Red carpet, brass bands, American flags, billboard with the two leaders' faces, images of pomp and respect were all over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital.
He was so distressed by this new complexity that when the enthusiastic brass band arrived and struck up, which it did about five o'clock, with apparently wind enough among its members to blow down his house.
The sounds of shouting and laughter, of the tinkling of bells and trampling of feet, resounded from the street below, mixed with the braying of a villainous brass band and the unmerciful banging of a drum.
In the evening there was a grand dance in the courtyard, where the brass band played a new piece of music called the " Ork Trot" which was dedicated to " Our Glorious Gloria, the Queen" .
I head back to Calle Obispo, the main artery of the city and the heart of Havana. Music blares out from bars and cafes and a brass band has set up for an impromptu performance to impress tourists.