Riyadh (Monday, November 02, 2009)

This is the end of our fourth amazing day. Yesterday was an eighteen hour day so we had no computer time – little sleep time for that matter.

There is no way I can capture all that we have learned and seen in the ten or so minutes I have to do this.

Among activities for yesterday were touring the King Faisal Specialist and Research Hospital. They do a large amount of basic research as major critical care and transplant surgery. We did see a significant number of women medical professionals, some veiled and some not.

Riyadh (Saturday, October 31, 2009)

If I had not lived all that I have experienced the past two days I would have thought I was reading a make-believe story.

Late yesterday, after some sleep, we went about 70 kilometers, motorcade again, to the Al Musmak Palace which was a replica of a 300 years old palace, in the desert, which was captured 150 years ago and was the beginning of the founding of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1902.

Riyadh - Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
We're here! After fourteen hours of flight time and five hours sitting in airports, we arrived last night around 9:30. There are thirteen legislators, two NCSL staff and two Saudi men assigned to the Saudi Embassy in D.C. in our group.

The Riyadh Airport was magnificent! We were whisked away into big black cars with big black SUV escorts, lights flashing and sirens going. Quite intimidating for all of us!
We are staying in a government guest conference palace which is the equivalent of a very nice big hotel except there is no one in it except us!

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 (Greenfield)

This is the first of what I hope will be frequent blogs over the next two weeks about my trip to Saudi Arabia. Actually, this is the very first blog I have ever done and this entry is a dry run to see if I followed instructions correctly in setting it up.