Abdullah Al-Salmi’s goal is also to inspire other Saudis to do more trekking in the country, regardless of whether the weather and terrain is difficult in Saudi Arabia.
Crossing the Arabian Peninsula on foot to get to Doha to experience the football party at the World Cup in Qatar is the ‘crazy’ idea of Abdalá Al-Salmi, a 33-year-old Saudi who hopes, with his trip, to convey his enthusiasm for this. first World organized in the Middle East, and to promote the walk in the Gulf.
Abdullah Al-Salmi has embarked on an adventure considered “crazy” by some of his relatives: a two-month solo trip and over 1,600 kilometers, from his village of Jeddah, in the Saudi west, to Doha, the capital of Qatar, which hosts the World Cup from November 20 to December 18, 2022. Seen by thousands of Snapchat followers, his journey seeks to convey the region’s excitement for this World Cup, the first in the Gulf.
“We want to support the World Cup,” said this former logistics supervisor who went looking for the adventurer and found him on the side of the road, in the city of Al-Khasrah, 340 kilometers southwest of Riyadh, the Saudi capital
- Abdalá Al-Salmi hopes to arrive in time for his country’s first match, which will be played on November 22 against his favorite soccer team, Argentina.
“I feel a Qatari very interested in this World Cup and its success”, says Abdullah Al-Salmi, with a backpack crowned by a flag of Saudi Arabia and another of Qatar, two countries with very close diplomatic relations. cold until last year. The Saudi young man walks regularly, a sport he practiced in Canada and Australia, where he grew up.
But, he says, crossing the Arabian Peninsula is something different. He normally starts his days at dawn and walks until 10 am, as the oppressive heat of midday forces him to take a break before resuming the adventure until sunset. On his social media he tells the details of his day, from the most insignificant to the most disturbing, as well as his search for a place to spend the night or the occasion when he discovered a scorpion near his shop. Abdullah Al-Salmi also records conversations with Saudis he meets along his way, many of whom offer him food or promise to follow him on social media to support his project.
Read also: Qatar World Cup exotic lodging in the desert
Follow us on our social networks:
Sign up for FREE to receive our evening diary on your WhatsApp every day!
