Round The World and other travels

I made sure that I was up and about in plenty of time to enjoy breakfast in the Club Lounge before the agreed pick-up time of 0830 for my day tour to Wadi Hatta. I was beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong when I was still waiting at 0845, but then a 4WD vehicle in the appropriate colours pulled up in front of the hotel and I knew that I was OK. Traffic had been the problem. We had a further two pick-ups to make, but at least they were on the way. Soon enough, our group of four (plus driver / guide) were heading out of the city and into the desert. We made a couple of short stops to look at some camels and to do a spot of minor dune bashing, as such activities appear to be all but compulsory on these occasions, but thankfully they were both token efforts. We set off into open country towards Wadi Hatta which, although it lies in the Emirate of Dubai, is best reached by crossing part of Oman. The border formalities consisted of the guard having a quick look at us through the car's open windows and waving us through. It felt a little strange to be visiting Oman already, ahead of my arrival in Muscat later in the trip.

In the course of the day, we saw some absolutely spectacular country, which in places reminded me of driving in remote desert areas of the Southern US. We also did some more off-roading, visited an oasis farm, had lunch in the shade by a pool in the wadi, and visited Hatta Heritage Village to learn a little of the traditional way of life of people in this area. I felt myself nodding off on the way back to the city and soon it was back into Dubai's terrible traffic jams to make the various hotel drop-offs. I made it back to the Hilton around 1730, which meant that there was plenty of time to freshen up, partake of Happy Hour at the Club, have dinner and - horror of horrors! - prepare for departure the next morning!