For Saudi fans, the road to the World Cup is a desert journey

Saudi traveler Abdullah Al-Salami heads to the World Cup finals in Qatar – on foot across the Arabian Peninsula

Al-Khasra (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – The idea came to Abdullah Al-Salami earlier this year, while he was watching a television program in which a senior Qatari official promised an “exceptional” experience in the upcoming World Cup.[expander_maker id=”1″ ]

The 33-year-old Saudi, building his own excitement, remembers thinking: “I’m going to Doha whatever happens, even if I have to walk!”

It was the unlikely start of what would become a daring adventure that some of Al-Salami’s relatives dismiss as “crazy”: a two-month, 1,600-kilometre (1,000-mile) solo journey from his hometown of Jeddah to the Qatari capital.

Al-Salami says the trip, faithfully documented to his thousands of Snapchat followers, aims to highlight the regional enthusiasm for the first World Cup in the Middle East – which Saudi officials saw as a milestone for “all Arabs”.

“We want to support the World Cup,” Al-Salami told AFP one day last week, as he was sheltering from the midday sun near bushes on the side of the road in the town of Al Khasah, 340 km southwest of Riyadh.

“I consider myself a Qatari who is very interested in this World Cup and its success,” he said, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a backpack with the Saudi and Qatari flags on it.

– sun and scorpions –

Al-Salami has extensive experience in long-distance treks in Canada and Australia, where he has lived, but those voyages pale in comparison to the difficulty of crossing the Arabian Peninsula.

He usually goes out at sunrise and walks until 10 or 10:30 in the morning, but then the heat forces him to rest for a few hours before returning in the afternoon and continuing until sunset.

Al-Sulami crosses a desert area near Al-Khasra, 350 kilometers west of Riyadh

Every now and then he walks at night to keep his target of 35 kilometers a day.

To keep his load light, Al-Salami lives on food he can buy at gas stations, often chicken and rice, while showering and washing his clothes in mosques.

His social media posts capture the details of life on the trail, from ordinary to menacing: his nightly search for a place to sleep, and the time he saw a scorpion sleeping dangerously close to his tent.

He also records conversations with Saudis he met along the way, many of whom provide snacks and juice to continue his career.

“There are moments of ups and downs,” he said, “but when I meet people and hear these beautiful words—“we will follow you on your account and support you”—it encourages me to finish.”

As he gets away from the main roads as much as he can, he says he has been rewarded with a taste of the diverse scenery on offer in the kingdom – something he had not fully appreciated before.

“The walk from Jeddah to Doha, every 100 kilometers is different. I mean, the first 100 kilometers there are sand dunes, then mountains, then come empty lands, then farms.

The Saudi and Qatari flags on his bag

“I’ll be going all-terrain in one country in two months. That’s beautiful.”

– ‘Simple’ sport –

Al-Salami hopes that by spreading his experience, he can inspire other Saudis to think about journeys across their homeland.

“When I do that, I want to convey to people that hiking and walking is a beautiful sport, even if the weather is tough here in Saudi Arabia, even if the terrain is tough,” he said.

A single trip from his hometown of Jeddah to Doha will take about two months

“It is a sport for simple people. You only need a bag, some simple things, tent and nature.”

If all goes according to plan, Al-Salami will arrive in Doha in time for Saudi Arabia’s opening match against Argentina on November 22.

It will be a moment of divided loyalty, because Argentina is his favorite team.

Four days later, he received a ticket for the Green Falcons match against Poland.

His hopes are high for the Saudi national team, which has now qualified for six World Cup finals but has qualified for the playoffs only once, during its first appearance in 1994.

“We have good players this year. The coach is the great French coach (Herve) Renard,” he said.

“We expect and hope that this year the team will perform exceptionally well.”[/expander_maker]