We are now back from our desert camp and marveling at how amazing the whole experience was. We left Muscat Sunday morning (Edward's birthday) just after 9am and drove through the mountains and down the coast to a town called Sur. Enroute we passed through a couple of small seaside villages where the women and children were dressed in the more colorful traditional Omani clothing and the homes were constructed of mud brick. Saw many children out playing who happily waved when we drove by. Had a delicious lunch of Indian food in Sur and enjoyed watching the locals drive up to the restaurant, honk for their bread order (which was being freshly made just feet away from us) and carry on their way.
Fortified from lunch we drove on to the meeting place for the desert camp in the Wahiba sands and arrived right on time at 3pm. After letting some air out of the tires of our 4x4 we were off into the desert in a caravan of vehicles. The drive in was great fun and Edward got his first taste of sand driving (which he likened to dry snow). The camp is run by several brothers from a large Bedouin family and consists of 20 or so palm frond huts neslted between the dunes. There was a dining area, sitting area and wash area (consisting of open roofed squat toilets in the sand). Upon arrival we were given time to settle in and the girls immediately ran up onto the dunes and began sliding down them on a sand board. At 4:30pm we left for some "dune bashing" (best described as driving like you are in a stolen vehicle up and down the dunes!) and arrived a short while later to watch the sun set over the desert. The guides made a fire and had coffee and dates for everyone and we stayed a while to take photos and watch the sunset. Incredible...
Drove back to the camp in semi darkness and finished the drive with a descent down two very steep dunes. Edward loved it though the girls and Laurel weren't so sure when looking down from the top... Managed to only get briefly stuck once though others in the convoy weren't so lucky. Dinner was served a short while later and absolultely delicious. We enjoyed cucumber salad, rice, chicken, breads (one of which we watched them prepare and cook on the fire), hummus, dahl (lentils), yakhnet al kodra (a type of vegetable stew), and ful madammas (a bean dish). It was all absolutely fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Dessert was a chocolate birthday cake made the day prior by our neice Katie and brought along. After dinner the guides lit fires and laid out carpets and pillows under the stars for everyone to sit on while they played a type of traditional guitar (oud), drummed (on a tabla), danced and sang Omani folk songs. The whole evening was pure magic. Once the girls were in bed we sat up for a while in front of our hut taking in the outline of the sand dunes against a brilliant night sky, the sounds of music floating across the camp. It was a night I will never forget.
Morning came all too quickly and dawned sunny and warm. We had a wonderful sleep nestled under warm blankets on our cots and were in no hurry to get up. Breakfast was filling and a mix of more traditional and Western tastes. From there it was on to the long awaited camel trek. Once comfortably aloft on their camels, Edward and the girls were led off into the desert for a wee trek around some dunes. Their camels were very sweet and well behaved for the many photos that were taken. The girls had a little more play time in the dunes (which they loved jumping off of and landing in the soft sand below) prior to packing up and heading off for the drive out. Unfortunately this part of the adventure did not last long as Charles got their 4x4 firmly stuck at the top of a large dune that required much digging, use of boards and a tow to get back out! Decided after this to take the easy drive out via a long flat area between dunes. Saw many camels and small bedouin huts along the way. Had a picnic lunch at a date palm plantation and carried on to home. We had hoped to check out an old village or fort enroute but time ran on and our car rental was due back at dinner time. Arrived back in Muscat around 5pm, de-sanded ourselves and all our gear, had dinner and did some packing. Tomorrow is our last day in Oman which we plan to savour.
