To the coast!

Yesterday’s excitement has put us behind schedule and we had a long way to go to reach the ferry to Masirah Island on time.  When the sun came up we were surprised by how nice of a campsite we selected in the dark - we got up early and set off out of the desert.  We passed a small settlement and then got onto the road for a long drive to the coast.  We knew we were close when we smelled the sea and saw some people farming salt flats and then we saw the dhows on the sparkling Arabian Sea.  Now to find the right port for the ferry!

Just do it!

We helped some other travellers get unstuck, lost the main track, enjoyed some root beer, started running low on fuel, changed routes, got lost, got stuck, found a tiny Bedouin tented home, asked a boy for directions and finally found a farm where we could maybe buy some fuel and get directions out of the desert.  The farmer was very welcoming and brought us some tea and dates which we enjoyed sitting with him in the sand.  The many children were curious of us and it was decided that one of the farmer’s sons would lead us out of the desert to a petrol station.  We raced out of the desert trying to beat the sunset and watching our gas gauge nervously.  We finally reached the petrol station where we made sandwiches and enjoyed a real beer in celebration.  After we filled up our tanks and our stomachs we made our way back into the desert to set up our tents for the night – a process made more difficult by how dark it was.  Finding our spot for the night was laughable and it wasn’t without some digging and pulling but we finally found a good spot – even though it was too dark to confirm that until morning.

Cheers to our Eid Al Adha adventure!

Our first camping spot was perched high on a dune overlooking the main track.  Around the fire on our first night we popped a bottle of champagne and cheered to our upcoming adventure.  After much discussion we decided to risk the limited amount of petrol, possibility of getting stuck and becoming deserted in the desert and drive through Wahiba as originally planned – no other route would be as fun !

Eid Al Adha trip to and through Oman

After several weeks planning our extra long weekend trip to Oman over the Eid Al Adha holiday our three vehicle convoy turned into a slightly more risky two vehicle convoy.  Our plan was to cross the 180 Kilometers of Wahiba desert North to South and more vehicles would make this a safer trip.  Although we were down one car we decided to stick to the schedule that was travelling to Wahiba and spending the first night in the desert near the entry point – we would reevaluate in the morning as to whether or not we travel through the desert or find a different route to our final destination, which was Masirah Island.  We met at a gas station at sunset, crossed the border and drove all day through some scenic small towns to reach Wahiba.  We let the air out of our tires and headed into Wahiba an hour before sunset.

Looking for a new camping spot

Our trucks were packed with our camping gear and we set out to search for a new camping spot.  We looked high and low and settled on a secluded spot, which required us to walk all of our gear into a wadi.  After our exercise we settled in for the night - Halloween night.  In the morning, after breakfast, we packed up trying to avoid taking any unwelcome insects with us and went to the beach to enjoy the rest of the day in the sun and sea.