Desert Engineers @ Play

Desert Walk

Who says a Desert is like a dry, quiet, and a boring place?   

That was what I thought it is before we hit the road going to the  place called Red Sand  100 + km from the city of Riyadh.   I was really amazed of the wide mountains of desert sand which is sculptured by the wind and formed slope along side each other.    It resembles the stock of brown sugar placed in the dining table for the sticky rice cake.  It is nice to come here when the summer time is just beginning to cool down and starting to enter the winter season.  This place is the favorite spot of OFW's during Eid holiday to unwind and play like a kid.

Girls just wanna have Fun!

Here you can find the ladies without wearing their avayas,  walking in the sand, chatting with friends, picture taking and driving the exciting motor quad bike.   The sand is so fine that you feel like walking in the bunch of cotton.   There are enterprising locals renting quad motor bikes of various sizes which you can negotiate for  SR 50 to SR 80 per hour.   Some folks who have a 4 wheel drive vehicle used it to drive in the sand and challenged the contours and slopes of the mountains.  Though, you should see to it that you have reduced the air pressure in your  4 wheels before you dare trying.  Or else,  you get the possibility of being stuck in the sand or worse,  damaging your power transmission.

This is really my first time to drive a quad bike especially here in a wide desert red sand.    When I adjusted on the feel and control of my brakes, steering and acceleration,  I did try to race with my colleagues,  climbed the steep hill and challenged the downward slope.   Oh man,  what a feeling!   I admit I nearly fall from the bike when the  wheel got stuck in the sand and I lose control of the handle.

My Colleague Pinoy Engineers

Over all,  it was great!  The timing is right to become a kid again.  It is also a way to de-stress myself and overcome my fears.   I can say that this desert I experienced is no doubt a cool, noisy and fun!

I look forward to coming back again here next time.

Till my next post,

Seize the Day,


Allan B. Laranang