♪ upbeat electronic ♪
-He's said there's an old man...
Monkeys...
Interesting.
But I want to get out to the cable car.
Wow.
There are houses in there.
Oh, yeah.
-Welcome.
-..know what to expect.
This is a story about Saudi people, not Saudi politics.
Today we're going on a very interesting mission.
Up here in the city of Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Going to a mountain village
and what is the name of that mountain village you ask?
Al Habala.
So from what I was just told there's a cable car up there
that goes up into the mountains.
So this is a whole different Saudi Arabia.
Like, it's cool out.
We're up at like 75... I think roughly 7,500 feet.
What's that? 2,200, 2,300 meters?
And the sun is very strong
but the temperatures are so nice.
But hold on one second, I'll show you how I got here.
[music]
-We're off to Aba. -Yes, [Arabic].
Welcome, welcome.
♪ ♪
-In Abha, Mubaric and Fahn.
-I'm Fahn. -And Fahn.
We just rented a car, right?
-Yes.
-Seven days? -Yes.
-And it's on. Thank you, guys.
Whoops, right hand. [chuckling]
-Thank you. -Thank you, Shukran.
[Arabic]
Shukran.
That was the first tourism visa they've dealt with.
That took about an hour.
So here it is, the wheels.
The wheels for the next seven days in the mountainside.
Down to the seaside. -[Arabic]
-What's your name? -Basanta, from Nepal.
-Basanta, from Nepal.
♪ Saudi music on radio ♪
This is gonna be super interesting.
I don't really have expectations to be honest
but first impressions are wow, it's quite well developed.
I mean look at this... Well, you can't really see it, it's night.
But already the highway is like, built out.
There are mega shopping malls and...
What's going on here in the Southwestern corner of Saudi Arabia?
Not too far from Yemen.
So you know when you're so tired you just start to do stupid things?
I just was trying to get into that car over there for the last couple minutes
thinking it was mine.
So that's the story right now. I'm going pretty hard in Saudi.
It's like there's so much...
So much stimulation.
So much to process.
So with that said, let's get on it.
And so in Saudi Arabia, you have to...
Unless you got a lot of time you have to fly everywhere.
The distances are huge.
If you look at a map this country's quite big.
The inter-country flights work very well.
And then it's a car culture.
You very much want to have a car for sure.
Look at it, it's all highways and roads.
♪ Saudi music on radio ♪
I was told this is the place to go... when in Abha.
'Cause it's an art village.
Oh, I love doors.
Beautiful door, very cool.
I don't know about you but...
I love the adventure of it all.
I just... The not knowing is the interesting part.
The not knowing and just... Well, knowing that it will all work out.
You know, set a basic structure.
Basic outline maybe and then just...
You know, hit the road, cruise, stop at random places.
See different things. Some are interesting some aren't.
You just never know what to expect.
It's almost got a creepy element to it since actually
you know, I'm the only human
pounding this pavement.
The capital Riyadh, is very far away.
So it almost feels like a different country.
My first impressions, it's got like a...
Hmm, the people look different too.
A lot of the people look different.
Well guys, it's probably just as much of a mystery to you as it is to me.
Seriously, I've been here for quite some time
and I cannot find anybody, there's not one human.
[glass door rattles]
I am no authority on Saudi Arabia.
Day four, I'm probably just as confused as you are.
Like this, right?
Just, like, that's an old sh*tty American car
that you would see, you know, in a rough part of say,
Sacramento, California.
And what's going on?
I haven't seen these cars
really anywhere outside of North America.
If you're a curious person you'll love Saudi Arabia.
Let's just call it that.
Because if you want to not really know what's happening
and not in a bad way, in a good way.
If you want to get into a land of questions and contradictions...
[sighs] ..this is the place for sure.
The guy in the truck in front to of me was just parked under a tree.
So I came up to him and asked him, you know,
"Where's the Downtown? Where are the people?"
So he said, "Follow me."
Overwhelmingly, everyone's been super friendly.
There are assholes everywhere, sure.
But I've had no bad experiences yet.
I've been a little hesitant with saying I'm American.
Like, just didn't know what to expect to be honest.
Here's an interesting fact.
A lot of Saudis have studied in the US.
So they've lived over there and a lot have moved back.
I met already two guys in this town at the car rental place.
They lived in the US.
And I asked, hey is it cool to say, you know, just openly tell everyone?
And they're like, "Yeah, it's actually a good thing."
They're super curious and very open to Americans.
'Cause they haven't really seen any tourists coming here.
It's not a plug for the tourism industry.
I'm just saying I don't feel any heat at all
for saying I'm from the US.
Thought I'd share that.
I guess this is the market he's talking about.
In here, center city.
PETER: Center city...okay, cool.
What is your name? -Fahad.
Fahad, Peter. -Welcome.
Nice to meet you...welcome. -Thank you, brother. Thank you.
-Welcome to Saudi Arabia.
Come. -Okay, okay.
PETER: Oh, the Suk. So get clothes and all that stuff.
-Thank you. -Thank you, bye-bye.
Here's the market.
[music]
Okay.
[bucket opens]
Oh Honey. -[Arabic]
-Yemen. -Yemen...Okay.
I need...
[Arabic]
-Okay. -Okay.
Honey...[Arabic]
[Arabic]
Where?
Oh, yeah.
Whoa, whoa.
-Number one. -Number one...yeah, I think so.
That's like a narcotic.
[music continues]
I want to get out to the cable car before darkness
and out to the mountains.
And here we go...on the highway.
And that's Saudi for you, it's traditional markets
and then a Burger King and highways.
♪ Saudi music on radio ♪
Quite a few times on this trip where I feel like I'm in the States.
I'm in like a Phoenix suburb.
There's the drive-thru Starbucks.
The big Chevy Suburban.
[puzzled] There's a family section in the Starbucks.
And a singles section.
So I'm in the wrong place.
[horn honks]
♪ upbeat Saudi ♪
Look at all these monkeys.
Look at this.
Monkeys might look cute...but they're not.
I remember once in India a monkey got on my moped seat and ate the thing.
And wouldn't let me get on it.
They're nasty bastards.
At least the encounters I've had.
I don't know if this is a different species.
They have red butts though. Very red buttocks.
Made it, Al Habala, right? Al Habala?
-Yes, this is Al Habala.
-Check it... -Asir, Saudi Arabia.
PETER: Whoa!
That is amazing.
There are houses in there.
Into the hillside.
Massive cliff here.
That guy over there just asked, "Who do I work for?"
and I've received that question maybe 10 times.
Because they don't understand tourists can actually come here now.
So they think you must be on a...
You know, a foreign worker.
So when I tell them I'm a tourist they're like,
"Whoa, didn't know that's happening."
There's some sad stuff like...
Like that. I can't put the camera on it.
There's just, like, a woman and her child on the side...of the road.
So even though it's like the overall feel I've gotten of Saudis so far...
It seems pretty well-off.
Like, you see the roads are all nice and, um...
You know, the infrastructure's set up and I haven't seen
really any homeless people but you do see the occasional...
In least in my four days here so far,
this woman and child on the side of a store
or in the middle of nowhere like here.
And I think they're begging.
I don't know if I can approach them or not.
It's a weird one, I don't know the rules with that.
Like if a woman's in full cover can I talk to her or not?
I just don't know yet.
Let's check it out.
PETER: Salam.
-[Arabic]
PETER: Chai? MAN: Chai.
PETER: So corn and tea up here.
[paper flapping]
Not sure what the other wildlife is in these parts.
It just seems like an odd place for monkeys.
I never knew monkeys lived in the desert.
[Arabic]
This is how many people are at the cable car today.
What is it today? Saturday.
So I think the weekend here is Friday and Saturday.
I thought there'd be a lot of families and people out.
Salam alaikum. MEN: Wa alaikum salam.
-Cable car? -Yep, it's over here.
-It's there? -Yeah, I don't know if it's working
but you can check over there.
Wow.
When's the last time you had a cable car all to yourself?
Now we gotta find the ticket person.
The empty ticket booth for the empty gondola
in the very empty corner of the globe.
It's quite cool out here.
Other than that machine I hear, it's very still, very quiet.
Okay, and some buzzing, and some birds, but you get my point.
..a ticket.
Shukran.
Second time's a charm.
Here we go, okay.
[bell rings]
[Arabic chatter]
Love this stuff.
This is travel to me.
Okay, vacation is one thing.
Vacation is...go to Italy, eat the gelato.
Enjoy it.
Italy's great for that.
But travel is...a day like today.
It's an adventure. It's a proper adventure.
Like...look at this.
This is like... Sort of like a Grand Canyon look.
[cable car thumps]
[creaking]
Wow.
[exotic birds calling]
This is great.
[cable car slows]
Salam.
MAN: [Arabic]
Okay.
Salam.
What a beautiful place.
It's you and me, yes? -Yes, yes.
-Just you and me? -Yes, I'm the tour.
<Go there, sir.
-What's that? <There, you go there.
Take you to this river.
-Okay, up there?
I think he said there's an old man...in the house.
Look at that door, that's seen some stories.
Looks like a restaurant.
I'm quite hungry.
What do you guys think? You think there's anyone here?
If there's a restaurant scene happening...
[fan whirring]
Maybe.
..in this place... F*ck was that?!
These monkeys... These monkey scare the sh*t out of me.
I thought that was a monkey.
Can I go?
-Go. -Okay.
This is this guy's zone. He lives up here alone,
and I guess he takes... Takes care of it.
Yeah, boss?
Boss man?
-Boss Ali.
Ali? -Eeeh.
-Okay, he's not the boss. Ali's the boss.
[exhales]
Quite a view you got, man.
-[Arabic]
-He's from Yemen.
Today, I'm from Yemen.
Yemen? -Eh.
-Yeah, yeah.
[Arabic]
-Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Eh...mimi.
-Mimi?
Okay, hold on one sec, let's just listen.
[birds chirping in the distance]
MAN: ..six years. PETER: 26 years.
-Yes, sir.
-Wow, you like the peace out here, yeah?
-Yes. [chuckles] -Very peaceful.
What I learned in this journey,
friendly people,
wild rugged landscapes,
and a lot of adventure.
Tomorrow's gonna be a huge road trip.
And if you haven't seen my other stuff on Saudi Arabia,
I have all sorts of videos.
I'll have a playlist below.
Check it out.
Thanks for coming along, guys.
Peace.
♪ upbeat electronic ♪