This is an odd part of Oman. It is separated from the rest of Oman by a large chunk of the UAE. To the Northeast of us is the coast of Iran, allegedly this is prime smuggling territory between the two countries. To get here, we drove along the coast of the UAE to the small border crossing post at Sha'am. Here, we had to pay 40 Dirhams each to exit the UAE and then 20 Rials to enter Oman. Stamps all over over our passports!
The day started with Aaron returning from night shift at Dubai airport and Siobhan, Lynn and I going out for breakfast at Arrows and Sparrows, a small cafe/restaurant near Siobhan and Aaron's flat. After a leisurely meal, we wandered back to the flat after buying a slab of water for our desert journey.
Aaron got up not long after we got back and we loaded the car and headed northeast up the coast. Not far outside the city, the desert starts to reassert itself and camels, goats and even cows can be seen wandering around close to the roads. We made good time, although border formalities added about 30 minutes to the journey.
Since arriving, we had a small Arab mezze and a beer as we were hungry and thirsty. Having satisfied the inner soul, Aaron and I took our snorkelling kit and headed for the sea whilst Siobhan and Lynn decided the swimming pool was a better option.
We had to scramble down the rocks to get in the sea and I certainly noticed it was cooler than our last swim in Australia! There is lots of healthy coral here and I saw a large school of Trevally and some bigger wrasse whilst Aaron spotted a scorpion fish.
Now, with the light fading and lighting the cliffs in a pink glow, we are sitting outside and considering our dinner options! In the end, we chose to eat local Omani dishes and ate fish with rice. Its certainly a beautiful spot here.
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