Last week, I had the chance to meet Mohammed, again. He was in Riyadh for a couple of days for business. We had dinner at the new Kabab-ji restaurant on King Abdullah Road. We had a really good time, and enjoyed the Lebanese food.

Leaving the restaurant, we were talking about the crazy drivers on Riyadh streets. And, as if we needed an example for our conversation, we almost got hit by cars twice in these few minutes we walked. Then, we stopped a cab, and while we were shacking hands and Mohammed was saying goodbye, the Asian cab driver ran away. He looked so angry, and, apparently, he was swearing at us. Why did he do that? Probably, he thought we were taking much of his precious time.

We had to stop another cab. This time, the driver was Saudi. As soon as we got in the car, he asked, “Are you going to pay in riyals or dollars?” He thought we were foreigners! “Listen, buddy! I’m Saudi. I take cabs everyday, and I know all your crap, so you are not gonna fool me, ok?” I told him. When I said that, he pretended that he was just kidding when he talked about the dollars, but I think he was not. He sounded serious.

Anyways, it was good to see Mohammed again. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to go to Dubai this winter, and I’ll meet him there.