Radiovagabond

Velkommen til Flashback fredag.

Tag med når jeg besøger en "elefant spa" i Thailand.

Denne episode blev udgivet første gang i april 2017.

Welcome back to the last episode from The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In this one, we're going to Jeddah, after a stop in beautiful Yanbu at the Red Sea, and stay with a local and look at a very special construction site standing still. And then head back to Riyadh to visit The Camel Festival and look at some beautiful camels entering the Camel Beauty Contest.

THE DRESS CODE

A few words about the dress code in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that both men and women dress modestly. This includes covering the arms and legs and wearing an abaya (a headscarf) for women. As a Saudi Arabian visitor, it is important to respect local customs and dress codes.

In the first three days, Cynthia would be wearing a headscarf to cover her hair, but then we were told that it's not necessary for women to cover their hair, so she stopped doing that and never had any comments about it. Except people smiling and saying, you're beautiful when they saw her blonde hair. That happened quite a few times here at the night market in Yanbu.

It is also worth noting that the dress code in Saudi Arabia can vary depending on the region you are in and the specific circumstances. For example, we are expected to dress more modestly when visiting holy sites or attending religious events.

NIGHT MARKET IN YANBU

After checking in, we spend a lovely evening at the Night Market in Yanbu. The buildings are traditional style but fully restored – it was shut down for 10 years and recently reopened.

We have a nice chat with a young lady named Mashaal, who has a small doll shop in the Night Market. As we depart, Masaal's mom, who didn't speak any English, approaches and gives us a bag of delicious dates as a gift. No strings attached. Truly just a gift.

The weather is lovely, and we stroll the courtyard outside the Night Market. It is not crowded, but everyone is active, with many families here and kids in 3-foot-long electrical mini-cars driving around on the square. We're surprised by how little noise there is – people are generally quiet with no loud voices.

FACTS ABOUT YANBU

• Yanbu is a port city with a population of 188,000 (250,000 in the urban area), located on the Red Sea west coast of Saudi Arabia. It is considered to be one of the major industrial cities in the country, even though it's quite small.
• It is home to the Yanbu Industrial City, which is one of the largest industrial complexes in the Middle East and is known for its oil refineries and petrochemical plants.
• Yanbu is known for its rich history, which dates back at least 2,500 years. According to Wikipedia, it was established in the year 491 BC. Its earliest history places Yanbu as a staging point on the spice and incense route from Yemen to Egypt and the Mediterranean region. In more recent times, the city served as a supply and operational base for Arab and British forces fighting the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
• The city is also home to several universities, including the Yanbu Industrial College and the University of Yanbu.
• Yanbu is known for its beautiful beaches and is a popular tourist destination, especially for those interested in marine life and scuba diving. It is also part of the coral reefs of The Red Sea, which are known for their diversity and beauty.

MEETING OUR COUCHSURFING HOST TARIQ

We made it to Jeddah, where we're CouchSurfing with Tariq. He's a very friendly Pakistani who has lived in Saudi Arabia for 25+ years. He used to live in Yanbu but is now in Jeddah, the bigger city around 350 km down along the Red Sea coastline.

We're joined by another traveller, Jack. A Swiss guy who lives in Dubai. And with Cynthia from Florida, USA, and me from Denmark, we're quite a little international group.

It is normal when you're CouchSurfing and staying for free with a local that you repay by taking the host to dinner. But here, our host insisted on paying for us.

JEDDAH

With a population of almost 5 million people, Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia and is considered one of the country's most important cultural and economic centres. The city is known for its rich history and culture, as well as its thriving business sector.

THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDING – OR NOT

The next day, we drove out to see a massive, deserted construction site in what is to be Jeddah Economic City in the northern part of Jeddah.

The world's tallest building under construction in Saudi Arabia is the Jeddah Tower, previously known as Kingdom Tower. It's to be the first skyscraper to reach 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) or more. For comparison, One World Trade Center on Manhattan, New York, the tallest building in the U.S., is roughly only half that with 541 meters.

The building is being built by the Jeddah Economic Company. It's expected to have over 200 floors with residents, offices, hotels, and recreational spaces, 59 elevators, and is to be the centrepiece and first phase of a development and tourist attraction known as Jeddah Economic City.

The design is created by American architect Adrian Smith, who also designed the building that currently is the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.

There was steady progress, but in January 2018, the ambitious project was stopped, and about one-third was completed. It was stalled by Saudi political intrigue, labour issues with a contractor, and COVID shutdowns and remains in limbo to this day. Most people say that there are no plans to restart construction.

But there might be hope. In an article from HowStuffWorks.com, the president of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a global non-profit, Antony Wood, is quoted for saying:

" I genuinely do believe that at some point the project will be finished, because it's an embarrassment not to finish it. What I don't know is if it will adhere to its original design or if it will ultimately be the tallest building in the world."

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

OLD TOWN OF JEDDAH

One of the most interesting aspects of Jeddah is its Old Town. We spent the afternoon walking around a maze of narrow streets and traditional homes. This area is a window into the past and it gave us a glimpse of what life was like in Jeddah many years ago.

The old town is a mix of architectural styles, including Ottoman and traditional Islamic. The buildings are made of coral stone, which was abundant in the region and has proven to be a durable material for construction. The homes in the old town are typically tall and narrow, with intricate wooden balconies and doors. The narrow streets, with high walls and arches, create a sense of intimacy and mystery.

One of the most famous landmarks in the old town is Al-Balad, a historic neighbourhood that is considered the heart of Jeddah. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to many of the city's oldest and most important buildings, including the Shaf'i Mosque, the Ottoman Consulate, and the Red Sea Palace. Al-Balad is also known for its traditional markets, where visitors can buy everything from spices and perfumes to textiles and jewellery.

Visiting the old town of Jeddah is a must for anyone interested in the history and culture of Saudi Arabia. Whether you're wandering the narrow streets like we were, admiring the coral stone architecture, or shopping in the local markets, you'll be transported back in time and experience the traditional way of life in this fascinating city.

A LOOK IN THE HISTORY BOOK

Saudi Arabia has a rich and varied history that stretches back thousands of years, but the modern-day kingdom is not that old. It was founded in 1932 by King Abdulaziz Al Saud, who united the various tribes and regions of the Arabian Peninsula under his rule.

Before the formation of the kingdom, the region was home to a number of important civilizations, including the Nabateans, who built the city of Petra, and the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the region for centuries. The region also played a key role in the spread of Islam, with the holy cities of Mecca and Medina located in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

Throughout the 20th century, Saudi Arabia underwent significant economic and social changes as the country began to modernize. The discovery of oil in the 1930s transformed the kingdom into a major global player, and the country began to invest heavily in infrastructure and education.

Overall, the history of Saudi Arabia is a complex and fascinating one, shaped by centuries of cultural, economic, and political change. Today, the kingdom is a modern, prosperous nation that is working to balance its traditional values with the demands of the 21st century.

KING ABDULAZIZ CAMEL FESTIVAL

We drove the 1,000+ km back to the capital, Riyadh, and on our last day in Saudi Arabia, we went outside Riyadh to look at The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. It's an annual event – a celebration of the cultural and historical importance of camels in the country.

The festival has auctions and various competitions, such as racing and camel beauty contests. Yes, camel beauty contests. More on that a bit later.

Visitors can also enjoy traditional Bedouin music and dance performances, as well as traditional handicrafts and clothing exhibitions. The festival is a great opportunity to learn about the significance of camels in Saudi Arabian culture and to experience the country's rich heritage.

The festival typically takes place in the desert area of Janadriyah, near Riyadh. It's a big area with a lot of sand. So, dare I say it? We got stuck again. This time a bunch of guys came over and had a lot of fun pushing the car.

When that didn't help, the loudest guy came up and told me to get out of the car. I don't think he felt like a Danish guy could handle this. He got in, and I got back with the other guys pushing. When we got unstuck, he took a few laps driving fast around in the sand where I just got stuck, and showed us his driving skills. A lot of fun with some friendly and helpful locals.

Unstuck, we returned to the area with the camels in the Camel Beauty Contest. This is something they take very seriously. Maybe a part of that is because the prize for the winner is 66 million US dollars – around 60 million Euros.

It's a competition in which camels are judged on their physical appearance, including factors such as fur, head shape, and hump size. The camels are also sometimes decorated with jewelry and painted designs. The competition is a traditional aspect of Bedouin culture and is considered an important cultural event in Saudi Arabia.

In an earlier event, 44 camels were disqualified for cosmetic surgery and Botox!

We saw some camels with their fur cut in beautiful patterns and a guy showing up his dancing camel. After it the camel came up to him and gave him a hug.

END OF THE SAUDI ROAD TRIP

We're almost at the end of this epic road trip across the country and back. Overall, we drove more than 4,000 kilometers in ten days. It's been fantastic to find a travel buddy in Cynthia. And this will not be the last time we have adventures together. A few months after this, we went to Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Sao Tomé & Principe in Africa and a trip to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. All of that is coming up in future episodes of The Radio Vagabond.

If you like what you hear, please share it with a friend. Thanks for having me in your ears. My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

Her er min ugentlige dagbog om, hvad der er sket denne uge i mit nomadeliv. Jeg er i Airlie Beach på den australske østkyst, og på en tur ud til en af verdens bedste strande – Whitehaven Beach.

Velkommen til Flashback fredag.

Tag med når jeg er i gang med en roadtrip fra Cape Town til Johannesburg i Sydafrika.

Denne episode blev udgivet første gang i juni 2020.

Velkommen til del to af min ærlige samtale med min saudiarabiske ven "J". Hvis du endnu ikke har hørt del 1, så bør du lytte til den først.

Before we start, let me apologise for being a week late with this one – and part two of my conversation with my Saudi friend, "J". But there's a good reason for that: The screen on my MacBook stopped working – again. You might remember that I broke it when I was in Uganda less than a year ago. At that time, there was a small crack on it. This time I did nothing. It simply just stopped working. Nobody knows why.

I had it replaced in March in Denmark, so only ten months ago. The Apple warranty only covers 90 days, but the Danish consumer law would give me 12 months. The only thing is that I'm not in Denmark. In fact, I'm halfway across the planet, so it was not an option for me to travel back to get it fixed. And the price of a new screen is more than a thousand dollars or Euros. So, I called Apple Support and was put through to a senior supporter who, after an hour, made an exemption. They would pay for the screen, and I only had to pay for the labour to the authorised computer repair shop in Cairns, Australia. So, while I was scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, they worked on it.

Now it's back, and so are the next episodes from Saudi Arabia. When I left you, I was in Al-Ula, where we start in this one.

AL ULA: WHERE CULTURE MEETS NATURE

I'm travelling with my good friend Cynthia from Florida. We're in the north-western part of Saudi Arabia in the town of Al Ula. It is a stunning area, one I would like to return to later and spend a couple more days in.

We're only here two nights, and today we have a full day where we're trying to see if we can get a helicopter ride and hopefully also visit the world's biggest mirror building.

Al Ula – like all of Saudi Arabia, still remains largely off the global tourism radar, giving us plenty of space and time for reflection with the vast desert and the monumentality of its natural assets. You heard me in the latest episode tell you about the stunning natural rock formations and canyons, but there are also a ton of adventure sports options and cutting-edge art installations.

MEETING A HIP SAUDI WOMAN

In the morning headed straight to the vendor street located immediately above the "Old Town" of Al Ula to find a place for breakfast. The street is above the ancient city and looks new, but the construction of the shops and restaurants mirrors the style of Old Town. There were only a dozen tourists as we strolled the street around 10 am. Again, we have it to ourselves.

There was a small booth where the young girl, Dalal, was selling trips for an adventure company, Husaak Adventures. She was dressed in jeans and hiking boots and had no hair covering. Even though she didn't look and sound like the typical Saudi woman, she was: born and raised in Al Ula.

Dalal spoke freely about how Saudi has been actively changing for five years, and she feels it is for the best and that it will benefit all citizens. She really looks like the next generation of Saudi Arabia. Her colleague was a young man wearing a t-shirt saying "Change in Progress" on the back.

After our chat with Dalal, we were settled in for breakfast at Palm Garden Cafe in a Bedouin-style seating area with big couches in a private 'outdoor' room just for us.

AL ULA OLD TOWN

After breakfast, we left the vendor street and walked down to the original Al Ula Old Town with 1300 mud brick structures that are remarkably intact.

Al Ula is one of the oldest cities in the Arabian Peninsula, and once at the crossroads of The Silk Road and The Incense Route, Al Ula is rich in historical significance. In the 12th century, Al Ula Old Town became an essential settlement along the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Mecca.

It's built on a slight elevation, and the town is overlooked by the Musa bin Nusayr Castle, a citadel dating back to the 10th century.

NO HELICOPTER

After leaving Old Town, we went to the office selling helicopter flights over Al Ula. We had a few questions for the nice woman selling the trips, like "are we guaranteed a window seat". She didn't know and said, "I just sell the tickets".

But then we discovered that the next available flight was the next day at 5 pm, and we knew we had to do that another time, as we would be leaving the next morning.

MARAYA MIRROR BUILDING

Instead, we decided to make the drive out to a unique building in the desert called Maraya. Maraya means mirror or reflection in Arabic, which celebrates Al Ula's significant role in history as a crossroads of cultures for centuries.

The building is the Guinness World Record Holder as the largest mirrored building in the world.

You cannot see Maraya from the road. And although we heard that there was a major star doing a concert that evening in the area around the building – and entry even to the grounds was unlikely today with the concert, we decided to try our luck. We got to the guard building and access gate, and sure enough, we couldn't get in. While I was waiting in the Cynthia tried to charm us inside. And I'm not sure how but she succeeded.

Maraya is a truly breathtaking structure. As the largest mirrored building in the world, it stands as a testament to the country's forward-thinking approach to architecture and design.

The building's unique reflective exterior is made out of thousands of individual panels, each one carefully placed to create a mesmerising optical illusion. The result is a structure that appears to change with the movement of the sun and the sky, creating an ever-changing visual experience for those who take the time to admire it.

Inside, the building houses a concert hall, exhibition spaces, and a state-of-the-art auditorium.

The mirrored building is covered by almost 10,000 m² of the mirrored facade (that's almost 105,000 ft²) and was opened in December 2019. It's located just north of Al Ula. Make sure you try to get in there if you're in Al Ula. And make sure you go and see my pictures of it on theradiovagabond.com.

DIGITAL NOMAD CHECK

Saudi Arabia may still not be the ideal destination for digital nomads, but that being said, the country does have a number of modern cities with good infrastructure and a high standard of living, such as Riyadh and Jeddah. However, it is important to remember that Saudi Arabia has a conservative culture and social norms that may differ from those in other countries. It is important to respect local customs and laws and to be mindful of your actions and behaviours while living in Saudi Arabia.

Suppose you are considering living and working as a digital nomad in Saudi Arabia. In that case, it is advisable to research the country thoroughly and make sure you understand the local laws and customs before making any decisions. It may also be helpful to reach out to other digital nomads who have experience living in Saudi Arabia to get their perspectives.

On the plus side: It's a safe and modern country, with decent internet speed in most places. On the downside: It's not exactly cheap but not that expensive either. A lot more expensive than Thailand and a lot cheaper than say, Copenhagen. Around the same price level as Lisbon, which is the third most popular digital nomad hotspot, according to NomadList.com, as of this recording.

So, Saudi Arabia may still not be the most popular destination for digital nomads, but I could see it being attractive in the future.

GETTING STUCK IN THE SAND … AGAIN

Dalan had suggested that we go where the locals go for sunset to "Wadi Rum;" she even found it for us on Google Maps. We followed two local 4x4 trucks into the area along one of the sandy 'paths', easily enough. We separated from them at a large, flat area (let's call it a flood plain without water, surrounded by dunes that are backed by dramatic mountains). There were maybe ten cars, as far as we could see, in a very large area. We climbed a dune to watch the sunset, which was not dramatic. A man in a Toyota truck was having a lot of fun "dune bashing" (driving crazy in the sand dunes) and got badly stuck. I went down to help him out of the sand while Cynthia had fun sliding down the sand dunes on a piece of plastic she found.

After that, she wanted to have some more fun driving crazy round patterns and testing the car on the flood plain. But by then, it was getting dark, and we needed to head out. I got behind the wheel and headed towards two trucks on the north side of the flood plain, as we thought we could get out there. But we were wrong.

In the episode, you can hear the sound of what happens when you get stuck in the soft sand in Saudi Arabia. Psssssssst. It is the tires of our car being deflated by some locals. As soon as we got stuck, three Saudi men from the trucks came running and helped deflate the car tires and push to get our car unstuck. Apparently, it's much easier to get out with flat tires, and all of them had a little tool in their pockets to do that.

After we got out, they showed us where to go further east in the floodplain to exit safely. As we got back to the pavement, the sky exploded in colour. Truly a dramatic end to an amazing day.

GETTING FREE AIR BACK

The first thing the next morning, before the drive of the day, we needed to get some air back in the tires. We went to a garage because we couldn't find any air at the gas stations in town. I insisted on paying for it, but the nice guys insisted it was free.

All the time, we were meeting nice people in Saudi Arabia. They all want to help and talk to us. And not being able to speak English never seem to be a problem. There's just a curiosity and an interest in who these foreigners are.

With the tires refilled, we left scenic Al Ula to drive the 365 km (close to 230 miles) to Yanbu on the Red Sea. There is very little traffic – not just today, but really since we left Riyadh four days earlier.

Technically it's just a four-and-a-half-hour drive, but we enjoyed the changing scenery all day and made plenty of stops so it to us 5-6 hours to reach Yanbu. At first, it's volcanic mountains with loose black rock. There are small towns, but nothing large. Mostly, they look poor and half-built. A few towns appear to have grand entrances with trees and pavers on fancy divided lanes – one town had a sign for the "Saudi 2030" campaign.

In the afternoon, we got a view of Big Jagged Mountains – twice the size of those in the foreground. When we're 30 minutes from Yanbu, the mountains disappear as we come towards the coastline. And just after 5 pm, arrived at Yanbu Beach to watch the sunset before checking in at our hotel for the night.

Small groups of friends and families had pulled their cars up to the Red Sea edge. It was a common sight throughout Saudi that small groups always have a carpet and pot of tea for a cosy time after work.

NEXT ON THE RADIO VAGABOND

That's all we have time for in this episode of The Radio Vagabond. We have part two of the interview with my Saudi friend "J" on Thursday, and then we have another travel episode next Tuesday.

In that one, we're going to Jeddah, after a stop in beautiful Yanbu at the Red Sea, and stay with a local and look at a very special construction site standing still. And then, head back to Riyadh to visit The Camel Festival and have a look at some beautiful camels entering the Camel Beauty Contest.

My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving.

Her er en 10 minutters dagbog om, hvad der er sket denne uge i mit nomadeliv. Jeg er kommet til Cairns in den nordøstlige del af Australien.

Der er gået to uger siden min seneste dagbog, men det er det en god grund til. Min MacBook skærm gik i sort. Du kan også høre mig fortælle om mine fantastiske dyk i Great Barrier Reef.

Velkommen til Flashback fredag.

Tag med når jeg besøger et børnehjem i Cape Town, hvor tyske Florian har dedikeret sit liv til at redde børn, der har det svært.

Denne episode blev udgivet første gang i marts 2020.

In this episode, I have a conversation with my Saudi friend "J".

We will talk about love life, couples, arranged marriages, dating, sex before marriages, wedding traditions, dowry, the wedding party and how different it is from our traditions. But also about the Saudi way of inviting guests over for dinner and not sitting down eating with them, about progress and extreme changes in this young country, about Saudi Arabia opening up to tourism and if Saudis see the western people as decadent and potentially a bad influence. But also about LGBTQ, if women are oppressed, driving, drugs, drinking, democracy, crime, safety, the Royal family, and camels.

My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

Welcome back to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It was the third day in Riyadh, and at 11 am, we left the apartment and our base for four nights. After a stop in a unique and impressive modern mall with a great water feature, I left the capital of Saudi Arabia with my travel friend, Cynthia, in our rental car to find the "Edge of the World".

The Edge of the World

Riyadh is on a plateau. And there's a place on the edge of this plateau called "Edge of the World".

You would normally book expensive tours – at up to $500+US per person, to go there. But we decided to self-drive. There are two access roads to the official point. One is only open on weekends (and not this day), and the other access was in bad condition and currently only good by 4WD.

We got lucky that Cynthia has a local acquaintance from the CouchSurfing community, Mohammad. He told us how to get to the REAL Edge of the World. It is near, but not at the tourist spot.

These directions included something like:

1. "Go to the Mosque"
2. "Go to End of Road"
3. "Don't Die".

Here's Mouhammad's full message:

"Go to the Mosque Ammaria Hills. Drive past the Mosque (it is on your right); go to the END of the paved road. Here go left. Then, take the first right. Then you'll start to see the Edge to your left. Pick a spot along the edge and be CAREFUL CAREFUL, as several people died here recently."

The directions seemed crazy, but they worked smoothly. We even saw our first two camels at the end of the paved road. We saw zero cars or people after the Mosque Ammaria Hills.

The Edge of the World (also called Jebel Fihrayn) is an unexpected and dramatic geological wonder in the rocky desert. The site earned its nickname because you have an uninterrupted view of the horizon, and it kinda looks like it. It's a 1,131 m2 height cliff that lies some 100 km northwest of Riyadh and a great place to discover the breathtakingly spectacular views overlooking a deep valley and extending barren desert. It's one of the most famous sights in Saudi Arabia, and for a good reason.

These cliffs rise dramatically from the desert, stretching toward the sky like a great natural wall and the cliff face is 300 meters tall. Maybe more in some places. When we stand on top of them and look toward the horizon, it seems as if the sky is melting into the earth.

At the Edge, we pulled out onto the edge of the Edge at several points, being careful not to get stuck – and not to drive over the edge like Thelma and Louise.

We were at Edge until 4 pm. It is a must-do. Although it's only an hour from Riyadh, it was unbelievably remote and exciting. From the Edge, we could see endlessly across the desert, which was created 150 million years ago when a shallow sea existed here.

Now there's no water because Saudi Arabia is a dry country. And speaking of that, let's have a look at the Saudi weather.

THE WEATHER

Saudi Arabia is a large country located in the Middle East, and the climate varies significantly across different regions. But, in general, Saudi Arabia has a hot desert climate with very little rainfall.

The eastern region and the southern areas – just south of where we are now, are one of the largest sand deserts in the world; it is considered one of the driest places on earth. Here rainfall is extremely rare; sometimes, it doesn't rain for years. In the capital city of Riyadh, the average annual rainfall is less than an inch (2.5 cm). They say it only rains two days a year in Riyadh.

Temperatures in Saudi Arabia can be pretty extreme, with average high temperatures ranging from the 30s Celsius (mid-80s Fahrenheit) in the winter to over 50 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer.

The hottest temperatures are typically found in the eastern provinces, while the cooler temperatures are found in the western provinces, such as Jeddah and Mecca.

Overall, the weather in Saudi Arabia is characterised by hot temperatures and low humidity throughout the year. It is important to stay hydrated and to protect yourself from the sun when visiting the country.

But we got the rare experience of seeing rain in Saudi Arabia. A very rare experience in the desert.

Driving across Saudi Arabia

We started the road trip across the country and made a stop halfway to Al-Ula in a city called Hail. As soon as we leave Riyadh and head north, it is very flat with yellow sand. It is a big 6-lane divided highway with very little traffic. The roads throughout our trip are the same. They are large, in good condition and often more trucks or camels than cars. And thank God, 95% of road signs are in both Arabic and English.

The locals told us they are not driving as fast and crazy as they used to because the government has installed many speed cameras. The maximum speed is 110 km/h, so travel is slower than we expected, and the distances between cities is big in this huge country.

Camel Spotting

After half an hour of driving, we see our first truck with four camels seated in the back. The nearly identical white trucks, often Toyotas, carry one to six camels. Each truck has a crane to lift the animals in and out. The camels look relaxed, almost as if they're enjoying the breeze and the ride.

Along the way, we also see three colours of camels: white, brown, and black. Our first sighting of a larger group of camels was of twelve strolling parallel to the highway. One of the locals had stopped and tried to get them off the road.

Next up, we spotted a huge herd of 100 all-white camels (with one black one.)

Orange Sand Dunes

Then we entered Orange Sand Dunes. They stretch as far as the eye can see. These are much larger than the Red Sand Dunes to the south of Riyadh, where we went quad biking.

The colours of the sand are varied as you look both close to the road and in the distance. We see pink, purple, black, yellow, white, and orange sand on the drive today.

Accommodation in Saudi

Just after 7 pm, we arrive at our accommodation in the city of Hail, nestled between Mount Shammer to the north and Mount Salma to the south. Hail was once the capital of the Arabian Desert.

Consistently throughout Saudi, we easily rent 2-bedroom apartments via Hotels25.com. They average around $100 US a night. This one was $76 for a night. Like the one in Riyadh, this one was also a spacious two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit. But it only contains one towel; there is not a single utensil or pan in the huge kitchen.

Saudi Arabia is only recently opened to tourists, so it's like they are not really ready for tourists anticipating tourist needs. So, we soon learn to look and ask for: toilet paper, towels, hot water kettle and kitchen utensils. When we ask, the response is always that of extremely high Saudi hospitality: the desk clerk will say something like, "If I have it, it is yours"; then he will rush to go get the requested items.

Meeting a Friendly Local

The next morning, we got an early start without having breakfast. I just thought I'd buy something on the way and eat it in the car. But then something happened. Something very strange, surprising, and heart-warming.

They didn't accept Visa or MasterCard (only their local Saudi Mada Card), and one of the other customers offered to pay for me. And he insisted that I fill a bag with lots of stuff. It was a very surprising and nice meeting with a random stranger.

Getting Stuck in the Sand

On the way from Hail to Al Ula, we took a driving break on the shoulder by the road. It looked fine, but too late, I realised that the sand was fine and soft – and we got stuck in the sand by the highway.

And that was just the first time that happened. Getting stuck in the sand will happen four times on this trip. And twice in our next stop, Al Ula.

After a bit of digging, shoving stuff under the tires of our front-wheel drive car, and pushing, we were off driving again.

Al-Ula

We arrived in Al-Ula at 3 in the afternoon. It's located in northwest Saudi Arabia and is known for its historical and cultural significance, as well as its natural beauty. It's also known for its ancient rock carvings, tombs, and ruins dating back to the pre-Islamic era.

The area around Al-Ula has been inhabited for thousands of years. The city has been an important cultural and economic centre throughout its history and contains many important archaeological sites. One of them is the Hegra, which features a well-preserved set of tombs carved into the rock, many of which are decorated with incredible carvings and inscriptions.

In recent years, Al-Ula has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Saudi government has been investing in developing the area as a tourist destination with the aim of showcasing its rich history and natural beauty.

Al-Ula is also known for its unique geography with a mix of rocky desert and oasis, uniquely shaped rock formations, and has been a key location for many movies and TV shows.

When we got there, we went directly to the most famous natural site and one of these uniquely shaped rock formations: Elephant Rock. It's very quiet here, and more grounds-maintenance workers than tourists. Later, approaching sunset, two information ladies and more visitors will arrive. But we have a relaxed stroll and sit with a drink from the cafe.

Elephant Rock is in front of us and towers at 52 m (171 feet) in the air. It really looks like a huge elephant (see pictures on theradiovagabond.com and on Instagram).

Just before sunset, we head around "Vessel Rock," then pick a sunset spot, surrounded by hundreds of rock monoliths.

Next Week on The Radio Vagabond

In the next episode, a week from now on "Travel Tuesday", we will speak to a young Saudi woman. She's dressed very western, is not wearing any hair covering and has perfect English.

We'll also head further down the coast of the Red Sea to Yanbu and the big city of Jeddah, where we CouchSurf with a local.

But also, I have an extra episode on Thursday where I speak with my Saudi friend, "J". He's agreed to answer ANY question I have.

Let's end with a poem written A.I. The Radio Vagabond, Palle Bo, Went to the edge of the world in Saudi, Where huge cliffs loomed high and big drops did flow, And the landscape was beauty to see. He threw a rock down with care, Not wanting to drive over like Thelma and Louise, And across the hot desert they did fare, Getting stuck in the sand, but not to lose. They met many camels on the way, And a kind Saudi man paid for their breakfast, In the UNESCO site of Al-Ula they did stay, Where the Elephant Rock and unique formations did impress. So come and listen to the podcast, From Saudi Arabia, there's much more to come, With Palle Bo as your guide, you'll be engrossed, In the tales of adventure and fun.

My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.