On January 26th, 2009, Elaine Ng, Recruitment Associate; Dominika Kaleta, Logistics Manager; and I, Recruitment Assistant, went on a site visit to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. There, we met up with one of the best known expat social groups in the world: The Hash House Harriers. I had previously read of the Hash House Harriers on our company website, and knew them to be a running/social group with branches throughout the world.
On a Friday afternoon, just steps from the hospital compound, we approached an expat group lingering by the curbside of a nearby market. Some people sat enjoying an ice cream, while others basked in the afternoon sun. We timidly approached the group, consisting primarily of women, unsure about announcing our presence as newcomers. The strangers, all seemingly western, met us with casual smiles and quickly returned to their ice cream and sun. No questions were asked. Slowly, SUVs began to pull up to the market and their male drivers began to take members of the group away.
Now, in North America when you know no one around you, and a strange man offers you a ride into the middle of the desert, you would be wise to not get in the car. Here, however, without a thought, we piled into the next available SUV that had room for the three of us.
Immediately, the conversations began between Dan, our driver; Peter, his UK friend; two German hospital employees; and us. The time flew by and about an hour outside of Riyadh we turned off of the main highway and began our desert trek. There is no such thing as a speed limit in the desert and we laughed uncontrollably as our heads hit the car rooftop at every bump and turn.
Pulling up to a caravan of cars lined up in the desert heat, we climbed from the back seat, and to say the least, were shocked by our surroundings. We were standing at the edge of the world looking down to endless desert valleys running deep and with golden sand between huge mountains of sandy rocks. I had always pictured the desert with dunes and unending flat land, but I stood starring into a large and deep canyon into which we were about to descend.
The group gathered. The leaders, known as Hares, briefed us on the difficulty and safety of the trail, known as “The Second Camel Trail.” We, and all other newcomers, introduced ourselves to the group, a few announcements regarding social events were made, and we were off.
We climbed down the escarpment to the sand below and quickly turned to mount the adjacent hill. We traveled through the sandy valleys, and hiked our way up the rocky mountainsides, taking in the imagery with both our eyes and cameras. Some of the descents were quite steep, and I was impressed by the speed with which some of the experienced runners conquered the jagged course. As we walked, we stumbled upon fossilized coral and other artifacts which reminded us of both the remoteness and age of our location. About half way into our hike, we paused to share in oranges and water, on a cliffside overlooking a small desert lake. The hike ended as, in the glow of the setting sun, we made our way back to the caravan of cars.
Naturally, as we hiked, we began to meet and strike up conversations with members of the group. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and inquisitive about us three Canadian women. Our photo even made its way into the “Stampede”, the group’s weekly newsletter.
If you are a hiker, a runner, a socialite, or just enjoy afternoons in the desert sun, the Hash House Harriers is the team for you. It was by far the most exciting and memorable experience of our visit to Riyadh.
