Camping in the Desert

We had a 3 day weekend last week, so Jordan took advantage of the extra day and drove out to Wahba Crater for a night of camping. The scenery during the drive was more diverse than expected and made for an enjoyable 6 hour drive. 

This large fence keeps camels off the highway 

The perfect picnic stop

Got there as the sun was setting 

Wahba Crater is Saudi's only National Park.
The white buildings are there for anyone to stay in, free of charge.

Wahba Crater at dusk.
This crater was formed when a volcano erupted in to a lake.

 

Campsite right on the edge

Jordan enjoying his morning coffee

The circumference of the crater is bout 6 miles.
Jordan ran around it twice.

Salt at the bottom

Lava flow

View from the old volcano

This is what happens in the desert if you're not prepared.
Luckily they had plenty of water and 3 cars caravanning. 

Leif and I ended up staying home since my sciatica was bothering me. Unfortunately, spending that much time in a car and sleeping on the ground was not an option for me. Next time...

Water Baby

I organized a baby and a toddler swim group this year with one of the teachers that used to teach baby swim lessons. There are a ton of kids within 2 years of age (18 to be exact) and I knew this would be an amazing opportunity for us all. There are 5 babies in Leif's 6+ month swim group.

Our first swim lesson was last weekend and Leif loved it! We sang lots of songs, he rode on a floating mat, and even started learning how to swim under water. I am glad that Leif will grow up with access to a pool and learn to swim at an early age.  

Leif and Alia hanging with their dad's

Sitting on the "row boat" as we sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat..." 

Happy Halloween!

Stationery Card

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StayCation Adventures

Our 10 day Eid break is coming to an end. Instead of jetting off on an international trip, we decided to go low key and stay in Riyadh. After a busy summer of traveling, staying "home" sounded very enticing. We enjoyed lazy mornings drinking coffee on the porch, took a couple quick day trips out to the desert, relaxed with friends at the Mariyah Spa, and spent afternoons at the pool; Leif had his first dunking session with daddy and loved it.

Impulse buy at the firework souk

Look what we found...crazy

Kristin and Billie Jo shopping at the Saudi Gaudi souk

Look what I found...

Our first desert excursion was to the Heet Cave, 40 minutes south of Riyadh. We had heard rumors of there being water at the bottom of the cave, but were cautious not to get our hopes up. We were pleasantly surprised to find a warm turquoise pool at the bottom, complete with cliffs to jump from and walls to climb. We'll be heading back soon!

Hiking to where we thought the cave was

Enjoying the ride

Got to a ledge and realized we were directly
above the cave entrance 

View from the top of the cliff.
The parking lot below is where we needed to be.

Finally found the cave entrance

Heading down

The girls leading the way

As we got closer to the bottom we heard "splashes" and
noticed the beautiful turquoise water.

View from the bottom

Jordan and David climbing the walls

Jordan couldn't get in fast enough

Our second desert excursion was our second attempt to find petrified shark teeth. Between the six of us, we found over 3 dozen shark teeth of all shapes and sizes. According to Mark's book, these shark teeth could be 45 million years old. 

Learning how to drive

Gabe is also learning how to drive. (haha)

Driving out into the ocean floor

Loves sitting in the front seat

Old ocean floor

Hunting for shark's teeth

Mark and Kristen's finds

Stopping at Jordan's favorite milkshake stand.
Perfect treat after a hot day in the desert. 

The New Compound

Next year we will be moving to a new compound and to a new school campus.  The compound is closer to downtown and is in the newer part of town. The compound will have a movie theatre, bowling ally, climbing wall, 4 star hotel, restaurants, a rec center that includes an indoor track, climbing wall, workout room, pool, basketball and tennis courts, and soccer fields. The compound also has an outdoor pool, splash pad for the kids, and outdoor tennis and basketball courts. They are still in the process of building the compound, but already have more than half the villas complete. Here's a glimpse of where we'll be living in the future! The new school campus will be on the compound as well, so we'll be able to walk to school. Here are a few pictures from the tour last weekend. 

One of the outdoor pools. Still being worked on, but is gorgeous

Indoor running track and ice rink

Our modern 2 story villas

Entry way

Glimpse into the living room and stairs going to the 2nd level 

The beautiful, bright kitchen! I love the green backsplash.

Downstairs living room with 2 sliding glass doors.

Dining room and living room.

Upstairs living room

Upstairs living room

The villa is 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom and comes with the furniture. We couldn't be more excited!

*Pictures taken by Cody Shellenberger and Amy Magnin.