I Lived In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia From 1996 To 1999

And one of the things we liked to do when I was living in Saudi Arabia was go camping out in the desert. I really liked being in the desert. It's a wide open space that hardly ever rains, and there aren't many bugs to bother you. Plus, you can drink alcohol there without much chance of being caught (alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia), and enjoy some time chatting with friends under a beautiful sky full of stars. More stars than I've ever seen.

Anyway, one weekend I got invited to go out to a little party in the dessert. I think there were five of us. Me, my friend Sean (not his real name, I don't want to use that) and three other friends.

We drove out in two trucks. Me and Sean in one, and the other three in the other truck. It's always a good idea to take at least two vehicles when traveling in the desert. If one gets stuck in the sand, you can use the other to pull it out. And if you can't pull it out, you can use the other to get everyone home.

I think we drove probably 20 kilometers out into the desert, on a road that was more like a hiking trail. I mean, there were parts of the road where it was hard to tell if we were still on the road. And there were other parts where cars had crossed over the road, so they looked like other roads. It would have been impossible for me to navigate if I'd been driving. But the guy driving the front truck apparently knew where he was going.

There were parts of the road where it was hard to tell if we were still on the road. And there were other parts where cars had crossed over the road, so they looked like other roads.
_{Image by CT Cooper [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons}

Eventually, we stopped. I guess that was the spot. It didn't seem that special, but it was a sandy area, not rocky, which is better for laying out the big Persian carpet. People often use these big, thick Persian carpets for camping there, because they provide a nice, solid floor to sit down on. Everyone started setting up their tents and everything. But Sean and I didn't have tents. We just had some camping chairs and drinks and food, and I had a sleeping bag. Sean didn't have a sleeping bag, because he didn't plan on camping. But I didn't know that yet.

Check back soon to find out what happened in part two.