Saudi Arabia > Back to the Netherlands

When the alarm goes off, the call to prayer from the mosque starts at exactly the same time. It is five o’clock in the morning. I take a shower and pack the last of my things. At half past five, we take the elevator down to the ground floor. The receptionist is just praying. We leave the keys on the counter. It takes twenty minutes to drive to the airport. It is still dark. At the airport, signs point to the ‘CAR rental return.’ We follow the signs. However, not every intersection has directions. It seems we missed a turn. We turn back and follow the signs again via a different route. This time we do reach the parking garage. The car is checked quickly. Everything is fine. For the paperwork, we have to go to the office where we rented the car on Friday. Here some confusion arises about the payment. We thought we had already paid. With a hotspot connection from the employee, we check the bank details. The payment was for the previous rental car. It turns out we had not paid yet. We settle 595 riyals. The car rental office is near the arrivals area. We walk to the departure hall. We check in, pass through customs, and have our hand luggage scanned. For international flights, we have to go to the other terminal building. An unmanned train runs back and forth. In the international departure hall, we look for coffee. Downstairs there are mostly shops. On the first floor, there are restaurants. There is plenty of food, but no coffee. Asking at the information desk leads us to the coffee corner.

Saudi Arabia - We are on our way back home again

Here we spend the last of our cash. The rest we pay with a credit card. At eight o’clock, boarding begins for flight SV 215 to Amsterdam. It takes a moment to get used to hearing Dutch again around us. The plane leaves the gate exactly on time. On board, eye masks, earplugs, and extra socks are handed out. We also receive a hygiene kit with special Saudi face masks. An extensive service. I close my eyes for a while. After the meal, I watch a movie. Meanwhile, we fly toward the Netherlands. Around one o’clock Dutch time, the Netherlands appears below us. The Flevopolders are clearly visible. Half an hour later, we land at Schiphol Airport. At customs, there is a long queue for passport control. Fortunately, the self-scan gates open, which speeds up the process. The luggage, however, is not yet there. This takes another twenty minutes for sure. Just after half past two, we get into a taxi and drive home after a wonderfully beautiful trip.