We tried route #16 in our off-roading book and discovered that the border fence between the UAE and Oman, which was planned at the time of publishing, had been built which kept us from completing the journey. Not entirely disappointed, we saw farms with camels and drove in the sand. We drove past what looked like a helipad and thought it was a good place to take some snaps of the truck.
The sun in Dubai is HOT. The UAE Ministry of Labour announced a summer midday work ban, warning companies that flout the law would face heavy fines. The ministry said the ban would be from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm from July 1 until Aug. 31. The ban on labourers working during the day’s hottest hours was introduced in 2004, but its start date has varied. The ministry also said that an intensive inspection campaign would be start on the first day of the ban coming into force. The ministry said companies must also provide covered rest areas for the workers during the breaks.
In Arabic, Salik means a person who enganged in Islamic spiritual path. Salik is a road toll which was introduced in July of 2007. It currently costs me AED8 to travel to work and back. In September it will cost me AED16! I moved to Dubai because it was tax free - I consider this toll a tax! Humph - well at least there is no snow; but with global warming that could be around the corner. Speaking of around the corner, there is talk about introducing VAT!
The first phase of Dubai's Metro System will be completed by end of 2009. Everyday, 1.2 million passengers are expected to travel to 55 stations in air-conditioned carriages.
There will be two transfer stations — Union Square and the BurJuman Centre. At the transfer stations, Green and Red Lines will cross each other and passengers will be able to change between lines. Work on metro stations will continue into 2008. The underground stations will be complete by early 2009. Picture: Dubai metro in front of the Etisalat building taken in the first half of 2007.
Bon Jovi played Abu Dhabi at the Palace and thanks to Neil we all went to the event in class. VIP tickets to Bon Jovi! VIP in Abu Dhabi is very nice! No overcrowding, overpouring of the G in the G&T, clean flush toilets and we didn't have to get mixed up in the parking dabacle after the concert. First class all the way!
Waking up refreshed, we made ourselves some breakfast and washed it down with coffee. The last sight to see was a waterfall. We drove and drove, walked and climbed and we couldn’t find the waterfall, although we could hear it. In conclusion, Nicky and Neil claimed not to be the camping type but handled the good and the bad incredibly well. I would even go so far as to say that Nicky has natural camping instinct :-) There was no complaining during this trip by either party and we give Nicky and Neil top marks especially since there was a point I would have packed up to protect myself from the walls of sand.
After not having much sleep the night before, we dragged ourselves out of the tent and into the sea to get the sand off of our bodies and cool off. After breakfast we packed up as quickly as possible before we lost the shade from the mountain. We made our way into a hotel bathroom where Nicky washed the oil off her feet and then headed to Wadi Bih. This trip was supposed to involve a hike called the Jungle Book Hike but we opted to continue to drive and sightsee from the inside of the cool Pajero. Who knew goats could climb trees? After successfully convincing the machine gun carrying Omani border guard that we should be allowed through the gate, we were turned away at the UAE gate which meant we had to go back where we came from. Having to make some last minute changes to our trip, we stopped to lunch on the beach under the largest palm tree we could find and consulted the off-road book which detailed many other options for the night. 
We chose a secluded location at the far end of the beach and took a quick dip in the sea which reminded us that there was a thoughtless and inconsiderate tanker who cleaned its tanks in the water off the beach and Barry, Neil and Nicky got black, sticky oil on the bottoms of their feet. We had to change locations of the tents three times due to the wind. After our tents were almost blown up the mountain, we weighed them down with large rocks. Sitting around the fire in our bathing suits we ate our hot dinner, drank cold beer and soon were bracing ourselves for walls of sand. What was supposed to be a cool and refreshing breeze coming off the water ended up being an merciless, warm wind carrying beach sand along the side of the mountain and pummelling us approximately once every 10 minutes. We would first hear the sound of billions of grains of sand being carried along the side of the mountain and then looking up you could see it coming our way. The sand was sticking to every inch of us and all we could do was hold our breath and cover our faces until it passed. We decided to take cover in our tents. Between attacks I was brushing the sand off my feet before getting into the tent and Barry yelled “Get in, get in! It’s coming!” I lunged into the tent and quickly reached for the zipper which was supposed to stop any chance of sand getting in. I soon discovered the tent was not the sand-free sanctuary I thought it was. The humidity was off the charts and because of the heat Barry and I laid on the air mattress in such a way that no part of our skin was touching and as we laid there we wished to fall asleep before the next wall of sand.
Nicky and Neil would tell you that they are not campers but not wanting to say “I wish I had done that.” decided they would give camping in the Middle East a try. Both Nicky and Neil are big music fans and I reminded them that this would be different from music festival “camping”. The next few weeks were very busy but finally we secured a date, albeit a little past the ideal camping time and close to the summer heat. We piled into the 4x4 Thursday night after work, grabbed some Zaatar w Zeit, and made our way through the Sharjah traffic for the open road towards Dibba Beach – who doesn’t want to camp on the beach?
Remember the upside-down yield sign? 
