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Haiyania to Buraida |
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12th January 2003 - Happy Birthday Richard! We eventually arrived at the next town on our route after 10 pm and had driven out the other side to find a suitable place to camp. Abdullah senior got his kitchen out and started cooking - but, unusually for Richard and I (we are eating away across the Middle East - our fat reserves will keep us going when times are hard) we declined the offer of food and climbed up into our tent. So, another early and rather chilly start. Back into the desert, picking up Shakespear's 1914 route and the Darb Zobaida - the ancient route taken by pilgrims travelling to Mecca. The marker stones are still visible and the Darb Zobaida passes through oases that were used as watering stops - at one of these stops (designated an archaeological site and therefore surrounded by chain link fencing, preventing us getting a good look) we could see the remains of an old stone building and a large burkha - a stone lined reservoir with channels fanning out from it, leading to troughs from which animals could drink. Close by - and minus a fence - was a perfect example of a traditional stone lined well - extremely deep, still containing water and with the well-rope notches, worn after many years of use, clearly visible in the stones around the top. |
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Leaving the well, we drove on piste running through impressive dunes - thankfully free of corrugations, the bane of my life. After a halt for breakfast, we followed the piste up across the dunes and coming over the crest could see a wide desert plain opening up ahead of us, dotted with Arfaj (shrubby plants grazed by livestock) and vast herds of camels. At the far edge of the plain we were met by our escorts for the next leg - we were now in the El Qaseem region, the capital of which is Buraida; a city with a fearsome reputation of being the least hospitable in the Kingdom! If our welcoming committee was anything to go by, Burarida was not about to live up to this reputation.
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En route to Buraida we were invited to lunch at the residence of the Governor of Shari. Clearly our reputation for being people with giant appetites had gone before us - we were shown into the guest room and moments later the food started to arrive. I assumed that everyone else would be joining us - but no, they had gone elsewhere and the giant platter of rice, vegetables, boiled eggs and a whole sheep cut into quarters was just for Richard and I... Feeling bloated (and no, we hadn't eaten the lot - in fact, we hardly made a dent) we departed for Buraida with our four car escort. We had another brief stop at Hassat an Nassala - two very bizarre looking boulders - and a chance for our new guides, provided by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the Emir of El Qaseem, to give us the traditional welcome of coffee, tea and more delicious dates. |
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As we approached Buraida, additional cars joined us (how will we cope without this!). As we arrived at the hotel, Abdullah junior suggested that it might be a good idea for me to wear my Abaiya while we unpacked the car - the first time I had needed to wear it since arriving in Saudi Arabia. It takes some getting used to - I felt like a cross between a mad monk and an escaped parachute - and I am very glad that I don't need to wear it all the time, particularly when we are out in the desert; I am a naturally clumsy person and being swathed in acres of material intent on tripping me up could only end in disaster. While in Saudi Arabia, our accomodation is provided by the Emir's of the regions we are travelling through. Buraidah was no exception - and it was quite a novelty going from our tent to a suite of rooms substantially bigger than our flat back in Aberdeen. |
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