Assalaamalaykum (Peace be upon you),
Previously, The Getaway Series – Part I & Part II
Tired from our journey, which wasn’t much at all, but keep in mind, we hadn’t been anywhere in a while so moving on, after dinner and scrolling through Instagram, we went to bed.
There wasn’t much clarity on our itinerary for the day, but one thing that was certain, we wanted to visit the Ash – Shafaa Mountain Range, and thought early morning would be best suited for visiting.
At the break of dawn, after praying Fajr, we got ready to leave. T’was 15 minutes to 6 when we were out of the hotel and on our way. The slight drowsiness took a back seat, as I took in a whiff of fresh morning air.
The roads were considerably empty, but on the outskirts, we could find few people sat on the roadside, enjoying breakfast and few packing up to leave after a night of merrymaking.
The Ash Shafa region is roughly 40 kms away from the main city, so not very far, but a short ride away. The moutain, Jabal Dakkah, is the highest peak in the region at 2,900 m or 9,000 ft.
The wind got chilly as we left the city, and more flora adorned our sides. It wasn’t lush green flora like I’d seen in India on the highways, but a light shade of green, with hues of brown that blurred on the side through our window, as our car sped.
The steeps and curves started halfway through, and when we got close to Jabal Dakka, that area itself was so serene. Maybe because it was early morning, but it was quiet with a strong, cool wind blowing. We then took a steep turn that began our ascend, we had set out but hadn’t expected that since our car was a sedan, it’d take good deal of effort to make the climb.
Anyhow, Alhamdulillah, we made it to the first viewing spot. This wasn’t the peak, but a few feet below it.
I’d mentioned earlier, heights and I do not get along too well, so while we drove uphill through steep curves, roads, I did get a little anxious and when we stopped at the spot, I was taken aback at the height we were standing, but also astounded by the beauty of it, SubhanAllah.
It is in moments like these that one realizes how small we are and how big, and vast the World and the Creations of Almighty are. I felt in awe as I looked at the mountain and valleys in distance, and the road we had taken seemed very faintly visible.
They had huge railings at the viewing spot, but on the side was an open patch of land which offered uninterrupted views, obviously one has to be really careful, since we were all adults we stayed at a reasonable distance. Also at one spot when you looked down, I spotted a car wreckage lying, it instantly sent shivers down my spine.
There were a few people there. One Caravan was parked, along side a few bikes, and the riders were all fast asleep, there was ash in a circle, they’d lit a bonfire and had had quite a night. Somehow I couldn’t picture how the place might be in pitch darkness. There was another family who had just come and were settling in.
Given the height, doing regular maintenance is probably tough and which is why, there was a lot of waste lying around, and honestly, it’s the people to be blamed. Any visitor must ensure they take back any waste and dispose it off properly. Also, all this way up, there were obviously no restrooms, people probably relieved themselves at odd spots. Sorry, TMI but I am sharing it all.
We could spot the actual peak from here on the right side. It was pretty high up. After some discussion whether our vehicular mobile could undertake any further rugged climb, we set out, to go just a little bit further up.
The wind got stronger as we climbed up and we spotted a resort or two there. We then took a turn and turned back, as the peak still laid a distance ahead.
The descent was obviously more fun than the ascend. I took in as much as I could of the fresh air.
We made our way back to the hotel as the clock read eight past half, after eating breakfast we then decided what to do next. It was considerably hot in the city, even when we had gotten back, which meant it’d only get hotter.
By the time it was 12, it was pretty hot and uncomfortable, so we decided to not visit the park, and instead went to explore some of the Historic places. Now, apparently these aren’t officially recognized so there wasn’t any maintenance or upkeep, but there were historic structures, old mosques.
It was pretty hot as we toured these sites, and pretty much time for lunch. So, we went scouting options for lunch. Initially, last night, I’d thought we could do takeaway and like the locals eat in the gardens or parks on sideways, but it was pretty hot now and there was no one on the streets.
After finishing lunch, we set out for our journey back. The Azaan for Asr was called as left, we decided to stop and pray in Al Haada. It was a full circle, as we upon our arrival had offered prayer there and now had a chance to do the same on our way back.
The weather had considerably changed as we reached Haada. It was pleasant and comfortable. People were out on streets here and having a good time.
We stopped on an actual sidewalk, and prayed under a tree. It was so serene and relaxing. Abbu also had to attend to a few work mails, so that bought us a little time, as we sat under the tree as it swayed with cool breeze. I just wanted to stay there and relax.
Eventually, we left and took a detour at another mouintain in Al Haada, we just drove up, stopped for a few minutes and then came down. It wasn’t at very high, so it hadn’t taken much time.
And then, we took off for Jeddah before taking another detour at the fruit market there, filled with different variety and types of fruits, that Ammi found wasn’t locally grown and slightly disappointed, but they did taste delicious, Alhamdulillah.
After that we were on the zig zag route descending, and this time round I got a better view and understanding of how the path went, and since the sun was considerably up, we could see and enjoy it better.
And that marks the end of our short weekend trip to Taif.
Alhamdulillah, it was relaxing, and refreshing to see new places, and get a break from Jeddah’s heat.
Misfit Narrator 