My first ever Travel Blog

Travel blog

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Descending amidst the mist, rising from amongst the evergreen trees, the mountains overshadow the cable car which lurched even by the slightest gust of wind. Deep below is the vast stretch of forest that stands vividly in the valley overshadowed by the bare, steep mountains. A spectacular view is provided by the cable car as it floats freely from above the great stretch of green, as our car descends from the peak of the mountain to the other side of the valley, where villagers once lived. The sky looked strangely vermilion and exquisitely tranquil as we descend at the break of dawn, which is the best time as the valley below gets dark at night due to limited lighting facilities, a place where an entirely different history runs unimpeded through the trees and the old heritage huts.

Hablah, in Abha, present in the Asir region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a gift of pure attractiveness and glamour, where it stands amidst the vast stretches of desert land, and though when the temperatures in the other parts of the kingdom reach above 45 degree Celsius, temperature in Abha plummet to less than 7 degree Celsius. To add colors to this travel, the local legend makes things much more exuberant and inciting. According to local history, the name of this village, Hablah is an Arabic word meaning the hanging village, hence its location amongst the valley justifies its name. The residents of this village used ropes to move from one peak to the other and to climb the steep mountains. The once lived mud houses greet us at first sight, which have now been renovated as have the pathways to ease movement and to promote tourism-some of the heritage houses have been turned to refreshment shops. Stones set in cement, the pathway has been made smooth and impeccable to ease movement for travelers.

A series of steps have been built to ascend to the top of the heritage huts. Rural-styled rest houses have been built- which are not like other rest houses just three-walled rooms with a balcony, overlooking a breath-taking view. Refreshments in the form of the Arabic cava is also provided here. As we turn our attention towards the forest trail, we take the steps descending into the forest, where a trail has been paved through the forest floor for those who desire to walk alongside nature, where the many insects crawl, where the carnivores prowl, where the various snakes slither through the crunchy forest floor. It is an hour long walk from one side of the valley to the other- which is located right under the foot of the mountain where our cable car descended. The dew drops sparkle like twilight on the petals and plants. Heritage houses once owned by the villagers, built amongst the saplings, now stand abandoned and overgrown with creepers and wild plants. A delicate bridge interrupt the narrow gravel path passing over the narrow, gushing river(during rainy season). It is advised to return to the cable-car before the dawn of darkness due to limited light facilities. A ladder has been attached to the steep side of the mountain to permit workers to leave the area after working hours. That is not it, Abha itself retains breathtaking beauty and splendor and where the seekers shall find adventures to ease the desires of their hearts.

One of the most vital and prudent part of travelling is the realization of the beauty of the world, of how a traveler is guided by the world's mere landscape and natural architecture, of how the awareness of the universe- whether it be the whisper of the trees, the gush of the rivers or the rustling of the leaves- triggers an emotional response too deep for words, like the discovery of an oasis amidst the vast stretch of desert land. To travel is to explore oneself, a way of observing things in a new way, to travel is to explore, to explore is to seek adventure and there is no adventure without a bit of risk.

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