Travels with Maridadi

Hitch a ride with this feisty lady, a white African removed from her beloved homeland, and discover, not only new worlds and a strange kingdom but learn also what the heart must endure to escape the confines of a four wheeled wheelchair to the two-wheeled adrenaline of an Arabian desert safari to the accompaniment of thunder exhausts. This is not a soft or pretty story, but a fearless portrait by a gifted photographer and journalist, told with wit, humour and determination and a keen observation of the human adventure of being alive.

I must lay a couple of cards on the table. I know the author and I have lived in Saudi Arabia. that said, I loved this book. It is obvious that Bizzie is a professional writer as the book reads like an adventure novel and I couldn’t wait to turn the next page. In fact, I had to restrain myself from reading it all in one go. It was a bit like one of those ‘All you can eat banquets’ - when do you stop? I’ve been to many of the places cited but some I hadn’t been to such as the Azir and Najran regions. The memories I had of mutual friends flooded back as Bizzie recounted her story. Two aspects of the book impressed me the most. One is that she never shied away from describing the aspects of Saudi life that were difficult especially for a ‘disabled’ woman although I did chuckle when Frosty (her husband blamed her for getting them into trouble with the authorities by taking photos of a military convoy. The other was her writing of the unexpected emotions stirred by their last ride from Yanbu to Jeddah. the book is a veritable triumph and should be read by anyone with a passing interest in the region. Oh, and there is some classic name-dropping as well!!!!.