Saudi Arabia > We Got Hit ...

Today we are going on a round trip through the Asir mountain region, south of Abha and near the border with Yemen. Halfway through, we reach Wadi Lajb. We drive to the wadi via one side and return via the other. We expect to spend the entire day on this. Just to be safe, we fill the car’s tank completely again. At the first gas station, the attendant signals that they are out of fuel. A few kilometers further, we manage to refuel. As soon as we leave the city, the highway descends into the valley. We descend quickly, and the outside temperature rises from less than 20 degrees in Abha to 29 degrees down in the valley. The two-lane road runs beautifully through the mountains. What a difference compared to the rest of the country. Traffic drives impatiently. Despite the double solid line between the two lanes, many drivers overtake. The other cars move slightly to the side. When both sides attempt such an overtaking maneuver simultaneously, things go wrong. The car overtaking us has to steer right to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming car. In doing so, it just hits our left front side with its rear. A loud crash follows. We stop by the roadside. The driver’s door no longer opens. We get out from the other side. The driver apologizes and says the oncoming vehicle came too far into his lane. Fortunately, the driver speaks good English. He immediately suggests calling the traffic police. Meanwhile, we try to find out from the rental papers what to do in case of an accident. After half an hour, the police arrive. The officer takes photos of the damage on both cars and checks IDs. We think we understand that he also calls our car rental company. He writes his phone number on our papers and advises us to visit the rental office. He signals there is an electronic file and no form is needed. We turn the car around and drive the 35 kilometers back to Abha. We pay extra attention to overtaking cars. Even if there are temporarily two lanes going uphill, it is no guarantee that no oncoming traffic will come. At the airport, everyone keeps asking for the police report. We don’t have one. The employee says our all-inclusive insurance only applies with such a report. We get nowhere. We drive to the office near the arrivals hall. We double-park the car briefly. Soon, a tow truck appears. Quickly, we drive the car to the paid parking lot.

Saudi Arabia - The twolane road where we were hit by an overtaker

At the rental office, it turns out the number is not the police’s phone number but the case number. The employee calls the officer. It appears the other party accepted responsibility and is fully insured. Everything seems arranged, and tomorrow we can return the car without problems. Hopefully, this won’t cause new uncertainties. Due to the delay, we can no longer make our planned tour to Wadi Lajb. At the end of our planned round trip, we intended to visit two villages near Abha. We decide to drive there directly. The village of Al Yanfa still has a relatively large district with old traditional mud houses. We walk among the old, dilapidated houses. In the covered narrow streets, we sometimes have to stoop. The houses are built against a mountain slope, causing the covered streets sometimes to pass underneath the houses above. This must have been a lively neighborhood in the past. Some houses have open doors. Often, it is nothing more than an empty mud room. We end up at the mosque. The mud minaret rises above the neighborhood. The mosque seems still in use. At the edge of the district, some historic houses are still inhabited. Others are being renovated. We drive on to Habala, a recreational area on top of a steep cliff. The hanging village of Al Habala is built against a mountainside. The village in the deep valley is only accessible by cable car during the season. Due to the high elevation around Abha and the resulting lower temperature, the season runs from April to September. In October, most attractions are closed. The season around Abha runs exactly opposite to the rest of Saudi Arabia. The complex is indeed closed. From the viewpoint, we see the deep valley. The village of Al Habala clings to the slope. We do not see the cable car—probably the cabins have been removed. It could also be that the cable car has not been operational for years. Anything is possible in Saudi Arabia. At the viewpoint, a fence is covered with cloths.

Saudi Arabia - The architecture of the houses so characteristic of southern Saudi Arabia

Peeking through the holes, we suspect this is a military base. There is a civil war in neighboring Yemen, and the border area is sometimes involved. An Indian family stops next to us. They work in Jeddah and are now taking a ride with grandparents and their children. We take some photos of each other. We ask them about the cable car. They point out another cable car on the other side of Abha. Since today we saw the sights in and around Abha, we decide to drive there. The chance the cable car is open is small. The cable car is indeed on the route from yesterday. We must have practically passed it. We drive past the airport, through the city, and into the mountains on the other side. The views left and right remain stunning. This alone makes the trip worthwhile. The cable car is indeed closed. Nearby, there should be an old bridge. The road to it is blocked by concrete blocks. We park by a small covered market hall. We look at the stalls with all kinds of trinkets. Because the road to the bridge is closed, we walk there. Even before we reach the side road, a megaphone sounds. Where does the sound come from? A security vehicle drives up and stops by us. “Closed, closed,” the man says with a matching gesture. We turn around. We drive back to Abha.

Saudi Arabia - The Abu Sarrah Historical Palaces in the Abha area

We go for a drink in the center. On the way, we pass a large sign referring to the ‘Abu Sarrah Historical Palaces.’ We take a chance and follow the sign. We descend steeply via a mountain road. In the valley below, we see old traditional buildings. These turn out to be the Abu Sarrah palaces. The buildings date from 1836. We can only view the palaces from the outside. A restaurant employee says they were recently restored and will open in five months—probably closed during the winter season. We decide to have a drink here on the terrace instead of in Abha’s center. A nice location where local Saudis also come to drink. At the end of the afternoon, we drive back to the hotel. On the way, we do some shopping for tomorrow morning. We don’t buy too much because tomorrow we fly to Jeddah.