I now would like to tell you something about the dimensions of our current project. I have to admit that I haven’t yet had a project of this size. We’ve gone big, but not quite like this.
Here are some impressions of the construction site:

Here the 3 Halls again.

Unfortunately it is impossible to get across the size and dimensions on photos.      

Of course I am not allowed to show any pictures of the inside of the halls, but I can tell you this much: this will be the screen, and it is huge – really huge!!!!
 

To show you how huge it is, I put some people in front of it :-)  Just compare the sphere on this photo with the one on the picture above: 

Some more impressions of the construction site: 

This much for now: Kaust – 6 days to go!

Saudi Arabia fort he first time.  More precisely: Tuwal near Jeddah. This is my visa, which obviously is rather hard to come by for non-Muslims. Well, they wanted me here – although I really didn’t insist on coming – and therefore the visa was not a problem.

Since you don’t get to come to Saudi every day and most people haven’t had the pleasure of visiting yet, here are some impressions.

I assume I don’t have to say anything about this picture. The insiders will know why I put it first:

There is not much to say about the landscape. (I haven’t seen much apart from desert.) But to not make it look too bleak they planted funny palm-trees at the side of the roads as an encouragement. I took a few pictures of the nicest specimens. You can see it in the middle of the picture, although I’m afraid the top is cut off.

Here is another one: not as pretty as the first one, I admit, but still not that bad!

Now, here I tried to experiment a bit and let me creativity flow freely. I tried to not but the tree in the center of the photograph, but to level it off a bit to the left or the right. Here you have the left versions.

This is the right version.

And this is a photo I am particularly proud of. I managed to get two trees on this picture, and I will not argue about the one on the right being partially cut off.

Another artistic variation: a close-up (of the tree).

A road! This might look exciting at a first glance, but ride it for an hour …

And for the reason of diversification (to not make such a dreary impression) a picture without a tree. But with buses – that’s something, right? A little cut off behind that building.

Since I don’t want to seem unfair I would like to say that this is our accommodation, and although we don’t benefit from it very much (since we work all day and night, which Maik demonstrates on the picture on the right) I would like to mention that there also are nice spots in this country.

Some might ask themselves why we are here. This is why -

Looks like an airplane hangar, but it isn’t. This hall – well, three halls, actually – have been built only for the opening ceremony of the Kaust University.

KAUST is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

All about Kaust under:  http://www.kaust.edu.sa

We have been asked by our colleagues of the Three Monkeys to support them a bit with the many installations and presentations. Which we of course are happy to do, although it is in Saudi, where by the way there is no alcohol.

This is our office from the outside. If the picture seems blurry, that is because every time I step out of the car the lens of my camera gets all fogged up and I have to wait several minutes in the heat before I can take a picture. (As, by the way, my glasses do every time I go outside. Luckily they don’t take that long to clear up again.) The number 203 is not a joke; it is the hall two hundred and three.

And so that we don’t get too hot they put a few airconditioners in front of our house. I am not sure why there are so many. Maybe in case one breaks down?

Kaust Opening: 10 Days to go from now.

P.S.: If you are every asked whether you want to go to this area in Saudi Arabia for Work : SAY NO!!!