A Poem about our Tour of Saudi Arabia

This poem was written by one of our participants on our tour of Saudi Arabia, which just returned home last week. Thank you! 

 

A trip of a lifetime for all of us..........

Encompassed the sites of Saudi by bus!

 

Maneuvering the abaya was a challenge to be seen...

Especially in squat toilets and if you know what I mean!

 

The scarves were a blessing on a bad hair day

But more important kept the mutawa's at bay

 

From Riyadh to Najran we arrived by plane

All of our friends thought we were totally insane

 

Yalla Yalla was one mantra early each morn

"Delightful Dawi proudly shared where he was born"

 

With warm hospitality and led us to very awesome sites

 stunning and thrilling in a myriad of different lights

 

With a naughty boy laugh and a gleem in his eyes he taught us where ancient civilizations lies

 

We photographed many magnificent carvings in the rocks but "Oh my Allah" the sand in our socks

 

Being so close to the Yemen border was sad

For it could have been another country to add

 

The souks were enticing for all that we sought

spices and fragrances were mostly bought ( and a much needed warm coat)

 

The site of Qraya an archeological dig of all of the trip highlights that was quite big

 

The markets for camels and goats were fun

We envisioned the caravans enduring the sun

 

We were escorted by police that monitor our time

Of course I had to include that in this dumb rhyme

 

It really is a mans world here

Womens liberation is unheard of - I fear

 

Kabsa is a delish Saudi meal

yet eating with our hands we couldn't get the feel

 

Such a vast history of remnants of past

How special for us that it has lasted

 

So lucky we are to have experienced it

In our hearts the memories will always sit

 

Thank you "our remarkable Rita" for giving us this wonderful opportunity that opened our eyes to Saudi - a beautiful land

Wednesday: Najran - Abha

Wednesday Feb 15

After breakfast this morning we left the city of Najran and headed towards Abha which is 200 kilometers away.  The road started out flat and very desert like and then it changed within an hour to mountain terrain.  We decided to go to the Wadi Farsa which is down in the valley of the Habala mountains.  We spent some time in the old village market run by women. They were surprised to see us and when I spoke Arabic they took me into the tent to ask questions about why we were here and who the other people were.  They would lift their veils - gorgeous women - and turn their faces so the men could not see them.  They would ask me questions to ask the group - what they thought of Saudi Arabia and why they came.  They were not pushing for anyone to buy anything they just loved the idea that we were there.  This is not an area that tourist come to so it was really different for them. They asked why the women covered (wore abayas and scarves over our heads) and I told them out of respect for their customs.  When I said I was from Jordan one woman kissed me and said we were sisters.

In one part of the small market there were people that sell these beautiful flowers and make head pieces with them.  When the group got out their cameras one old lady came out and said no picture! She was so upset, but I explained that we were not going to take picture of the women, but of the men and the flowers. 

One man came out of his stall wearing a bunch of different flowers on his head and kohl around his eyes.  We got his picture and then I asked if he wanted to marry one of the women - he said yes but he already had two wives and 30 kids! The women in the group said he needed to make her number one and she would marry him.  The people around started to laugh and make suggestions, etc… - a great time.  The police that had been with us during the whole trip as guards also joined in with the jokes.

We left and headed out from the valley to go to Al Habala and decided to stop for lunch at a local restaurant that had these small family rooms where we got bbq chicken, lamb and lots of rice on a big tray. It was put on the floor and the group got down to business and did well with the food.  It was excellent.  We left to go to the mountains and take the cablecar across the mountains to the village where the village is on the cliff side, and the people use ropes to get up and down and around on the narrow rock ledges.  I had purchased some sweets and we ate them with coffee (made with cardamom) and mint tea - so nice with the cooler mountain breeze!

 

The guides started sharing pictures of their families and we did the same.  Then they started to sing and dance a bit as the group egged them on. We left for Abha before the souk closed and then to the hotel.  As were checking in the fog started to come in and we were not able to see anything in front of us. 

Saudi Arabia on TV

I don't know how many people watch Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel, but I highly recommend his show for several reasons. One is his sense of adventure and sense of humor. He is willing to try anything at least once on camera and is very open minded. His show, called No Reservations, is on Monday evenings and takes you to places all over the world- from Europe to Asia, to Africa and South America. If you are a fan of travel and food, I highly recommend his show.

The reason I bring this up here is because of his most recent episode last night - it was about Saudi Arabia. Travel Channel ran a contest for its viewers to submit their request that Bourdain travel to a country they choose. The winner was a Saudi-American woman who wanted to show Bourdain what the real Saudi Arabia is like. It was a really great episode and I think is a must watch for anyone who has questions about traveling there and you kind of want to see it first. I know we at Caravan-Serai Tours can tell you how great a time you will have on any one of our tours, but for many, it takes more than that to get them to actually want to go.

There is another reason this show really impressed me. The winner, Danya, really helped to demonstrate what her life is like in Saudi Arabia. I recommend not only trying to find and watch an encore presentation of the episode, but to also read all the blogs and diaries of the crew, Anthony Bourdain, and to learn more about Danya. Here are the links to the Travel Channel's websites:

Crew Blog:
http://no-reservations-crew-blog.travelchannel.com/2008/07/under-the-abbaya-female-produc.html

Anthony Bourdain's main page: http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain?idLink=abc6513412eb7110VgnVCM100000698b3a0a____

Meet Danya: http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain/ci.Meet_Danya_Alhamrani.show?vgnextfmt=show

Enjoy!