Looking out of the plane window when approaching Dammam, Saudi Arabia’s oil capital, the darkness of the desert is interrupted by star-shaped lights in places. I wondered what they were when I landed on my trip to the International Petroleum Technology Conference this week. I was to find that out yesterday in what was supposed to be a taxi ride to the airport.
Instead of driving straight to the terminal, dropping me off and waiting for another customer, Saeed asked what I was going to do given that my flight was only at 2 am. My “work” response did not satisfy him and he suggested taking me to his family camp for a meal instead. For a second, I wasn’t sure, but without a valid excuse, I decided to go for it. And it was an experience to never forget.
After crossing a few major pipelines around the outskirts of Dammam, Saeed first stopped at a desert farm owned by a wealthy oil business owner. There stood the camels munching on some grass that must have been brought in from faraway places. The workers on site had just milked the camels, holding a bowl full of white fluffy liquid.
We then drove on to the camp. I was really sure what to expect, but I now get the concept. Saudi families like to spend time together in the evening and in a place in the open, where temperatures are a little more bearable, especially in the heat of the summer. As open space is not a particular issue in this country, families just select a spot to build their camp and that’s that. They don’t usually spend the night there, but use it for evening get-togethers all the time.
And whilst I enjoyed learning from Mohamed, who is an operator at a production plant for Aramco 200 km away in the desert, I equally appreciated the lads chatting in Arabic and listening to the melody of their language. We sat down and ate the freshly cooked chicken and rice after having started the meal with Arabic coffee and dates.
“The pace of life in this country seems more human than in many parts of the western world”, said a geologist to me the day before. Sitting there with these friendly people who had just invited me to join for the meal, made me feel that she was so right.
But, that said, the hunt for energy to power the world economy was very close by at the same time. From the peace of the tent, overlooking the dark desert plane, the lights of a drilling rig lit up. Being so close to major fields like Ghawar, it added to the unique setting I found myself in. An experience I shall not soon forget.
