Saudi Arabia

The Crater near Taif

On the edge of the 7,000 foot

escarpment at Bani Saad

Saudi Arabia is one of the best kept secrets in the world. The sky is always blue, it is never too cold and the countryside is so vast and different that there are many camping opportunities. There is plenty of desert to travel, but as well there are mountains nearly 3000 metres (10,000 feet) high to test anyone's driving ability.

The shopping is as good and as cheap as you will find anywhere in the world and restaurants abound with food from every part of the world. You can shop at the 1 Riyal (50 cents) store or go to some of the most expensive jewellery and gold stores imaginable. Eating likewise covers a broad band from KFC to the highest standard international hotel.

We used to spend much of our time shopping and eating, but when the weekend came around we took every opportunity to go camping either in the desert or the mountains. Because there are no local radio stations broadcasting in English, most cars have short wave radios installed as standard. Needless to say BBC was very popular and a must on the hour to pick up the latest news. Click here for BBC News or here for Jo and the BBC. Here are some of our campsites.

Our regular camp at Arabian Homes where we lived.

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	More pictures taken along the Hijaz Railway. Some beautifully constructed bridges and railway stations at many locations along the track. Also some sand dunes that have well and truly covered the old track. Click here to hear Harry's interview on ABC666
The pictures left and above are taken at Madain Salah. Madain Salah is Saudi Arabia's site of Nabataean civilisation, similar to Petra in Jordan.	Sometimes our camp sites already had locals present. Usually the locals were very hospitable and wanted us to share their food and customs.
In the Red Sea, some of the best coral reefs in the world Getting close to the border with Iraq	On the freeways, some of the most amusing sights In the deserts, a friendly Bedouin