Asia

[Visited: November 2022]

On our drive from Jazan towards Najran, we meet a young guy at the supermarket where we buy supplies for our upcoming hike of Wadi Lajab. He invites us to the hip café he has started just months before. Even though we don't have time, we feel we cannot refuse. His enthusiasm and hospitality are just too strong. He serves us Arabic coffee with delicious dates, takes pictures and videos, and talks about the money he has to save for his wedding. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts, wish him good luck with his enterprise, and continue our ride east. We gradually gain altitude, in a dry landscape of jagged mountains. Cutting through the massif are valleys and canyons, and when we reach the entrance of Wadi Lajab, we drive our mediocre car a little bit into the canyon. Not knowing what lies ahead, we decide to park under a tree on the side. Steep cliffs rise sharply from the narrow valley floor. We follow the track that runs through the meandering canyon. Beyond every curve, we see new rocks, new cliffs, new trees. Meanwhile, we hear birds singing in trees high above us. The acoustic is great: we can easily talk to each other while we are not walking next to each other.
Then, unexpectedly, we reach a fork in Wadi Lajab. A smart man has parked his car here, from which he sells snacks and drinks. He is one of the so-called flower men: his head is crowned by colourful flowers tied together. He gladly has his pictures taken. When asked which direction to continue, he says that both sides are good. We start with the first one, and continue straight. We climb boulders, search for a way forward through bushes, walk through the wreck of a car (how did this come here? what happened to those inside?). We see tiny waterfalls, pools of crystal clear water in which small fish are swimming. We also see incredibly long roots of trees much higher up, frantically searching for water and nutrients on the vertical drop of rocks. We wade through water, climb over a big boulder - and then, the wadi opens up. We can look ahead, see deeper pools, and decide this is a good turn-around point. But before we start on our way back, we cannot resist to dip into one of the pools. The water is surprisingly cold. Little fish are nibbling at our feet and lower legs. Suddenly, someone appears at the top of the waterfall: we have seen very few people in the canyon and thought we had the place to ourselves. Judging from the amount of trash we see here, we know that many others must have been here before us. Always this wonder: how can someone come to pristine nature and leave behind rubbish?
We have cooled down and hike back to the fork of Wadi Lajab. We make a right turn, and walk past a few 4WDs parked in the stream of water. Men are having a barbecue, others are also on their way into the canyon. We realise that my travel companion is the only female in the wadi. This branch clearly is a different experience. There are also pools, there are thick tree trunks, boulders to climb - but the presence and sound of others gives it a different feel. Their voices are amplified by the rocks on the side, taking some of the nature experience away. When we reach a particularly high boulder where a ladder is attached, we calculate that we have to return. We see a bunch of baboons chasing food at the fork, buy a drink from our friend, and walk the wadi back to our car. We will now chase the flower men according to the directions given by the guy who sold us a drink. We drive up to Jebel Asouad. Suddenly, we find ourselves in clouds swirling around the mountains, terraces carved out from dramatic mountain slopes, houses clinging to the sides. We see flower men - but only in passing cars. Then, we are invited into a home - and split. I find myself in a large room where men are sitting on the floor, frantically pulling leaves from branches and stuffing them into their mouth. Qat. I have seen and tried it in Yemen, Djibouti and Somalia. Here, only flower men are allowed to grow and eat qat. I get my own branches, try it again, and don't feel any effect again. By the time we leave, it is too late to drive to Najran now: we sleep at altitude. As a bonus, we wake up to a beautiful sunrise view. We explore the area some more and enjoy the spectacular views before we finally head further east.

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Wadi Lajab (Saudi Arabia)

Wadi Lajab > Saudi Arabia > Asia

[Visited: November 2022]

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