| I finally have gotten the opportunity
to get out of the city and the recreational visits to the malls! Mr. B and I
went on a "Desert Diamond Hunting" excursion sponsored by the hospital's
Recreation club. |
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We made the sacrifice of arising early on our day
off in order to meet the bus at 7am. But, before we could get on our way, it
was discovered one of the tires on the bus was flat. So, we were delayed a few
minutes while we went back to the garage and got a different bus. |
| Here is our driver in traditional Saudi apparal.
He even has a knife so he can protect us from the dangers of the desert. |
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We traveled to an area of the desert about 132km
(about 80 miles) north of Riyadh. Along the way we saw heards of camels, sheep,
and goats. |
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After driving along for quite some time, being
passed by 4x4's filled or pile high with carpets & tents for weekend
campers, we pulled of the road and drove off into the desert for a short
distance. Mohammed, our guide, showed us how to look for the desert diamonds
and we all wandered about in search of these attractive stones. |
| I search among the thousands of small
stones under my feet, looking for that perfect desert diamond. The key was to
check out the quartz-like clear stones. |
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When you find one with "potential" you
hold it up toward the sun and look for transparent areas. I was able to pick up
a dozen or so. |
| After hunting for the desert diamonds for
an hour or so, we were treated to a BBQ lunch. We had steak, chicken, lamb
kabobs, fish kabobs, corn, baked potatoes, slaw, salad, bread, and cake. We
certainly had plenty to eat! |
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The desert seems very barren - and it is
- but it is not without its life forms and it's own beauty. Here is a flower
blooming there in the desert. |
There are insects - ants, flies,
scorpions . . .
Here is a large ant mound. |
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There is evidence of other wildlife, too.
I didn't see any snakes or other such creatures, but I did see a lizard and
some birds whose cry sounded like a cell phone ringing! |
Mr. B enjoyed his little
jaunt, too. Here you see him doing his own diamond hunting.
And there
he is poised with his trophies - desert diamonds and other pretty stones from
the desert and even some sheep's wool found on the desert floor. |
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| This story would not be
complete without showing you the "facilities" provided for us while we were in
the desert on our little excursion. |
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