Hofuf: Highlights and Adventures

I loved taking my school children on camp in New Zealand. The bus would drop us at the Governor’s Bay hills just outside Christchurch, and we’d follow a track downhill to our campsite.  We’d have a busy two days and then, before returning, I'd ask the children to reflect on their time away. They had to complete a list of defining moments. These were experiences that crossed a range of emotions - the scariest, the most amusing, even the most delicious.  They were always good to read and, when shared back at school, would make us all smile as we relived some of our experiences.

I’ve just spent two days with some friends on a farm a little way out of Hofuf. Like my children at camp, we covered a lot of ground in two days. Among other things, we visited an old fort, a souk, a museum, a cultural centre, a traditional pottery and the Hofuf caves.  

KIng Abdulaziz Arabian Horse Centre

I’m only exaggerating slightly when I say that I barely know one end of a horse from the other. The real truth is I’ve never been especially fond of animals and, unlike many of my friends, I never ever went through the “I want a horse more than anything else in the world” stage.

However, a few weeks ago I was invited to the King Abdulaziz Arabian Horse Centre at Dirab, and I said yes.  You see if there’s one thing I’ve learned living in Saudi, it's that you grab any opportunity with both hands. So if that means scrabbling up rocks at The Edge of the World one weekend, or seeing Arabian stallions another, I’m there.

Edge of the World - Another Riyadh Desert Adventure

The temperatures last Saturday were perfect for visiting the Edge of the World. But this week each day’s been hotter than the one before, so I suspect we had the last of the mild weather. It will soon be too hot to even venture outdoors.

Prague - Bridges, Buildings and Back Streets

In Riyadh, it’s the call to prayer that wakes me each morning at about 4.00. It’s disconcertingly loud and comes from a tall minaret only a dozen or so steps away from our villa. But last week in Prague, it was the chimes of the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square that were a much gentler wake up. 

Al Nahda and The Art of Heritage: Empowering Women

It doesn't take long when you arrive in Riyadh, before you are totally over malls and shopping. However when you start looking around, you soon realise there's not an awful lot else here for women to do, especially in the hot summer months. I wrote earlier about looking for alternatives and visiting the King Abdulaziz Library. It was not exactly what you'd call a roaring success. 

So when I heard about the Art of Heritage Organisation and the Al Nahda Center, I was immediately curious. All I really knew was what was written on a flyer I'd been given some years ago. It described the Centre as "a workshop where disadvantaged Saudi ladies make beautiful handicrafts. This is where the gorgeous Bedouin jewelled bowls and date pots are made."