WOW january!!!!! must update blog......sorry to those AVID watchers, i have yet again been slacking! ERM i mean sooooooo busy!

Meant to give an account of our 7th December Visa Run to Oman!!!! wow that was an experience. you have 60days on your visa stamp as you come into the UAE. if you over stay you are charged for the privilage! so we thought it best to get out so to speak!

Simple enough concept, drive to the border, stamp out of UAE, Stamp into oman, stamp out of Oman, stamp into UAE! hahahahaha yeah!

1st obstacle was getting out of Dubai....yet again we managed to go a different way and get stuck in traffic......1.5hrs from leaving the office we got out of Dubai and we were heading towards the border at Hatta!

amazed that we actually havent seen any kind of "proper" desert, the likes of which seen in the Flake adverts of the 80s, we drove on.....the sand changed colour from a light brown (BS5930) actually beige to you and i to an orangey red!!! and the vegitation disappeared....... unfortunately the only camera i had with me was my phone.....we will make a return visit to get better pictures....the best part of all!!! WE SAW REAL LIVE WALKING CAMELS!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! they were on the other side of the road and were gone when we went home, but folks!......they are out there!!!!!!!

Got stamped out of UAE....then in no mans land!!!! got to a checkpoint......boot was searched! then had to drive about 5km to the border????????? very bizarre, but beautiful scenery....mountains and wadi's all over! got to the window at the border and had to park up and go fill in some forms.......and BUY CAR INSURANCE for the privilage of turning around in their carpark to head straight back to the UAE Grrrrrrrrrr. any way.....got chatting to a guy from Oman and he gave us info for our next visa run when we plan to go to muscat for a couple of days......back on the road to get another stamp in our passports.......... Out of oman....then the no mans land trip back to UAE......the border getting back in turns into a random carpark....it seems acceptable to abandon your vehicle in the road to walk round several portacabin buildings until you find the one for your nationality, to get your stamp! relieved we had survived........we drove back to Dubai...............didnt see the camels though!