Picnic in the Desert
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Category: Travel and Places
Ahhhh…..there’s nothing like being a Beudion for an evening and experiencing a traditional picnic in the desert! Riyadh had been going through a rainy period complete with cloudy skies, thunder, lightening and rain. As a result, once the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared, the temperature was just right and both the air and the scenery was fresh and pristine. In conditions such as these, most families are naturally drawn to the desert. So, some of Abdullah’s family members and myself loaded ourselves up into an SUV and headed North out of Riyadh. Within 20 minutes we were out of the city limits with the vast and lush desert on either side of the highway. We continued to drive for about another 20 minutes before veering off of the highway and onto the desert itself, naturally putting the SUV into 4 wheel drive. While Saudi Arabia has some extensive and quite vertical sand dunes, the area where we chose to go offroad was relatively flat with occasional small sand dunes. We chose to proceed into the desert at our own leisurely pace looking for that perfect spot to set up our desert camp for a few hours of relaxation and enjoyment. We were far from alone; there were numerous families and groups of friends doing exactly the same. We found an ideal spot that was still relatively private although we could see other families who had set up their own spots at a discreet and private distance away. After parking the SUV we began to unload and set up camp. We chose a very simple picnic with a large colorful blanket on the ground atop the sand. A member of our party was an expert at getting a fire started because we all knew once the sun started to go down it gets cold quickly in the desert. Additionally we knew we would want to enjoy some traditional saudi chi (tea) and kawa (coffee) made over our fire. It was a pleasure to sit on the blanket and enjoy the companionship of family. However to our surprise while we were sitting on our blanket, thunder rumbled in the distance and soon thereafter it began to rain large gentle drops. Fortunately the rain lasted only 15 minutes and because it is quite unusual to actually be in the desert and have rain come down, the family laughingly and happily held their hands up as if to catch and savor the drops. The children, being typical children, put out their tongues to catch drops as they fell! The rain and setting sun made the temperature drop significantly and it was with great pleasure we all drank our hot drinks. Chi and Kawa had never tasted better fresh and hot from th roasting fire. While we sipped our drinks we enjoyed watching youngsters who were testing their navigational skills atop ATV (all terrain vehicles) and driving up and down the small sand dunes. I was told that if we had our picnic during a weekend day instead of a week day we would have been lucky to have found a place to park our car as picnics in the desert are a very favorite pasttime for Riyadh families at this time of year.On an aside, I found it interesting that instead of using charcoal starter to ignite a fire, the Saudi way is to sprinkle packets of this white substance that looks like salt but instead starts a fire quickly and without fumes or nasty smells. And of course, instead of charcoal, desert fires are wood burning fires with the pieces of wood stacked up to resemble a pyramid. Some families choose to actually set up a tent beside their desert camp which not only protects them in the event of rain but also offers privacy.The children enjoy tossing off their shoes and running around in the sand. They bring their buckets and make sand castles and enjoy writing in the sand just like American children enjoy playing in the sand at the beach.11:57 AM - 0 Comments – 0 Kudos – Add Comment – Edit - Remove
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | culture, customs, desert, Saudi Arabia
