In stark contrast to the lush oasis scene pictured below, we got caught in a sandstorm on the drive back to Medina, which hit us full force without any warning. We had to slow to a crawl as there was almost no visibility ahead of the bus. (This image was taken after it had let up a bit.) I understand Riyadh gets battered by these storms in summer, when even the sun is obscured for days. I’m not looking forward to that at all.

One thing that happened on the way back to Medina that I didn’t get a capture of (because it happened so quickly) was that we encountered a camel on the highway. It had a bridle so obviously wasn’t wild, but no handler was in sight. I saw it through the front windshield of the bus, and it looked dazed. It was a divided highway, so the bus driver pulled over to the far left lane and nudged it off the road. I sure hope it stayed off the pavement after that. Camel accidents do happen here, especially when there are no fences on the roads, and are almost always fatal for all parties involved.

The Al-‘Ula oasis: