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My hands were officially gone. I looked down at where my fingers used to be, and all I saw were ten frozen sausages that refused to move. We were standing 9,000 feet above sea level on the peak of Jabal Dhaka, wrapped in a blanket of fog so thick I half-expected a Viking ship to sail through it. Mind you, this is Saudi Arabia. This is the land of blistering heat, desert dunes, and air conditioning units that work harder than a marathon runner. But there I was, shivering like a wet Chihuahua, realizing that Taif doesn’t care about your "desert" stereotypes. If you think Saudi Arabia is just sand and oil, Taif is the city that exists specifically to prove you wrong—and maybe give you a mild case of hypothermia in the process. The "Sand and Sun" Delusion Most people living in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) have a very specific "Vacation Brain." When they think of a getaway, they immediately look at flight tickets to Georg...

 Expat life in Saudi Arabia can often feel mechanical and repetitive. So, when the Sanchari Jeddah group announced a trip to the mysterious Al-Wahba Crater , coinciding perfectly with my day off, I didn't think twice. Located about 250 km from Taif, this crater is a marvel of nature—measuring 2 km in diameter and 250 meters deep. While some believe it was formed by a meteorite, researchers have concluded it was created by a subterranean volcanic eruption. The Road to the Unknown We set off at 7:00 AM from Jeddah in a luxury Mercedes Benz bus. The "Sanchari" admins made sure there wasn't a dull moment. The bus was a hub of activity with games like: Mental Agility: Spelling bees and naming fruits/flowers. Global Knowledge: Identifying countries by their flags. The Mimicry Challenge: Acting out Malayalam movie titles like Sukrutham and ...