Days 3 and 4

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.

We had an extensive visit with the Saudi Investment Authority followed by a meeting with HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the minister of Foreign Affairs for over thirty years.

A very large night time dinner and homeland security briefing finished our day. Saudi Arabia has more than 5,000 detainees. Hopefully, in another posting I will be able to tell you the unique approach they take to get these young radicals “turned around”. Homeland security is evident everywhere. Almost all buildings, compounds, etc. are gated with guards.

Monday brought more interesting meetings beginning with a meeting with minister of Petroleum and Minerals. Much to my surprise petroleum and energy are only 25 percent of the Saudi GPD.

The minister of Trade met with us at his residence for a briefing and lunch. It was quite an elegant home but done very simply.

A fascinating visit to the Saline Water Conversion Corporation took most of the afternoon. Almost all water in Saudi Arabia comes from the Gulf or the Red Sea. Nothing will grow without irrigation and it is piped for hundreds of miles.

Finally before a late dinner and even later night flight to Dammam, we toured the National Museum. It is very well done and could compete with any of the finer museums in the United States.

I have gained enormous insight into the political realities of the region as well as the culture and the evolving modernization of an extremely conservative people. These observations are best left to presentations at home or at least written when back home.

We have been told that the officials we have met with are at the very top of the government with only the King higher – he is traveling. Language has not been a problem – everyone speaks near perfect English. All of the ministers were educated in the United States and most travel there for business or government reasons fairly often. They could not have been more responsive to us and tolerant of our endless questions.

Now it is off to dinner and a 9:30 p.m. flight. More later in the week from Dammam and Jeddah.