Important Notice

It is not my intention to denigrate Saudi Arabia or its people. It’s like everywhere else, there is good and there is bad. I would rather focus on the unusual and the humourous. Offence is not intended.

Politics
“The country is not perfect. The media cannot be trusted, mistreatment of religious minorities is common and there are some that live in fear.” You can decide for yourself whether that statement is about Saudi Arabia, the UK, or any country for that matter.
Religion

To quote the Joker, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

khalas.
That is all I will say about either subject.

Saturday 18 November 2006

Queue Jumping Ninjas

Unfortunately not in the “Shogun Assassin” style, but in the “I’m an ignorant git and I think I’m more important that you style”. The women here do it all the time. Perhaps queues are only for wimps and infidels. Perhaps I’m just too English.
Last night in a clothes store a particularly large and cumbersome ninja decided that rather than queue with everyone she’d start her own queue at the exit from the tills. As she lumbered straight to the next free cashier my wife and I laughed at her behaviour and a Saudi chap in front of us (who had also been jumped by lardo-ninja) saw the funny side with us. When her majesty had been served he actually insisted that I go in front of him to the free till.

I can only assume that in some way he was trying to apologise for her behaviour. I thanked him profusely and wondered at the peerless manners of some people in this Kingdom, both good and bad. I'll forget her soon enough, but I wont forget him.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am an englishwoman in saudi Arabia.
Being relatively new here,was taken by surprise,by queue jumping ppl of both genders in this country.So i do think its unfair that you just point out the ninjas that are doing it.Anyway,now i damn well make sure nobody skips the queue when im shopping.

Anonymous said...

In my experience 25% of Riyadh people are rude.
Queueing in shops and worse of all the drivers on the road.
I dont understand why the government is not making any effort to fix the driving problem that happens on the road all the time.
E.g Holding right turning traffic up, No signalling anywhere. Zig zagging thru the traffic. Outside lane to inside turn, and many more.
This is the norm on the streets, but even i have seen other saudi's (75%) get road rage by this.
It would be a better place without this problem.

Leslie P said...

Great reading thhis