Beach trip to the Red Sea

Today (Thursday) is the beginning of the weekend here- so we visited the sea. First we stopped by Burger King and Starbucks, then went picnicking on the coast. The area we went to was the public beach, which once had sand, but now has pavement, parking, and a fence. (The sandy, swimming areas are at a different part of the coast). It was so nice having a picnic at sunset! We even saw crabs walking along! We left at prayer time-so I snuck a photo of the men praying across the street.

All About Abaya's - The Black Cloak Women Wear in Saudi Arabia

So, what are my thoughts on wearing an abaya? Well, I do not think that it is the easiest to shop in or go on an escalator with, or step up from the curb in. Why? Because it is long. Honestly, wearing the black choir robe looking abaya does not really bother me at all. Every woman wears one here. Its just part of the culture. Phillipino's, British, Pakistani and Americans wear them. These are the ladies that I have noticed, do not necessarily wear the head scarf, though. Sometimes I wear the head scarf and sometimes I do not. When I do not wear it (the head scarf), I almost feel like I am being disrespectful to the culture and society. But, when I have not worn it, its just been because I was feeling hot.

So, the abaya comes in many forms and fashions. Today, when our family was at Baskin Robbins and Starbucks, I saw a woman wearing a navy blue abaya with gold trim and a beige head scarf. I also saw a black abaya with a white head scarf and a navy blue abaya with no head scarf. The one that I have is black and buttons up the front. It goes all the way down to my ankles. I have tripped on it twice. This leads me to make the decision that I have to go abaya shopping, in order to prevent any injuries from tripping. I bet you want to see me wearing an abaya, right? Inshallah, you will, as they say here. One day you will!

Below are some of my secret abaya pictures of other women wearing them. The pictures are at Baskin Robbins. This will be my tactic for taking pictures of the culture-just asking my kids to pose. It worked today!