Jeddah

Hi Bloggers,

Luckily had a couple of weeks off last month, so I took full advantage of it to visit Saudi's second city, Jeddah.  It has a reputation for being much more relaxed than Riyadh and this certainly seemed to be the case.  Nevertheless, the basic no alcohol or cinemas rules still applied.  But women seemed less covered up and actually ready to communicate in some cases!

Jeddah's got a pretty nice location by Saudi standards, being by the sea, and  the Red Sea at that.  There's a lot of diving around here, though I must admit I didn't partake myself.  There's a 35 km long corniche, though not as idyllic as I'd hoped.  The Red Sea, being another gulf, unfortunately has virtually no surf, and it's those rolling waves that are the main thing I love about the sea.  But still it was nice breath of fresh air (excuse the pun).


Generally, though, Jeddah had a much more relaxed atmosphere than Riyadh, and people were around on the streets and much friendly, cf. Riyadh where every thing seems to happen behind closed doors.  Mind you, Jeddah is also a lot poorer than Riyadh and you really feel like you're in a developing country here.  Only a few of those swanky malls and towering skyscrapers.

One of the highlights was the fish market, which actually had sharks for sale, as well as some pretty exotic looking angel fish.  But the main highlight for me were the old traditional coral houses in Al Balad.  Most of them are just shells now, but apparently there's a project to restore them.  It's definitely worthy of being a world Heritage site.

I'll let the pictures do the talking,

Cheers,
Rob

It's a Boy !!

Hi Bloggers,

It really is along time since I last blogged.  I got so bogged down in my dispute with the British Council and my new job in Saudi Arabia that I completely forgot to mention maybe the most important event of my life, the birth of my son!  Well, he's five months now and growing fast.  In fact, he's quite big for his age and is already trying to walk.

 

Of course, I'm a pretty late runner, and one thing that really surprises me now is how I spent so many decades being single.  Getting married and having a son has really given me something to live for.  In fact, really my whole life is geared towards them now.  I certainly wouldn't want to go back to the narrow self-focused life style of a single man again.  I think to justify being single you need to make your life highly meaningful in some other way, either through some large scale philanthropic or altruistic activity, like some of the world's richest are doing now, Bill Gates, etc.  Or through becoming a monk or great spiritual teacher.  Otherwise, what would your legacy be?

Unfortunately, I'm temporarily separated from them, working here in Saudi Arabia.  But to be honest I wouldn't want to bring them here to such a boring and repressive country.  Luckily, I've had what I hope is a good business idea, being to buy a teaching franchise in Bangkok.  If all goes to plan we can all reconvene there as a happy family within a few months!

My legal case against the British Council is now basically over.  It ended as a kind of draw.  Neither side can really claim victory, but at least I made a few points.  I doubt if anything will change within the BC, though! In some ways it was a blessing in disguise losing my job at the BC, as it really galvanised me into action.  I've discovered there's a whole world outside the BC, which isn't always obvious when you're in it.

So thinking and moving forward again!

Cheers,
Robert

What a Year !!

Hi Bloggers,

It's been a fair while since I last blogged, but certainly not because nothing has been going on in my life.  Rather the opposite, the problem has been not knowing where to begin.  But now that the year's coming to an end, maybe it's a good time to try and make head and tail of things.

They say that time slows down when major events occur and that's certainly seemed true for me.  I can hardly believe it's only 11 months ago that my mother died.  Obviously that was the major event, but equally strong contenders must be getting married and having my first child.  Not to mention being unfairly dismissed by my then employers, the British Council, and eventually moving to Saudi Arabia for work.  In between I also managed to spend two months working in Thailand, and about three and a half living in the Philippines, where I bought a house, another first for me.  Finally, I brought a case against the British Council at the Employment Tribunal, which is still continuing now.

I documented my ever-caring mother's sad passing away in earlier blog.  Bless her soul.  I hope she's now in the kind of heavenly abode that she deserves to be in.  I've also said a fair bit about my marriage in Bahrain to my lovely Filipina wife, Rhoda.  So I'll take up the plot from my amazing dismissal by the British Council, briefly mentioned in my previous blog.  Then in my next post I'll say something about my son and my new job.

Things had gone from bad to worse in my relations with the British Council, first from the absurd suspension I was put on in February (suspected political activity in the classroom), through the Performance Improvement Programme (PIP), which was in no way related to the original problem (Arabic in the classroom), to the damning End of Year Record of Performance (EOYROP), based simply on a series of casual observations, which finally resulted in Malaysia revoking my contract just nine days before I was due to travel.  It was an unbelievable downward spiral, in which it was easier (and more convenient) for the management to treat and assess me as a sub-standard teacher, rather than look at the possibility that there was something badly wrong with their own procedures and way of handling things. 

I won't bore you with details of the above, but suffice it to say that I felt so aggrieved by the way I had been treated that I actually brought a case against them at the Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal.  Unfortunately, legal matters move very slowly and it's still going on.  I'll say more in a later blog about that.

The most significant feature for me, though, was the sheer callousness with which the British Council dealt with me, at almost every stage.  For example, they suspended me just after my mother had died, and I remember the centre manager didn't even offer condolences.  Enacting the suspension was far more important.  Also, just having a chat with me before making that incredible decision might have clarified everything.  But no.  Then during the PIP I was treated like a guilty man.  There was a certain inevitability about the outcome - it was going to be bad.  And, finally, the revocation just nine days before travelling.  I didn't even know what country to go to! 

You have to be pretty heartless to do that to someone, but, then, that's what I now say about British Council managers, they're like androids or automatons, who simply apply procedures in a completely impersonal, unfeeling way, with absolutely no regard for the human impact they're having.  Clearly, the humanity has been lost somewhere along the line.  It's such a pity because there are so many good things about the Council too.  It's the quality of the managers that spoils what could be a fine organisation. I always think the British Council nowadays is rather like a beautifully ornate wine bottle, but filled with rubbishy wine.

Anyway, so much for my worst ever work experience.  Luckily, I have found a good job in Saudi Arabia now, though there is still the problem of holding my family together.  My next blog will be about one the happiest experiences of my life, the birth of my son in October.

What a rollercoaster of a year !!

Cheers,
Rob

Riyadh

Riyadh skyline

Hi Bloggers,

Well, I'm now in the capital of Saudi Arabia after a delightful two month return spell in Thailand.  Riyadh probably isn't a place you'd choose to be if there wasn't a lot of money to be made.  Yet at the same time it's nothing like as bad as I'd expected it to be. I haven't been harrassed by the police or "muttawa" (the religious police) yet, and most people have been pretty friendly.  And the university I'm working in is superbly modern and beautifully designed.

Dita Square

Even the general atmosphere of Riyadh is pretty nice, particularly in the downtown Olaya area.  Generally, there's a feeling of real spaciousness and most places you go there seems to be hardly anyone around.  Before coming I had been worried that you'd have a feeling of always being watched, but actually I haven't felt like this at all.  The absence of women is, of course, a noticeable feature of the place, though you do see a fair few of them in the shopping malls.  Most wear the full head gear with just a slit for their eyes, but I have seen a few with no covering at all, so things can't be that bad.  The only thing I really dislike is that whenever prayer time comes, everything closes down.  By law all shops have to shut.  And there's also the extremely irritating 4.15 am prayer session, which invariably wakes me up.  I've now adopted a strategy of going to bed at 10.00 pm so as to guarantee myself at least 6 hours sleep!

The main positives of Riyadh seem to be the shopping malls.  They're all pretty spacious and stores like Marks & Spencers and Debenhams really make you feel at home. Needless to say, Starbucks and McDonalds have their usual presence.  There are some good supermarkets, like Carrefour, where you can get most of the kind of things westerners like, like your favourite brand of marmalade, etc

Anyway, before coming here I had a great two months back in Thailand.  It was so nice to be back in my favourite country again. In fact, I even stayed in the same condo block, Saranjai Mansion.  I was almost living my old lifestyle again, going jogging in the Queen Sirikit and Lumpini parks, cycling around on a Trek bike, eating in the food courts, watching football in Gulliver's and enjoying the ubiquitous state of the art shopping malls.  In fact, there's a new mall called Terminal 21, which has the theme of a different country on each level.  I was quite impressed.

Al Battha souqs

Of course, the missing factor that has spoiled everything for me has been the fact that I've had to leave my wife in the Philippines, as her pregnancy is too far advanced to travel freely.  This is the main outcome of the BC's decision to revoke my contract, the disruptive effect it's had on my family.  It's such a pity there's almost no work for foreigners in Manila.  Nevertheless I spent the whole of June there.  Eventually, though, I 'm confident we will be living again as a happy family should.  In fact, I'm going back to Manila in October for the birth of  my son.  After that, we will see.

Masmak Fortress

Cheers,

Robert

Leaving Bahrain - and the British Council !!

Hi Bloggers,

Well, I'll finally be moving on from Bahrain, but not to Malaysia as originally planned, but direct to the Philippines where my wife is.  In an incredible turn of events the British Council decided to revoke my contract for Kuala Lumpur exactly nine days before I was due to travel.  Nice one, BC!

It created complete turmoil in my life, as my wife was getting ready to join as soon as I arrived there.  Of course, I appealed against the decision, but the bureaucratic ways of the Council prevailed.  They could get someone of higher calibre than me, so I was sacrificed at the altar.

Fortunately, though, they are going to give me three months pay in compensation, which should work out at about $10,000.  That may seem a nice payout, but when you're getting older and suddenly find yourself homeless and unemployed you'd probably plump for the job security.  I may have more to say about what I think of the BC in a later blog!

Meanwhile, I'm hoping to make a new start in the Philippines.  It'll be quite an adventure for me, because I've never worked there before. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed something comes up.

Update on my next blog!

Cheers,
Rob

Just Got Married

Hi Everyone,

Got married on Monday! We had a great day! The ceremony itself was just a civil wedding at the Notary Office. But then we had lunch at the Gulf Hotel before having an informal get together with friends in the evening at a Thai restaurant.

Rhoda is from the Philippines and we met here in Bahrain, where she works in alternative health therapy. We've known each other for almost two years now and got engaged back in November. We're planning to move to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in June, where I've been offered a job, again with the BC.

I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Cheers,

Robert

My Mother's Wedding Photos

Shortly after my mother's sad passing away earlier this month, I was given some of her possessions, including her wedding photos (either 1949 or 1950). I probably had seen them before, but my mother, being the modest woman she was, had hidden them away for decades. It made me realise just what a beautiful woman she was in her day. Actually, she looks almost like a Hollywood star!

By the way, that guy with her in the two pictures is my father! Lol

The damage done

Hi Bloggers!

Well, as most of you know, I'm a keen guitarist, and now have a fair collection of guitars. They're mostly Yamaha because Yamaha's the only really decent shop here in Bahrain. But I'm very satisfied with them. They represent quality at a reasonable price. They're where top end begins.

Anyway, travesty of travesties, as I was putting down one of my other guitars, it slipped from my hand, and the machine heads crunched into the body of my most expensive guitar, my Yamaha FG730S solid top! Luckily the wood itself wasn't damaged, but the lacquer or varnish has a bad dent. And because it's red sunburst, it really shows (see pic on left).

Anyone got any ideas how to fix it?

Cheers,

Rob

Audrey Phyllis Lowman (1925 - 2012)

Sadly my mother passed away yesterday afternoon after failing to recover fully from a bout of pneumonia. It was also just a mere three months after my father's death in October last year. But at least she wasn't in pain and it was relatively quick.

The quality of her life had deteriorated considerably over the last couple of years anyway, largely as a result of losing her short term memory. In fact, she never really took it in that my father had died and she still often thought he was still around. Unfortunately, I was unable to be by her side at her actual passing away, but I did manage to visit her at Christmas, just over a month before. I will always cherish my last conversations with her, mostly about the past, as her long term memory was still good.

I think her main quality was the completely unconditional love she had for her children. In fact, in almost every way, she was the perfect mother, always willing to sacrifice her own happiness for the benefit of us, always putting us first. She was always there in times of need. And even to her dying day, she still cared and worried about us. Her compassion also extended to needy people and animals as well. She literally wouldn't kill a fly, but would brush it out of the window, such was her love for all living things. She was a true humanist in every sense of the word and showed us an example of humanity at its best.

Coupled to this was her incredible modesty. She was always self-effacing and never pretended to be anything, despite actually being overflowing with good qualities. She was always apologising for being a nuisance even in the most mundane of situations. It was a pity that was surrounded by dominating characters and that my father and her own mother (my grandmother) didn't encourage or support her more, so that she might have developed the kind of self confidence and strength she deserved to have.

But being of the war-time generation she had that typically strong sense of commitment to duty and unswerving loyalty to family. No matter how difficult their relationship became she always stood by my father, such that they were married for over 60 years, and she also tended to her own

mother in her old age with unstinting devotion.

So to sum up, she excelled in every role in life, as a daughter, a wife and a mother. And if there is a heaven, I'm sure that's where she is now, for surely there has rarely existed someone more deserving than her. Her reward will truly be in heaven.

RIP

The top picture was taken in Dorking in 2006, while the bottom one was taken just last Christmas in 2011

Motorbike

Hi Bloggers,

Nothing much going on here at the moment. Just the usual daily plod of going to work and earning a living. Unfortunately, Bahrain isn't the most exciting place to be. Of course, there are the continuing demonstrations from the Shia community, but the police seem to have a cap on the situation and it's difficult to seeing anything major developing, even though the anniversary of last years rising is coming up pretty soon.

I often think about my role as an EFL teacher and I think we must be the most underpaid professionals anywhere in the world. We're still basically treated as a bunch of ex-hippies or backpackers. Ok, that may be where many of us came from, but it's certainly not true now. We all have degrees and professional qualifications. If you meet an ex-pat in banking or oil or law in the pub, you just hope they don't ask you what you do. They must absolutely scoff at our wages, and think we're a bunch of complete dickheads. Most of them earn about 3 or 4 times as much. We just seem to be chucked a few peanuts, not even a full bag!

Anyway, enough whingeing! Last month I finally got around to buying a motorbike, like I always promised I would. It's nothing special, just a Honda 125, but has certainly opened up new possibilities. Mind you, the roads here in Bahrain are dangerous, and crossing lanes is always a scary business. Either way, I'm certainly not going to stop cycling. Cycling must still be one of the best ways of maintaining general aerobic fitness over a long period of time.

Stay cool.

Cheers,

Rob

Publish Post

Happy New Year !!

Happy New Year, everyone! Let's hope it's better than 2011, but realistically it'll probably be more of the same. The global economic depression is likely to continue, rubbishy hip-hop and R&B will continue to dominate the charts, students won't stop being rude to their teachers, and Chelsea will almost certainly sack another manager!

But looking back at last year, I must say it was an incredibly eventful one for me. In fact, I can hardly believe that I packed so much into a year. I visited Africa twice, attended my father's funeral, experienced riots and a dose of tear gas here in Bahrain, met up with an old school friend I hadn't seen for 40 years, started making some serious progress with my singing and guitar playing, and finally got engaged to Rhoda, a Filipina girl I met here in Manama! Not bad for a bloke pressing on 60! In fact, time definitely seemed to slow down for me last year, which is surprising, since generally it seems to accelerate the older you get. No doubt the reality is that it is us who are slowing down rather than time getting faster!

So here's to hopefully an equally eventful 2012!

All the best,

Robert

New bike!

Hi Bloggers,

Well, here goes again. I've bought another expensive bike (above). Third time lucky, I hope! The last two both got stolen, i.e. the Mongoose and the Gary Fisher. Every one had told me that Bahrain was virtually crime free, so I confidently parked my bike outside my apartment block at night (locked, of course). It took thieves a mere two months to discover it and duly one morning I experienced that horrible sinking feeling you get when you realise you've been robbed. You always try to kid yourself there's some logical explanation. The apartment administration have moved it for security reasons or something absurd like that. Or you parked it somewhere different last night. Or you'll suddenly find it just around the corner. Such is the nature of human hope and optimism. That said, thank God we do have hope. It's such a basic and important human emotion. Once people lose hope, then surely they are lost.

The top picture is the new bike. Probably the best of the three, it even has disc brakes, so you get none of that terrible squeaking when it's wet. It's also got nice click into place Shimano Tourney gears. 21 in all, though, to be quite honest, I can never understand why they bother with that small one at the front. If you use it, you go so slow, you might just as well get off and walk! That's not my apartment, by the way, but the foyer outside the reception area. I don't have my own pool table, unfortunately!

The yellow bike is the Gary Fisher I had stolen here in Bahrain. I'd even had it specially shipped over from Thailand. That, incidently, is the view from my lovely 14th floor flat in central Bangkok. At the end of the day, I probably miss the flat more than I do the bike.

Finally, here's the Mongoose (below), which I had stolen from right outside the British Council in Bangkok. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the security guard himself. One day I locked it in the wrong place. He was very quick to put his own lock around it and demand 300 baht (ca $10). No tickets or anything. Presumably the money went straight into his pocket. That's the Chao Praya river I'm standing in front of.

Anyway, keeping my fingers crossed this time!

Cheers,

Rob

John Augustus Lowman (1922 - 2011)

Sadly my father passed away yesterday (Thursday, 13 October) at the age of 89. He had had pneumonia for a couple of weeks before and apparently when the antibiotics failed to clear it up, there was nothing the doctors could do. But at least he died peacefully and was in no pain, which is arguably the best way to go.

My father originally came from a working class family in the East End of London, and it is to his great credit that he successfully educated and engineered himself into the position of a successful and prosperous upper middle class professional, enabling him to provide both me and my brother with best in every aspect of life as children, for which we can never express enough gratitude. Generosity was always was one his strong qualities. It was unfortunate that his career never reached full fruition. Nevertheless, his determination and perseverance were exemplary, and he provided us all with an excellent role model in how to succeed and advance in life.

My father, of course, experienced the Second World War in its entirety, being a 17 year old when it begun. He spent a large part of it as a prisoner of war. In fact, the war played a significant role in forming his character, in that he was always very much the military man, with strict discipline and a strong sense of authority. Although some people found this hard to handle, it is always important to remember that he was the product of his times and embodied the values of his generation. Within this framework he always tried to do the right thing and had genuine moral integrity.

What not many people know about him was that he was also a first class musician. He played mostly jazz piano and knew the works of most of the top pianists of his generation (e.g. Oscar Petersen and Earl Hines) and had a flambuoyant side to his character too. Being a musician myself (guitar), I can recognise just how good he was. I only wish I had had the opportunity to play more together with him when he was alive. It was unfortunate that in his later years he became partially blind, which affected not only his music, but also his ability to read. In fact, he was always not only an avid reader but also an excellent linguist, able to speak both French and Spanish fluently. Finally, he was a very strong chess player in his time, attaining Category 2 status while in Argentina. He always beat me!

In addition, he travelled extensively for someone belonging to the pre-jetset age, and he always took a genuine interest in my own travel experiences, particularly in the Far East. Apart from living in South America (Peru and Argentina) for several years in the early 1950s, he also visited France, Belgium and the USA. It's a pity he himself never made it to Asia, as I'm sure he would have been fascinated by the people and culture there.

Although not seriously religious, he knew a lot about Eastern philosophies and religions, particularly Buddhism and Yoga, and I had several stimulating conversations with him. Raja Yoga was the branch that inspired him most, and I sincerely hope his proficiency in that and any residual influence of Christianity will help him now in the after life state and take him to a higher plane.

He will be sadly missed, not only by me but also by my mother for whom he was a constant stalwart. They were married for over 60 years.

RIP

Istanbul

Hi Bloggers!

I'm well behind schedule. I'm still blogging about stuff that happened more than two months ago. Such are the pressures and stresses of modern working life! Or am I just lazy?

Anyway, before my memorable trip to Kenya (coming up soon), I did a return trip to the UK to visit my parents, sadly ageing now, but fortunately still enjoying relatively robust health. Turkish Airlines seemed to offer the cheapest promotions, so I pounced on this opportunity to make a meal of a stopover in Istanbul. It really is all it's hyped to be, or at least from a touristic point of view.

Of course, Turkey has come on leaps and bounds economically too and still has ambitions to become a part of the EU. A far cry from the days when they supplied most of the workforce for the post-war German economic miracle! I wonder how Germans will feel about having to treat as equals people that formerly had virtual slave or sub-species status!

There were two areas I visited, firstly Sultanahmet, the main tourist area, and Taksim Square, the commercial hub of modern Istanbul. I didn't have time to see everything I should have in Sultanahmet, but nevertheless got a good taster. I can finish it off on my next trip. Apart from the manifold artistic and architectural wonders of the Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque and the Topaki Palace, I was most impressed by the covered Grand Bazaar, which is one of the most atmospherics markets I've ever visited. It really takes you way back in time, as it's basic structure and layout has remained unchaged for centuries. I particularly liked the colours too.

The only downside was the presence of persistent touts and dealers trying to make hard sells, and always using the full charm offensive technique. That approach is particularly difficult to handle, because as a tourist you're looking for a experience and to make some positive contacts with locals, which of course they exploit to the full! Carpets is the number one item they push. Mind you, some of them really are nice, but I'd recommend having a good look around first to get an idea of what prices should be.

As far as the Taksim Square area was concerned there was nothing

particularly visually exciting,

other than that it was just a generally pleasant place to hang out, including a nice park. Branching out of it, though, is Istanbul's equivalent to Oxford Street, a long walking street with trams coming up and down intermittently. But for Turks, this is the real centre of Istanbul.

Kenya coming up next!

Cheers,
Rob

Zanzibar - Island and Beaches

Hi Bloggers,

The Stone Town was obviously one of the highlights of Zanzibar, but equally impressive was the island's interior and its famous beaches. The East African coast is genuinely blessed with the kind of white caster sugar sand associated with tropical paradises.
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I rented a motobike (see pic), but frankly I don't recommend this, as it was definitely faulty and broke down a couple of times. Once in a village, in fact, which could have been a scary experience for a more paranoid person. But instead of seizing this golden opportunity to rob and loot a helpless tourist, the locals were actually really helpful, and got me up and running again. Before coming to Africa I had been warned of the crime rate, but once again I experienced nothing but warmth and hospitality. In fact, if I have learnt anything from all my travel experience, it is that man's nature is fundamentally good and that the criminal is reviled in all societies, even the poorest and most primitive.
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Anyway, I certainly enjoyed riding through the lush tropical fields and forests, passing by and occasionally stopping in incredibly quaint villages. The most interesting ones were probably the fishing ones. As for the beaches, they were just awesome, and happily with hardly anyone there. Mind you, it was low season. Rainy season, in fact, which I discovered the hard way.

So, all in all, I'd thoroughly recommend a trip to the fabled spice island of Zanzibar!

Cheers,
Rob