KAUST Beach (Saturday)

As I was feeling a little better on Friday I ventured out with Kate in the car for a quick look around.  It was around 35º outside so the car was the way to go.

This place has only been going for 7 or 8 years so is still in the early phase of construction.  Go to the beach a month ago then go to the beach today, the road to the beach is now different, there is a new road in a place that wasn't there 4 weeks ago!

Construction goes on continually and renovation is occurring as well.  As I have mentioned before, expense is not a concern with this establishment.

Take the beach for example.  There was never a beach here in the first place so the designers and architects set out to build one using imported beach sand.  The sand isn't as we know it in Australia, but a much firmer type of sand.

The beach is quite wide, with inflatable islands, rubber inflatable pontoons and other activities.

There are rows of sun lounges as you would expect to find on the French Riviera and a lifeguard post where every child must put on and wear a life vest (lowest left photo).

You have to show your ID Card to get in beyond the security and there is a high fence sectioning the beach area off from the University grounds and homes.

You see this is a western beach in a middle eastern country where things such as bikinis etc are not to be seen.  But at KAUST Beach, this can happen!  This is where females can get around safely wearing their regular western bathing attire and do not need to be covered from head to toe as the Muslim religion decrees.

It is a strange contradiction in this impressive structure known as KAUST.

It was delightfully pleasant standing there taking it all in with a wind coming in off the sea tempering the hot temperature.

All the buildings about the University are first quality, spectacular in design and amazing to see.

It is actually Saturday as I type.  I am feeling almost as well as any time I have been here.  Trish isn't faring so well.  She did go to the doctor yesterday who confirmed what we already knew and that it was a virus.  He suggested a medication (the contents of mean this medication is no longer legal in Australia).  It has in the drug that Chemist shops used to get robbed of all their cough medicines etc so it could be used to manufacture drugs.

As usual Trish checked them out online and saw side effects could be nausea and insomnia.  And after taking them yesterday she can confirm those side effects.  After a period of throwing up this morning, those tablets will be preserved for others if required who may not be affected the same was as Trish was.

Hopefully nature will take its course and she will improve a little over the next few days.

I did manage to watch a heap of footy yesterday and today, all live and streamed via the internet onto the TV.  There were some good games to watch.

Tomorrow Sunday is a 'work' day for the rest of them.  We will wait to see how Trish is before deciding what we will do.  We did miss a shopping trip into Jeddah this morning but I was pleased I stayed home as Trish was extremely ill.  The kids are busy buying shoes etc getting ready for their 2 month drive around Europe summer trip.

You can't seem to buy any of that sort of stuff in the few shops there are in KAUST, you have to go into Jeddah (a 1 hour drive away)  for that sort of shopping.