Al Wajh; A Magical Surprise On The Red Sea.

Before our road trip, I hadn't done any traveling for a very very long time. Yes, in the last few years we moved to Saudi Arabia (twice) but moving to live and work although exciting, is a different kind of adventure altogether. In 2016 We went on a family holiday to Oman. It was amazing, don't get me wrong but we stayed in the beautiful Shangri La hotel in Muscat with two small kids and our fun then centered around the lazy rapids and restaurants in the resort. In fact, the only city sightseeing we managed to do was from a boat going along the coast at the promise of spotting Dolphins and getting ice cream at the end and that was just for my husband. In 2013 we left our Firstborn baby with my Mum and went to Marrakesh for the weekend. That was a lovely trip; I can still smell the mixture of coal and orange blossom from when we got lost in the souks around Jma Al Fna square. I remember my husband's face when we first arrived as we passed all of the nice hotels and got dropped off in some alley in the middle of a herd of goats with no idea how to find our Riad. I knew then that motherhood had not taken from me the love of adventure and also that my husband was going to need some training in this area if I were to ever truly travel again!

This is why I was so excited about our latest adventure. I think the difference between travel as opposed to a holiday or moving is that you don't really know what to expect. Travel is flexible, you might book a hotel or have an itinerary but it's really just a guide, you always leave room to go where the day takes you. In true travel, you always end up finding little gems along the way. Places that you may be planned to just pass through but end up not being able to leave or places that charm you so much that you know you have to return one day. When I was backpacking in my 20's I was traveling through Kerela and I thought I would stop off for the night in a place called Varkala, I heard it was nice but I didn't expect much. That night I visited the cliff top, I was expecting to just have dinner. To cut a long story short, I spent two weeks on that clifftop, and for a place I was supposed to just pass through, Varkala made up such a huge part of my memories from my Kerela travels.

I'm not going to say that Al Wajh was anything like my experience of Varkala Clifftop and as a fully-fledged grown-up with (my husband's) work commitments and (kids) School I certainly didn't stay for two weeks but I could have stayed quite a bit longer. Considering we had come from the majestic Al Ula and the otherworldly Wadi Disah in the previous days, you wouldn't think a little town on the Red Sea that few had heard of would get much of a look in. Indeed, we only visited at all because it was the closest place in the right direction away from Wadi Disah with hotels and we had no expectations of it except that it was a place to get some sleep for the night.

Even as we approached Al Wajh and could see the Red Sea, I could see the twinkle of the place. Granted, it was lovely to be back by the sea again as Eastern Province dwellers we were missing it but this place was something else. We drove along the whole seafront passing well-kept Palm trees and flower beds alongside the stunning ocean that was sparkling under a sun that wanted to set. Every so often there was a kid's play area, and another, and another, but no people, it was so, so quiet, very unlike the play areas at Khobar Corniche. On most of the roundabouts were artworks of kid-friendly objects such as boats and rockets and jugs. Colorful walls in pastel colors lined the neatly paved pathways and we passed some pretty Mosques, my favorite was a pink one.

We checked into the Mas Al Wajh Hotel which is overlooking the sea. It was pretty unremarkable but it was clean and had everything we needed and the beds were comfy too. The staff were so friendly and tried extra hard to accommodate us since our Arabic is shocking. Lucky for us they had a lady who worked there who spoke English. Not so lucky for her though as they kept putting us through to her any time we had to ask reception a question or make an order.

We ordered food when we arrived and it was fast and good. We hadn't expected t go out but it felt so safe and welcoming, we just couldn't resist taking a walk to watch the sunset over the Red Sea. It was New Year's Eve so it felt very poignant to watch the sunset into 2021. My kids had never seen a sunset before and I couldn't help but wonder why not since they were absolutely mesmerized. Our road trip had been a trip of many firsts but I think this was the most wonderful. My son wanted to know if it was called the Red sea because it turned red when the sunsets. When I explained that all sunsets are this color his 9-year-old mind was blown. I loved that he was so in awe of this beautiful moment.

Since it was New Year's Eve we ordered different cakes to our room and busted out a bottle of Saudi Champagne that I had been carrying in the car boot for a week waiting for this day. We put on some tunes and had a pajama party. The hotel had some really funky purple and pink neon lighting going on and this just made it super fun.

The next day we headed off to Umluj in order to rent a boat to see the islands, however, if I return I will hire a boat directly in Al Wajh, The sea and islands here look just amazing. I have also since seen that the old town looks fun and interesting place to visit. I really hope I get the chance to return to this little gem of a place one day. With the main up-and-coming destinations such as Umluj and Al Ula you know what to expect a little but I really didn't imagine stumbling upon such a magical little place. To more adventures and magical surprises in 2021.