Visitors

I hate blogging when I have nothing to write about - there's no shortage of news for this one. The Aunties out for a Visit My sister and her friend Annette came out for ten days or so and we completed a whirlwind week around the Emirates and into Oman. It was great to spend a decent amount of time with Michelle and to meet Annette, who was quickly adopted as one of Matija's aunties. After picking the girls up in Dubai, being overtaken by a couple of idiot drivers and seeing one of them upside down beside the motorway a couple of kays later, we made it back to Al Ain. We were straight into a 4wd trip with a few of the offroad group out by the airport, just 15 minutes from home. Good fun, a chance to see some desert and the passengers even got to see three of the local (expat) ladies help get an Emirati out of a serious stuck. We had a look around town on Thursday but the girls barely had time to settle in because on Friday (or Saturday?) we headed off to Liwa, a desert Oasis in the east of the UAE. We drove for a few hours and met up with some more of the Offroaders before heading into the sand at Madinat Zayed, and pitching the tents in a hurry. We got a few hours driving in on the dunes there, mainly practicing longer descents so those heading on another trip the next day got the hang of them. You can't afford to brake on the big slopes, you just have to plug it into a low gear and let the engine do the work. If you brake and lose the rear end you're likely to find it slipping out the side and before you know it you'll be rolling down the hill. Not the best way to get down! We had a quick 13km trip back to camp and Ande was lucky to be in another vehicle as Matija's tummy objected to the bumps and she threw up in the back of the Xtonka (thank goodness her clothes collected most of it). We arrived back in time to cook a barbecue and settle around the fire for the evening. It had been cool during the day and was positively cold that night. We'd loaned Michelle and Annette lightweight sleeping bags but they obviously aren't used to cold conditions in Southland and both of them froze for most of the night. We were a little heavily loaded for the big trip the next day so we headed to Liwa proper and got a look at some of the biggest dunes in the area before heading back. We checked out the big Moreeb dune where they have a grandstand and do some pretty spectacular hillclimbing on the UAE's biggest sand dune. Not for the faint-hearted. It actually started raining as we were driving back, only the second rain we've had since we've been here, so it was certainly an unusual trip and those in the sand dunes found themselves driving in gluggy soup that filled up the tires and made turning nearly impossible. We spent a few days visiting the markets, malls, souqs and landmarks before heading off to Musandam, the northern territory of Oman. Our mate Murray took his Pathfinder and Marion, our neighbour came too - she was invaluable as she'd been there before. It was a pretty big drive to the border, we did find an interesting camping shop on the way and crawled through Ras Al Khaimah, a northern emirate where the road was cracking and sinking under the weight of thousands of trucks and the scenery was bleak - a procession of grubby roadside shops and three huge cement factories. We finally got through the border into Oman and were immediately greeted by stunning roadside beaches tucked just under towering cliffs and hillsides. We stopped for a late lunch and a swim in beautiful water then made our leisurely way to Khasab, cruising up some side roads into villages and having a look around. The place is very different to the UAE. The villages are generally small and tidy with smaller houses, goats wandering the streets and a few people out and about. When we got to Khasab we booked in for a dhow cruise the next day then went for a drive to find a camping spot. There was a spot in some acacia trees, but we ended up driving over a hill and down a snaking track into the only bay accessible by car in the Musandam. Fishing boats were coming home and guys were packing up nets but we found a nice spot back off the track and up the hill from the designated camping area. We were close to an old graveyard. In this part of the world graves are usually just marked with a rock at the feet and another one at the head . There were a few old ruined huts and shelters around and it proved a great place to camp. There was even a water tank down at the edge of the bay. We had our own wood for a campfire and settled in for dinner and a snooze. In the morning we were visited by the local goats and after Murray fed them we couldn't get rid of them again. After packing up we went for a drive, looking for the track towards Dibba, on the other coast. The track was on our maps, but it took half an hour to find it as it was only signposted from one direction and it was just a gravel path veering sharply away from a sealed road. Anyway we climbed quite a way up into the mountains, past a few old stone villages and a helipad, then stopped where we could get a view back where we'd come. We were at a little village and there was a grassy plain stretching for a couple of kays to the next big hills. A few sheep and goats were grazing there in fenced paddocks (some of the only one's we've seen up there). It was quite spectacular and we went for a little walk up one of the tracks and a photo stop before coffee and dates. We made it back in time to catch the dhow up into Musandam. It's a big area of inlets and fishing villages beneath stark cliffs and it really is quite spectacular. From Khasab the Omani's export cigarettes, tv's, shoes and all manner of stuff into Iran. This is legal from the Oman end, but highly illegal from Iran. Hundreds of high speed boats are continually powering out of Khasab, heavily loaded with big boxes of stuff. There is a constant stream of overloaded utes carting stuff to the wharf and trucks unload and pack onto smaller vehicles in carparks, on the side of the road and anywhere else they can fit. It's a little crazy. Apparently they hit the beaches in Iran and load out onto waiting trucks. Those that get caught pay cash 'fines' instantly or get to spend a bit of time in Iran's jail system. It's a crazy kind of town, living on the smuggling, a few date plantations, tourism and fishing. We saw lots of little boats heading out and when we came back the fish were spread out all over a wharf and there was some kind of auction going on with guys yelling, waving and bumping each other. We cruised under the cliffs and past a few fishing villages to a spot where another boat was parked. The skipper made a few wavy gestures and then gunned the motor and tore past the other boat. As soon as he did a group of dolphins came for a swim in the pressure wave to the side of the dhow . There were six or so and they played for around ten minutes before disappearing again. We carried on to a little island where we tied up and went for a snorkel. There were a few corals underwater and quite a bit of sea life. We made it back for a lunch on the boat - grilled fish and chicken with salads , bread and fruit, then cruised back to khasab. The dhows are reasonably big and you lounge around on cushions. They're not that noisy and they don't go very fast, making it quite a mellow, laid back kind of a cruise. We saw the dolphins again on the way in and stopped at a seafood restaurant fo r a bit of fish before camping at a beach under some cliffs just out of Khasab. At about 11pm, when we were all asleep the local boys had a little music and dance session not far from us, drumming loudly and dancing in their vehicle headlights, then a scooter rode past us with 3 on board and a stereo absolutely booming. It's not unusual for this part of the world, at least they didn't keep going for long and Annette managed to capture it with video on her camera. The next day we packed up and headed into town for a little Indian breakfast. Marion recommended a little place where we had sweet, milky coffee then paratha (fried breads) with dahl or a little curried vegetable mix. It was hot, spicy and very yummy in the morning - a great start to the day. Just across from us there was another little auction going on, we think it was for the little utes to carry massive loads to the dock - you wouldn't believe how much stuff they put on little trucks and how badly all of their suspension was treated. Nearly all of them had their numberplates dragging on the ground. We stopped for a couple of swims, then made the big drive back to Al Ain. We took a different route this time and took a detour around Dubai and Sharjah, the trucks along this route were nose to tail for around 15 kilometres. There are about six lanes, but trucks can only use the far left lane and they're not allowed to overtake so they just form a massive line and crawl along. Most of the ones we saw weren't even moving. Incredible! We made it back on about Wednesday (I think) then had a couple more days before the girls flew out. We did a trip up Jebel Hafeet for a view over the area and called in to see a water park where they're going to have the world's biggest standing wave (why would you want the second biggest?) and they've nearly completed a couple of kayak courses complete with conveyor belts so you can get back to the start without having to leave the water. Cool! Apparently there's an easier one and a Grade 4 run. Could be interesting. I'm getting lost, maybe we went to Abu Dhabi before this? Can't remember. Some friends came over one night and we had dinner then went out to one of the worlds best cellist s playing (his cello) at an outdoor event at one of the forts. It was amazing music at an extraordinary location - something a bit different. Anyway, at some stage we went to Abu Dhabi with the aunties. We had a lovely roast lamb dinner at Jenny and Kevin's and they roped Ande and I into getting aboard a couple of boats and being safety officers for the Abu Dhabi Triathlon. Interesting, but not that exciting as no-one needed rescuing. The aunties had a quality morning with Matija before we did a quick tour of Abu Dhabi. We did get to see the Grand Mosque, it was a shame we couldn't make one of the tours but we got geared up with abaya's and khandoora so that we could have a look. Just made it before it closed for prayers, but at least we got a look. We also visited the family beach and did a bit of shopping at the Marina Mall, one of the big malls in town. We tried to visit the Emirates Palace, but the jolly Sheikh was hosting a meeting so we weren't allowed in. It was a huge ten days or so with the girls - fantastic to get to show them a bit of the UAE and to spend some time with them. I dropped them off to the airport for their flight and I'm sure they were looking forward to catching up on some sleep. Will end this post now and catch you up with our Andorra trip next time.

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