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Writer's pictureGunilla Jensen

Saudi Arabia


We pull into the petrol station and the guy at the pump asks my brother, if he wants to fill the tank? Janick hesitates, he has only got 200 Saudi Riyal (NZ$85) in his wallet. "No, please only up to 200 Riyal" he answers. The guy at the pump doesn't even flinch but punches in 200 Riyal and starts filling our rental car. The pump automatically cuts out at 64 Riyal (NZ$28), when the tank is full. We laugh, as we drive away. What if someone at home asked to put petrol in a standard car for maximum NZ$450/Dkr2000? What sort of planet or future are they from?!



My brother is the most amazing man in the world! When his crazy sister asked him, if he would consider meeting me in Dubai and driving 3200km through Saudi Arabia and into Jordan, he said yes. It is possible to cycle in Saudi Arabia, and I have been following other solo women on social media completing amazing cycling adventures, but the distances are huge and there is nothing but desert for hundreds of kilometres. It would have been a very big challenge for me. I'm very grateful for all Janick's support throughout my journey and for his lovely wife, my nephew and niece and his colleagues, who have had to pick up, while he was away.



If you are a bit of an adventurous spirit and would like to journey through a landscape and a culture that is different from what you know, Saudi Arabia is the place to go. Saudi Arabia opened up to tourism in 2019, so we felt a little like tourist pioneers. We visited a museum in the old city of Deira, and the owner was called for a photo opportunity, because of so few foreign visitors. If the ruins of this old city were in any other country, they would be busy with tourists. Janick and I had it all to ourselves.



I had hoped to see a camel and Bedouins, and I certainly wasn't disappointed.



Things are changing for women in Saudi Arabia: We saw a few women drivers, girlfriends out without male company and quite a few women working in hospitality. Most of the women wear the niqab. I followed the official guidelines and wore long trousers and long sleeves. This said, male or female, all Saudi people were extremely helpful and kind to us.



As non-muslims we are not allowed to visit Mecca, but we could visit Medina. We drove around the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque. One million Muslims can gather there. The world's largest sports stadiums can only have around 100,000 and St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City a mere 60,000 people. This mosque is huge and like the rest of Saudi Arabia, definitely worth a visit!

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