Stranded

Corona. The international borders are closing. Where to go?
In Al Ula I had met a few German Overlanders and we were discussing this matter, tossing up options: returning to the UAE, finding our way home this way. But where is my home in the first place? Some were thinking of shipping out to Sudan, leaving to Jordan. And then what? And then of course there is the option to stay put in Saudi; or one could perhaps leave the car here and fly home to return when borders reopened. But what will then happen to the vehicles in the mean time? They can only stay for the duration of the original visa? Or can't they? So many questions.
I decided to stay in Saudi.
And then, one morning, I woke up and knew, I want to wait it out in Egypt, at RockSea, my little paradise in the Sinai, with my cousin and his family. So I took off the 500km towards the Jordanian border. Rexel needed another course of vaccination before crossing the border into Jordan. I had to wait some time for the veterinarian who was just attending his afternoon prayer to reopen his practice. Once we were done it got too late to make it through the border.
I had just found a place to stay for the night close to the border when I received the news that Egypt has closed its borders, and the ferries from Aqaba to Egypt have been cancelled.
All right, destiny has spoken had different plans with me! I have to remain in Saudi for only the heavens know how long.
So here I am now. On the Red Sea. On the Saudi side. When I look across the sea, I can see the mountains of Sinai and RockSea, where I now long to be. I remember very well, when I was at RockSea I used to look across the Red Sea, longing to be able to cross the water and visit Saudi. Now I am longing to be on the other side again, this time in Egypt. As we know the grass is always greener.... I just hesitated a little too long.
After some phone calls with the Germans we decided to meet up again, once it gets hot and rent a house together, with a really good AC.
I had travelled through a lot of countries for nearly a year now, never really having time to rest as there were forever visas running out, and so many things to see. Now I will have plenty of time to rest, to digest my impressions, to reflect on my experiences, contemplate a where from here, where to with the years ahead. And pick up on my woefully neglected Find Penguin entries
And I hope to learn some Arabic, so I can communicate with these lovely people. My new found lady friends gifted me today with an Abaya. How shameful that I can only thank them with a little "shokran"!Meer informatie