January 19^th 2023

Kuwait – Khafji, Saudi-Arabia (Border crossing)

Miles: 50 (80km)

Miles total: 15’870 (25’550km)

Now we drive to the border with Saudi Arabia. Supposedly a short and quick affair. Unfortunately, today is the first day of vacation for the Kuwaiti, and it seems that half the country wants to cross the border :-).

Exiting Kuwait:

12:10 Arrival at the border. There is a traffic jam.

12:25 Maryse goes into the first building. Written with "Passport Check Female".

However, this is only for women from the Gulf States. So back in the car and continuing in the traffic jam.

12:45 We go to the customs office. Everyone there is friendly and likes guests like us :-). Basically, only the vehicle has to be exported from the country here. But the office is busy with people! People come in, go out, employees come in and go out. It looks a bit inefficient to us, but the friendly greetings and short conversations are probably part of Arabic hospitality :-). It is unusual that the men often kiss each other several times when they greet each other. There are even kissing rituals where people kiss each other on the nose :-). We have fun, get tea and chat with the customs officers and the other men, of whom we don't know exactly whether they work here or are passing through. In between, someone fills out documents for us, disappears, comes back, the Carnet de Passage (passport for the car) is filled out, copies are made, and so on and so forth. The procedure takes over an hour.

1:50PM Customs office done.

2:05PM Off into the traffic jam, past a barrier and into a building with a few counters for passport control. Since we are not GCC (Gulf Country Citizens), we have to wait in line for "Diplomatic persons" :-). Passports are stamped.

2:15PM continue

2:20PM Arrival at the last barrier, checking of documents.

Depart Kuwait: 2 hours 10 minutes

Entering Saudi Arabia:

2:25PM Now we are stuck in traffic with the Saudis. On the right is a building where many people are standing outside. Nothing written! is it the mosque? We decide to just keep queuing in traffic.

3:10PM arrival at the first barrier, finally. Apparently, we should have gone to the other building after all. It's not a mosque, it's passport control :-). We have to park the car at the edge and walk back. But at least we already have this traffic jam behind us.

3:15PM queuing at passport control. It's absolute chaos! 100 people crowd the few counters in the small hall. It's not going forward! One of the customs officers, shouts something in Arabic to the crowd. Apparently, you would have to get a number from a police officer outside. But no one moves. So, we continue to wait. Again, the customs officer calls out something to the crowd. We notice that everyone is looking for a piece of paper and handing it to the customs officer. We ask. This is the little receipt you received at Kuwaiti Customs! Luckily, we have these too, but in the Iveco!

3:40PM I get the paper in the car, Maryse is waiting in the crowded building.

3:50PM Back to the crowd in the building. We somehow try to slip our note to the customs officer. pure chaos! He takes our little paper and disappears. Is that okay? People are now being chased out of the building and have to wait outside. Apparently, the order at the counter is now determined based on the arrival time, which is on this Kuwaiti piece of paper.

4:05PM Waiting outside.

6:00PM Finally! After almost three hours we are in the building at the counter! We have to give our fingerprints, a photo is taken and the officer writes a number in the passport.

6:10PM Walking back to the car. Stand in a traffic jam for a moment, then park in front of the customs office.

6:25PM Into the customs office. Data from the vehicle registration document are entered into a computer. We don't get any documents!

6:30PM Continue. We don't have a stamp in our passport (just something handwritten) nor any document for the car. Everything seems to be electronic.

6:35PM Next stop; buy car insurance. This is quick and easy, right out of the car, "drive through" :-). Costs: 115$ for 3 months.

6:40PM Done: Entry into Saudi Arabia 4 hours 15 minutes!

Border Crossing Total: 6.5H

The journey continues in the dark. We're starving. We didn't have lunch because of the completely unexpected long border crossing! After 12 miles (20km) we come to the first small town called Khafji and head straight for McDonalds. But this one looks a little different than all other McDonalds. It is divided into two parts. A single and a family section. A separation up to the counter. The idea behind it (our assumption): Because of the women's niqab veil, couples can go to the family section in a separate compartment. This means that everyone can eat undisturbed and without a veil in front of their faces. We end up in the single section and enjoy our food. Maryse is the only woman in this 'open' section, but everyone is having fun and some youngsters will probably love to see a woman without a veil :-). So, now quickly get a SIM card in town so that we are online again, and off to a quiet place to spend the night.

January 20^th 2023

Khafji – Al Dschubail, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 140 (230km)

Miles total: 16’010 (25’780km)

It's always a surprise to wake up in the morning and not know what it's like outside. We arrived after dark last night.

The first day in Saudi Arabia! What do you think we can expect? First stop is a gas station. Since we stupidly forgot to withdraw cash in the first city, we have to pay by card. Despite prior clarification, this does not work as planned at the gas station. Inside the gas station, we are finally paid cash by credit card, which we then use to pay the gas station attendant. Another customer, a Saudi man, noticed the fuss with the payment and insisted on giving us 200 Saudi riyals (approx. 50$)! He hands Stefan the money and says: “Take it! Cash is king in Saudi!” We explain to him that we will certainly receive cash in the next big city and that it is absolutely not necessary for him to give us money. We also offer him the equivalent in dollars. But we have no chance and finally have to accept the gift of money! The journey continues along the coast towards the south. This route is also moderately interesting in terms of landscape. What fascinates us in the flat desert landscape, however, are the countless camels that roam here with their shepherds.

Apparently, this area is very suitable for camel breeding. We have never seen so many camels before! Counting the camels makes you hungry and we stop at the next gas station. We're still a bit unsure about going to the restaurant because we don't quite understand the concept of the family compartments yet. However, we don't see anything written about this restaurant and there are no compartments inside either. So, we order two vegetable curries and sit down at a table. The entering guests (exclusively men) look at me in amazement, but nobody has a problem, at least we think so. In any case, they are very well likely towards us, because one of the guests even pays our bill and orders us dessert right away! It is a bit strange for us that we sometimes have no contact at all with the gentlemen who so generously invite us. They only indicate to us that they have paid our bill and then go on their way... Actually, we would very much like to talk to them. During another stop at a gas station, we are again warmly greeted by a young Saudi man and welcomed to Saudi Arabia! He gives us a few tips on what to see in the area and then wants to give us something. He opens the trunk and rummages around in a box full of dolls!

Shortly before the town of Dammam, we use a satellite image to look for a piece of undeveloped beach, where we quickly find a nice place to spend the night. But it doesn't take long before a military vehicle drives up: the border police! The friendly gentleman explains to us that it is probably not possible for us to spend the night here on the beach. He calls his boss briefly and then explains to us that we have to keep a distance of at least one kilometer from the coast because of border controls. But he will show us a place where we can stay overnight. In the dark, we follow him in the Iveco and after a short drive turn into a small square. We're supposed to settle in here, he's going to get some tea. Said and done. After 20 minutes the border policeman is at our door with a thermos full of tea. We talk about 1 ½ hours! with the friendly and cheerful man (unfortunately mostly via Google Translate) in the cozy Iveco living room. At the end, he wants to leave us the rest of the tea and since we don't take out our thermos bottle immediately, he also wants to give us his thermos bottle. Luckily, we can prevent that! Well that was our first day in Saudi! Unbelievable! We are overwhelmed by the welcoming culture and generosity of the Saudis!

By the way, a quick word about my choice of clothes. Saudi Arabia has also no longer had a dress code since it “opened” in 2019. Moderate western attire is tolerated. Nevertheless, I'll wear my somewhat longer shirt and some larger trousers for the time being, so as not to stand out even more than we already do :-). The predominant clothing of the local women is clearly the black abaya, headscarf and very often the veil (niqab). Unlike in Kuwait, you really see very few women here where you can see more than their eyes!

January 21^st 2023

Al Dschubail – Dammam, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 90 (140km)

Miles total: 16’100 (25’920km)

We got the tip from our dear Border Patrol military man yesterday to visit the nearby island of Tarout. So, let's make our way there. After all, it is along our route. We do some research and find out that this island of Tarout is actually something special. It is considered one of the oldest human-inhabited sites on the entire Arabian Peninsula. The history of the island is older than 7000 years. We visit the 500-year-old Tarout Castle and also marvel at the nearby old town with its ancient walls. Fascinating.

The detour was definitely worth it!

But now we head further. We tackle the last miles to Dammam. We head straight for the bus station because we have in mind to go to the neighboring country of Bahrain for two days; by bus and at the hotel. We want to take the bus so that we don't have any stress with the vehicle (customs clearance, insurance, vehicle search, etc..). The plan is done. The bus leaves tomorrow at 8 a.m. and the parking lot at the bus station is under video surveillance, so we can leave our home there. We soon find a place to stay on the outskirts.

Bahrain

January 22^nd 2023

Dammam, Saudi-Arabia – Bahrain

Miles: 10 (20km)

Miles total: 16’110 (25’940km)

Before we head for the bus station early in the morning, we want to get some cash. Unfortunately, some of the ATMs marked on Google Maps no longer exist or do not accept our cards. At some point it works, but we missed more time than planned and therefore arrive at the bus station quite late. Stefan parks the Iveco, I run to the counter and buy our tickets. lucky! Soon we're sitting in the half-empty bus and setting course for Bahrain. Despite the video-monitored parking lot, we leave the Iveco with a rather uneasy feeling.

After a good two-hour drive (including the border) we reach our destination. We immediately notice that the women here are dressed much more liberally. The hotel's own chauffeur picks us up at the bus station and takes us to the diplomatic quarter :-). Stefan booked great accommodation with the hotel points he collected from work :-). We spend the afternoon exploring the financial and port district with its modern and extravagant skyscrapers and shopping malls.

As a contrast to this, we then stroll through the alleys of the Manama Souk and the "Little India" district, where you find yourself in a completely different world and where the flair of an old market still prevails today. Due to the almost exclusively Indian sellers, you really feel a bit like you are in India.

The Indian population (and others) have been resident in Bahrain for generations and are allowed to freely practice their culture and religion here. This quarter is also home to the country's oldest Hindu temple, which is 200 years old. We let ourselves drift and soon come to an older residential area where we encounter some traditional-looking buildings to us.

January 23^rd 2023

Bahrain

Not far from our hotel, a bridge leads to the island of Muharraq, where the capital of Bahrain was located until 1932. 

The pearl industry has a long tradition here and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We go on a long tour of discovery on foot through the winding streets of the old town and visit the sometimes lavishly restored homes of former pearl traders or wealthy business owners. Some of the houses are more than 100 years old and today often serve as museums or galleries.

January 24^th 2023

Bahrain – Dammam, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 20 (30km)

Miles total: 16’130 (25’970km)

Unfortunately, the planned visit to the National Museum falls through because we only realize this morning that the museum is closed today. Since our bus, back to Dammam, leaves at 12.00 p.m., we don't have much time left. We decide to go back to "Little India" and see the Hindu temple. And we are lucky, because shortly after our arrival the morning "Puja", a short ceremony with music, begins. 

After all the mosques in the past few weeks, the colorful temple decorated with different pictures is a welcome change :-). The return trip to Dammam runs smoothly, except that we have to renew our fingerprints on the Saudi side. These were probably not recorded correctly during the chaotic entry from Kuwait. Luckily our Saudi visa is multiple entry so we don't have to worry about that. By the way, the Saudi visa is very easy to obtain: complete the application online, transfer 120$ by credit card and 5-10 minutes later the 3-month visa will flutter into the mailbox. 

Soon we are back in Dammam with the Iveco, which bravely spent the two nights in the parking lot. We continue straight to the cultural center "Ithra". A huge futuristic looking building housing a theater and concert hall, library, exhibition halls, museums and restaurants. 

Part of the museum deals with Islam and we actually experience one of the highlights of our visit to the museum here: a visit to the mosque of Mecca! You put on virtual reality goggles and immerse yourself in the crowd of people piling up around the black and gold Kaba. This is also special because otherwise non-Muslims would not be allowed to enter the city of Mecca, let alone the mosque. Other famous mosques can also be visited virtually. Sometimes you really feel like you're in the middle of the action, because the people almost step on your toes :-). Another part of the museum is about the Saudi wildlife on land and sea. This is also an interesting and very modern exhibition. For the night, we drive back to our known place by the sea. The large square is empty, but two locals set up right next to us for a picnic/camping and wake us up again at 3 a.m. with loud music.

January 25^th 2023

Dammam, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 60 (100km)

Miles total: 16’190 (26’070km)

Project of the day: Getting the shift fork for the Iveco from Switzerland to the Gulf region. With a lot of help from Switzerland, this should now work and everything is organized! Thanks again to all the lovely people who were involved :-)! Incidentally, the shift fork is sent to Bahrain instead of Saudi Arabia, since customs clearance is easier and the package should therefore arrive more easily.

In addition to phoning and sending a lot of WhatsApp messages because of the shift fork, we still have time for a delicious lunch in a nice restaurant.

Another project is the search for water. Unfortunately, we don't find anything practical on our own and finally end up at the water-truck filling station, which is a little far away and can be found on the iOverlander app. We don't have to pay anything for the 55 Gallons (200L) of water. Now we have our car washed next door! In the Gulf States, there are probably no car washes where you can wash your car yourself. Here it is washed by Indians. Cost 12$. With these amounts, you can guess how low the hourly wage must be when two men scrub the vehicle for over half an hour! We gladly did without the offered interior cleaning :-).

January 26^th 2023

Al-Chubar, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 30 (50km)

Miles total: 16’220 (26’120km)

In addition to working on our website, we are now looking for a shop to repair the transfer case. As so often, we find the auto repair district with the help of Google Maps. Now we're going to check out the places and ask at the shops, that have gearboxes or half-open engines lying around :-). To our amazement, they don't bother too much with this job because the car doesn't fit on a lift. We are sent on to two different shops and end up at a garage that only repairs American vehicles. Since we have an American transfer case (identical to the Ford F150 pick-up truck), this shouldn't be a problem. But everyone is hesitating and we have to come back after 4PM and negotiate with the manager! Yes, and so the days go by without having really done anything! Around 5:00PM we are back in the shop and still persuade the manager to accept us as customers :-).

January 27^th 2023

Al-Chubar, Saudi-Arabia

January 28^th 2023

Al-Chubar, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 20 (30km)

Miles total: 16’240 (26’150km)

Today would be the planned arrival day of the shift fork. But we don't want to cross the border to Bahrain until customs clearance is over. The status of the package does not change until the evening. And so, we spend another day near Dammam.

January 29^th 2023

Al-Chubar – Bahrain – Al-Chubar, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 70 (110km)

Miles total: 16’310 (26’260km)

Today we are going to neighboring Bahrain for the second time within a week.

Although the shift fork still has no clearance, let's just drop by UPS. From our well-known sleeping place, we are already on the bridge to Bahrain in 5 minutes and shortly afterwards at the border. Everything goes smoothly and we completed all customs formalities in an hour; Departure by vehicle from Saudi Arabia, entry to Bahrain, vehicle customs clearance and insurance.

In the middle of the city we go to have an Indian meal. The finest, absolutely authentic Indian food is available for an unbelievable 7$ (for both) :-). The National Museum was closed when we last visited Bahrain, so we'll make up for it. A jewel of a museum, interesting and varied. In addition to archaeological finds, the history of the island or the reproduction of an old market, there is also a photo exhibition with fantastic pictures of the underwater world.

But now back to Saudi Arabia, because we want to go to the shop today to make sure that we can have the vehicle repaired tomorrow. When leaving Bahrain, this idea of going into the shop today, is rigorously smashed. We do not receive an export certificate because our Swiss license plate cannot be entered into their system! Somehow, it's about the reactivation of car insurance in Saudi Arabia.

The rest of the border crossing was quick. Well, we took the bus and not our own vehicle to Bahrain a few days ago for precisely such reasons. What a long day!

January 30^th 2023

Al-Chubar, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 20 (30km)

Miles total: 16’330 (26’290km)

We get up early to go to the repair shop. We hope we can fix it in one day. At 8:30 a.m. we are at the shop and cannot even get into the parking lot, let alone into the hall. Everything is crammed with American vehicles. But then everything happens quickly and soon the Iveco is standing in a corner. No lift and no pit, but we are already used to that. Incidentally, the entire workshop, and probably the entire car repair district, is in the hands of Philipinos. The manager offers the job for 1,500 rials (375$), but says there might be a discount. Rather a lot, but we have to let it be done anyway. I (Stefan) ask the manager if I can work with the mechanic. Completely surprised, he smiles and says yes. I'm probably the only customer who gets his hands dirty here :-). And so, the two of us work lying under the car and have the transfer case down and open before noon. Everything is cleaned, the new chain and shift fork are fitted and the transfer case is soon a working unit again.

The old fork patched by Yusef in Iran doesn't look as bad as expected. Unfortunately, our mechanic has his lunch break from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., so we use the time to write reports in the camper.

3:45PM we continue and at 6:00PM everything is ready! By the way, the mechanic from the Philippines was really good! Now the bill. The manager probably likes us and does not ask us the exorbitant price. Instead of paying 1500 rials, we pay just 870 rials (217$) :-). We set off with a queasy feeling. Are the problems that we have been taking with us for 3’500 miles (5,700km) now really solved?

January 31^st 2023

Al-Chubar – Al Ahsa, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 110 (180km)

Miles total: 16’440 (26’470km)

Today the day is finally here: we are leaving Dammam! And we are incredibly happy that our Iveco is running perfectly again and that we can rely on the transfer case again. At least we hope so! Before we leave, the toilet has to be emptied and the water tank filled. We do both at places we already know (public toilet + water truck filling station). Then it's definitely time to leave! On the highway, we drive towards our destination for today, the oasis town of Al Hofuf. 

But then comes the decisive encounter, which turns the rest of the day upside down! A car drives next to us, the driver waves and makes some hand signals that we can't really interpret at first. We soon realize that this gentleman doesn't just want to wave at us, because he doesn't give up and we see no other option than to stop on the hard shoulder of the busy highway. Fortunately, in addition to the narrow emergency lane, there is also a wide unpaved lane. Stefan gets out and, for once, lets the car run because we both assume that it will be a very short stop. However, it takes longer than expected, because the man named Abdullah wants to invite us to his home for lunch! While we're talking to him, the engine suddenly stutters in a strange way and I turn it off immediately. After initial hesitation, we accept the invitation and arrange a meeting point in front of a park in Al Hofuf. We get in the car and want to drive off. But what's going on now? The car can no longer be started! Is it because we parked at a fairly steep angle and the engine is therefore no longer getting any diesel? We open the hood and Abdullah tries to operate the diesel pump manually. Unfortunately, unsuccessful! We are already expecting the worst, fearing that the diesel pump has given up. But Abdullah, who incidentally works for the border police, has just come from work and is therefore still in uniform, knows a solution. He stands on the street, waves to the passing truck until one stops. The driver knows where the diesel pump is actually located, it pumps, but this attempt is also unsuccessful. Now we push the car down onto a flat area, this doesn't help either! The second truck driver is stopped, he pumps again, but a lot faster than the first, and lo and behold! The car starts! After almost half an hour of practice, we finally set off. Abdullah insists on escorting us to the next gas station and then absolutely wants to offer us 26 gallons (100 liters) of diesel (18$)! Fighting back is useless! Then we go our separate ways for the time being and promise to give him a call as soon as we arrive at the park in Al Hofuf. A good hour later we are in Abdullah's car, we leave the Iveco at the park and drive to his house. We have no idea where we are going or what to expect! He lives at the top of an older apartment building, a nice normal apartment with a large covered terrace. We enter, Abdullah opens the door into the living room and asks me (Maryse) to enter there. The door is closed, Stefan stays outside on the terrace with Abdullah. I get to know his very likeable wife Hourya, their three children and the housekeeper Rachida (from Bangladesh). 

By the way, in Saudi Arabia people eat on the floor and without cutlery. Everyone takes rice and meat from the large plate in the middle with their hands! After the meal, there is tea and coffee and Hourya shows me photos from her wedding. The strong and very colorful make-up of the bride is very special. Now Hourya and Abdullah want to take us through the park where we parked our car. Hourya puts on her abaya and headscarf and veil. Now Stefan and Hourya can greet each other. But first they show us their small business, where they make various products such as lemon juice, peanut, almond and date paste. And we are richly gifted with these products as well as three packages of vacuum-packed dates. The numerous gifts are a bit uncomfortable for us! The visit to the park is interesting, a part is almost like a fair, with food stalls, food stalls, shooting galleries etc. Hourya and Abdullah also have a small stall there for their products. 

A flower festival is also currently taking place, various items are decorated with flowers, and there are stalls selling potted flowers. The government is also present with various stands and provides information about healthy nutrition, exercise, hygiene, saving water, etc. Here, they absolutely want to give us water-saving faucets and shower heads. We appreciate the generosity of the Saudis, but we really have no use for such things, which we try to explain to them. But it's useless, they don't accept refusal, we have to accept the sanitary ware. A very strange gift ;-). The tour of the park is not over yet. We all drive through the park together in an electric "Stretch-limo golf cart" and Abdullah absolutely wants us to play modern Swiss music via YouTube. The car's music system is turned up loud and so it happens that we cruise through the park in a stretch limo golf cart to "W-Nuss vo Bümpliz" (very famous Swiss song) :-). But the evening is not over yet, we move on to the city, where the famous annual date festival is taking place. Al Hofuf is known nationwide for its delicious dates, which grow in large quantities on 2.5 million palm trees and are processed into a wide variety of products. In the festival's huge hall there are hundreds of stalls where the sweet fruits of all types, shapes and sizes can be tasted and purchased. 

We don't miss out on the tasting either: from date bread, date ice cream, dates in kebab form to spiced dates, we've tried everything! Everything was delicious, but we were a bit full at the end! There is also a craft market, other food stalls and traditional musical performances at the festival. A really fun and interesting experience! Hourya and Abdullah then want to invite us to dinner, which we politely decline. 

At 10:15 p.m. we say goodbye to the lovely couple and spend the night in this parking lot. What a great day!

February 1^st 2023

Al Ahsa, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 50 (80km)

Miles total: 16’490 (26’550km)

We visit a highlight of the region, the Al Qarah mountain, which stands out in the middle of the palm-covered city with its rock formations. To get inside the mountain, we have to pay a rather steep entrance fee (for both) of 35$. But now we are being rewarded with a kind of tunnels, which were probably formed by water and wind over thousands of years. Single rays of sunshine fight their way through the crevices in the rocks from above. We have the spectacle all to ourselves; that's what we think. Because suddenly a Russian cruise tour group comes along! Again outside, we climb around a bit in the terrain.

 Nearby, having just set off, a man stops us and wants to show us his date farm. We explain to him that we don't have that much time (such visits can often turn into hour-long encounters, where suddenly half the relatives show up :-)). He thinks it only takes 5 minutes; next door. So let's get carried away :-).

The gate opens, but before we see the farm, he proudly shows us his marriage hall, where wedding parties are held twice a week. Music blares from the loudspeakers and the little laser show gives its best. Well, all lights and appliances are turned off again and we go to the farm with date palms, papaya, limes, a chicken cage and unfortunately also some aviaries with parrots, peacocks and other birds. Before we are allowed to leave the property again, we are of course presented with dates and fruit juices :-).

But we decline with thanks and enjoy the resting after another eventful day.

February 2^nd 2023

Al Ahsa – Sa’ad, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 140 (230km)

Miles total: 16’630 (26’780km)

Driving day. The highway takes us through marvellous dune landscapes. As every day, the countless camels strut around in the secluded area. We head west for more than 120 miles (200km) until we set up camp in one of the dune sections, a little away from the highway.

Unfortunately, during the walk in the dunes, we are once again depressed by how much rubbish, especially plastic, is lying around in the area.

February 3^rd 2023

Sa’ad – Edge of the world, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 140 (240km)

Miles total: 16’780 (27’020km)

We soon reach the capital Riyadh, where we just want to do our shopping and then continue. Unfortunately, “fast” doesn’t work, the Carrefour Hypermarket we’re heading to is closed until 1:30 p.m. because today is Friday (i.e. Sunday). We didn't actually notice the opening hours until now, the shops felt like they were "always" open. We use the time for lunch in a hip restaurant. Then we stock up on supplies for the next few days and set off for today's destination, the so-called “Edge of the world”. We also fill up our water supplies on the way. Now we are ready for the upcoming adventure :-). 

It's still a good 35 miles (50km) on the paved road before we tackle the 16 miles (25km) off-road path. The beginning is relatively harmless, many camels cross our path, and only the bumps (corrugated road) are annoying. Later there are still one or the other tricky spot, steep little ditches and rocky passages, where we are happy about the ground clearance and the reduction gears of the Iveco. Somehow, we misjudged the time, because it is slowly getting dark and our destination is not really in sight. Normally we would have stopped and camped now, but the oncoming SUVs motivate us to proceed. We have to give up about 3 miles (5km) before our destination. A huge pile of earth blocks our onward journey. Some of the locals actually drive over the rather rough path over the “wall” or take a long detour. We don't feel like doing that, especially in the dark, and so we spend the night on the large square in front of this earth wall. We decide to tackle the remaining 3 miles (5km) on foot tomorrow.

February 4^th 2023

Edge of the world – Real edge of the world, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 30 (40km)

Miles total: 16’810 (27’060km)

(see video)

When we climb out of bed early in the morning, we are surprised at how cold it has become overnight. We estimate around 50°F (10°C). No wonder, because we are at about 3’300 feet (1000m) above sea level. The cold is ideal for today's activity, we pack our things and set off on foot. We are on a plateau, which, however, is repeatedly interrupted by deep furrows, which give us views of beautiful valleys already on the way. Overall, the access road to the view point is blocked off by three earth walls. As already mentioned in yesterday's report, these barriers only work to a very limited extent, because the locals simply drive over them in their off-road vehicles! It would not occur to anyone to walk the remaining three miles (5km). Only crazy tourists do that ;-). After a good hour, we reach the mile-long rock face, with its imposing rock walls and columns, below us a large, endless plain. A fantastic picture! Since we are out and about early in the morning, we have the place to ourselves and can enjoy the natural spectacle in peace and take our photos.

The beautiful landscape makes you want more and so we walk further along the cliff edge and can hardly get enough of the beautiful rock formations. Also very exciting are the many petrified corals and shells that lie in heaps on the ground. Contemporary witnesses from the millions of years of history of our earth. At the beginning of the afternoon we turn around and walk back to the car, because we have another view point in our sights, namely "the real edge of the world", which is a few miles north of here. Unfortunately, we have to take quite a detour by car, the first part of the route is lonely but beautiful. Then it goes back to civilization for a moment until we come to the entrance of a protected natural area, nobody pays attention to us and so we drive into the park. Many families celebrate their Sunday picnic under the trees. But soon we are alone again, drive through a beautiful valley until we reach the second phenomenal view point. There are no barriers here and if you want, you can drive directly onto the viewpoint (which of course we don't do :-). But there is enough space and so we find a place for the night with a great view.

February 5^th 2023

Real edge of the world, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia

A day at the camper with beautiful nature.

February 6^th 2023

Real edge of the world – Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 80 (130km)

Miles total: 16’890 (27’190km)

We are leaving this beautiful part of the earth. More and more we ask ourselves why we didn't see a single vehicle in this protected natural park all day today and yesterday. According to Google, the park is only open on weekends (today is Monday, and weekends in Saudi are Friday and Saturday). And there was the big entrance gate, 10 miles (16km) before you get to the "Real edge of the world"! Will the gate be closed? Can we get out without a fine? Is there anyone at the gate? We drive towards the gate, and as expected it is closed! Various park ranger vehicles are there. We see an Indian who opens the gate without asking any questions and we leave :-). We head for the capital Riyadh, and there for the "world heritage sight" city of Diriyah.

At the entrance to Diriyah, we can't go any further at first. We must have a ticket (25$ / person), but it is only available online. We scratch our heads thoughtfully, and one of the employed Arabs in his elegant white robe quickly says: “Just show the colleague the mobile phone and he will act like he is scanning something, because of the cameras”. And we're in :-). lovely guys. Diriyah is a kind of open-air museum. The clay city was the capital of Saudi until 1683 and the royal family Al Saud lived there in that palace.

We like Diriyah very much, but it has been pimped up a bit too much for our taste ;-) and has lost its charm a bit.

The area around Diriyah shines with its immaculate squares and small parks, and it has some fancy bistros in the entrance area that try to sell you cappuccinos for $15. In the evening, we meet our friends Simone & Florian from Bern. They are also traveling by car, and thanks to today's networking, you always know who is roughly where, and it is easy to make arrangements.

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February 7^th 2023

Riyadh – Dhurma, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 70 (110km)

Miles total: 16’960 (27’300km)

Unfortunately, after a leisurely breakfast together, we say goodbye to Simone and Florian. They are at the beginning of their 1 1/2 year journey, we are almost at the end, and so our paths lead in totally opposite directions. We spent the night in the large parking lot of an exhibition hall in which the futuristic mega construction project "The Line" is currently being presented. And while we're here, of course we won't miss this exhibition. We learn that four different, in our eyes absolutely crazy projects are planned under the name "Neom" (a region in the north-west of Saudi). Trojena, a ski resort that is set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games; Oxagon, a residential and industrial city partly floating on the sea with a fully automated deep sea port; Sindalah, a holiday luxury island in the Red Sea and of course the centerpiece "The Line", the 105 mile (170km) long desert city, which is the main focus of the exhibition.

In any case, we are overwhelmed by the perfected presentation: huge screens, where elaborately produced animations are shown, detailed large model buildings and photographs, technical explanations, etc. But will these gigantic projects ever be realized? In any case, the first construction work is already underway! Take a look at the Neom Youtube Channel and immerse yourself in another world :-). To us, compared to what we are seeing here in real Saudi Arabia, these multi-billion dollar, luxury-focused projects are utterly absurd. There are certainly other and more pressing issues in the country (and in the world) in which that money might be more wisely invested. Now we go to the city for a short time, where we pay a visit to the landmark of Riyadh. The 990 feet (302m) tall Kingdom Center is a modern skyscraper in the shape of a beer bottle opener ;-). A lift transports us to the Skybridge, where we enjoy a great view of the city.

We spontaneously decide to do another little hike tomorrow and drive to a spot below the long rock cliffs.

February 8^th 2023

Dhurma – Graffiti Rock, Saudi-Arabia

Miles: 60 (100km)

Miles total: 17’020 (27’400km)

From our sleeping place, we start hiking in the direction of the huge rock face. By the way, this is the same rock demolition as in “Edge of the world”, just 60 miles (100km) further south. The views from below, or even when you are in the middle of the steep rock face, are fantastic. We easily master the 800 feet (250m) of altitude up to the plateau and soon we are enjoying wonderful views over the endless stretches. 

By the way, there is another gigantic construction site in the vicinity. An adventure and fun park called Qiddiya, which will have the size of the city of Detroit! This is also, like The Line, part of Vision 2030. Well, let's leave out the megalomania and enjoy nature :-). Back on the road we do a quick oil and filter change in an oil change booth at a gas station and drive along the highway through the reddish desert. A few kilometers off the highway we stop for the night at what is said to be the oldest petroglyphs in Saudi Arabia. 

To our surprise, the site is accessible as half the fence is missing, allowing us to see the 8,000-year-old rock carvings up close.

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