Gigli's Trip to Another Planet Part 1

Al Hada Hospital (r)

Back in 1980-1981, it became somewhat advantageous for me to take a trip out of the country. Now, this wasn't because I was on the lam, or something like that. It was just a matter of expedition in a civil matter.

I found an ad in the back of a medical magazine looking for doctors to go overseas. My partner agreed to a sabbatical, so I called these people. It was a national medical company that managed hospitals in the USA and other countries. I spoke with a recruiter who sounded interested in me. I agreed to meet him in Dallas which was half way between us to be interviewed and get details on his offer to post me to a hospital in Saudi Arabia. The meeting went well enough, but he was looking for someone to make a two year commitment. I told him there was no way that I would consider going to Saudi Arabia on a two year contract without trying it out for a shorter period. He said he could offer a two month trial with an option for two years after that. I did not know then that the neurosurgeon present at the post then was leaving, so needs were urgent.

It was set up for me to be in SA from 15 November until 15 January. Over the next several weeks, I received literature on SA, got my shots up to date, and made preparations to leave. I had never been to SA, so it sounded interesting. I was to be flown from Atlanta to Dulles, then to London and onward to SA where I would spend a night in Jeddah and get picked up to travel by car to Taif. Taif is the summer capitol of SA. The king moves the whole government from Riyadh to Taif for 3 months each year because at 7000 feet above sea level, Taif is cooler. I was to work in a military hospital near Taif called Al Hada. This was a brand new facility. More about that to come.

In those years, SA was pulling in several BILLION dollars A DAY from the sale of oil. That had so much money that they couldn't spend or invest it all. Therefore, the sky was the limit. The flight over and back was all first class, I was put up in The Sheraton Al Hada hotel in a nice double room for two months, I could have all my meals free in the hospital, and the salary was generous. So, I hopped the plane in Atlanta ready to transfer in Dulles for the ride to London. Whoops! I got to Dulles with only one of two suitcases. I called my contact in California and assured him that I was not about to leave the USA for SA without both suitcases. No mind, just check in at the airport hotel, and they would find the baggage. Sure enough, the next evening, I was off with both suitcases, on my journey.

Talk about another planet! The trip to London and on to Jeddah was uneventful. First class is grand, especially if someone else is paying the bill. Saudia, the national SA airline was the last leg from London to Jeddah, so I learned to drink cardamom coffee. The Kingdom bans all alcohol, so there was no wine list. We arrived in Jeddah at about one AM SA time, to be greeted with a blast of the hottest air I had experienced in a long time. Winter in SA means temperatures of the upper nineties. The Jeddah airport was a mess. I mean a Chinese fire drill gone bad mess. Yelling and screaming in Arabic, no English whatsoever, no usable phones, AND no one there to meet me. After I went through a search in which customs wanted to make sure that I had no bibles, Christian symbols, booze, or pornography, I finally got some money changed. Talk about culture shock, I was blown away, hot, and jet lagged. Then up comes this kid of maybe fifteen years who did have a few words of English. He had a taxi and would drive me to the Hyatt in downtown where I was booked and to meet the ride to the hospital the next morning. The streets in Jeddah may be paved, but the dessert covers that, so we roared off in a cloud of dust with this kid driving like there was no tomorrow. We made it to the hotel, I paid junior off, and went to bed.

The next morning I was met along with three other folks by a hospital representative who was to drive us about sixty miles up to Taif. No matter what one says, the landscape was striking, and the trip up the escarpment to Taif was impressive. Al Hada is a name for a mountain near Taif, and the hospital was named after it. It sat at the foot of the mountain, and it looked beautiful and new. The several buildings sit inside a compound off a big autobahn with little or no traffic. Once we reached the main building, I was met by a doctor who was to be my guide. I mentioned that I wanted to store my bags somewhere, and he said to just leave there by the front door. They would be perfectly fine. When I questioned that, he said that there would be no theft, since one gets the right hand axed off for stealing. When I returned several hours later, there were my bags.

Since the hospital dorms were full, surplus personnel were being housed at the Sheraton within walking distance on a hill near the hospital. This was to be a temporary measure, but I stayed there for two months. A real adventure was to begin!