29.01.2022

We wake up very early to reach the Al Qassim camel market at the outskirts of Buraydah, the largest in the world. A quick coffee, pack the camp and ready to go at 7am. The market starts at around 6 in the morning and it hosts not only camels, but also goats and sheep. The first thing that surprises us is the size of the goats that are traded here. As we enter the market one huge goat falls from a car and escapes its owner, while trying to keep the other one safe at the back of his Land Cruiser pick-up. Unfortunately for the man, when he starts again, the other big goat jumps from the car and escapes as well. It took quite a while to the man to recover the poor animals that were probably smelling the knife of the butcher.

Camels are traded only certain days of the week (Saturdays is one of them), but goats and sheep are traded every day. This is one of the liveliest and most colorful spectacles you can see. I love these popular events rooted in the past, very far away from today’s clean and ascetic technologies. I hope these kind of things are never lost and traditions are kept by the people. The camel owners trade their camels either for breeding or for meat (the butcher is just some minutes away and you can take your camel in pieces back home, just in case you are hungry). It is fascinating how they trade the animals, all the shouting, the simulated fights and the final handshaking to seal the deal. Another astonishing thing is how they handle the camels and lift them into the trucks with the cranes.

Another remarkable thing to me, while I mix with the people with my cameras, is that they ask me to take pictures of them and share them to their whatsapps or they take a photo of the picture from the back of my camera. These people are os friendly and amiable that is hard to believe the misconception we have in the West about them and their supposed animosity against westerners. Far from true, they are generous and hospitable and always willing to engage in a conversation.

After the visit to the market the manager of the market invites us for a very big breakfast with dates, sweets, cheese, eggs and plenty of Arabic coffee. For those who have not lived in Arabia, Arabic coffee  is made from roasted coffee beans, which can be roasted lightly or heavily, as well as a mix of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, or saffron. It is usually prepared from start to finish in the presence of the guest and the time while it is preparing allows for small talk and preparation of the business talk.

We leave the camel market in the direction of Ha’il a city to the north. On the way, we stop by an uninteresting archeological site and the impressive Hutaymah crater.

I am starting to become fond of remarkable petrol stations as I am of couches on the street. I cannot resist to photograph these places. I think I will need to travel around Arabia more than once to get a good collection of petrol station photographs (only hoarders like me would understand it).

Today we sleep in a hotel, which is a great relief for us. Tomorrow we will head West to Al Ula and visiting some archeological sites on the way and we will sleep in the freezing desert. Alhmadulillah

Data of the trip:

Total distance: 374 km; Total time: 12 hours 35 minutes; Moving time: 4 hours 40 minutes; Average moving speed: 80 km/h.

Playlist:

• Kase.O – Jazz Magnetism
• Pillow Talk – All The Time
• Michael Jackson – Off The Wall
• Booker T. Jones – The road from Memphis
• J.J. Cale – Naturally
• Lettuce – Rush!

28.01.2022

We start early with a good cup of coffee and we head to the Edge of the World. There is a lot of dust in the air, which is normal in Riyadh and surroundings. The sky is yellow, full of sand and dust that veil the sun. The north wind transports the sand from the Al Nafud desert in the north to Rub Al Khali (the biggest sand dune desert in the world ‘The empty quarter’ in English) through Ad Dahna and this makes the Riyadh region very dusty.

The Arabian peninsula was under the sea million of years ago and you can find many coral fossils and seashells in the middle of the desert.

We drive more than one hour from Riyadh to reach the big cliffs of Jebel Fihrayn with some easy but rough off-road track as we get there. The views are stunning even with the big cloud of dust that floats around us. The cliffs are more than one thousand kilometers long and the drop ranges from one hundred and three hundred meters.

After a short and frugal lunch, we head to Ushaiqer with a short stop in Shaqra to see the city walls and a short explanation of the life in the desert before the oil age. These small towns were caravan stations and places for the pilgrims coming from Levant on their way to Mecca. Ushaiqer is one of the oldest cities in the Nejd.

All the buildings are made of mud and wood and some of them are still untouched. A lot of restoration has been done by the locals and converted into touristic attractions. The walls are decorated with white geometric motifs at the top. The mosque is small and coquette with a beautiful minaret.

Fortunately, we escape the cloud of dust and the sky is blue and clear.

We finally drive to Buraydah were Abu Omar, a friend of our guide, invites us for dinner. Arabic hospitality at its best. I could practice some of my Arabic, thanking him for the amazing food. After dinner we go to the camping site.

It is freezing cold and windy. We will reach 5ºC during the night and, although we have brought our blankets, we will surely be cold.

Tomorrow the promising camel market and Ha’il. Let’s see how it goes.

Data of the trip

Total distance: 542 km; Total time: 14 hours; Moving time: 7 hours 43 minutes; Average moving speed: 70 km/h.

Playlist

• Don Mc Lean – American Pie: The Greatest Hits
• The Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang (Live)
• ZZ Top and Gary Moore – Live
• lettuce – Witches Stew
• Pink Floyd – The Wall (Live in Nassau)

27.01.2022

Riyadh is the capital city of Saudi Arabia since it was established by king Abdul Aziz Al Saud in 1932, when he established the third Saudi state. It is a very large city with a population of 7.6 million people. It has been under massive developments in the past ten years and it would be impossible to recognize for someone who came here just three or four years ago. Entertainment and shopping malls are mushrooming everywhere, fancy restaurants, all the global brands, even a touch of hipness is in the new Riyadh air.

There is also an enormous effort to renovate historical places like Al Diriya (Ad Diriya in Arabic) or the area of Alsafat square. This is the reason why our visit is not very successful as both places are closed due to renovation works. We visit the Al Masmak fort close to Al Safa where we learn a little bit about the history of Saudi Arabia and the struggle of the Saud family over the centuries to control the big territory against the other tribes. The Saudi state was destroyed twice and was only restored in 1902 by King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, the one who unified the different territories under what is Saudi Arabia today.

Crossing the street from Al Safat you get into a maze of streets and ruined to the ground houses that create a strange feeling in the visitor. It is very surprising that just a few meters away from a very popular place, home of festivals and social life, you find yourself in such an abandoned place.

Saudis, especially the young ones, are very friendly and welcoming. They are willing to meet and talk to you and sometimes (happened to me with my friend Angel in Jeddah some time back) they will invite you for lunch, just to get to know you while they have the chance. Arab hospitality is notorious for a reason.

An amazing local food dinner in Najd Village closes the day. We have the opportunity to finally meet the rest of the group. A mix of nationalities (Irish, Indian, British, Saudis and Spanish) spread across the Middle East ready to take on this adventure along us.

Tomorrow we start the real trip. We will visit the Edge of the World and whatever this untamed land has in store for us.

26.01.2022

We depart from Dubai at 8 in the morning, after loading the car with all the camping gear, cameras, drone and other equipment to survive along these 10 days. The roads in Arabia are mostly straight when they go along the desert. No obstacles to get around, no turns to entertain your drive. It is very boring and you need to have energizing music (see playlist down below) to stay awake.

It takes us one hour to cross the border, even with only 4 people before us. These days, on top of the visa and registration in the system you have to show the vaccination passport and the PCR test that have to be stamped in a different office. Then you go through customs where they inspect the luggage. We are lucky as they don’t search the car. Finally, you have to buy an insurance for the car and go through a third checkpoint. All the Saudi officials at the border are very friendly and willing to help.

After crossing the border there is barely nothing on the road except a couple of petrol stations. We stop at what the navigator shows as a petrol station and rest area. To our surprise, it had been abandoned many years ago. There is still a workshop working, but the few houses and the mosque have been eaten by the sand.

We stop at another ruined petrol station where there is a small supermarket and an “amazing” restaurant. We eat a delicious grilled chicken on rice, which is like a delicacy for us, given the time and the long hours driving.

We finally arrive at Riyadh at 6:30 pm after almost 11 hours that don’t feel so long at all.

Data of the trip

Total distance: 995 km; Total time: 11 hours; Moving time: 8h 55m; Average moving speed: 122 km/h.

Playlist

During the trip we listened to:

• John Lee Hooker – Live in Montreux
• Dr. Lonnie Smith – Breathe
• Deep Purple – Machine Head
• Led Zeppelin – Long Beach 1975
• Nick Mulvey – Wake Up Now
• Late Night Tales: Nightmares On Wax

Today we start an exploration trip to Saudi Arabia. The route is not yet fully defined, but it is most likely that from after crossing the UAE from Dubai to the border, we will visit Al Hufuf and the Yellow Lake and Al Qarah mountain. From there, we will then drive to Riyadh and to the Edge of the World, the big cliffs to the East of Riyadh. Going to Shaqra to see Ushaykir Old City, Unaizah through some desert drive and heading to Hail and stopping at Hutayamah Volcano on the way.

Then we will head to Al Ula with a detour to Vulture Valley, afterwards to Hegra and heading NW to Tabuk with a stop at Wadi Al Disa. From Tabuk we will head to Al Shaq Canyon and then North to Tabuk Canyons and Snake Gorge just beside it.

On the road to Al Humaydah we could stop at Al Aqan Canyon. From Al Humaydah, going down South for a little swim along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. All the way down to the point where we will find the Catalina Seaplane “wreck”. From there we will pass by Neom and continue down to Umluj where will turn inland to check the Black Sand Dunes. We will head to Yanbu and might be to Jeddah or straight to Dubai.

The Roughly Estimated Total Distance is 5,742km according to Google Maps straighter options.

If you are not overwhelmed already as I am, wait for the pictures and stories of the trip that I will post here regularly.

The car is fully packed with camping stuff and some food. Let’s see how old Naranjito resists this long trip around the Arabian peninsula.