Frolicking at RawDhat Khuraim

'Lush' is not a term one tends to use when living in a desert country.  Neither is 'frolicking'.  Yet the other week Hubster, I and a couple of friends went frolicking in the lush growth out at RawDhat Khuraim.  Well, they would have frolicked if they weren't acting so boringly mature.

The weather has been fabulous in and around Riyadh these last few months.  The winter and coolish spring lingered on much longer than usual and, as the temps were so favorable, we decided a drive to the Kings Forest for a weekend break out of town was in order.  The morning dawned dusty and windy so we decided to wait till the afternoon when things looked a little better (though not much) and packed the Yarris with our lunch and picnic gear  (Hubster decided not to hire the Yukon this time, much to my disgust).  We had invited Mr Oz and Ahmed along for a ride too, as they had never been to the Kings Forest before, so the car was rather full.

Saudi is changing at a rapid pace.  That is obvious every time we return to a previously visited location.  Almost the entire drive Hubster and I were commenting on the development that is everywhere.  Newbies might think we are a bit barmy calling the tents, trailers and real estate huts that have popped up along the roadside 'development', but when you compare these sights with the barrenness that was here before, 'progress' or 'development' are exactly the right terms.

RawDhat Khuraim is obviously a very popular place to visit in the spring, as evidenced by the number of cars lined up along the fence line and the tents available for groups to hire.  As the wind was still whipping about we decided to leave our picnic gear in the car, thinking it would be too uncomfortable attempting to cook over a fire under the circumstances.  The blokes determined they would only go for a short stroll and then find somewhere else to settle for a cuppa.  It's unfortunate that bloke minds aren't really very flexible.  The further we walked in toward the Kings Forest, the calmer the air became, diffused no doubt by the lush greenery growing in abundance.

I was amazed.  Absolutely amazed.  Especially when I compared this trip to our first visit three years ago, and I wished we had carried the chilly bin and blanket in with us, so we could sit back and really enjoy moment.  The closest I got was a sit in the grass while Hubster snapped a quick photo before all the men folk decided they'd 'Been here, done that, now it's time to go.'  I don't think Mr Oz and Ahmed realize how much of a treat they were getting seeing RawDhat Khuraim so beautifully covered in plants.  The locals, however, knew exactly how lucky they were, and had come out in force, setting up picnic spots all over the place among the grasses, daisies and various other foliage.

Though the boys were in a hurry, I wasn't, so they had to wait about while I took photo's.  After all, one has to remember this day!  Now, when someone says to me 'RawDhat Khuraim is beautiful and green in spring' (something I admit I used to doubt given the state of the place on our first visit here),  I have photographic memories of that fact.

The boys, who had found the RawDhat a little ho-hum, were quite keen to inject a little excitement into their day, so when a suggestion was made to hire quad bikes from the 'entrepreneurs' renting them on the roadside, everybody was up for it.

It turns out that Mr Oz had never ridden a quad before, but after a brief lesson on 'This makes it go and This makes it stop' from Hubster, he was having a fine old time buzzing along on the bike.

Ahmed, who had grabbed the bike by the horns and was off like a rocket, ended up on his arse!

About now is when I say something like: Quad bikes aren't toys and, if you aren't careful you can hurt yourself on them.  Of course, you hurt yourself even more when you fall off onto hard, stony ground, (as out by the Rumah) than you do carping off onto sand!

We picked up the bike, payed a bit extra to the entrepreneur for bike repairs, and then headed into Rumah to get 'The Fallen One' cleaned up at the nearest gas station with washroom facilities.  Around behind the gas station we found a perfectly sheltered, quiet spot to set up our table and chairs, pull out our thermos and munch on our sandwiches while debriefing about the day which, I have to admit, mainly involved laughing about 'Ahmed's Antics'.

Directions to RawhDhat Khuraim.
RawDhat Khuraim is so easy to find.  Head out along the Dammam highway and simply follow the signs.  Or key in the co-ordinates from my Kiwi In Saudi: Tiki Tour Map  (25.336579N, 47.304382E).



View Kiwi In Saudi: Tiki Tour in a larger map

I suggest you go visit RawDhat Khuraim before the summer heat takes it all away again.  And enjoy frolicking, if the mood strikes you :)





Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Waterfall Picnic

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take advantage of the break in the rain that had been intermittently pouring down in Riyadh, to get out of town and find a waterfall to picnic beside.  

A video of a huge waterfall just outside the city had been posted on YouTube.  Admittedly, the image looked more like a torrent of sand but it made me realise I had never considered there would be waterfalls near Riyadh after a decent rain.  Lakes I knew about.  But waterfalls?  One doesn't tend to associate 'desert' with 'waterfall'.

We'd hired a Toyata Land Cruiser for our Tiki Tour which took us, first, to the growing town of Muzamiyah to assess Lake Kharara for signs of a waterfall (you can read about that at my post Lake Kharara Brings Sight Seers) and, finding lots of water but none falling, we headed to outback Nisah which, I'd heard, had taken a drenching with the rain.

It'd been a while since we'd come out this way and there's a huge amount of road works being done.  Another sign of the money being spent on the country's infrastructure.  Anyone who says the current government is keeping all the money for themselves obviously hasn't traveled much through Saudi.  Almost every small town we've come across is having work done of some description.

Anyway, signs that a tonne of water had been flowing through the Nisah area were in abundance.  Though only two days since the winter deluge, the water had started to dry up leaving dirty grey, slug looking trenches in its wake.   And around each water filled gash were picnicking Saudi's.  I would have got a snapshot, but Hubster wanted to keep moving.

Our Waterfall Mission took us past the red dunes and the Riyadh Cement Company.  The cement plant looks like a fortress out of Lord of the Rings, rising tall and strong above barren desert cliffs.  Obviously it would never pass as an evil fortress, there aren't enough sharp and pointy bits.  Evilness always comes with sharp, pointy bits I reckon.

I was busy telling The Husband about my theory on the housing choices of evil types, and he was busy not really listening, when we came across our little waterfall.  "There it is", I hollered as he, in his own little world of 'Ignore Wifey and Her Ramblings', went zooming on by.  Brakes were hit.  A U-turn executed.

The Waterfall was just off the road and I was so darned excited!  A stream was trickling it's way through a mish mash of hardened rock slabs and cascading down onto a weathered plate before wandering off into the rock strewn valley.  While women were picnicking further downstream, a couple of young men had stripped to their underwear to play about in the water.

Of course, I didn't immediately get that they were in their underwear.  There was no sign of sexy Calvin Klein boxers or colorful pouch fronted jockeys decorating the...ahhh, well, finer parts of finely chiseled, muscular, tanned torsos with a white stallion waiting impatiently in the wings, which is what one might find at an oasis waterfall when one lets their imagine run wild.

No, these blokes were in white T-shirts and long white pants, garments typically worn under thobes.  And here was I, barreling over with camera in hand while they were calling out something akin to 'Nooooo!!!'   Mid-stride it occurred to me something wasn't right.  Then it clicked - they were bathing.  Ooops!  About face!  Quick march the other way.  A respectable distance was maintained till they had dressed themselves behind a nearby tree and Hubster gave the all clear along with a look that suggested there are times he thinks he married an idiot.  What can I say, I have blonde moments!

Clambering over a few rocks was required to reach the water spilling from the top.  Oh, it was bliss taking my shoes off and splashing about in water that was still relatively cool despite the warmth of the day.

Not long after we arrived, numerous other vehicles began pulling up.  Word had spread and having your photo taken atop a waterfall (even a small one) became a popular thing to do.

The Blokes weren't the least bit fazed by a barefoot, cap headed, abaya covered, barefoot, shin flashing Kiwi wahine paddling about in what we all knew was a temporary waterfall.

Eventually, the blokes made their way down to the base of the waterfall to capture shots of themselves splashing about in its falling coolness and, after Hubster offered to take a couple of shots for them on their cameras, we headed back up to the car.  The waterfall had gotten busy.  Families were starting to arrive.  One young man came over to say hello.  He'd been to Ireland to study English but was back and in need of practice, so took our presence has an opportunity to have a chat.  He also said we could take a picture of his friend and the youngsters with him down by the water.

As the positioning of the sun had moved to "Lunchtime" we took our vehicle across country to find a picnic spot.  Drinking mint tea and snacking on turkey, tomato and mayo baguettes out the back of a 4WD near a babbling stream was our idea of a perfect picnic lunch on another beautiful blue sky day in Saudi.

Our Waterfall Picnic mission had been a success and, as we ate, we contemplated the beauty of the desert, the simple pleasures that can enjoyed in this country that suffers a lot from bad raps, and our next move. After all, have Land Cruiser, will travel.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Water In Lake Kharara Brings Out Sightseers

This weekend, we went back to Lake Kharara.  We were actually searching for a waterfall but, as we were in the vicinity, decided to return to 'The Disappearing Lake' to see how much the recent deluge of rain in Saudi had affected it.

We were pleasantly surprised to see a large body of water where, two years previous, there had been a rather dry bed.  And Saudi's galore had come out in force to enjoy the lake.  Water seems to make Saudi's go a little bit crazy.  But, living in desert, who can blame them.

It was fairly early in the afternoon and there were only a few early risers setting up picnic spots as close to the water as they could get, or guiding their vehicles with typical Saudi abandon around the lake's edge.  We decided to head for the far end, just to see what was out there.

We followed the track around the base of the lake.  The further we went, the more the lake turned to a silvery, sludgy puddle with mud caked around the tangled branches of the shrubbery trying to keep their green heads above the mess at their matted base.

Obviously there had been a lot of water flowing through here a couple of days ago but, now the raining had stopped, the water was disappearing fairly quickly.  Though the lake was looking brown and muddy at this point, the rains had cleared the dust out of the air making the colors of the steep red sands cradling it seem so much sharper.

Giving up on reaching the end of the lake, we decided instead to check out the view from the top of the red dunes.  Since our last visit a track had been laid making it easier to drive to a higher vantage point, once you got through the initial sandy bog that is.  A guy in a car thought he'd try his luck at running the hill to the start of the track and failed.  Not that it mattered.  There were plenty of people around to tow him back out.

Once at the top we followed the dirt track to its end, then Hubster felt the urge to test out the Toyota Landcruiser we had hired for the weekend on the steep, water soaked sands, doing a U-turn he said.  Yeah right!

I pointed out a ute that had bellied on a ridge in an effort to get the man/child to quit what I deemed dangerous driving behaviour.  It was pointless.  He had to have his fun.   Hanging on was called for.  Holding my breath was automatic, though an occasional  squeaky 'Sugar Plum Pie' escaped my lips.

By the time we decided to come down off the hillside, the vehicular population at Lake Kharara had exploded.  It's absolutely amazing how Saudi's love to get out and how much water seems to attract them.

This time we didn't stay to set up a picnic of our own to enjoy the madness we knew would ensue as more people arrived.  We had a waterfall to find, but we are glad we came back here to satisfy ourselves that, after a decent rain, Lake Kharara does in fact become a sizeable water feature.  On our way out, we passed a toy car set on its end.  We had to laugh.  It was fitting we thought, and wondered if it had been purposely placed

 Directions to Lake Kharara

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Ka Kite,
Kiwi

View From The Camel Trail

We've been to the Camel Trail Number One a few times since our arrival in Riyadh.  The Camel Trail, as it is commonly known, is a short ride out past the edge of the city.  The ridge overlooking the path that zigzags it's way to the desert floor below affords a spectacular view of the sunset after a gorgeous Riyadh day.

There are two camel trails that I know of cutting tracks through the escarpment.  There are probably a lot more as being able to travel to Mecca was, and still is, an important trip undertaken each year by pilgrims. In the past, if they didn't want to take the longer, easier route through Al Kharj they would utilise the short cuts forged down the steep face of the Tuwaiq escarpment presumably, initially, by roaming camels with humans later making the tracks more user friendly.

The modernisation of Saudi means that a highway now carts people, quiet efficiently I must say, to and from Mecca so the Camel Trails are currently used mainly as sightseeing and picnic locations by expats and locals alike.

The first time we went to Camel Trail No 1 was in a Mitsi driven by a crazy Finnish dude.  The track to our destination was faintly outlined in the dust and parts of it had been washed away by heavy winter rains, so we had to navigate our way through, or around, the numerous gashes that were left behind.  Getting stuck in one of those holes would have required lifting the car out!

The last time we went, a month or so ago, the dusty track had been graded and metaled.  The upgrade means it's now a lot easier to find your way to the Camel Trail, though there are still a few places with king size pot holes where the ground has fallen away, and there's one spot on the rocky plateau where you could belly out a small vehicle if you're not careful.

A lot of work has been undertaken at the site above the Camel Trail with the addition of little picnic tables and a few rubbish bins.  Rumour has it that the Japanese are responsible for this work - it was part of a deal for some other project they were involved in.  Even so, bring your own carpets or chairs for added comfort while enjoying your picnic and waiting for the sun to go down.  If you're going earlier in the day, sun shade of some description is also a good idea as there is no shade at all at the top of the trail.

The trail itself is a very easy walk down a well developed path paved with rock slabs and bordered by retaining walls of more loosely laid rock.  Depending on your pace, getting down doesn't take that long.  Coming back up is a bit of an effort for the slightly unfit.  Fortunately there are a couple of places to take a seat, if required.

For a path that is supposedly hundreds of years old it's surprisingly well kept particularly as there was mention of the path being used to haul cannons when residents of Arabia were at war sometime in their long event filled past.

Each time we've ventured out this way a Bar-B-Q of some description has been put together.  You can bring your own bar-b-q or, if you're a good boy scout (or girl guide), there are plenty of rocks lying around for creating a fireplace.

Group Bar-B

Couples Bar-B

Boy Scout Bar-B

While the bar-b experts are getting fireplaces organised is a good time to scout around and take some pictures of the view and rock formations or walk the trail if you're keen for some exercise.

Crocodile rock

Rock formations overlooking a township.

People walking the track.

Picnics and Bar-B's with sunset views does sound very romantic, however, as with any desert experience there is a practical issue that many have to deal with eventually.  We have nicknamed the drop just passed the last picnic table 'The Dunny Roll' because of all the dunny paper marking  previous deposits.  It is the only spot nearby where you can get out of sight and down to business.  If you don't like heights, or are worried about falling of the side of a cliff, I suggest you go visit the loo before coming to the Camel Trail.

The last table before Dunny Roll Drop.

Location of Camel Trail Number 1

We've enjoyed our visits to the Camel Trail when we've gone - it's a great spot for a sunset ma'salama, a lovely place for a late picnic lunch with friends after a spot of mid-winter quad biking, somewhere to test your fitness if you're fancy a bit of a walk and, as a location to take visitors so they can have a desert experience with lovely views without having to travel too far, it's pretty good.  I hope you get to experience it one day.




Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Winter Trip To RawDhat Khuraim

We made a return trip to RawDhat Khuraim recently, looking for bursting blooms and new green grass. This time around we went in December which is right smack dab in the middle of a Saudi winter, a totally different season from our initial trip undertaken in a roasting Saudi summer when the land was somewhat dry, as you can imagine a desert landscape would be (and you can read about that in my post RawDhat Khuraim The Kings Forest.) 

This trip there were a lot more people at RawDhat Khuraim.
This time, being winter, it had rained.
Rain in Saudi creates lakes and streams where none were before.
There was water in abundance.
The appearance of lakes and streams also brings out the locals.

The trusty camera was taken along and this is what we discovered in RawDhat Khuraim, December 2012 as we drove further around the Kings Forest than we did before.





Coming to RawDhat Khuraim after a bit of rain definitely requires a Four Wheel Drive.  Beside the deep channels holding a large proportion of the winter water at RawDhat Khuraim, was wet, sinking desert sand supporting the growth of numerous desert plants, many more than were around last summer, and through which we guided our 4WD in search of the perfect picnic spot.

There were numerous ribbons of tire tracks cutting their way through the foliage, the only issue was choosing one that would lead us to solid ground.  A couple of times we got it wrong and had to undertake reverse manoeuvres!  If we did get stuck we were fairly certain there would be plenty of volunteers with vehicles able to pull us out as picnickers galore were out enjoying the wonderful weather and water features nature provided.

And young men were wanting their photos taken.
Saudi blokes, we've learnt, are absolute show off's who enjoy a good time. This is not a bad thing. It's quite refreshing to meet young people who enjoy fun for fun's sake.
First there was this lot driving by on the other side of the river....



...They were so funny.  It was three o'clock in the afternoon and they were waving and calling out "Good morning!" as they drove by before stopping and calling out 'Sura, Sura', which I eventually figured out was something akin to, 'Take our picture'.

Then, as I was taking the shot above a ute came to a laughing stop right next to me and this young man jumped out and wanted his photo taken...so I obliged.



His name is Zaidan and he lives in Rumah, the nearby town.  His friend thought he was crazy asking for a photo and didn't get out of the ute even though I invited him to take part. After all, if I'm gonna take pictures of one, I might as well take pictures of all. The whole time Hubster and Zaidan were posing all we could hear emanating from the ute were hoots of laughter.





Hubster has no idea what this hand sign means but, as he got the shamagh treatment, he decided to go with the flow. We were invited to join these young men for qahwah after the photo shoot and thought, 'Why not?'

Of course, many an expat since has been of the opinion that there were loads of reasons why we should have declined the invitation, mostly related to the theme of, 'Stranger Danger in Saudi', but it was a beautiful day, they seemed nice, so we said Yes.

We learned a lot about what any decent young Saudi bloke would throw in the back of his ute when coming out for a picnic.  The little camping safe was especially nifty and we are contemplating getting one.  And, of course, everything required to cook up qahwah on the spot.  Our picnic basket was brought from the back of the Yukon and together we shared qahwah, lunch and chit-chat.  Well, as much chatter as one can with language limitations. Our knowledge of each other's language was tested.  Together we all knew enough to get by.



Our picnic spot, pictured above, was right next the a decent strip of water and gave us a great view across to a damp stretch of sand that was being used for the second most popular Saudi pass time after picnics. Hooning.


The vehicles were certainly getting a thrashing.  Even the youngsters were getting in the act as this vehicle drove past with what looked to be a twelve year old at the wheel.



The responsible adult in me, you know the one that is supposed to be all grown up and should know better, could say that young boys driving around in Jeeps in the desert is not a good idea.  However, there's another part of me, the part that loves the rawness of Saudi and how it reminds me of NZ in the good old days before we went PC overboard, that doesn't mind allowing parents to decide what is good for their kids.  And if they think they can handle a ute in the desert, then let them. (I remember making a similar decision with my just-teens girls years ago, but the vehicle was a Nissan car and we were in outback Australia).

Zaidan called his wife while we were enjoying his company, and that of his ever smiling friend, so I got to chat with her over the phone. She is from Riyadh and is learning English and this, he decided, was a perfect opportunity for some practice.

We didn't quite get around to wandering through the Kings Forest discovering blooming blossoms, but we did enjoy four wheel driving our way through damp desert sand, amongst desert plants and meeting very friendly desert dwellers of the human kind on our return trip to Rawdhat Khuraim.

Location of RawDhat Khuraim.

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Ka Kite,
Kiwi