Did ya miss me?

Been a little preoccupied for a while and since it doesn't seem too many people are reading this anyway (judging by comments, direct & posted) I'm guessing I was not really missed. Besides, people have their own lives to live and don't need to live vicariously through me - at least I hope not for your sake.

I've been trying to schedule a visit back to the USA but seem to be stymied at every turn. First I had a very good scheduled itinerary via Turkish Airlines. (You may recall British Airways bailed on me back in the May time frame.) Then, all of a sudden, Turkish airways was no longer flying out of Jeddah. So, back to the drawing board. I booked a good flight, at a lower price, on Royal Jordanian. A week later I first get a notice that they changed my return flight. I thought it was the time but it was the day as well so I would miss my connection back to KSA. The next day, as I was trying to get that straightened out, they canceled my flight out of KSA. So I'm back to square one. Now there are no flights out of KSA except on Saudia (I'm not really enamored of their facilities) and they are at twice the price. Hmmm, seems if you are the only game in town you can set your own prices. I suspect that the government is not allowing any other airline to fly just so Saudia can make up for lost revenue - and jacking up the price since the VAT is 15% now instead of 5%. Naw! That sounds too much like a conspiracy.

The French engineer I work with was ordered to stay home for the week following the initial kerfuffle in France. This was immediately after a security person at the French embassy in Jeddah was injured in an attack. On Veteran's Day in Jeddah there was an IED that went off during a ceremony at the non-Muslim cemetery just 25 minutes south of where I live. https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-blast-int-idUSKBN27R1BI Scary.