NEWS UPDATE: As this update goes out folks are no doubt seeing the rather unsettling news coming out of Iran. Since we’ve already had notes from concerned family members, thought I would preface this blog with a note advising that we are safe, and  currently in southern Oman. We’re monitoring events closely and are ready to adjust plans as needed ( seems we may need to ).

It’s fair to say that the experience in Uruq Bani Ma’Arid was certainly a highlight of our time in Saudi Arabia , if not the highlight of our experience so far. It’s not like it was the desert itself that was new but actually getting up onto the dunes and racing up one side of them and slowly drifting down the other in a 4 x 4 vehicle was an experience we’ve not enjoyed before. Seeing the famed Empty Quarter from a high vantage point was also a delight – while we didn’t see an Arabian Oryx, the few wild gazelle’s were a nice consolation prize.

From there it was a solid two day drive back to Riyadh where we planned to spend a few days relaxing, sightseeing, and prepping for the next stage of our Middle East travels. There was not a lot in Riyadh we wanted to do, but what we did see was enjoyable. A couple of popular attractions were unfortunately closed.  The city is not only huge in terms of population, it is extremely spread out and it takes an eternity to get from one side to the other. Having driven through it from the south to the north side (where we stayed) we were able to see just how challenging the driving was in this city- in fact, while in Riyadh, we actually had a “first”. We parked the car and used the excellent Riyadh Metro to get around, a) because the Riyadh metro is so good, and b) because the drivers are so bad and the traffic is incredibly brutal ! Normally, we don’t hesitate to drive around the cities we visit (and that’s when we are travelling in a 7m long van !) -here we only have a small car and have still found it incredibly difficult at times  – the drivers here take terrible risks and do very unpredictable things, more so than anywhere else we’ve been. We see accidents all the time and the number of new, and near new, cars that are banged up is shocking. Many are never repaired as they know they’ll just be hit again. Lois has often looked at me in Saudi Arabia and said, “Glad you didn’t bring the van here, now….?” While I very much miss not having it with us right now, some days indeed I’m glad we did not bring it here from Greece.

I’ve often commented in this blog on how friendly and welcoming the Saudi’s have been, ever since our first day here in fact. It has been at times almost embarrassing – the experiences below will explain what I mean, one on the way south and another, nearly identical situation, on our way from Rijal Alma’a to Riyadh. In both cases, we had walked into restaurants near the hotels we were staying in just to order some simple meals. In the first case, a pizza, and in the second case, some chicken, salad and fries. Both times, Saudi men, standing in the restaurant, waiting for their orders just like we were, secretly approached the restaurant manager, and, unbeknownst to us, paid for our orders. Two separate events, and two separate places, but just days apart. In the former case, we had at least spoken to the men nearby, but in the latter case we had not – yet in both cases they paid our bill and when we insisted that it was not appropriate to do so, and that we would pay it ourselves, they just smiled, pushed our money away, and said “Welcome to Saudi Arabia”. Not something we’ve experienced anywhere else, but totally consistent with the kind of generosity and hospitality we’ve experienced all the way through our travels here – we are constantly offered tea, grapes, bread, dates, water bottles, all free just by walking into stores to buy something else we need. There’s  no hidden agenda, just genuine local hospitality. It’s constant …..and amazing. Truly very touching.

After the nightmare of traffic and driving into Riyadh it was a relief just to get into a nice hotel and rest up – no driving for a few days now, just planned to relax and explore the city. One of the city’s big attractions is its National Museum – highly rated and well worth the few hours we spent there, it chronicles the whole history of the country, it’s evolution into its present form, the emergence of Islam, the reign of the Ottomans, the unifying role of the much revered King Abdul Azziz in the early 20th century ( don’t miss the late king’s car collection if you go there !), right up to the discovery of oil in 1938 – which, of course, changed everything in Saudi. The museum was a fascinating look into this amazing country.

During our time in Riyadh, we made a minor change in our forward plans. Rather than travelling directly on to Oman, we decided to visit Bahrain first. It’s only a 4 and 1/2 hour drive from Riyadh to Bahrain, and whenever we can go by road, rather than flying,  our preference is always try to do that if it’s practical ( this is an “overlanding” journey after all ! ). There was, of course, more to it than just a little extra overlanding – Bahrain is a very popular R&R destination for Saudi’s themselves principally because it’s close, but more practically because it’s a lot more liberal than Saudi Arabia – one can easily get beer and wine there and the whole vibe is reportedly just a little more cosmopolitan, much like it is now in Dubai. Since we’re not sure we’ll revisit the UAE, a very slight detour now to Bahrain made sense. Oman, we’re told, is much like Saudi so a break between the two just seemed wise. That at least was the logic when we booked the tickets and hotels. Subsequent to that Lois did a little more in-depth Googling and discovered that those more liberal lifestyle features of Bahrain apparently disappear during Ramadan, and of course, Ramadan ( which lasts a full month ) begins the day we arrive in the country. Too late to change plans now…we shall have to wait and see !

Four days of relaxing by the pool in a nice Bahrain hotel was something we were really looking forward to, as was the prospect of a beer and glass of wine after 3 1/2 weeks of effective prohibition in Saudi. We would get full value on the former, though ended up being sadly disappointed on the latter ( more on that later ). Leaving Saudi, there was still one nice little surprise in store for us.

The Saudi rental car, which started in Riyadh, had to be returned to Riyadh. I had asked if I could drop it in Dammam ( which is just across the causeway from Bahrain – one could then literally “Uber” over to Bahrain from Dammam) but was denied. That meant bussing was the only “overland” option. Still determined to do that, I booked tickets on the express direct bus to make the journey as fast as possible. Much to our surprise ( and joy ) it turned out that we were the only two people on the aforementioned “bus”. So instead of sending just the two us off in a full sized tour bus, SATCO ( the Saudi national company ) provided a nice new Ford Expedition SUV  with two drivers  who personally took us across to Bahrain – much faster, more comfortably and ( since we were the only passengers ) drove us direct to our Bahrain hotel ! What a wonderful way to depart Saudi ( where the surprises just never stopped coming ) and a beautiful and convenient way to arrive in Manama ( Bahrain ) ! Sometimes the gods just smile on you, and this was one such occasion.

It was actually an interesting drive across the eastern desert in Saudi-  while we cruised comfortably at 140km/h in the big SUV, the traffic was incredibly heavy, Highway 80 being the main road to Dammam, Al Khobar and Bahrain. We’d expected to pass at least some of the massive  Saudi oil facilities  ( in all our time in Saudi the picture below is the ONLY kind of oil facility we ever saw ) – I guess they are all further north. As soon as it turned to dusk, hundreds of cars and trucks started pulling off to the side of the road to break the Ramadan fast ( one can’t eat, nor drink, between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan ). It was quite extraordinary, looked like dozens of picnics occurring right beside a very busy highway just as it was getting dark ( hence no pictures ). The border crossing was slick and took only minutes at each side – a final “Thank you for visiting Saudi Arabia” as we departed, and equally warm welcome by the Bahraini customs official. 

 It did not take long to see the difference between these two countries; Saudi – huge, and very conservative, while Bahrain is tiny and ( first impressions anyway ) far more liberal. Being Ramadan the streets are alive at night and we saw many people out and about. Hardly an abaya and not a single niqab to be seen, a stark difference from Saudi where much more conservative Muslim attire for  women is the rule, not the exception. 

For the most part we simply relaxed in Bahrain, as was the plan ( actually nice NOT to have a car for a few days ). The hotel pool made it easy and when we weren’t enjoying that there were a couple of excellent souks ( markets ) to wander, an impressive waterfront to walk and a bustling downtown to visit. The old Portuguese fort in Bahrain is probably the major historic feature, conveniently located close to our hotel – one of the few “old” buildings in Bahrain, the city is of course far better known for its stunning modern buildings, the twin towers of the Bahrain World Trade centre being the standout. It was the first building in the world to have wind turbines designed into the structure.

As with the last days in Saudi we continued to navigate the strictures of Ramadan while here in Bahrain – not easy when you are a tourist. While you can buy from stores and restaurants  during the day, you absolutely cannot eat or drink in public until sunset. No early morning Starbucks, either. All closed. Yes, it takes a bit of getting used to and we found ourselves walking back to the hotel during the day just so we could eat and drink – while Lois probably could have managed without food during the time between sunrise and sunset ( having far more willpower than I ! ), I absolutely could not and can attest that Ramadan is brutal for habitual “grazers” such as myself.

Our time in Bahrain was nonetheless very enjoyable- we can see why it’s a favourite among expats. Oh yes, that beer and wine we’d looked forward to in Bahrain ? Turns out it’s effectively a dry state during Ramadan ( perhaps we’ll get luckier in Oman 🙂)!

Till next week…..