[Music] The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has
historically been closed to outsiders making it known to some as the "last great forbidden
kingdom". However, through sweeping reforms that encourage foreign investment and tourism, the
country is now inviting independent travelers past its portals. We traveled over 4,000 km
in 90 days. This took us from the Star Wars landscapes in the north, to Al Naslaa rock
(which looks like it was cut with a laser), to Maraya (the largest mirror building in the
world), to Dhe Ain (a spectacular fortress town), to Abha (a city that's situated at 2,300 m in the
misty mountains) and to Riyadh (a truly sprawling City with some nice historic buildings). Before
visiting our entire perception of Saudi Arabia was based on what we had seen in the media,
and frankly, it was never good news. We were actually quite nervous about crossing the border
- what would the Saudi people think of us? All of our worries and concerns were shattered in a
matter of days because it turned out that Saudi Arabia was home to the warmest, kindest, most
hospitable people you will ever meet. They are over-the-top hospitable! Every single day people
invited us to stay with them and eat with them. People gave us tours of their towns and showered
us with far too many gifts. We honestly couldn't believe the privilege we were afforded, we
felt like foreign dignitaries wherever we went. went this isof perfect we love the coffee The difference between our perception of Saudi
people and the reality just goes to show that you cannot judge the citizens of a country based
on the actions of a government. I need to also stress that our impressions of Saudi Arabia and
not government-sponsored - we were 100% free to travel wherever we liked and talk to anyone along
the way. Another surprising thing was that the Saudis were shockingly open people considering
their religious conservatism. Men were always highly respectful of Laura, they addressed her
directly, shook her hand, and invited her to join activities with the men, which is highly unusual
in their culture. Laura and I were almost always treated equally. We met four solo woman travelers
on our journey who each told us they felt warm and welcome in the country too, albeit with a few
awkward interactions along the way. Is it okay to shake a woman traveler's hand? Can you invite
them into your house for tea? Saudi society has historically been segregated between the sexes,
and it still largely is, although this seems to be changing. In recent years, women have been
able to live independently, travel by themselves, drive cars, and work at night. Yes, these should
all be basic rights, but they are also big steps forward in such a conservative culture, and
indicative of a hopeful future to come. Back to the hospitality. Every single day we were
invited to stay in people's homes. Actually, you don't technically stay in their homes as
that's strictly for the family members. Instead, you stay in a special part of the house called a
Majlis. This is a sitting room with low couches and lots of pillows - and some had space for 60
guests! A majlis is often lavishly decorated, full of sweets, and if you're lucky,
it's littered with historic artifacts. wow beautiful wow this is my uh father
and this uh you know belgic yeah okay USA more than 100 years old yeah yeah it's
beautiful do you know what it does it say anything no look here here Arabic his
name yab ah was it is that the person that own y y is God Allah Allah yeah his
name here just this Arabic is all I can't. A highlight was being invited to stay with a 'sheikh' or tribal chief who
gifted me the full Saudi garb. Saudi men usually dress very traditionally,
almost always wearing a 'thobe' (ankle length robe) with a 'ghuttra' (rectangular cotton
headdress) and an agal (to keep the ghuttra in place). A bisht is worn on special occasions
such as weddings or festivals. The Bisht I was gifted during the Eid holiday had exquisite gold
detailing. Women usually wear an abaya with full face coverings in public. It's no longer a legal
requirement for women to keep covered, in fact, the religious police you might have heard
of were disbanded a few years ago. However, being covered is still deeply entrenched in
the culture, and as a result, I saw few women's faces outside of major cities. Laura was able to
converse with women in small towns including elder women with tribal facial tattoos, which was once
common across the region. It was refreshing to meet women in educated specialized job roles.
For example, in the medical or archaeological fields. Women actually make up 60% of all
university students in the country. It's clear that education is highly valued in Saudi
Arabia. The best students even get fully paid scholarships to international universities with
$2,000 per month to cover their living expenses. Many Saudis speak English in cities but when you
get to the small towns you'll need to use Google Translate. The language barrier was never ever in
the way of great hospitality. We sometimes spent days with people in their homes who didn't know
one word in English. Saudi homes are very private. You cannot see inside any house from the outside
as the windows are small and they have reflective finishes. This is primarily due to the segregation
of the sexes but it also helps with the extreme summer temperatures. The houses are ridiculously
big, as Saudi families can be extremely large. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" was
our icebreaker question, and it often resulted in a small laugh as some people have 20 or 30
siblings! The only way to practically make this happen is for men to marry multiple women. We
were told that marriages are usually arranged by the families and that men can legally marry four
women, although that's less common these days. A refreshing thing is that Saudi culture does not
revolve around alcohol for social events. In fact, alcohol is illegal in the country. Instead,
Saudis are obsessed with socializing over tea, coffee, sweets, and sometimes shisha. Cafes
replace bars in this Kingdom and often feel just as fancy. Our favorite Saudi dish
in restaurants was 'Musagaa' but if we had the option we were hunting for South Asian
restaurants. Saudi citizens make up roughly half of the country's population; the other
half is largely experts from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal who work in unskilled jobs
and undoubtedly make the best food. I should also note that whenever we needed groceries they were
always super easy to find because all supermarkets used the same trolley symbol. That's very helpful
when you can't read Arabic. Speaking of good food, picnicking is probably the number one pastime.
Everyone had a rug and tea set in their car. This allowed us to sit and relax in some of the most
picturesque places on Earth including underneath incredible rock formations, and on top of
mountains. The mountains are surprisingly large in Saudi Arabia. The Asir mountains in
the southwest of the country extend for about 600 km between Jeddah and the Yemen border.
There are dozens of towns and cities above 2,000 metres that are intermixed with
fragrant Juniper forests, waterfalls, large reservoirs, and spectacular views. This
was undoubtedly our favorite region to visit. While it was more than 40° C down at the coast, we
were amongst snow and ice in the higher reaches. The highest peak is about 3,000 metres high and we
summited it on our bikes, of course! The mountain climate was a lovely change from the hot and
dry desert areas. It's green in these mountains thanks to jet streams that bring in moisture from
monsoons on the other side of the Indian Ocean. This makes it a great place for baboons to live,
which are far too habituated, and a bit terrifying when they gang up with the stray dogs. The Empty
Quarter is the largest area covered by sand on the planet. It occupies more space than either
France or Texas. Wadi Disah is another natural wonder to visit, as it's a deep valley with palms
and amazing rock formations all around. It's Saudi Arabia's Grand Canyon if you like. Another lovely
place is the Edge of the World near Riyadh with dizzying views into the distance. And don't forget
the rich underwater sites. The Red Sea coral reefs are some of the least spoiled and most spectacular
in the world. In terms of historic sites, they are everywhere. The architecture changes
significantly between historically tribal regions, with unique design features baked into every
building. The oldest large-scale structures at Madain Saleh date back about 2,000 years and are
tombs built by the people responsible for Petra in Jordan. Najran on the border of Yemen has some
truly incredible examples of mud brick fortresses from more recent times. Dhe Ain is one of the
most spectacular historic towns in in the country, built a top a hill deep in the mountains. Rijal
Elmaa is another fascinating place with a truly impressive scale and over 60 stone buildings with
some that are 900 years old. And the mudbrick city of Diriyah is currently receiving a huge revamp to
turn it into the historic tourist site of Riyadh. The VisitSaudi website is an invaluable resource
for finding these attractions with interactive maps that show places of interest all over
the country. But despite recent efforts, the country is not established for tourism just
yet, especially if you're a budget traveler. This means you often need your own transport, and
there are no backpackers or hostels either. Hotel rooms are often $40 to $50 per night but are
usually equipped with kitchens, washing machines, and Lounge areas. The camel-obsessed stereotype
rings true in Saudi Arabia. Camels serve no real commercial purpose which makes keeping them more
of a status symbol than anything. It was always fun to visit camel herds with their proud owners,
as their passion for the animals is palpable. Some camels are also raced - we ended up at an event
with a prize pool of US $20 million. If that isn't your cup of tea, you could always attend a
camel beauty pageant. Driving four-wheel drives through the desert is another Saudi stereotype
that checks out. We spent many days exploring alien desert landscapes. It's especially fun
when you can pick any direction and drive. [Music] We also loved the graphics that
are commonplace on the sides of four-wheel drives. This is an '80s a '90s trend that never
went out of fashion here. In terms of cycling, well, Saudi Arabia is a big old place. It's the
12th largest country by land area. Our favorite sections of our trip were the 700 km from Haql
to AlUla as the desert Landscapes are just so spectacular. And the 600 km section from Missan
to Abha as the mountain landscapes offers such magnificent views. Like any country we've visited,
the mountain people were especially friendly. Given the hot climate, we appreciated that free
drinking water was found absolutely everywhere, often in machines on the side of the road. The
cities were truly horrible places to cycle across, as the traffic moves quickly, the roads
are wide, and there is zero cycling infrastructure. We often had to cross six or
more lanes of traffic which felt death-defying at times. We felt very safe otherwise, and
the country is very low for petty crime. I can't say nothing will happen to you but
I suspect Saudi Arabia is safer than where you're coming from. It's worth noting that the
police can be a bit overprotective in the south when you travel on a bicycle. We had a police
escort for multiple days near the Yemen border, which was simply to ensure our safety. We were
never restricted regarding what we could do or see but we no longer felt independent. Freedom of
the press and speech is restricted in Saudi Arabia especially if it's criticizing the royal
family, so we had to be respectful of that at all times. We were also respectful of the way we
dressed, as anything immodest is generally frowned upon. But ultimately it's the responsibility
of any tourist to follow the customs and laws of the land. I too would expect Saudis to
be respectful of how we live in Australia. So, should you visit Saudi Arabia? Saudi Arabia
has been a mysterious Forbidden Kingdom for a long time and that makes the culture vastly
different from any we've experienced. There were surprises at every turn, and as a result, we
can genuinely say it's one of the best countries we've had the pleasure of traveling. The
country is currently trying to work out how to balance its highly conservative culture
with globalization, new ideas, and tourism, and observing this change is fascinating. We
think that right now is a great time to visit!
