It was in November of 2011, during our week-long Hajj break, that I decided to visit Abha. Situated 2,200 meters above sea level, Abha is the capital of Asir province in KSA. Compared to Taif, Abha has a much cooler and milder climate that makes it a popular tourist destination for Saudis and expatriates alike during summer (March - October). It was 18 degrees Celsius during the day and dropped to less than 10 degrees Celsius that night. (For detailed info about Abha - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abha)
I arrived from Jeddah shortly before noontime but the cool breeze embraced me as soon as I got down the plane. The smell of freshly-cut grass wafting in the air reminds me of home.
As we drove from the airport to the hotel, I was impressed at how green the surroundings are. Patches of colorful flowers and evergreen hedges decorate both sides of the highway. After half an hour of driving on a curvy and lofty roads we reached the hotel.
I stayed in the Abha Palace (http://www.abhapalace.com.sa/)- one of the few 5-star hotels in the area. The hotel is situated at the top of the hill giving one the best vantage point of the whole city.
As is normal for any photographer, after eating lunch I quickly went to the rooftop of the hotel to see what Abha has in store for me.
And these are the marvelous things that I saw:
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| The view of the lake from my hotel room |
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| Technical School for Men just behind Abha Palace |
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| A hill dotted with villas, mansions, and other residential and commercial buildings |
I wasn't expecting to see these magnificent views in Abha. The scene is so serene, gentle breeze blowing and little birds momentarily singing while perched on the tall grasses that grow on the banks of the lake. Yes, there is a lake in Abha, right infront of the Abha Palace Hotel.
But I was not prepared for what darkness brought that night. I just woke up from a 3-hour afternoon nap, I opened my window and saw that the sun is about to set. With my camera at hand, I rushed to the rooftop but was only disappointed when I saw the sun quickly disappearing into the horizon. I almost forgot that during winter season, sunsets happen early.
I decided to stay and wait for the "blue hour" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_hour). Suddenly, I noticed that a part of the mountain was slowly illuminated with green lights. At first, one would recon - "a UFO just landed!" But I was told by a gentleman that this hill is called "Green Mountain". What a spectacular sight to behold! I also learned from the gentleman that Green Mountain serves as a launching pad of the cable cars that traverses from it to another hill and another segment goes all the way to the public park just in front of my hotel. But this segment, he said, is only operational during the Summer Festival (sometime around July and August).
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| Abha at night |
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| The GREEN Mountain |
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| Beautiful view at the back of the hotel |
After taking some "blue" photos, and running from one side to the other, I noticed the lake went glowing. It seemed like an apparition of something alien again. I was waiting for the mysterious Loch Ness-like creature to appear from beneath the surface. But nothing like that happened, the lake stayed very calm.
So, I went to the eastern side of the rooftop to take a closer look. Alas! the lake is lit with blue neon lights installed on the rim of the dam. Glorious!
The whole scene was transformed from being serene and relaxing into something FANTASTIC and MAGICAL!
Enjoy the photos! ;)
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| I nicknamed this - BLUE lake |
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| Panoramic view of Abha at night Abha Palace P. O. Box No. 1100 Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel: 00966 7 229 4444 Reservations: ext. 646/645/627/660 Fax: 00966 7 229 5555 email: sales@abhapalace.com.sa or reservation@abhapalace.com.sa |
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