Crossing Saudi stage 2 week 5 and what a week it has been. I am blogging and podcasting on alternate weeks and last week in the podcast we left on a cliffhanger as Lulu and Juicy were lifted into a truck by a crane and driven to a farm for three days and nights of rest and rehabilitation.

Three-legged Lulu

We had noticed that Lulu was standing only on three legs when she was resting and was keeping her right back leg off the ground. We didn’t want to push her and so, with a difficult stony section ahead, we found her and Juicy somewhere to stay.

So many thoughts jostled through my mind as she left. ‘Will she be ok?’ ‘What will we do if she isn’t?’ ‘What would that mean for my journey?’ And hovering over all of them the big question of what will happen to Juicy and Lulu after this trip. 

In the midst of this, an honoured guest arrived, Sheila Russell, a Saudi-based heritage photographer and filmmaker who absolutely loves the country and has explored all through it. ‘Have you had a good day?’ she asked innocently as we met with Arabic coffee by the campfire. ‘No, it was awful,’ I had to reply a bit pathetically.

She walked with us the next day (21.6km) and shared some of her expert knowledge. I wish I had known on stage 1 that the pilgrims all buried their gold and valuables along the route to dig up and use to finance the return journey. No wonder there were so many treasure-hunting holes around the Ottoman forts and way stations.

Derb Al Fil – Elephant Road

Then, it was our rest day so we drove up to one of the historical highlights of this route, Elephant Road. In the middle of the volcanic harra with its brutal black stones we found a perfectly-paved road. 

History has it that the Christian king Abraha marched along it with his army of elephants from what is now Yemen to destroy Mecca. He wanted the lucrative pilgrimage trade and the Kaaba in Mecca was a rival. What happened? In the Quran it says that God sent a giant flock of birds armed with sharp stones. They fired them down on the elephants and his army was defeated. Khalid also made some salient points about it being a route for the frankincense trade. 

We had a different use for it, though. Sheila brewed us the most perfect cup of Italian coffee with her very nifty travelling barista setup balanced on the flat stones.

I slept badly that night and walked anxiously as I didn’t know how Lulu was. She arrived at camp with Abu Ahmed shortly after we got in. What a relief. No limping and she looked fat and full of beans. Alan and I had been saving orange segments and biscuits and the girls accepted them as their due from us camel servants.

Entering Aseer

As I post this we have just entered the province of Aseer. This is one the areas I have been looking forward to the most. Remote and mountainous with lots of local craft and artistry It’s the place where famously men dance with flowers in their hair. Intrepid Travel has just launched a new adventure trip there. Looks amazing – check it out here.

If you enjoyed reading Crossing Saudi stage 2 week 5, there are more pictures on Instagram, information on Saudi here and do check out my books.