It was a cold and sandstorm-y yet magical day when we went to this awesome place called Al-Hasa. It is a traditional oasis region in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. The province is located around 60 km inland from the coast of Persian Gulf and used to be the main city of Al-Bahrain that provides most of its agricultural output (Wikipedia.)
This trip of ours was greatly influenced by the posts of The Pink Tarha on their IG and Facebook accounts on Al Hasa that it aroused our inner desires to travel and explore the said province. We were enticed to see the Al Qara Mountains, Judas' Cave (for Filipinos) or commonly known as the "Land of Civilization" today, however, we didn't go to other places that they visited because it didn't interest us that much so we thought of going somewhere else instead.
So, on the day of our departure, we left our humble abode at around 40 mins past 6 in the morning. We hopped in a cab via Uber and head our way to the railway station which took us about 30 mins to get there and we paid 14SR for it for 4 passengers (not bad, right?)
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| the entrance of the station |
When we arrived at the station, we went straight to their First Class Lounge, which was not hard to find. It's just located on your left side once you enter the station. :)
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| relaxed at their lounge |
The lounge was quite small with a few benches and side tables. Here, you can enjoy your breakfast, which you can find on the table near the entrance while waiting for your boarding. They have dates, ghawa, bread, coffee, and tea. Just help yourself with whatever you want. :)
Then, after a few minutes, we started boarding the train. Yey! The process was quite simple - go in the queue where they will check and scan your ticket (Note: No need to print as they can scan it from your phone), have your stuff scanned and yourself checked then pick up your things and go to the train. Be mindful, though, of your train number because you might hop in the wrong car and be seated in the wrong seat. :)
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| off to the train |
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| best way to kill time |
The journey was smooth and quite fast compared to driving it with a car but I still got bored. I didn't know why. Maybe because I can't see much on my window except deserts (but what else will there be, right? haha.) Good thing, I brought with me my book so the almost 2-hour journey passed swiftly.
When we arrived in Al Hasa, we went past the station and waited for our Uber driver to bring us to our hotel. My friends booked a hotel where we were supposed to stay but we had to cancel it because the hotel doesn't have hot water. I, or should I say we, we don't want to struggle taking a shower because of the below zero water. So our Uber driver suggested another hotel, Adem Hotel, and that's where we stayed. The Uber fare was 15SR only.
So after our checked-in and late lunch, we hailed another Uber to bring us to Al Qara Mountain (Uber fare ranged from 25SR -35SR). The drive was a breeze of around 30 mins and when we arrived at the location, we got so excited and took loads of pictures outside before exploring its inside.
Noting our time, we headed to the counter to purchase our tickets to see the inside. We paid 25Sr which was supposedly 30SR. I don't remember why we had that discount but it was nice. :) The guy in the counter instructed us which way to go and where to have our tickets checked and so we did.
We spend around 1.5 hours on the mountain and we looked for the stairs that leads to the caves but we missed it. We didn't know where to go and where or who to ask as there was no staff roaming around the area. It was a struggle and a waste of time to go back to the information center just for that. Anyhow, maybe next time. This will be another reason for me to come back, right?
At around 1430, we were picked up by our guide to Asfar Lake. We drove for about an hour before we reach the jump-off point to the lake. Meanwhile, she told us a lot of stories about her province so we learned a lot from her while we were traversing. Then, while we were on our way, we spotted a number of sceneries including this rock which had gone viral when a local posted it on the net. They've called it "Levitating Rock" because of how the photo was taken that it made an illusion that it was floating in the air.
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| The "Levitating Rock" |
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| why not do ATV's in the sand |
After that long drive, we finally met Naser, our guide/driver to the lake, at the jump-off point. He owned a 4x4 car, which is the car of choice to use in the desert.
The trip to Asfar Lake was like going to a place of nowhere. I mean, tons of desert with no particular roads and road signs. The driver was the only one who knew where we're heading. He didn't even use his GPS and that's awesome.
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| going to a place of nowhere |
We passed deserts with white sand and wild plants growing in it. Loads of it.
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| camels |
We spotted a Bedouin herding his camels. We tried to get closer but the caretaker drove us away because the camels were not really in a good mood. Safety first.
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| hill made of sand and dead camels at its foot |
As we move further, we noticed dead camels at the foot of the "hill" made of sand. Upon our request, our guide allowed us to go out and take photos of our surroundings while he drifted.
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| drifting |
When we were inside his car, we thought we were going ahead to the lake. Surprisingly, he started moving up the hill drifting here and there and got our senses awakened. One of my friends shouted at her heart's content. The experience was amazing. I remembered the good times I had when I did the desert safari in Dubai a few years ago.
When the heart pumping drive was over, we continued our journey to the lake and spotted some awesome sceneries that I thought never existed in this country.
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| am not sure what they are doing but according to Naser this is prohibited |
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| I can see water |
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| wild weeds |
Soon after, we found ourselves near the lake. Yey!!
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| a blissful walk |
We walked around, took photos, and felt the sand in our toes against the cold breeze. We actually acted like cold didn't bother us really. We even dressed up like it's summer time. Oh, the things you do... Haha!
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| stamped |
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| note that I've been here |
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| a wonderful view of the lake.. too bad, the sun was hidden |
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| looks fine but it was eerie, one false move and am dead |
Finally, when the lake exploration was over, we started heading back. The journey took longer than we thought, or maybe it was just us. We asked our guide to drop us at a local souq. We wanted to grab some food to eat, buy water, and roam around for a bit.
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| care to have ghawa, or tea? |
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| wooden crafts |
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| exploring for more |
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| shiny goodies |
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| fierced |
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| beautiful ride but I pity the horse :( |
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| wonderful place to hang out, I wish we had this in Riyadh |
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| best eaten when it's still smoking hot |
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| cheap but delish shawarma |
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| best ending |
And just like that our amazing trip ended. O.O
Oh, well, all in all, the one day trip was fun, awesome and overwhelming. It made me realize a lot of things. I had so much take away in this trip that writing them down here won't be enough. Also, I was grateful to God for giving me this bunch and allowing me to travel with them.
Breakdown of Expenses:
14 SR - Uber from our home to the railway station
200 SR / pax - Train Ride to Hofuf
15 SR - Uber ride from Hofuf Train Station to Adem Hotel
200 SR / 4 pax - overnight stay at the hotel
25 SR - 35SR - Uber to Al Qara Mountain
200 SR / pax - Cost of the Asfar Lake tour
80 SR / 2 pax - Dinner at the souq area
18 SR - Uber ride back to our hotel
9 SR - Uber from hotel to Hofuf train station
55 SR / pax - Train ride back to Riyadh (Economy)
15SR - Uber from Riyadh Train Station to our home
