Yesterday was pretty much a fill-in day—some swimming and snorkeling followed by an overnight in Yanbu on the Red Sea. Connie and I skipped the swimming—it was quite comfortable in the shade on the boat. There was nothing formal planned for Yanbu so after checking in to the Canary Beach Hotel we walked to the historic part of town, searching for the home of T.E. “Lawrence of Arabia.” His home has been renovated and the rest of the neighborhood will be charming with a little TLC. We exited the tiny souk right into a pizza stand—kismet?—and had a veggie pizza on the corniche before retuning to the hotel.
The long drive from sea level Yanbu to Al Bahah at nearly 7000 feet in the mountains was made even longer because non-Muslims like us must detour around Mecca via Taif where we stopped to stretch our legs with a stroll through the souk. We were anxious to get to the hotel after so many hours on the bus but Yannis had another stop planned. Bakrosh Ben Allas Heritage Castle was constructed as a defense against a Ottoman attempt to retake Mecca and Medina from the First Saudi State. Worn out as we were, we all were glad we braved the chilly wind and climbed to the top of the site, the only worthwhile stop of the day. But it meant we didn’t arrive at the National Park Hotel until nearly eight o’clock. The wonderful buffet almost made up for the long day.
