A Compound

When I'm at my uncle's place, I live on a compound called Al Yamamah. "Compound" sounds a bit harsh to American ears, but it's a bit more like a gated community or a suburb (for some of the bigger ones) than a base. That being said, there is a lot more security than the typical gated community, at least, getting in and out.

This is the first guard house. The picture is being taken on the way out, so cars would be coming in the opposite lane. The procedure is, you drive up and stop and open the latch on your hood. One guard will check under your hood and the other uses a mirror to check under your car. They are looking for bombs, of course. Then you drive to the next guard house, in between the two are barricades, that you must slalom through. They would be tough to navigate at high speeds if you tried to just crash your way through the first guard house.

This is the second gaurd house. I can't really tell what people do here, except wave you through. Though, I imagine they know our car and it's probably where visitors and what not check in.

Next, I've got a picture of the gate and the wall around the compound.

So that is the basic security of our compound. There are only two American families on the compound, so we really aren't a target for anything and it feels very safe. I thought I had some pictures of the grounds, but not the case, so I'll try to take some and post them soon.