Ah yes, the Riyadh det...
I remember getting into theatre just after New Year to be placed in a compound with the STS 'SkyRats' who were to train up the non-TS qualified crews in the art of desert strips. The situation was utter chaos, we were sharing about three to a room (no problem there) but the arrangements for locally purchasing rations were all over the shop due to (we were told) the admin folk having to drag out SOPs which were years out of date. I remember having to draw pay in Saudi Riyals on my pay book and the utter confusion about what we could and could not 'legitimately' buy. The out-of-date and inaccurate topos showed our operating airfield about thirty miles from where it actually was and the rest of the charts would have been more accurately replaced by large sheets of sandpaper.
The initial ground rates were excellent, we could eat at local purveyors of 'flat chicken' while the catering was being put in place and we made furniture out of slabs of cold drinks. As things began to get sorted a small NAAFI was established where we could buy essential items such as bootlaces and date-expired toothpaste but an extra bit of effort got us into the US commissary where there was a slightly better selection of goods including the latest Bose sound systems, TVs and boom-boxes. I also recall that the US thought we were exceptionally fond of tonic water (we didn't let on that the Dubai supply routes ensured we had enough 'juniper-based cleaning fluid' to dilute it with).
At one stage during Operation Compound Hop we had just stocked our freezers with food (including turkey-bacon from the French supermarket) when we were given another 'bug-out' order and moved to yet another compound which meant leaving all our newly purchased food behind.
Eventually we shifted to the Marriot which was all sorts of comfy but not long after that it was off to Alola 6, the last compound before the whole shebang moved to Bahrain. Our leaving party was the stuff of legend and I heard tell that a senior officer wandered through the following day's wreckage (including but not limited to several members of the nursing community who were resting their eyes) whilst trying to think of suitable ways of getting his revenge.