Day 306. 71km (69938kms)
After all the trouble folk went to for me when I camped at a Qatari servo, I’d chosen a mosque at which to sleep. Instead I emerged from the prayer room to find a traffic policeman had seemingly spent the night in his patrol car as I slept comfortably inside. He even generously invited me to his family’s house, which was regrettably in the wrong direction. So he waved me off into the hands of a police car waiting for me on the highway.
If anything the wind was slightly behind me today so the going was easy. I was glad of my security car for the 100m during which the shoulder was sand-covered, but otherwise I found it unnecessary. Saudi Arabia is amongst the safest places I’ve ever travelled; 24hr security is absolutely overkill.
After giving my cycling and camping plans to the road captain I was given the go-ahead for the remaining 20kms. Yet infuriatingly on turning off the highway not 10kms later I was stopped by new security detail and told to wait. While phone calls were made a friendly group of Saudi tourers showed up who took videos with me and handed over gifts of fruit, chocolate, and sports drinks. At last I was let go, only to be stopped again just a couple of kilometres later. I was losing patience now; “The road is dirt”, “it’s too cold to camp”, I negotiated my way on. 6kms later at the end of a compacted and ridable sand road was Muriel, an Italian tourer I’d been in contact with for some time. My security car still with me (why?!?!?) we now both had to give our passports for checking and photographing again, and after much assurance that we would be fine, were finally and reluctantly let alone by the well-meaning traffic police.
Earlier in the afternoon Muriel had been invited to dinner by a group of young Saudi men who duly returned to collect us just before sunset. After bouncing through the dunes for a bit we arrived in a sheltered alcove in the cliff where the men were practicing archery and preparing coffee. Later we feasted on succulent camel-meat and spent the evening covering the usual questions to cyclists; “how many kilograms?”, “how many kilometres” and the usual questions to Saudis; “how many wives to you all have?” (one) did any of you ever drink alcohol?” (no). I for one had a fantastically enjoyable and informative evening, one which had I not been with Muriel, I would probably not have experienced.
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