Crossing into Saudi Arabia

We have entered Saudi Arabia.
The most striking element is the women who, to a dominating percentage are covered with an Abaya cloak, Hijab headscarf, and Niquaab face veil, which only leaves a small slit to see through and has a piece of cloth covering their mouth which has to be lifted up for eating. When the women have their face open, and I as a man come in their vicinity, they quickly cover their faces.
So the only way for contact, is between Margot and them with me staying away.
What was strange is that they all wanted to take Photos with Margot, but many did not want her to photograph them.
Those women who are not covered are usually Pakistani. And that brings me to another aspect, everything that has remotely got to do with work, is carried out by non-Saudis. These are dominatingly Pakistani, Indian, African, or Egyptian, and make up the majority of visible society.
When driving through the streets, one has the feeling of being in India.

This is a country going through dramatic change.
In 2015 Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (age 93) became king of Saudi Arabia and promptly elected his son Mohammed bin salman (29 years), as his successor and has put him into a rocket ship career through numerous state positions giving him.more and more power.
The result has been a loosening the rules of clothing and society, opening the country for tourism and sending 250 thousand young Saudis to study abroad (at state cost) .
While clothing habits are changing very slowly, mastering the english language is evident with a high percentage (also women) speaking really good English.Читать далее