The Long Way Home...
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
1
8
Trip End
Oct 27, 2006
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Friday, October 27, 2006
So we waited, until finally at 9 the Saudis opened the border (and we thought it was a 24 hour crossing). After paying more Jordanian dinars to get out of Jordan we paid some Saudi Riyals to get back into Saudi and had our vehicle contents inspected in the bargain. They didn't even open up anything, but we pulled it all out and put it on the table next to the Trooper so they could see we were honest. What WAS really interesting was that there was a special room for the ladies! Yes, ladies received special treatmet. This consisted of a Saudi lady who waited in the room. Ladies were issued a piece of paper (certificaiton of sex, maybe?) and were directed to this room. Inside, the lady had Dawn and Marisa (and earlier Ann and Jesse) stand, then grabbed their breasts and gave them a good feel! LOL I guess they were checking to see if the girls in abayas really WERE girls. Too funny!
Than it was off down the highway with a stop for a snack under an overpass (in the shade) and on again. What was interesting was that up on the hillside were these signs in white rock (like you would see in BC) with swords and words. I found out later they were the start of the Qurun (there is no God but Allah and Mohammed (pbuh - Priase Be Unto Him) is his prophet). We saw a couple of these and then were into an area exactly like Wadi Rum. The Bedouin guide was right!
Finally we came to Tabuk, got our bearings, and headed south toward Madinah. It was a long drive. We stopped at a restaurant run by an Afghani and had chicken, then drove on. It began to rain. Wow - rain! We found a hotel in a small town, but there were cockroaches. James and the ladies elected to stay, but we, brave souls, detesting cockroaches the way we do, opted to drive on and look for something around Medinah airport.
Madinah itself is the second holiest city in Islam, hence in Saudi Arabia, Mecca (or Makkah, as it is called locally) being the first. Non-Muslims are not allowed within 10 kilometers of the city and there is a ring road around it known as the "Christian bypass". We took this, did not find any sign of a hotel, and drove through the night to Riyadh, pausing for gas and a couple of naps,. We arrived safely back around 7 am and went to sleep for five or six hours. Thus ended our trip. James and the ladies returned that night.
Overall, our trip to Jordan was great. We got to see the country close up, go where we wanted to go, see what we wanted to see, without the hassle of a prepackaged tour. Along the way we met up with some wonderful people, had some wonderful adventures, and got a slew of memorable photos. All in all, I would recommend Jordan as a tourist destination. However, next time we fly and rent a car in Amman. No more 17 hour + drives for us!
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