Relocating to Middle East - Not a TUSCL Hot Spot

Dave, remember to 'weekend' in Armenia!

My sympathies. I have not been in Oman but the most miserable time of my entire 45 year career in the oil patch was the eternity I spent in Saudi Arabia (well, about a year; but it felt like an eternity). I would shoot myself before I ever went back to that country.

Art, when we were pursuing the work, and it appeared that we might not win the Oman work, a guy there asked if I was interested in working in Saudi Arabia. My response was an unqualified, "No!" There is a world of difference between the two countries. In Oman, I can live anywhere, drive anywhere, drink in the hotel bars, buy liquor at a store for expats, ride my motorcycle in the desert, etc. Of course, public behavior is expected to be modest.

Best of Luck Dave,

Make the most of your time there, during and after work. Hope you find a little sumpin, sumpin while you are there.

Dave, I wish you a safe stay. It's not for me but I understand money talks. I guess that makes you a prostitute. LOL. Who is gonna take care of that new wife while you are gone? Any volunteers?

Thanks, shadowcat. The wifey is following me to Oman in February. Then she is taking 6 weeks in South Africa and Namibia doing an internship in large animal care and rehabilitation. She is apprehensive about Oman, mainly the potential for boredom. And she has a bunch of strappy shirts and short dresses that are staying in the US. Damn!

hd- My congrats (sympathies???) to you. I guess that $90k/yr being exempt from Uncle Sam should leave you with a bunch of spending $$$ at the end of the 2 yr. contract. Hope you get some good vacation time as part of the package.

Thanks for all your insight and reviews. Wish you the best of luck and Merry Christmas

good luck over there, check in when you can and i'll try to ride herd over the tuscl shills for you ;)

Via con Dios.

Stay well, HD. Hope it goes well for you.

O man! I never heard of a Islamic strip club.

harrydave said:"The good news is that there are readily available alternatives for a guy who wants the company of naked women."

Please, tell more. Very interested. Also, if you repeat the experiences over there, please tell.

I'd be curious to find out about this too.

There was a new guy in Oman. After a week he became horny and asked the locals what to do about it. They told him that there was a camel down by the oasis. He said "No thanks. I'm not ready for that". A month went by and he was getting worse. So he asked again and again was told about the camel down by the oasis. This went on for months. He finally gave in and the locals took him down to the oasis. As he began to give it to the camel the locals started laughing at him. He asked what was so funny? "Sir, we usually ride the camel to town where the girls are".

I thought I too heard about some clubs in the emirates (?) where takeout could be had. They even had undercover camera footage of women being pimped out in front of the clubs.

Stay safe over there harrydave...

lol shadowcat, I thought it was going to end up being a joke about camel toes

Thanks for the camel joke. I am guessing I will e hearing many more.

The "alternatives" are in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Most of the action is in tourist hotel bars. Working girls in large numbers are available for takeout. Most of the girls are from China, CIS countries, Ethiopia, Philippines, West Africa. Going rate is $100-$200 "short time", and $150-$500 "long time" (overnight). It is illegal but tolerated. In other middle eastern countries, it is not so obvious, but prostitution thrives.