The Edge of the World
And Meeting Other Overlander
6th November - 8th November | 2023
The next morning, after everything was packed up, I tried to find someone in the house to say goodbye and thank them, but I couldn't find anybody, so I left. I then went to Sam at Rushdis's place to have breakfast and catch up talking.
At 13h00 we all met at the premises of Ghamra (IG: ghamra.sa) to meet our guide, Khalid. After he saw the Hummer of Rushdie he took another jeep with him as he suspected it wouldn´t be the correct vehicle for the offroad section to “The Edge of the World”. I went with the girls in the jeep and off we went. When the offroad started, the others left the Hummer jeep behind and went with the other jeep, which was for sure the better option for the terrain! It was a bit vast and we crossed one or the other dry river bed and I knew there were parts I would have struggled with on my bike. I was so glad, to be in company in the comfort of a jeep!
On the last bit, there were natural barriers and the jeeps were getting over it, but not easy. It was good fun though ;-)
Shortly after the barriers we reached “The Edge of the World”, which is a sort of wide open canyon. What a view! Unfortunately, it was overcast, so no blue sky, which would look better for pictures. We still had a great time taking pictures and wandering around. Later the guides took some chairs out and one of the girls had some sandwiches - what a lovely place to have a picnic! There were also other overlanders with their big trucks. As we were parked next to one, the boys got talking to the owner as they all were curious about the huge vehicle.
I was in touch with a German Overlander family and they were there too. As we had planned to meet up the next day, it was great to meet briefly already.
Before dark we started to drive back to Riyadh, but halfway we stopped for some Arabic Cafe and Tea. It was so nice - pity we couldn't camp here that night as it was such a great sky full of stars with no light pollution around.
At about 21h00 we were back to Riyadh and I went to the hotel we had arranged the previous evening. At the reception, they didn't know anything at first, but he showed me a room and gave me a high rate. When I insisted on the phone conversation and the cheaper rate, he showed me a tiny dark room just next to the reception - seriously?! So I searched for another hotel in the area and luckily on that street there were some, but I had to check first Google for the fees and critics. I finally picked one and drove there. The room was still not better, and the rate was not really what I originally planned, but it was nearly midnight and I started with a migraine…
The next morning I tried my luck again at BMW, if the spare part had arrived - it had! I had to wait for the responsible person though, but in the meantime, I was talking to the salesmen for the motorbikes. Shortly after I had finally the ghost - the spare part in my hands and it was even cheaper as I got it quoted.
Yesterday I had arranged with the German Overlander family to meet in Buraydah at the famous camel market the next morning. It was a long straight drive. When I had made my fuel break, a lovely local lady started talking to me. She only wore a headscarf and spoke very good English. It was really enjoyable talking to Hetaf. As she is from Buraydah, she invited me to meet up with her the next day for lunch. How fantastic is that! I am looking forward to that one!
The next morning, after check-out, I went directly to the camel market. The biggest on the Arabian Peninsula. As there was a cafe drive-through outside, I had my breakfast in the shade waiting for the German family. Being German they arrived on time ;-) After introducing each other (again), we set off to find a parking place inside the complex. I could leave my biking gear in their Overlander truck.
I really love watching camels as they are in my opinion the most hilarious animals with their expressions and long eyelashes. We had a stroll around, but it was very quiet. Guess being late in the morning, we were already too late for any auction or action about camel bargains. Or there are special days for these sorts of events. However, it was nice walking around and watching the camels. We even got offered freshly milked camel milk, which tasted surprisingly good.
As I was supposed to meet Hetaf, the lovely girl from yesterday, for lunch, it was time for me to find the meeting point. Melinda and her family would carry on to Hail, where we would meet up again tonight.
It was so fantastic having lunch with Hetaf as she started to work at the emergency unit of the local hospital. She would have loved to invite me to stay some nights with her and her family, but unfortunately they are currently renovating the house. Pity, as we surely would have a lot to chat about. And again no picture of us two existing, as they don't like to publish pictures of them, which I am happy to respect.
After lunch, I left for Hail, to meet Melinda and her family. It was a good 3 hours drive, so I better get going. At a fuel stop, I bought some drinks and snacks for us later tonight. They had parked their overlander truck right below the old fort, where I couldn't pitch up my tent. They offered me to sleep in the front of the truck as they could convert it to a sleeping area. Perfect! Like that, we had a long night chatting and exchanging our experiences of our travels.
I hope you also enjoyed these action filled days. Whilst you wait for the next blog, enjoy again a lovely freshly brewed Arabic Cafe.
Places | Cities:
Buraydah, Hail.
Driven km | Trip:
Total | Steffi: 29505 km
Information Border Crossings:
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Maintenance | Breakdown:
./.
Health issues:
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Special thanks to:
The Biker Ladies of Riyadh to take me on an unforgettable tour to the Edge of the World.
IG "F4M on tour" for the fantastic days together in their huge overlander truck.