We extended our stay in Abu Dhabi for a day because I found out about the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, the largest in the world, and just had to see it. You had to make a reservation two days in advance to be included on the two-hour tour.

These were falcons waiting to be treated, or maybe just given a checkup for overseas travel. Even the tiniest feather getting broken necessitates a procedure since without it, they can’t maintain their balance in flight, we were told.

Also, thanks to people asking about our situation and well being here. The US Embassy in Riyadh has halted normal operations for two days due to “heightened security concerns.” We are OK, but it’s a pretty drastic measure. For an article about it, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/14/us-embassy-in-saudi-arabia-halts-operations-amid-heightened-security-concerns/

A shot of people bringing their falcons in for treatment, posted earlier: