you...Be safe brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 Have a good (and safe) time, Roller, and bring some good stories back to Ottawa with you in August!Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freak By Night Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 Low_Roller... good luck on your business trip. Looking forward to hearing of your adventures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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