May 2 – May 7
Djibouti
Before going to Saudi Arabia, we visited one of the poorest and driest countries in Africa, Djibouti. The country is situated very strategically at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and because of its position, it hosts a number of military bases from various countries. The population is only slightly over 1 million people and those that live outside of a city tend to live a traditional nomadic lifestyle with small herds of sheep or goats. Camels are heavily used here for transporting goods.
We took a 3-hour bus drive each way to and from Lac Assal (see the posts of the lake further below) with a police escort for security. The outside temperature was approaching 100 and the air conditioning didn’t work, and the windows did not open. So, we drove with the warm air circulating and doors open when we could, and everybody made the best of it. On the way to the lake, we stopped at the “Grand Canyon of Djibouti” which is formed by the separation of three tectonic plates that lie beneath the country. It’s no comparison to the real Grand Canyon but still worth a stop nonetheless.
The barrenness of the land also reflects the level of poverty that dominates people’s lives here. These are a few scenes taken along our drive to the lake.
Lac Assal is the main tourist attraction of the country. It sits 500 feet below sea level and has one of the highest concentrations of salt of any body of water on the planet. Tourists come here to walk across the salt flats and swim or simply float in the water. The mining of the salt occurs both by modern technology as well as the traditional method where it is captured by hand using rocks and shovels and then transported by camel for weeks to its destination.
Saudi Arabia
I was honestly a bit nervous about visiting Saudi Arabia as I really didn’t know what to expect. The first hint that things would be different was when the ship had to lock up all the alcohol since it is not allowed in the country. The second difference was the complex immigration process that included fingerprinting everybody in customs when they check your passports as you first enter the country and then rechecking them when you leave.
Saudi Arabia allowed tourist visas for the first time in September 2019, allowing casual visitors without a business or religious purpose into the country. A little before that, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had announced a social and economic blueprint to transform the Kingdom. The plan, Vision 2030, set out to create a vibrant society, overhaul the nation’s economy, and reduce its dependence on oil.
The evidence of this can be found everywhere with new modern developments, investments of hundreds of billions of dollars in creating and upgrading tourist destinations all over the country and a more gradual willingness to be more welcoming to tourists by reducing some of the restrictions. It is easy to see that the country could become a very popular destination for tourists from all over the world due to its central location and ability to invest in and execute strategic projects.
We visited three destinations here – Jeddah, the inland city of AlUla by charter flight from Jeddah, and a city on the western coast called Yanbu as we traveled north along the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal. There are no photos of Yanbu as we used that primarily as a snorkeling site. A number of people also took a high-speed train from Jeddah to the holy city of Medinah but we chose other options. The train can reach speeds of 300 km/hour.
Jeddah
When we arrived at the port, the first thing we noticed was the number of people from the recent unrest in Sudan milling about with whatever belongings they were able to bring with them. In addition to those that made it out on their own, Saudi Arabia ran humanitarian missions with large ships to carry 5,000 people at a time from Sudan to safe harbor in their country. We tend to hear only negative press about the country, much of which is likely deserved, but they showed great hospitality in accommodating these refugees.
One of the main attractions in Jeddah is the historic district known as Al-Bayad, or “Old Jeddah”. The area features many buildings over 500 years old and a number of “coral” houses made from coral stones harvested from the Red Sea and built in the 19th century. One of the distinctive features of this area are the wooden doors and elaborate wooden window designs. The area is a mix of buildings still in their original condition and buildings that have been beautifully restored.
One of the main tourist attractions in the newer part of the city is the Jeddah Fountain. It is by far the tallest fountain in the world and reaches a height of over 1000 feet.
AlUla
This place was an amazing combination of ancient history and striking landscapes. The history here goes back over 4000 years and will try to provide a very abbreviated summary.
The walled city of Al-‘Ula was founded in the 6th century BC, an oasis in the desert valley, with fertile soil and plenty of water. It was located along Incense Road, the network of routes that facilitated the trading of spices, silk and other luxury items through the kingdom of ancient Ethiopia, Arabia, Egypt, and India.
AlUla stands on the site of the biblical city of Dedan and was ruled by the Nabateans, an ancient Arab tribe who originally made Petra in Jordan their capital but later had to move it to Hegra in this region after the Romans took over. You may know that Petra is well known today as a treasure of ancient inscriptions and other history. The inscriptions and tombs from these ancient civilizations can be found here inscribed in the vertical sandstone cliffs that dominate the region. Click on the link below if you want more information about this area and the archaeological history here. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/hegra-ancient-city-saudi-arabia-untouched-for-millennia-makes-its-public-debut-180976361/
The area is also an oasis supporting over 4 million palm trees where they grow dates for export. The contrast between the large fields of dark green palm trees and the brown rocky cliffs is striking. Hope you enjoy the pics.
