Rollin' Down The Highway To the Red Sea

What is it like to cruise down a Saudi highway?  It isn't a trip that most people will ever be able to experience.  This weekend I was able to do a road trip 3 1/2 hours south of here, so I saw a lot of the highway.  Here are the things I saw: sand, camels, sand, garbage, sand dunes, sand, blue sky, sand, security check points, and more sand.  At times I would drift off to sleep and then open my eyes and I would see a freeway from home, but when I looked closer I would notice that the people driving were men in Thobes with wives covered in the back seat.  Every once in awhile I would feel several speed bumps, which meant we were approaching a security checkpoint.  I have never stopped at one of these checkpoints, and hope that we can always easily pass right on through.  The important thing to notice is which line is passing through quickly.  I always wonder why some people choose the slow line.

To you it might seem very dusty, brown, and boring, but these road trips can lead to some marvelous unexplored places.  This weekend I was able to stay at a hotel on the red sea.  Now this hotel was nothing to write home about.  In fact, I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.  It was very bizarre but it was on the shores of the red sea, which is a fascinating place that is the least explored sea in the world. 

I boarded a boat early on Friday and Saturday with about 15 others and a few researchers from the University and we set out to find Whale Sharks.  This is the time of year that the juveniles come into the red sea to feed on plankton.  Researchers are studying them and trying to figure out why the adults are staying out in the Indian Ocean.  Unfortunately this weekend was one of the few weekends that these gigantic fish were not seen.  Yes, they are the world's largest fish.  They are not even a whale or a shark, but have similarities to both, so hence the name. 

Even though we didn't see these incredible creatures, we had a lot of opportunities  to snorkel and dive.  I chose to dive each time to get a break from the waves and see the beauty under the surface.  It was amazing.  I felt like I was placed in the Nemo movie!   So many fish, coral, urchins, anemones, sting rays, and a turtle. There was so much to see and an hour wasn't even long enough.  I spent a total of 4 hours under the sea and I want more!  It was so fun swimming around coral mountains, going under bridges of coral, and going up and down the bottom of the sea.  I have never been so at ease diving.   If you live in this unique place you must dive!  It is amazing! 

Bryan did this journey a in March and was also on one of the few trips that did not see the Whale Sharks.  So, next year we will try it again and hopefully be swimming with the world's largest fish.  We will for sure take Cameron next year, since he is a full on fish in the sea.  He will snorkel for hours!  Carter is a little hesitant, so we will see how he progresses by this time next year. 

The diving center offers a "Little Bubbles" course that is for kids 8 and up.  We are going to check it out next year for Cameron.  Also, if you are a high school student here you become a certified diver during your P.E. class.  How cool is that?! 

Here area a few pictures. I guess you need a red filter for the camera to pick up all the colors.  Just turn on Nemo and you will see what I saw!

 Blue Spotted Sting Ray!

 Nemo!

 These giant clams are beautiful!  They are bright blue inside.



Me!  About 60 feet under! 

Now we are one month from leaving our home and coming back to the U.S. for a summer holiday. Of course we are taking the long way home, which will lead to more blogging. 

April Madness

April has been a very busy month!  Which has caused me to be away from blogging.  I am so sad that I have missed some key events.  Here is a little summary of our last 6 weeks.

1. Work - We do work hard!
2. Bryan went on a 2 day whale shark expedition. (Didn't see any but had fun!)
3. Bryan and the boys went to Dubai for three nights to meet Thomas and Kyle.  They only saw Thomas for about an hour because his little body couldn't handle the time change. :(  They had fun sledding on the indoor mountain, seeing the world's tallest building, and going to the waterslides.
4. I turned 40!  It is tough going to the next decade!  The only good thing that I can see about it so far is it puts me in a new age bracket when I race.  My birthday consisted of working, exploring a different compound , and my first Lebanese dinner, which was wonderful! My students also sang to me in English and Arabic.  It was great!
5. Bryan and I have been diving in the red sea!  It is incredible and I will blog some pictures soon.  It is like swimming in a fish tank!
6. Bryan was accepted into a University and will be getting his teaching certificate next year!  This will be his last career change!  
7. Don't forget we work hard!

However, today's blog is dedicated to our Desert Picnic!  We joined about 12 other families and caravanned about 40 minutes from here where we were able to drive like crazy in the sand!  We happened to pick a day with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, but we made it work and really enjoyed our experience.  We drove over sand dunes and each vehicle had to master the challenge of climbing to the ridge.  We then found a great place to make a bon fire and have a picnic.  We stayed until the stars came out.  We saw a lot of sand, but here are a few pictures of other things we found.

 The sweaty husband! 

 

 This is the typical bush that grows in the desert.  It is full of huge thorns.

 

 The kids tackling the hill.

 

 This little bush was growing in the middle of a huge open area.  It was the only bush I found of its kind.  It had beautiful flowers.  I felt like I should give it water, but then figured I would end up killing it.

 

 Here is our fleet of cars.  It is best to always caravan just in case a car breaks down or whatever else you can imagine happening in this country. Bryan is trying to talk me into getting our own car.  It was tough for him being a passenger. He really wants to drive like a crazy person over the sand. I keep reminding him that he will be a college student next year, and college students do not own cars!

 

I know this looks gross, but fascinating on how it is decomposing.  It still had eyelashes!  There wasn't any odor either! The wind was covering it with sad, which made me think of all the dead things that could be below my feet.

 

This man was herding about 100 camels.  I am not sure how he was able to get them all to follow, but they were all in a line. I am sure he was surprised to see so many women uncovered.  

Camels are not wild in Saudi.  They belong to someone and are branded on their back end. 

 

 Cameron and I watched this camel  for quite awhile.  He would always reach for the highest branch.  The bush has huge thorns so it was amazing he was able to get into it and eat.  We noticed he would close his eyes while reaching upwards.  We are thinking camels must have think eyelids.

 Our picnic in the sand was a success. The wind stopped blowing and we were able to relax and enjoy some great company and food!

It was a great day!  We haven't spent a lot of time exploring outside of our community.  We have so much to do here that it is easy to forget about the rest of the country.  We are motivated to see more.  Saudi Arabia has some unique historical sites and great "wilderness" areas.  We hope to explore more next school year. 

We have 7 weeks left until we leave for the summer months.  It is too hot to stay here during June, July, and August.  We will be coming back in August so we will have to battle a few months of intense heat (110ish), but we have been amazed by the pleasant weather we have had since November.  Everyday has been between 85-95, which feels pleasant when you live in the desert.  This year it has rained more than many have ever seen.  I witnessed 5 different rain showers.  Only 1 was quite severe but only lasted about 15 minutes.  The rest have been only a few drops.  I guess the rainy season is now over.  When I wake up in the morning it looks like our windows are sweating, and when you walk outside you are blasted with the intense heat.  (The AC has been running since we arrived

However, this will be considered pleasant for what is coming our way.  The heat does not slow the Johnsons down.  We find other ways to enjoy ourselves: swimming, movies, and more swimming! Also, don't forget that we do work, so we spend much of our day inside!  Yes, we do work!!  Ha! 

Our Red Sea pictures will be coming soon! 

Winter In The Desert

It is difficult for us to remember that it has been winter around here.  We have been able to wear the same type of clothing our entire time we have been here.  Occasionally I have put on a light sweater on my way to school, but the winter temps here are comparable to a nice June day at home.  So, for the past 5 months the weather has been very pleasant.  I really thought I would miss the seasons of home, but I have found it quite enjoyable to have such warm temperatures outside all the time.  Maybe next year I will miss the seasons. 

In the winter our community is able to do many outdoor activities because the heat isn't at heat stroke levels.  I know I have put a few of these pictures on facebook, but it is important for me to keep this blog as a journaling of our time here.

Bike Race: Carter, Cameron and I participated in the yearly bike race.  I am not sure why Bryan was on the sidelines cheering us on, but he decided to sit this one out.  The bike race was divided into age groups.  Carter was first to go and took third place!  If only his tires were bigger then he could roll a little faster.



 

Cameron also did the bike race, but his chain fell off in the first 100 meters.  It was quite ironic since Bryan works on everyone's bikes. Bryan ran out on the race course and fixed his chain but Cameron was at least 90 seconds behind at that point.  My heart broke for the little guy.  However, after lap one he had already caught up to many of the kids and he finished really well.  We are so proud that he did not give up, never cried, and tried his very best.  This kid impresses us everyday. 

 

I wasn't planning on racing, but was talked into it by a group of ladies and couldn't let down all my students that were there to cheer me on.  I believe my race was 17km, and was easier done on a road bike.  I pushed my "Sweet Pea" and she held her own against all the roadies.  I think next year I will try and find a road bike for the race.  It would have made it a little bit easier on the quads.

 

 

We left the bike race and had to quickly get ready for Carter's 6th birthday.  We decided to make it an Olympic party and had so many countries represented.  The kids had a great time!  Bryan was in charge of the games, and I was in charge of the treats.  We feel so lucky that our children have so many great friends here.

 









Many people at home have asked if we ever work.  Yes!  We actually work really hard, but we play hard too.  We might as well do everything this place has to offer!  No regrets!  The best part of living here is learning about the world.  Our kids have already gained such a rich educational experience and we have only been here since July!  This past weekend was the Parade of Nations.  Most people in our community met at Discovery Square and we marched to the recreation center with our country.  I have never dressed up patriotic, but I did here.  It is nice to connect with the USA and helps one not miss home quite as much.  The parade was fun!  Each country had a table on the field and shared food, pictures, and unique items.  The USA booth had hot dogs, cupcakes, and cookies.  I never did get anything from our booth because the line was long.

 

 My teaching assistant!  I love her and will miss her when she goes on maternity leave.  She has done so much for me!

 Carter's teacher dressed for Pakistan and marched with the USA.  She is such an amazing person!

 4 countries are represented in this picture!  So  blessed to have these people in my life!

 Carter's very best friends from school!

The Girls from my class!  We are each from a different country!  Love them!

 

 

Well, that has been our life for the past few weekends.  I did leave off our overnight stay in Jeddah, so will have to blog about that on a different day.  We are having fun and feel LUCKY to be living in Saudi Arabia.  There are so many interesting, fun, and unique people that have decided to make this place there home.

 



Diving in the Red Sea

We finally had a three day weekend!  Yay!  Bryan coordinated a boat to take 30 of our friends out on a snorkeling trip to sand island.  Can you guess what would be on sand island?  Hermit crabs, 1 bush, and lots of sand.  Bryan and I never got to see the island because we snorkeled the entire time.  I can't believe that was our first time out.  It is so easy, cheap, and beautiful. 

This is my first time inserting a video.  Hopefully it works.  Notice the octopus!  So cute!

 Here is the upper deck.

 Can you see Sand Island!  Looks like a whopper!  However, it has a great reef that surrounds the island.  It keeps the kids busy while we play.

 Here is most of our gang.  Imagine us coordinating an event. 

 My Kiwi girlfriends!

 The blue is the inside of a clam.  They were so beautiful when they opened up . 

 Lion Fish

 Jellyfish Season

 They served us breakfast and lunch.  We only paid about $125 for our entire family for the day.

 Home Sweet Home

 

We had a fun day with all of our friends.  Bryan and I are now working on taking a refresher course for scuba diving.  We are doing a weekend out to sea when the whale sharks come.  I can't imagine swimming with something so big!  I will have lots of pictures when that happens.