Iftar Dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel

From 201009 Saudi scenes

During Ramadan the evening meal to break the daily fast is called iftar. The local luxury hotel -- formerly a Holiday Inn, now the Jubail Intercontinental Hotel -- hosts a buffet dinner each evening in a huge semi-permanent tent, air-conditioned of course. Our school staff enjoys an annual tradition of enjoying this buffet. For about 20dollars each, we enjoyed the camaraderie and the fresh food. The place was crowded with both expatriates and local families -- all of the women were black-robed in the obligatory abaya (note Barbara and Marca in this photo),

From 201009 Saudi scenes

but many local women wore full niqab as well, requiring them to carefully lift the veil in order to take a bite!

From 201009 Saudi scenes

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Beirut, Byblos, and walks in the city

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