Dammam

Today was my last full day in Saudi, so I was hesitant to go on the shopper's route to Dammam since it takes a while to get out there and I wanted to maximize my time. I decided to go ahead and hop on the bus since I still had some shopping to do.

Dammam is a lot more user-friendly than Khobar in a lot of respects. We were in the "old" area and it seemed to have more walkways, and outdoor shopping "plazas" than Khobar. It was a nice change from having to walk over broken sidewalks and dodge cars in Khobar. I bought a gorgeous abaya with gold and ruby colored stitching all over and a matching hijab. I am going to miss wearing my abaya! It's been wonderful and so, so easy. Besides, it's big billowing shape hides a multitude of sins. :-)

I also bought some scarfs and tunic dresses in the Indian section as well as, yes, another gold ring. Heeeeey, I fell in love with a pair of earings, but was able to walk away from that hefty purchase. Besides, if I MUST have more gold, there is always Dubai. :-) We'll be there the day after tomorrow.

There are just so many things I would love to take home, but my suitcases are bulging already. It's always a rush to shop here. Prayer at about noon leaves just a small window in the morning for shopping and then, hallas. No more until evening. My mom is in Khobar now, but I opted to pack, blog, and organize photos instead. I've had enough shopping and dirty streets.

I did tell her to bring me a shwarma though. Lol! :-)

Btw, I was dying for a Diet Coke while in Dammam (nothing new), but had to ask one of the men on the trip to go into a store to buy one for me. No women allowed. Still amazing to me.