© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
I would guess that not many of us think fondly about bats, those mouse-like creatures that fly around in the night sky. I know they are timid, useful creatures that eat tons of insects and all that, but they send shivers down my spine. They somehow remind me of the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” filmed in Bodega Bay, California which I found truly scary and have no desire ever to see again. Adding to my paranoia, I’ve had my own bat adventures on several occasions, including one quite recently in my own home!
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
I opened the door into the downstairs bathroom, turned on the light switch and as I approached the toilet, I noticed one of the seashells we keep on the windowsill was laying on the floor. As I reached down to pick it up, suddenly I realized there was an animal staring back at me! I first thought it was a frog, which would have been bad enough, but then I realized my worst horror…there was a BAT in my bathroom! I am sure the shrieks could be heard all the way to Saudi Arabia. The ruckus I was making in the bathroom, woke my poor saluki, who took off at speed, running and barking throughout the house. I managed to escape in one piece and my husband, ever the dutiful spouse, entered the bathroom, captured the bat gently in a towel and released it back into the night sky. How it ever entered the bathroom is a mystery, and one I do not want to ponder too closely.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
My first encounter with bats was in Saudi Arabia in Quriyat Al Fau on the old caravan route skirting the edge of Ar Rub Al Khali, the Empty Quarter. It was closed to visitors and special permission had to be sought to visit the site with an accompanying Saudi guard and my guide. At the time, photography was not allowed. I walked around Al Fau, looking down on the old walls of the town that were excavated by Saudi archaeologist Dr. Abdulrahman Al Ansary, who had begun work on the site back in the early 1970s. He had discovered Nabatean and Sabaean inscriptions along with tomb chambers. The tomb chambers were below ground. Our exploration of the tombs involved the Saudi guard first climbing down into the tomb, which was no easy task. Then Fahad, my guide from Al Baha, held my arms as he lowered me down into the tomb and the Saudi guard managed to grab my feet and bring me to safety. Fahad joined us and, with a flashlight in hand, we moved forward slowly along the main artery, which had many circular chambers off to one side. Bones lay in a couple of the chambers, and as we continued deeper into the complex of tombs, it became apparent that there was a rather potent smell emerging. I was in the lead, in full Indiana Jones mode. I entered a chamber and while bending over looking at the ground I suddenly became aware of flapping overhead. There, hanging from the chamber ceiling, were bats in all their horrific glory. Images of the movie “The Birds” flashed before my eyes as I turned at lightning speed and ran screaming like a mad woman, knocking the big burly Saudi security guard flat on the ground as I kept running and almost knocked Fahad over who, fortunately for him, was trailing far behind. I could not get out of there fast enough. While I have visited Al Fau on many occasions since, I have always remained above ground in the safety of daylight.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
© Brid Beeler. All rights reserved.
When camping in the desert close to rocky areas, you would often see bats flying around at dusk. On one of our camping trips, we came across an old mine near Jebel Bitran. My husband ventured in and reported that it was indeed inhabited by bats. This time, with my Indiana Jones switch firmly in the OFF position, I elected to stay on the surface and just watch the bats emerge from the mouth of the cave at dusk. It was quite a spectacle...if you like bats.
About the Author: Brid Beeler first went to live in Saudi Arabia in 1989 and stayed for a decade. Her career then led her to live and work in Yemen and Oman and work for some of the world’s top travel companies. She currently heads Brid Beeler Travel (www.bridbeelertravel.com) and travels in and out of the Kingdom regularly on tour or collaborating on programs. She has traversed every corner of Arabia and is never happier than delving into the culture and treasures of the peninsula.
Brid began taking American travelers to Saudi Arabia in 1998 and, in addition to operating tours, she has trained guides, worked on award-winning documentaries, and written extensively on the region. In 2015, she was the Tour Director for the Smithsonian tour to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, which followed their internationally acclaimed Roads of Arabia exhibit.
She has presented papers on eco-tourism in the Middle East region and was one of only a handful of women invited by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation & Development and the Supreme Commission for Tourism to speak at the first International Conference on Eco-Tourism in Saudi Arabia in 2002. She has written for Foreign Affairs and the Arab British Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she has published travel articles in Middle Eastern newspapers and spoken on Middle Eastern travel at embassy functions in Washington DC. A strong proponent of Middle Eastern art, culture and traditions, she has spoken on the ethnic silver jewelry of the Arabian Peninsula at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle.
Back home in Ireland, Brid enjoys walks on the beach with her latest saluki, Rishan.