Saudi Arabia > The Flight to Abha

I rearrange my luggage for the flight to Abha. All liquids, such as sunscreen, go into the main baggage. During breakfast, we finish the last bits of food. We also have a boiled egg. Whatever we can’t take with us, we leave behind. We load the luggage into the car for the last time and drive to the Yelo car rental branch. They already recognize us from our visit two days ago. The car is quickly checked. Everything is in order. The deposit will be returned to us in a few weeks if it turns out no speeding violations were committed. A cash amount of almost 700 SAR (about 180 euros) is counted out to us. It’s unclear why. “You had already paid off all damages and you didn’t cause any new damage. So you get the paid amount back.” This reasoning escapes us, but we don’t mind. A van is waiting outside. Our luggage is loaded, and a rental company employee drives us to the airport in twenty minutes. At Al‘Ula international airport, it is quiet. Only one flight to Riyadh is scheduled. There we will transfer to a connecting flight. We can check in immediately. The luggage is labeled to Abha. In the waiting area, we meet several familiar faces whom we also saw during excursions. An Australian here for work tells us that in winter months Al‘Ula is much busier. Around 11:30 we can board the plane. We have seats in row thirty. We are directed to the front stairs. When I enter the plane, row thirty seems quite far back, but it isn’t. Rows 1 to 3 are business class. Economy class starts right after at row thirty. No idea why. So we are practically at the front. Right on time, flight SV 1575 takes off toward Riyadh for a flight of one hour and twenty minutes. During the flight, we are offered a drink and a muffin. In Riyadh, we have a tight connection. Luckily, we land on time. Our next flight departs from gate 507A. We arrive well in advance. The plane hasn’t even arrived yet. This gives us time to walk through the departure hall and maybe exchange some money. That doesn’t work out.

Saudi Arabia - The shadow of the plane during landing

Our second flight also departs exactly on time. The plane makes a turn and flies directly over Riyadh. We see the city’s skyscrapers beneath us. Then we continue flying over the desert. This flight also lasts one hour and twenty minutes. As we near our destination, the landscape becomes more rugged. A mountainous landscape lies beneath us. Abha is located in the mountains at an altitude of 2,200 meters. This gives the city a much more pleasant climate during the hot summer. In winter, it can be cold here. Abha lies close to the border with Yemen. Due to the civil war in Yemen and Saudi Arabia’s involvement, the border area can be shelled from Yemen. The city of Abha itself lies out of range. It is advised not to get too close to the border. At the airport, we can exchange money. We have to wait a bit because the safe is just being replenished. We exchange two hundred euros. Because of the amount we get back from the car rental, we need less money. With the exchanged money, we expect to make it to the end of our trip. The Yelo car rental office is just outside the arrivals building. The employee looks a bit puzzled at our booking, probably because our confirmation is in English. When his colleague arrives, they find the registration in the computer. A van takes us to the parking lot a few hundred meters away. The red Changan is ready. The car has more damage than the nearly brand-new car we returned this morning. All damage is already recorded and photos have been taken. This feels good. Shortly after, we merge into traffic heading toward Abha’s center. Why were we given a bright red car? Nobody else drives a red car here. Almost all cars in Saudi Arabia are white. On the way to the hotel, it is clear that Abha lies in the mountains. There are significant height differences even in the city. The parking lot at the hotel is empty. Could there be more guests? At reception, we receive two keys. “Go check which apartment you prefer,” the receptionist says cheerfully. We prefer room 303, although it is right next to the mosque. The receptionist had already guessed from the cameras in the hallway that we were going for this room. Outside it is dark by now. We look for some groceries for at least breakfast tomorrow morning. The nearest place according to Google doesn’t exist. On the way to an alternative, we see a small shop in a side street. The owner is from Bangladesh, he says enthusiastically when we enter. He’d also like to come to the Netherlands, he laughs.

Saudi Arabia - In the special family restaurant we dine in private rooms

In his shop, we find enough for tomorrow morning. Outside, a woman asks for money. Children also cling to us. This is the first time anyone has asked for money or food. Next to the supermarket is a restaurant. We walk there in the evening. There is a restaurant section and a special family section. The restaurant is usually only for male visitors. We choose the family entrance. The boy at the entrance gives us a ticket with ‘20’ on it. Inside are small rooms with brick walls up to 1.80 meters high. When we open the door of room twenty, we see a small space with a table and four chairs. It looks a bit odd. We can download the menu. Because we don’t have WiFi, one of the staff opens his hotspot. We choose three dishes again. Since the menu is also in English, this goes a lot easier.