Making a friend on the train

              

This adorable 14 year old Indonesian girl, I’m sitting next to on the train, just told me I looked so young. She said I looked about 20/21. Ahh thank you! I’ve always loved Indonesians since visiting there. Check out that sweet open smile!

I find the best places to chat up women in the Islamic world is the ladies room. So today in Medina, I started speaking to a Bangladeshi, who lives in London, here in Saudi on pilgrimage, and I say “I live in a Bangladeshi neighborhood in New York and she immediately says “Jackson Heights?” Yup! I live in a neighborhood that is known and home to people from all over the world!

New Year's Eve in Saudi

 

New Year, New Adventure. Starting off 2026 in Saudi Arabia has been amazing so far. Interestingly the Saudi’s recognize a different calendar, so there were no special activities or traditions on NYE. Instead, after a fancy dinner at a mountain top restaurant, we prepared for visiting Medina and shopped for our abayas (traditional female robes) at a busy local market. Towards midnight my group clicked glasses of non alcoholic beers and mocktails at the hotel cafe and made our own fun. One fun new thing was we read horoscopes and Chinese New Year zodiac predictions, which I think might have to be added to my annual NYE traditions.