Along with the normal life stuff we get to do here, we also have opportunity to travel to new and cool (only figuratively speaking - 100+° isn't so cool) places. Coby and I recently took a trip to Madain Salih (or Mada'in Saleh or Maddin Salia - there are always multiple English ways to spell the Arabic words - sometimes two consecutive signs will spell the same place two totally different ways. I understand being that different sounds in English can be spelled different ways, just one confusing example - f =ph=gh.)It was a quick weekend trip (remember our weekend is Friday/Saturday). We are lucky to have friends willing to welcome our kids into their homes, so we can have a quick get away. We left Friday morning. It was thru Coby's company so we started at the main compound and took a company bus to the company airport hanger. We were the only flight going out at that time, so we moved quickly thru security and onto the plane.
Flying over Saudi is a unique experience...even the clouds are brown! :)
It was a quick flight from the Eastern Province to the western part of the Saudi -
After landing in Al Ula airport (we were again, the only plane). We headed to our hotel to drop off our luggage and have lunch and rest.
We loaded up and went for a drive after lunch, the scenic route to Mada'in Saleh. Once we arrived to the site, we first stopped at the Ottoman Rail Station. It was along the line built from Damascus to Madinah (one of the two holy sites here in Saudi).
After that quick stop we headed to the main attraction - Mada'in Saleh. Like the world famous Petra in Jordan, Mada'in Saleh are tombs carved from rock.
For more info - Mada'in Saleh.
It was awesome to see all the carvings and our tour guide was excellent in his information. We loved the opportunity to wander, touch, climb in, and explore. Although the tombs are empty, they tell tales of a time past. They are beautiful!
With in the Mada'in Saleh site is a large meeting area with surrounding hills.
The area around Mada'in Saleh is amazingly beautiful!
The views are stunning and the history makes it that much more amazing!
The landscape is very similar to the southwest United States. Made me feel at home for a bit.
After our wonderful time at the tombs we rode a short way to our next adventure! On the way, we passed a couple small stands - I wish I would have gotten a picture of the mosque.
The sunset was beautiful! And a great beginning to the next part of our adventures. The bus parked just off the road and we were met by a motley group of 4x4 vehicles. Everyone loaded up. We were in the last of the cars with our friends, the Cobia's. Our driver was at first serious, but as we off-roaded to our next location, we realized he was awesome! Fahad, our driver, started to drive more off-road (there was a loose dirt road most cars were on, we went off that dirt road to pass the other drivers - left last, got there in the middle of the pack). We arrived at camp...
We were welcomed to a gem in the desert. There were sleeping tents (were didn't spend the night here) and a gathering tent, plus an eating tent. We were served Arabic coffee and tea (we didn't partake). And then we were serenaded by a young man with song and his small, one-stringed combination of a guitar and violin.
After the delicious food and enjoyment of the terrific setting we had to leave to return to our hotel. We paired up with Fahad again for our ride back to the bus - he did not disappoint! More off-roading and lots of laughing.
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