I have spent most of 2021 working Northwest Saudi Arabia on various projects. Its been exhausting, but the scenery gorgeous. Without going into detail, here are some highlights:
We previously worked here back in 2019 for a mapping campaign. It was impressive and amazing to see the progress they had done since we were here. We were staying in Tabuk, but while waiting between projects, we decided to take a trip to the prettiest place in Saudi Arabia, and friendliest, to get some Moussaka. We had this every night when we mapped and missed it.
First, we stopped at the Winter Park in the main part of town, hoping to get tickets to see Madain Saleh, since it was closed when we were working here before. Unfortunately, since it was a weekend, the time slots full. They booking on their website (super easy) during the week when it was less crowded. We asked if there was other stuff to see, and said that we could go to Elephant Rock for 15 SAR, which we said we would consider. But first, we needed our fix:
It took us a little while to find the right restaurant (Heritage Garden), hitting a couple of others. But once we turned a corner, we both exclaimed Thats it! Oh, it did not disappoint. However, I think the guy thought we were nuts. We came in, saying, we want moussaka, all that you have left! And i kept pointing to the pan where I could clearly see four heaping servings. Then another guy came and took two. I almost freaked out and the guy then gave me one. I was like, why cannot I not have both of them!? I think he was trying to tell me those were the end pieces, and clearly not understanding I wanted all of it, all that was left. Finally, another guy came out and said (Im guessing) just give it to her. So yay! Then we took the moussaka to Elephant Rock to see if we could find a spot to eat. We did not need the 15SAR, thats only if you actually want to enter the actual rock area and walk around it. Otherwise, there was a lovely hill overlooking it and thats where we put down the tailgate and
We then visited a few other nearby rock formations which were interesting. And we then also saw some of the camping areas which were so well done and hidden in the canyons right up near the shear sandstone walls. When we got back, I sent a message to some of my former contacts to congratulate them for a job well done and seen through. Seriously, impressive.
On the way back, we also stopped at the ruins of Moazam Castle about halfway to Tabuk. It was also near one of the old Hejaz Railway Stations, which I love. I dont think we were supposed to go into the castle, but there was an open gate and we saw other locals there. There was a big reservoir which one of the guys told us was 8 meters deep! Then the inside of the castle itself was big and interesting. A nice little side trip.
Our second time down here was for a site visit. This time, a weekday, we booked our Madain Saleh trip for
We parked at Winter Park where we boarded a bus, which I think we were like the only two on. Then we drove about 15 minutes to Madain Saleh (or, Hegra) for our tour. Once there, we were let off the bus onto the old Hejaz Railway platform where we saw an old train and what the station looked like. In the background was just the beautiful sandstone outcrops making for an amazing setting. We then went into the museum, waiting just a few minutes while the previous group cleared out, due to Covid restrictions. The local guides and workers were so friendly and helpful, we did not feel put out at all that we waited - plenty of great photos to take anyway! The inside was just one large room which gave a brief visual overview of the history of the site.
Then we got a very friendly local tour guide and joined about 10 other people on a bus to take us into the ruins. We made our first stop at an area similar to the Siq in Petra, with close rock formations and indications of how they carved into the rock and gathered water and such.
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