From the Desert to the Sea Coast, on a Day! (A travel to Jizan, Farasan Island and Abha)

Eid holidays in Riyadh are filled with travel and sightseeing over the past three years. We are not sure whether we would be there to experience one more Eid vacation in the country. Therefore, our journey during this Eid vacation (2011) held much significance to us.

We started our journey on 03/11/11. After the hectic packing and preparations, we started our journey by 10a.m. We should not have hit the center of Al-Kharj since there was a short route from Riyadh road to Wadi al Dawasir, our first destination point on the route to Abha.

At Al-Kharj, the men put the odometer to zero to calculate the distance. The hours went swiftly in the company of our friends Nadeer and Shehnaz. The traffic was a little heavy and the truck drivers were not as friendly as were in Dubai-Riyadh route. We stopped by 1p.m for lunch at a petrol station.  The restaurants in the surrounding constituted of Saudi cuisine and we were happy to devour our homemade food.

All of us were in a sleepy mood during the post-lunch drive. However the kids were more alert and getting restless. I and Shehnaz had all our eyes on them and didn’t even look out to see the changing sceneries. 

Najd Mountains

By evening, the kids were almost settled. By that time we had reached the borders of Wadi  al Dawasir. The setting sun had spread its golden blanket on the rocky mountains of Najd valley. The scene was so beautiful and refreshing in the long journey. As we entered the huge gates into Wadi al dawasir, we never knew that we were entering the city of a tribe who had a major role in the construction of many cities in the Middle East.  The city that apparently seemed smaller and crowded was behind the birth of major cities. The tribe also either gave birth or helped the growth of cities like Dammam, Khobar, Al Ahsa, al Zubara, Al Faw, Kuwait, Baharin etc. 

We stopped for refreshments and tea at a petrol station in Wadi  al Dawasir.The evening was young and spirited and even the usually tasteless tea seemed to be better in that evening. 

Continues in A Night Journey among the Asir Mountains