I’m surprised I’ve made it this long being up, but I was really enthralled earlier and had to make it out in to the city. Once we settled in and took naps and showers we met downstairs to head to one of the 4 or 5 hotel restaurants to grab some dinner. It was a buffet and it was exquisite (see below). 

Beef tenderloin, hummus, roasted duck, thai chicken, chocolate fountain (not pictured) steak fries, and sushi.

Once dinner concluded we wanted to check out the mall that was attached to the hotel and so we did. Unfortunately it was during evening prayer so few stores were open. We really wanted to see the old souk so we called up a driver and headed that way. The complimentary bottles of water and cool wet towels are really going to come in handy during the up and coming days.

Getting out of the car you are greeted with a feeling not unlike pointing a blow dryer at your face… and this is in the middle of the evening. I thought that, that feeling would pass with the setting sun but that was definitely not the case. I felt red and hot just walking around for a while, it is quite intense (and yes sunscreen is my top priority). We headed towards the souk and got sidetracked going to different shops along the way. The distractions kept us from getting to the actual souk, but we did get a chance to see the Masmak Fortress where Ibn Saud retook/consolidated the Kingdom.

Some of the fellows and I at Masmak Fortress. I’ll try to upload a better picture of the Fortress in a bit (if this internet will let me that is).

We returned to the hotel and on the way we cracked jokes about how awesome it was that we are staying at the four seasons and we get to eat such great food on the house. Then Josh reminded us that the real work starts tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going to be running non-stop (it has been estimated around 14 hours or so of stuff) and on top of it we have to do certain assignments for the fellowship. Including informing people about what we are doing/learning. I am looking forward to this opportunity and I hope that all of you are equally excited about reading and learning from it to.

Thank you,

Andrew