Hofuf Oasis - Saudi Arabia

It has been some time since I began to hear about the attractions of Saudi Arabia - that it had much more to offer than the desert.  It is one of the bigger nations in the region - area, population, GDP

Yes, in modern tourism, the desert sand dunes are indeed an attraction, and a ride through them, an adventure. There are camping tours, with traditional cuisine and dance, in the deserts. 

But the travellers are discovering better and more diverse attractions - natural and human-made.  Our exploration of Hofuf was such.  We learnt from several sources that Hofuf was the nearest spot from Bu Samra border for a Qatar resident to visit Saudi. I found it was 260 kilometres from Doha and 170 from the border. 

Obtaining Saudi Visa

I have never found obtaining a visa to another country this simple.  After initial confusion and exploration, I found the website to be used for visa application to Saudi Arabia. It was the world cup days of Doha 2022. Saudi was showing signs of thawing in relationships after the three-year-long blockade, which only served to strengthen Qatar as a nation, and make it more self-reliant on various fronts.  You apply, there was no fees for a holder of Hayya Card (the world cup identity card).  Some insurance amount had to be paid. And in almost a minute, you get an email with your visa attached. Phew!! As simple as that.  It was a multiple-entry visa valid for 3 months, extendable, if applied before the end of its validity period. 

Our MD opined that it was good to utilise the opportunity as his experience showed that Saudi was a difficult place to get entry to. 

I contacted my cousin Bindu there, and she welcomed me, and suggested some dates, which suited me too, though they happened to be the inaugural days of the world cup. The tickets cost me some 20000 rupees. I spent about 3 full days there - one day going around Riyadh town, a museum which was closed, Kingdom Centre, the tallest tower in Riyadh and half a day devoted to visiting Al Haeer lake park about 50 kms away - with a stream flowing in that area forming a lake, all out of wastewater.  It was well maintained.  The weather was good.  One day was dedicated to a long ride to Al Khobar after Dammam.  We drove up to the midpoint of the King Fahd Causeway about 25 kms in length. Further it was Bahrain border and we needed to obtain a visa for the same, and my cousins could not cross over, unless they get permissions from their employers. 

With another confrere added to the company, and summer holidays on, I thought why not try the Saudi visa once again, and if possible, go across driving.  I repeated the exercise, and a 5-minute exercise, but this time with a fee of about 110 USD paid online with credit card, did the trick. Joshy had some more trouble with the right kind of picture to be uploaded.  While applying for the visa, you are asked the mode of travel and the point of entry - I entered by land and the port of entry as Abu Samra.  I hope that would not prevent one from entering by air. 

Then we inspired our all-time ally on all our explorations, heartian Alan, and after some dilly-dallying he managed to obtain a visa. Now the matter was of the conveyance. Alan would not trust his car. The car I use cannot be taken across the border unless the standard procedure of authorisation through the administrative software 'Metrash' is done. This requires the consent of the employer.  I approached our M.D. and he agreed to do that for me, and the company PRO did that online procedure.  Perhaps, they too were doing it for the first time, and I had to instruct them.  I had heard that it had a fee of QR 10. But when he finally accomplished it, I saw the voucher for QR 25.  Mr Jacob, though had reservations regarding this trip, yet was solicitous to get the car insured across the border and would have done that but for my intimation regarding our last-minute change of plan. Alan could not free himself and we postponed the trip for another 2 weeks. Then finally, it was revealed that there was no need to do the insurance in advance it was only required at the border where they facilitate that. 

Our transport department got the car trip-ready by getting a thorough check of its condition - tyres, oil, spare tyre etc. and reported that all was in order. 

Both of us, now into ESD, were determined to keep the trip as waste free as possible.  We filled all our empty bottles with fresh water, and thus totally avoided additional water bottles. We got some fruit and juice for the trip.  A battery charger was installed (borrowed), and a power-bank charged, phones also fully charged. 

There is Alan, and also his friend and experienced Saudi visitor, Sri Lankan Mr Azhar (who speaks Arabic, Tamil, Sinhalese, Malayalam and English). 

I drove past the border control area. 90 kms from Doha we reach Abu Samra border.  There are 4 checkpoints from the Qatar side - first check, vehicle papers, people, and passport stamping; and 4 checkpoints on the Saudi side - entry, vehicle, insurance and customs.  The crucial point is the one to take fingerprints, for which you have to step out of the car, meet the officer and get the scan of all ten fingers - first, four fingers of both hands, and then, of the thumbs. Once this is done, your next trips don't require this. A vehicle insurance amount of QR 138 had to be paid. This is valid for 5 days (only). They appeared to prefer card payment - foreign cards would imply exchange charges as well. 

Alan was in control, determining the schedule and changing it at will. Our initial understanding was that we would travel to the nearest spot (vaguely, an oasis, which we later learnt, was Hofuf) in Saudi and explore there for a while, would try to reach up to Khobar border, and if time permits, will cross over to Bahrain, and if possible, meet with Mr Jose Pediakal, my school time friend and neighbour.  But on the way, Alan reveals that we would go straight to Khobar. I insist on crossing over to Bahrain.  

The next point is Al Khobar which is about 270 kilometres. We stop in between for fuelling and refreshments. But Azhar has the main purpose of fulfilling his prayer - fajr! That is the dedication of a devout muslim. At 3.45 am, he is awake and determined to do his obligatory prayer. We wait for about half hour there.  Then we travel for another hour and a half and reach the famed Causeway. There is a toll for the bridge 25 riyals. 

We hit the Bahrain border on the King Fahd Causeway, and the typical border scrutiny takes place there too.  An additional 45 Saudi Riyals (SAR) have to be paid as insurance. A Saudi visa permits you to enter Bahrain as well. A ride on the Causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, 25 kilometres in length, the fruit of planning and negotiations of almost 50 years, is a pleasurable one, provided you have the front seat.  Regret is that you are not permitted to stop and relish the expanse of the sea.  The expected speed on the causeway is 100 km per hour, and slower traffic is not easily tolerated. The islands created along the causeway, with their lawns and restaurants, give you a feel of it, and a space to relax and refresh. 

Now the plans are gone awry, and I didn't feel like disturbing Jose but wanted to say hello, and if possible, do some groundwork for our alumni unit to be established.  I text him. It's a Friday, and still too early for anyone to wake up. 

We head towards the Sacred Heart Church and school in Manama, the capital.  It is found out easily. There are plenty of fairly clean washrooms there. Unlike Qatar, there appeared more Mangalorean, and Goans in the Church.  There were Philippinos as well.  There are no separate catholic churches for the different rites.  All managed to hold their masses in the same church. As in the case of the rest of the middle east, the diocese is almost entirely entrusted to capuchin priests.  They were not easily accessible to a stranger, and my texting our capuchin friends in Doha didn't yield any response.  Spent some time in the Church.  In fact, ideally, I should have participated in the Eucharist, at least till Jose turned up. But only after stepping out of the church did it occur to me to call Jose. It was around 6.20.  He said he would be there in 20 minutes. However, he took about 50 minutes. He sounded enthusiastic about us being there, and that was welcome. 

Alan also established contacts with his relatives who appeared on the scene and invited us to go to their place, in the neighbourhood.  However, when Jose said there was something to be seen around in Bahrain and that he would take us around, I had no more doubt. I joined him in his ... car, while the rest of the gang followed. We reached ahead of them, and on their arrival, they dropped Fr Joshy and left on their own to Alan's relatives. 

Jose lives comfortably away from the city at Palace Gardens, in Al Qurayyah. The house was very spacious - tastefully maintained.  I was meeting Jose's family, perhaps for the first time.  Though we were good friends and collaborators (especially on the KCSL platform) during our school days, after joining the seminary, I had hardly any contact with anyone of my schoolmates, and my local contacts were revived only after 30 years, when I came back with the assignment as the principal of Sacred Heart College.  By that time, Jose was away, and we hardly ever got any chance to meet later on.  Jose's wife, Anu, sister of another good friend Thomas Urumpath was very welcoming, and so too were his two sons Rohan, now about to venture as an entrepreneur, and the younger one Rahul, still finishing his studies in auditing.  Jose has grown with his company which was a small firm when he joined. Now it has over 300 staff to administer the organisation, and at any time over 1000 contract workers for the various projects they take up.  He is the Finance Director of the same, which is having a 27-floor building in the prime business area of Manama with 3 top floors  housing their offices.  We had a very refreshing breakfast, and a quick round of the compound which had been transformed into a lush green patch with great diversity, in a span of less than 6 months. Both husband and wife shared great enthusiasm for the green patch they had created and were still creating. 

Jose shares the view of several well-to-do Indian ex-pats of the Middle East - that it is safer and more peaceful to live there (in Bahrain/the middle east) than in Keralam - in spite of all the lack of the so-called freedom (swatantryam as the SFI minions of the servile hypocritic Keralam, shout at the top of their voice during their apparently only engagement called 'samaram' - strike work).  For an average middle-class person, who does not to meddle with the law or mess with others, there is plenty of freedom, of entertainment, even engagement in voluntary action without making that very obvious, as Anu does with the prison ministry. Not to be accosted by the police, not to be questioned or intimidated by the religio/political moral police force, to be able to start one's venture with one's or borrowed money without having the prolonged harassment of the bureaucracy, not having to grease their palms, and then face the hostile resistance of politically backed employees, and not to be levying tax left and right on the citizens without providing any service that can justify such taxation...Isn't that what a citizen is entitled to, which s/he hardly ever gets in Keralam/India. So to hell with such a place and people! Better stay and earn peacefully elsewhere, and perhaps, 'give back' in terms of contributing to genuine causes of individual needs, or public needs especially those related to keeping the natural heritage intact. 

Bahrain may be the country that gives the highest degree of freedom among the middle east nations, symbolic of which is the free access to alcohol in the kingdom. I could not test or taste this freedom due to lack of time, and my determination to be the designated driver.  Jose also didn't permit any (typical Syrian Christian) hypocrisy and offered drinks to the visitors, with himself and the sons joining the company, while he warned that the one who drives must be safely free of any spirit, except the Holy One. 

Earlier, he took us to the new Catholic cathedral for the North Arabian diocese which covers Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.  It is at Awali, about 20 kms away from the city centre.  The place is desert-like, with hardly any settlements around.  A hexagonal church, dedicated to Our Lady of Arabia built on a 9000 sq. m land donated by the King, it stands out in the region, and is visible from far. It is said to be the biggest church in the Middle East.  While the Cathedral church appears more conducive prayer, Our Lady of Rosary Church Doha, appears bigger to me.  He also took us to a small older cozy chapel, called Awali church, in the residential area of the Europeans who were there to establish the oil wells in the initial phase of oil discovery in the region.  He also drove us through the well-maintained Al Riffa area, resembling any tropical greener region. 

We visited the first oil well in the whole of the Middle East in Awali. It is converted into a museum.  The museum was not open, although the security pleasantly let us go and have a look around the first well. The region all around has oil wells. The terrain also boasts of some hills which are uniquely shaped and attractive. 

Bahrain's commercial city resembles other posh modern middle east cities like Dubai or Doha. There are some buildings which stand out for their modern architecture.  The museum is good, and the efforts to present the traditional lifestyle of the people are very educative. It indicates the difference oil and consequent wealth have made to the region.  I have often felt deprived with India having hardly any such resource worth mentioning. However, even without any of these, India is still flourishing; only if it had been free from corruption, it would have been far better off for all its citizens!   The floor of the entrance shows a peculiar design, which we later realise is the map of Bahrain spread over a huge hall covering about 1500 sq. ft. At the entrance prominently displayed are the pictures of Pope Francis' visit to Bahrain in 2022, and the chair and the car he used.  I get a picture taken with Pope Francis and King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al Khalifa, that's for fun, though I chafe at the obsequiousness we tend to exhibit in meeting with people considered great because of their power. Jose said that the sea was just on the boundary of the museum, however, a vast area has been filled that the sea is now far away, thus the museum losing its charm of being on the shore. 

We also pass by Bab Al Bahrain - the gateway of Bahrain - which used to be the earlier commercial centre of Bahrain in olden times. Now it is modernized, but retaining some appearance of the old-time souq. 

On our return, we stop over to get a glimpse of the Royal Camel Farm just about 2 kilometres away from Jose's place; however, no one was being let in, as some contagion was feared among the camels.  It's a vast farm with hundreds of camels being housed and taken care of. 

We had a small discussion on forming an alumni group and had some lunch at Jose's place.  Then started our trip back hitting the Causeway which was just about 3 kilometres away from his home. We felt the toll officer tricked us by almost insisting on cash payment and not giving us a receipt. Perhaps such pilfering happens even in these countries, though on the whole explicit corruption is very minimal. But we were annoyed at the way in which he tried to trick us. 

In spite of my eyelids feeling very heavy, I kept a steady pace and managed to reach Hofuf within our set target time.  We were confronted directly by the hills of Hofuf, they stood before us like tall sculptured walls, with some effort at making the approach area before those majestic brick brown hills into a crude amusement park. Someone guided us to go further up and turn right to find road that would take us to the top of the hill, and about 2 kilometres ahead, we reach the parking area with an entrance to the park. The whole area is converted into a park, with many of the attractions (a cable car, 2 hanging bridges etc.) yet to be completed.  I was desperate to relieve myself and even the Bengali labourer doesn't think of any other option than the only toilet (the labourer pointed in a direction indicating 'washroom') apparently on the far end of the park, invisible from the entrance. In spite of the remoteness of the place, and facilities still in the process of making, the washrooms, separately for men and women, were kept rather clean and furnished with sufficient water. The top of the hill gives a beautiful view of the lush green valley, almost exclusively and thickly populated with date palms! It is a beautiful sight for a desert region. The hill lets you feel the power of the wind on the top; even at 7 pm, it gave the feeling of being in front of a furnace.  I guessed it would be much pleasanter starting November. We enjoyed the view, and went around hunting for an Arabian Mandi, in vain, and finally satisfied ourselves with Al Baik Chicken, famous all-over Saudi Arabia, from the modern and posh highway region of the locality. 

Then we pushed off and in 2 hours we were at the border, clearing the checkpoints and reaching back Doha by 1200 midnight! Altogether 925 kilometres trip in just about 26 hours covering 3 countries. 

I noted that our expenditure including the visa fees, fuel, tolls, insurance and food came to only a little above the amount I had spent to go to Riyadh by air last year.  

But Hofuf has not stopped attracting me - The tawny-tiny hills of Hofuf are beckoning me to come and explore them further!