We had intended to camp in the Empty Quarter, and we went to an experimental sand dune, but it was so windy and dusty and starting to get cold that we wimped out and went to one of the many 'resthouses' that are strung out along this road, for all the world like an old caravanserai, just blank walls outside and inside courtyards with bedrooms opening off them. Motel, nowadays, I suppose.
It was quite cheap and cheerful, and the Goan waiter talked to us a lot about the exploitation of Indians (after working in the Marriott in Goa, he had got a job in Muscat, but had to live 15 to a room which was never cleaned - and when he complained, was thrown out of the job; well, that was his side of it, one never knows).
We had a very nice supper of - well yes, chicken and rice, but also vegetable curry and dal and the drink called Laban which is a slightly salty yogurt drink like lassi but less thick and rich, very healthy it feels. No booze of course. Getting used to it now...
Next day we reentered the civilised area, mountains, towns, wadis, ROUNDABOUTS, driving through Nizwa (good coffee at the hotel I stayed in in December) to Bahla.
the hotel
and
whose mud fort and old town are extremely picturesque, but the fort is closed to the public (possibly temporarily as it was clothed in scaffolding one end)
We also went to Jabrin fort which was open, and a maze of staircases and rooms with some great views.
and then headed into the mountains for some more wadis to drive in and pools to see; but not to swim as by then it was getting much cooler. In fact, when we finally did get to a nice bit of flat wadi, and parked in order to camp, it felt distinctly chilly and we mustered all the dead palm fronds we could find to make a fire as we heated our matar paneer curry and couscous. We'd kept a bottle of wine for the last evening, so could enjoy that before bedding down at about 8 o'clock. It got colder. Sleeping bags that unzip themselves when you move are a real pain. We slept and then didn't sleep. At about 1 in the morning Rustom decided to put the heating on, so we lay with the engine running and the blissful heat blowing around for twenty minutes before getting our heads down for some more kip. At about four we did it again. And when dawn came, and lit up the OTHER side of the wadi, we lay and waited for sunlight to come near enough so we could stumble over and sit in that to make our 3-in-1 coffee.
Not before time, we were due home that day, and felt in need of good hot showers and comfortable nights... we went through the border into the UAE at Buraimy/Al Ain which was much quicker and more efficient than the one at Hatta (in case anyone needs to know), and were in two minds about leaving the wilder beauties of Oman for the first-world comforts of Abu Dhabi.
