How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph.Page)
Quote #1
He knew you couldn't just call a taxi in Jeddah or Riyadh—or so said the guidebooks, all of which were overwrought when it came to elucidating the dangers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to foreign travelers. The State Department had Saudi on the highest alert. Kidnapping was not unlikely. Alan might be sold to al-Qaeda, ransomed, transported across borders. (II.28.9)
Alan has a few run-ins with the guidebooks of Saudi Arabia, mostly because they don't really reflect the complexity of the society. He often finds himself surprised by openings in this closed society. But in this case, Alan doesn't see any reason to doubt the guidebooks' advice. He's pretty sure that striking out across the desert on his own will result in total catastrophe.
Quote #2
They had built the hotel to bear no evidence of its existence within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The whole complex, fortressed from the road and the sea, was free of content or context, devoid of even a pattern or two of Arabic origin. This place, all palm trees and adobe, could have been in Arizona, in Orlando, anywhere. (III.15.21)
Alan declares that he likes his hotel in Jeddah: it's non-descript, cool, and clean. It helps him to forget that he's dealing with an unknowable culture just beyond the exterior doors.
And that's a feeling the developers worked hard to evoke from guests. As with KAEC, the city of supposedly expanded freedoms, this hotel is constructed to break down the sense of restriction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The problem is that not everyone is playing by the same rules—there's no sense that the illusion has any basis in reality.
Quote #3
They left hotel roundabout. At the exit they drove past a desert-colored Humvee, a machine gun mounted on top. A soldier was sitting next to it, in a beach chair, his feet soaking in an inflatable pool. (III.52.24-25)
Saudi Arabia is full of surprises and coded sub-texts for Alan, and this is a prime example. The menacing, fully armed soldier is undercut by the baby wading pool he needs to keep from scorching in the desert sun. Alan isn't sure whether to worry or laugh—and that's a theme that follows him through his whole adventure.