As planned, started out for for the border at 4 AM. By the Millenium Hotel there was a bad car crash with a dead man in a tobe lying next to the vehicle. What a final memory!!
I looked forward to journey out of Qatar with excitement. Even the lady on the SatNav seemed happier than usual. Reached the border at 5.15 AM and everything was running smooth. Regardless of the fact I knew all paper work was in order I was still jumpy that one small thing overlooked could put the whole trip at risk. I cleared the Qatar side and, after the usual problems with scanning my fingerprints on the left hand, got away at 6.
The roads were empty and I anticipated a good run to Riyadh. Famous last words!! Thick fog descended after 30 KM and visibility dropped to 50 metres. I figured it would clear soon, but it was around until 100 KM before Riyadh when the sun got up and starting burning it up. The fog makes the journey even more monotonous and I started to struggle to stay awake. I needed coffee, but every time I stopped for petrol, the coffee booth was closed. I had to find another way to stay awake until I could get a caffeine fix. I started singing with the IPod. My rendition of Nessun Dorma with Pavorotti, Poker Face with Lady Gaga and Three Lions with the Lightning Seeds soon had the adrenalin flowing and sleepiness dispelled.
I reached Riyadh by 11 and changed on to Highway 40 to Makkah. Here the scenery changes to a few more hills and is slightly more interesting than the route to Riyadh. Makkah is 900 KM from Riyadh and I need to cover 750 of them before dark. There is still no sign of an open coffee booth and by mid-afternoon I am struggling again to stay awake. The Ipod comes to the rescue again. Pavrotti would turn in his grave!! 280 KM from Makkah and the sky is black in the distance. This doesn’t look good as I guess from the SatNav that it is over the area where I will be camping. Sure enough, I make the turn from the highway and I need the wipers on full to deal with the downpour. I figure that the worse case scenario will be to sleep in the car at the Wabha Crater. 10KM in the road has been washed away and there are small rivers growing as I watch. It is way too early in the trip to risk losing the car, so I turn back to Highway 40.
I am tired, annoyed and in the middle of a bad thunderstorm. I figure there must be hotel rooms available in Makkah ( or even a cup of coffee ). I crack on to Makkah and the storm seems to be getting worse. The adrenalin rush from driving through the storm kills any tiredness I am feeling and I decide that Jeddah would be a better option. Charlie, my imaginary friend, disagrees and wants to go back to Qatar. He is getting on my nerves insisting that Harry Potter is a real person and that the Beetles “White Album” was written by Aliens. After driving around the Makkeh equivalent of Spaghetti Junction for an hour, I finally get on the Jeddah road. This turns out to be the highlight of the day. The road descends down cliffs with scores of hairpin bends. It is a real challenge to keep the car under control. The speed limit is 70. This limit must only apply to foreigners as the Saudis hurtle down at speeds of 100 - 150. I see at least 3 hit the barriers and leave debris all over the road. These include cars containing women and children. At the bottom it is 66 KM to Jeddah which is all highway.
Jeddah resembles Death Race 2000. I see 2 accidents and at least 3 near misses. I decide to check into the first hotel I find and see the Madina Palace Hotel on the horizon. 20 minutes later I am checked in at 8 PM. The speedo in the car shows that the journey was 1597 KM (That’s a 1000 mile in old money). It was a 16 Hour drive. I eat a club sandwich in the restaurant before heading to the room. I am out cold before the concierge can deliver the bag. I never did get that cup of coffee.
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