The Last Post

Mary nicely summed up our Saudi Arabia experience as "Expect the unexpected". Put simply, we had some preconceived expectations, based in part on media reports and in part on comments made by friends on learning where we were going. None of those preconceived expectations matched our reality. 

Since 2016, Saudi Arabia has gone through an amazing transformation as part of the Crown Prince's 'Vision 2030' . Nowhere is this more evident than in Riyadh. Riyadh is still very hot and very dry, but pretty much everything else has changed. 

Hospitality is a core value, taken very seriously. For example, after a wonderful dinner in the Diriyah complex, we wandered around relatively aimlessly which attracted the notice of a guide. He personally escorted around the area, then picked up a specialist guide for a tour of the Salwa Palace. We quietly asked our dinner host about how much to tip the guides and were advised it was part of the ethos of Diriyah, and offering to pay would be an insult to their hospitality.

While on the subject of social change, I should probably here address the issue of dress code for women. Religious police are a thing of the past and there's no specific dress code legislation. Given that context, I am not qualified to comment why there are still a significant number of women fully or partially covered up. What I can say is that it's now very common to also see women wearing western style clothing, with nobody batting an eyelid, and it is equally common for men to be as fully covered as traditional women, in robes and headdress. 

So what particularly notable sights did we see with our stellar host Liz, ably supported at times by her friends Faisal, Reem and Sara? 

First up was the Edge Of The World. This is a long cliff face in the desert about 300m high in parts. 

When we visited, it had only recently been reopened after a temporary closure due to some foreign visitors driving straight off the edge. When I first heard this story, I thought "How the heck did they manage that?" 

Once we got there, it was fairly obvious. There's no road as one gets close, just tyre tracks from previous visitors. Thrillseekers had frequently driven right to the edge, and it is assumed that those unfortunate tourists simply followed those tracks expecting that they continued past the top of the blind rise. 

Important safety tip: there are still no barriers or warning signs so one should always approach off road blind rises with extreme caution... 

Diriyah is the site of the old palace and fort complex from when Riyadh first became the capital. For a long time it was just a series of abandoned and neglected ruins until, as part of Vision 2030 and opening up for tourists, the complex was reborn. 

Some parts have been repaired, but only to the extent required to prevent further decay. The rest has been carefully preserved and the adjacent area developed into a dining area and pedestrian plaza. 

Interestingly, access is controlled. One needs a reservation at one of the many restaurants to get into the area. Once in, access is free to everywhere including the palace. A curious business model, but it seems to work, as the place was packed both times we went. 

Out of the blue, we were offered free tickets to the Phantom of the Opera, performed by a UK cast on tour. Such events are still a novelty in Saudi Arabia as up until recently there were not even movie theatres. We accepted with pleasure, expecting cheap seats down the back somewhere, but in fact they were premium seats up front, in a price range that we would never contemplate buying for ourselves. Thanks Faisal! A fantastic night! 

The final unexpected delight was a visit to an Arabian Horse stables. We had seen such horses at Diriyah, but only briefly. Sara said that she knew someone at a local stable complex and would we like to visit?

Once again, our expectation was low key, maybe a few horses at best. Once again, those expectations were greatly exceeded. It proved to be a stud farm, with multiple horses, young foals, several arenas, and, for those with no equestrian aspirations, alternative options of quad bike riding and archery. 

One particular foal was especially excited to see visitors... 

... while others were more relaxed. 

A very special occasion with very special horses. Thanks again Sara! 

So after 9 months, it's time to go home.

We had a great series of adventures, some planned, some ad libbed. We ticked many things off our Bucket List, and possibly added many more.

If we are to be philosophical, the main lesson of the whole year's travel was to plan only the broad outline/big ticket items, and then for the details just go with the flow. By trusting all our wonderful hosts, adapting as situations changed, and seizing opportunities as they arose, we had adventures we could never have imagined nor planned at home. 

One should not merely expect the unexpected, but should embrace it enthusiastically. Of thus more memories are made...