02.02.2022

It has been a very cold night with temperatures below zero, probably minus 3 or minus 5. When we wake up the thermometer marks -1°C. The water in the bottle has frozen partially and so have we. We are at a pretty high altitude of around 900 meters above sea level and the wind blows gently from the East to increase our cold. It is still dark outside and we are about to witness the magnificence of the sun rising behind the volcanoes. It emerges right above the crater making it even more spectacular.

Marina cooks some shakshuka, completely different from the ones we have had for breakfast these past few days. Very spicy and with poached eggs in a vegetable stew. This restores us from the cold wake up and gives us energy to pack up the camp and start another day of exploration. We are certainly tired as we get going one hour later than what we had planned. No drama. At this stage of the trip we are all in easy going mode.

Before resuming our way to Wadi Al Disah, we make a quick stop at Mushroom Rock. Another pretty impressive spot that we reach after some more off-road driving.

We then head to the wadi through a stunning road. The landscape changes by the minute, going from the black volcanic rocks to sandstone and sand desert. Easy road and reckless driving of the local people, especially the big Land Cruisers. A usual practice here on the road is to drive onto the shoulder to let the car behind overtake you without any risk. Sometimes you can even be pushed out of the road by someone eager to show his ability and braveness. Crazy!

After climbing a steep road for some kilometers, we find a stunning view from the top of the hill over a big valley surrounded by big mountains that somewhat resemble the Grand Canyon.

Wadi Al Disah is south of Tabuk and a touristic place for the region. Wadi Al Disah translates to “valley of palm trees”. There is a small brook running along the wadi with puddles, big and deep puddles. You have to cross them with your car if you want to get to the end of the valley. In one of them, Marina’s car gets stuck in the mud, the wheels fully covered in mud and water. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to dig the mud to get out as we do in the desert. We have to rely on the winch she carries and the help of my car. They get you in trouble but also out of it. We get our feet wet, but this is the sort of adventure we knew we would have at some point in the trip.

The wadi is beautiful, full of palm trees, bamboos, and all kind of trees and bushes. It is called ‘valley’ for a reason. There are some local families that come here for picnic. Just after rescuing Marina and while we are stopped to refresh and have a snack, three young Saudi guys approach us. They are excited about talking to foreigners and they are very friendly and welcoming once again. We have the typical chitty-chatty, where are you from, how do you like Saudi, how long are you staying here… when the park rangers come asking if we can help a family that has gotten stuck at the same place as Marina had. She goes with her car and winch and rescues the man, who was very grateful. Another guy who helps in the rescue invites us for lunch to his home in Tabuk. Unfortunately, we cannot go as we are heading in the opposite direction. The man who needed the rescue, will still be scratching his head asking how was it that a woman driving a car helped him out of that situation.

After admiring the wadi, we head to the coast where we will sleep tonight. We choose Wajh Beach as a good place that is not so far from the wadi, but still gets us closer to our next destination: Ummluj, which is too far away to reach today. We have dinner in a local fish restaurant: grilled faris (I guess this is the name) and the inevitable rice, this time black rice. It is a relief to not eat chicken for a whole day, the first day in the whole trip. We were starting to worry we were going to grow wings.

The hotel is far from what I would like, but seems to be the only one available in the area. Really cheap and run-down.

The past few days have been much more scenic and landscape focused than the first stages where we had more of a cultural and historical experience. Saudi is a jaw-dropping country that is not disappointing us at all. However, our trip is coming to an end as tomorrow will be our last day of full discovery. We are now more than 2,300 km away from home, where we have to be on Sunday by the latest. This is more than 23 hours of driving to be done on Friday and Saturday. We will depart from the group on Friday morning after camping in the Black Sand Dunes and we will stop over in Riyadh.

Trip data

Total distance: 430 km; Total time: 11 hours 25 minutes; Moving time: 6 hours 20 minutes; Average moving speed: 67.6 km/h

Playlist

• Kokoroko- Kokoroko
• Miguel Ríos – Rock & Ríos
• M.O.D.A – ¿Quien Nos Va A Salvar?
• J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton – The Road To Escondido
• The Who – Tommy
• American Hustle OST
• Fischer Z – Going Deaf For A Living
• Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

01.02.2022

The lovely house in a bizarre way in Al Ula provided us the right rest and we are restored after the night in the desert. A hot room, a good bed and a hot shower in the morning is all that you need to feel fresh and ready for the action. We take it easy in the morning as we are starting to feel worn out of the long days and the camping nights and we need some relax. Nobody says it explicitly, but is easy to figure it out from the faces of the team.

We go to the Al Ula old town, and large part of it is still in ruins. The Royal Commission for Al Ula is restoring part of it and creating a commercial and recreational area full of fancy shops, restaurants and cafés. Al Ula is one of the areas in KSA that the government wants to promote the most and hence all these renovation works. In my opinion, these commercial sites for promoting mainstream tourism somewhat spoil the traditional Arab spirit. However, as the tourism is still in its infancy, our experience still feels unique. At night it must be very crowded in high season as there is a lot of places for outside dining, shops, and art galleries. Some of them don’t open until later in the morning and we cannot visit them.

We have a good shakshuka for breakfast with a very good coffee in the Palm Garden, a terrace overlooking some ruins below and the mosque and the mountains in the distance. We buy some souvenirs, and we head out to Wadi Disah at around half past ten.

It is a scenic road with big rocks covered partially with sand on both sides. We don’t move fast as the speed limit is no more than 90 km/h and there are a lot of police cars along the road. We have been given some side spots to visit by a German guy who seems to be a good traveler and has spotted some great sites. He told Dawn, one of our team members, that he was jailed the second day he was in the country because he allegedly took some pictures in a place where it is forbidden. He spent the night in jail until they cleared out the incident.

The first stop is at a huge arch of rock where we take a lot of pictures. We have to drive off-road for some kilometers in order to find it. The day is clear, the sky is intense blue and there is no clouds in the horizon. They are the perfect conditions for photography. We do our best with the pictures. You, my precious audience, will be judging the end result.

After some more kilometers we go off-road again and we find a former railway track from the time of the Ottoman Empire. It is a very special stop for Marina as she loves trains very much. This same railway could be the one that Lawrence of Arabia bombed to help the Arabs in their struggle against the Ottoman Empire. The tracks are not there anymore, but the bed is still in good condition, and we can drive on top of it. After some kilometers we reach the old train station, now in ruins, but that would make a great location for a resort. The station is certainly from the Ottoman Empire as there is an inscription with the Crescent and the Star.

Then we head on deeper off-road into a stunning forest of “finger rocks” with incredible shapes that have been formed over millennia by erosion. The track is full of stones and the way is too bumpy. Poor old Naranjito, my Jeep trembles and it feels like it is going to fall into pieces. Fortunately, it is a star and resists all the awful things I put it through. With the new suspension system it drives better at 80 km/h than at 30 km/h. At high speed the car seems to float over the bumpy terrain, which is such a difference.

We happen to drive to an area full of volcanoes, which is an impressive landscape. Black terrain and mountains, small cream bushes and a deep blue sky make a unique scenery. We are all astonished at these surroundings. The best is when we spot some camels roaming around, grazing with their little babies. They are white and cream colour, which is a bigger contrast in the black of the volcanic landscape.

The day has gone, and we have not reached our destination. Nobody is bothered by it as we have had an amazing exploration day. We find a very nice spot for camping close to some volcanoes and clear of stones. It is freezing cold and very windy, which anticipates a bad night. Pablo cooks some chicken on the barbecue and prepares ramen noodles for all. Marina in the meantime prepares the basis for the shakshuka that we will have for breakfast tomorrow.

The night is so dark that we have an incredible sky full of stars. None of us have seen a similar sky ever. There is no moon and there is no light pollution. 

I am laying on my bed while I write this, and my hands are freezing. It is probably around 5 degrees now and we will surely reach -3º at some point in the night. I still have to go through the photographs that you will enjoy tomorrow while you drink your hot cup of coffee. We will post it as soon as possible as we have no connection here and it will still have to be reviewed by my Editor in Chief, my son Pablo.

Data of the trip

Total distance: 254 km; Total time: 6 hours 45 minutes; Moving time: 3 hours 45 minutes; Average moving speed: 67.7 km/h

Playlist

• Joo Kraus – Low Sky Sketches
• Esbjörn Svensson Trio – Live in Gotenburg
• C. Tangana – El Madrileño
• Curtis Mayfield – Curtis