Around Oman in 7 days.

Population: 3,204,897
(Urban 77%, Rural 23%)

Ethnic groups: Omani Arab - 75%

Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangledeshi - 21%

Iranian, Egyptian, Somali, Other - 4%

Languages: Arabic, English, Baluchi, Urdu, Hindi, Other Indian dialects.

Religions: Ibadi Muslim - 75%, Other Muslim - 13%, Hindu - 6%, Christian - 5%, Other - 1%

Life expectancy: 73.6 Years
Literacy Rate: Male - 84.9%, Female - 70.5%

Government: Monarchy - Sultan Qaboos bin Said

Major export trade partners: Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore Military personal: 45,000 (2007)
Monetary unit: 1 Omani Rial = 1000 baiza

However my favorite fact is that Oman is the only country begining with the letter O! Remember that for your next trivia night................

(n.b. Oslo is not a country, neither is Ohio.....you can stop trying now, you won't find one ;)

I was intending to have a visitor from Kuwait recently therefore I organised my second cycle of rec leave within a month. I was planning to show her around Oman, and see it myself, however due to passport problems she was unable to make it. I thought I may as well still get out there so I bought some cheap camping gear, loaded up on food and booze, serviced the Kia and then hit the road.

1. Muscat to Masirah Island - 480km's

I left home early for the long drive to Masirah. A fairly easy drive out of Muscat, through the Hajar Mountain Range, then along the Western edge of the Wahiba Sands to the coast and the Masirah car ferry (left). 90 minutes later I drove off the ferry then around to the East coast of the Island where I found a shelter to camp in. I set up the tent, cooked up some dinner and opened up a beer......ahhh this is the life!

2. Masirah Island

I woke with the sun and decided to stay another day, do a bit of swimming, walking and fishing. The swimming and walking went ok however the fishing was unsuccessful!

I have a feeling my choice of bait may have been the problem. I had forgotten to get any before leaving home and therefore did some improvising. I tried baby corn, potato, bread and then thought that a pickle might do the trick! It's the pickles that have been hooking McDonalds customers for years right? Unfortunately I didn't even get a nibble. All a bloke asks for is a nibble on his pickle every now and again!

During my walking I had seen several turtle tracks along the coast however when I went turtle spotting that night I didn't manage to see any. Much of Oman's coastline is a breeding ground for various types of turtles including loggerhead, hawksbill, green and the olive ridley.

3. Masirah to Ras Madrakah - 553 km's

After getting lost on southern Masirah and doing a loop I finally made it back to the ferry. The road signs and directions in Oman leave a lot to be desired and this wouldn't be the only time I would get lost.

After getting back on the mainland I hoped to go coastal as much as possible to Ras Madrakah (see map).

I took a 'coastal road' which turned into a deserted rocky gravel road over run with sand and some smaller sand dunes. I hadn't seen a car for about 20km's when I hit a very sandy stretch and wondered if I should backtrack in case the Kia got stuck and I got stranded. I decided to push on and slipped and slided through the sand for a while and eventually made it back onto firmer ground. A little nerve racking but good fun!

I stopped at a few of the coastal towns on my way down south and made it to Madrakah early evening and set up camp (above). Most of the coastline has a few shelters where you can get some shade and pitch a tent.

4. Ras Madrakah to Qanawt - 410 km's
Again I headed south along the coast until I reached Sawqrah where I stopped for lunch. It's a nice little coastal town sheltered in a bay by big cliffs. I wanted to keep going coastal however the road cut up through the mountains and was very rough and rocky. Although by my map it was over 100km's of this I decided I may as well go for it, engaged the 4wd, and took off. Fortunately the road smoothed out a bit and was not too bad. About halfway along they were doing extensive roadwork and will be asphalting the road at some stage. Everywhere I went they were doing lots of roadwork and opening up the country more and more.

I reached Shalim, a major crossing town, refueled then swung left again to the coast. I could go no further than Qanawt, about 200km's south from Sawqrah as the Dhofar mountain range cut off access further south to Salalah, Oman's second largest city.

I set up camp next to a concrete shelter at the end of the road, which was in a beautiful little inlet overlooked by the mountains. I had just finished cooking dinner, and my 2nd glass of red, when a couple of Omani guys from a workers camp up to my left arrived for a chat. They were part of a work team that is building a road through the mountains to connect the coast roads. They are blasting through with dynamite and are one of 3 teams on the multimillion dollar job. Another team is working from halfway in at Thumrait and the other at the Salalah end of the coast at Hasik, where I would end up 2 days later.

5. Qanawt to Salalah - 485 km's

From Qanawt I returned back to Shalim and then on to Marmul, past multiple oil fields, making sure I stayed alert at all times!

It is actually very difficult to stay alert on the Oman roads as the countryside is very barren and there is not much to keep you awake.

I made it to Salalah, on the Southern coast, early afternoon and went for a quick tour around. I found the youth hostel and booked in for a night so I could have a warm shower and scrape off the dirt from the previous 4 days camping. A fairly quiet night in Salalah with a couple of drinks at the Crown Plaza hotel.

*Sultan Qaboos 'Grand Mosque' under construction (Salalah)

6. Salalah to Hasik - 282 km's
After a decent sleep in I headed East and back to the coast. First stop at Taqah, a fortified coastal town, then the stone ruins of the ancient city of Khour Rouri. On the way into the site I ran into fellow air traffic controller Jonathon and his wife Jennifer who had just visited the site. They told me to have a quick look round the ruins and then go down to the bay where there were a herd of camels grazing and loads of birds. I checked out the 1st century BC stone city then set up camp by the bay for lunch.
I had only just poured my baked beans into the pan when I got a visit by one of the curious camels. Next thing I knew there were 6 or 7 of them sniffing around, 1 into my saucepan! (n.b. he turned his nose up at my beans and went back to munching on the grass)

They hung around checking me out for a good 20 minutes while I cooked up and ate lunch. They are magnificent creatures, even if they do look a little goofy!

After Khour Rouri I went coastal another couple of hundred km's to Hasik via the very picturesque coastal road. I wanted to see how far up the coast I could make it, and when I was stopped by machine gun totting military men just past Hasik i figured I wasn't going any further! They were part of the road gang on this side of the mountain range, and were very friendly once they realised I was just out for a Sunday drive. I turned around and found a nice little inlet to camp in a few km's away.

7. Hasik to Muscat - 1571 km's!!
Again I woke and rose with the sun as it is far too hot in the tent once the sun hits it. I made breakfast and was on the road by 0700 intending to drive the length of the South coast as far as the Yemen border.

I got back to Salalah in a few hours then an hour later stopped for lunch in a tourist type spot along the coast in Mughsayl. Mughsayl has a blowhole and semi-cave which are impressive, however like most 'tourist' sites in Oman it is a bit haphazard. The staff are generally not interested in you, there is little signage or direction, and there is normally rubbish everywhere. Oman is just starting to recognise that they could be quite a popoluar tourist destination however they have a long way to go to lift their standards. In some ways this is not such a bad thing, however the lack of decent organisation can be very frustrating at times.

After Mugshayl it was only a couple of hundred km's to the Yemen border so I pushed on with a good half tank of fuel. Little did I know I was about to hit some serious mountains that would continue all the way to the border. At the top of one of them I was stopped at an army checkpoint and given a thorough going over. They asked me if I was going into Yemen and I finally assured them I wasn't. At the second checkpoint I was now getting low on fuel and wondering if I should turn back. The army man told me I could get fuel from the supermarket in Kharfut so I continued on. After the biggest mountains of the whole country I made it up and down to the small coastal town only to find no-one home! The streets were empty, a ghost town. I drove to the beach and ate some lunch then went back. Just as I arrived back the mosque doors opened and the locals poured out like ants.

I went to the market and asked for fuel while the arabic speaking locals looked at me dumbfounded. Finally I met an English speaking man who worked for the Sultans special forces and was holidaying in town. He took me to the 'service station' where fuel was siphoned out of several small containers into the Kia.

Now full of food and fuel I hit the road again aiming for Salalah to spend the night. Halfway back I decided to branch off left and go through the interior and head towards home. The road was asphalt for about 5 km's then turned into rough gravel. I looked at my map and saw another 100+ km's of this to get to Thumrait and thought why not! After a few km's I came across a huge military base not marked on any of my maps. Complete with all sorts of vehicles, helicopters, training areas and barracks it was quite impressive. On the other side of the base was a huge artillery range with multiple warning signs plastered around, my favorite being - 'DANGER Military Range KEEP OUT. Do not pick anything up, it may explode and so will you'!

Heeding this advice I continued on and made Thumrait. I was now on the main Salalah to Muscat road and was feeling good so decided to see how far I could get. Turns out I made it another 900+ km's and made it home at 0200 to my own comfortable bed.

A friend suggested that on my headstone it should read: Here lies Craig, he once drove the length and breadth of Oman in one day! My 7 days, 3500+ km's and 700+ ipod songs throughout Oman were very enjoyable and a big eye opener. I'm glad I did it but I won't be doing it again in a hurry.

Walking like an Egyptian.

After 8 months of work I got my first recreation leave of 6 days (1 work cycle), which worked out to a couple of weeks break adding days off either side.

I decided to waste no time and jumped on a plane to Cairo only a few hours after finishing my night shift.
I arrived in Cairo, a city of 20+ million people, after only 4 hours flight time, where I was picked up and taken to the Ramses II hotel/hostel in downtown Cairo.

I could write another blog about Cairo traffic and Cairo drivers, however just look at the blog entry for Oman driving and triple that! (n.b indicators are replaced by blasts of the horn)

My guidebook warned off doing any deals, or trip planning through the hotel, so the first thing I did was plan out and pay for my whole 13 days with smooth talking 'Hostelier Haitham' over a complimentary cup of Egyptian tea. Even though I had misgivings about booking everything upfront, the itinerary Haitham planned for me included everything I wanted to do for a reasonable price and without the hassles of me finding accommodation, transport etc.

Anyway, heres the whole sordid tale:

9th: First item on the 'plan' was an evening cruise up the nile. A very cheesy cruise with loads of Indian holidaymakers, myself and my local guide Yasser. A buffet dinner and dance with a belly dancer were both the highlights and lowlights!

10th: Pyramids! Amazing is one word, unbelievable another. The pyramids in Giza, pretty much within big city of Cairo, were my first stop. There are 3 main pyramids on the Giza plateau with the biggest being Khufu or Cheops, which is now '137 metres high and consists of about 2.3 million limestone blocks reckoned to weigh on average about 2.5 tonnes each' (Lonely Planet). I will spare you the 'tonne' of other facts and figures on these mysterious tombs, the amount of info is mind boggling! Giza is also home to the 'noseless' Sphinx.

Thankfully there were not the hoards of people I was expecting and I had a good walk around with my guide for the day Ahmed. Ahmed spoke very good English and was good fun.

After Giza it was time for lunch and I asked Ahmed for something Egyptian. We settled on Kushari, a cheap staple of pasta, crispy fried onions and various dressings of garlic, tomatoes, chili sauce etc, depending on which shop you buy it from.

Next stop was the Step Pyramid at Saqqara about 30 mins south of Giza. 'Built in 2650 BC it is Egypt's (and the world's) earliest stone monument and it's significance cannot be overstated' (LP again). The scaffolding on the side of the pyramid detracted a little from it's grandeur, however it was only because a piece of stone had fallen the previous year and nearly hit a tourist. Not bad really when you consider how old it is.

The rest of the day was spent at Memphis, an archeological treasure trove that is still being excavated, as are a lot of areas in Egypt.

*Step Pyramid (first ever pyramid), Statues of Ramses II at Memphis

11th: Cairo Tour then overnight train to Aswan.

I was picked up at 0900 by my driver and my 22yr old very religious Muslim guide Sabwa. It took 10 minutes in the Mohammed Ali Mosque then citadel for me to really dislike Sabwa! Rather than guiding she was lecturing me about religion and Islam. I did score some points by explaining to her about the 5 pillars of Islam which she doubted I knew, however i lost them quickly when I not so subtely told her that I was 33 years old and will go to the bathroom when I please and take photos when I please etc.... After another such 'discussion' at Coptic Cairo (the historical church area) I decided to cut Sabwa loose and continue on alone. The thought of her walking/talking me through the Cairo museum was too much to bear. I was finally free with just my driver and continued on to the Khan al-Khalili market then the museum.

The market was huge and interesting, however an hour of being hassled by store owners was more than enough. This would become a common theme throughout Egypt, especially at the tourist sites.

The museum was very interesting and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around aimlessly, with the odd nana-nap. The sculptures are always a favorite however I was really taken by some of the jewellery. The intricacy and design of some of the pieces were incredible when you think of how old they are.

11th+12th: 14hr train ride down the nile to Aswan.

After a mad scramble through Cairo traffic to get near the station, I sprinted to the train. My hopes/delusions of a nice comfortable sleeper cabin with my heavily promoted '1st class' ticket were dashed when I got to my cabin. A 6 seater, although quite large, it was full of people. A father and son combo on 2 of the opposite seats and a father and 2yr old daughter on the other one, his daughter on his knee. Next to me were two Argentinian blokes, that I found out a day and a half later were Facundo and Nahuel.

After a long day I dispensed with any pleasantries and like a rude bastard put my headphones on and gazed out the window. Next thing the 'conductor' comes in and offers me the next cabin along, an empty 3 seater for "tips money"? Seems a good deal to me, I grab my pack and head next door. Not 3 minutes later the ticket holders of my new cabin arrive and I return to my original seat a little red faced and embarrassed. Oh well, worth a try!

I spend the next few hours watching Cairo sail by then the lights and sights of the small towns by the nile then try to sleep. We finally make it to Aswan and the conductor holds his hand out and asks for "tips money"? I ask him what for, he just shrugs and says nothing. Egypt is in an economical crisis and tips are a big part of life here, not just from tourists, also from Egyptian to Egyptian as wages are so poor and unemployment is high.

I was walked to my hotel, then to the High Dam which blocks the nile just south of Aswan, with the massive man-made Lake Nasser extending south to Sudan. Like most dams worldwide, the High Dam has had both positive and negative influences on Egypt which I won't bore you with here. Next was the Philae Temple on an island just north of Lake Nasser.

* High Dam (start of the Egyptian Nile), Philae Temple

After a reeeeel long day I bought a couple of 10% Sakkara beers and slipped down to the edge of the river to watch the big cruise liners dock. As an added bonus I got a visit from 3 wharf urchins who eventually left me alone after i gave them 4EGP (about 1 AUD) , although they really wanted one of my beers not the money.

13th + 14th: Felucca (or sail boat) ride along the nile.

After a 0300 wake up call (bloody hell I'm on holidays for gods sake!) I was whisked 250 km south to the temples of Abu Simbel in police escorted bus convoy with the rest of the Aswan tourists. Before leaving Aswan we waited in one long line before getting the call to leave. Once the gun went off there was a mad scramble of buses in which our mini bus was rear ended by one of the big tour buses! Our driver got out, shouted a few obsceneties at the other driver then quickly got back in and put his foot down....no worries, push on! I was in 3 similar 'accidents' during my stay. As long as there is no major damage the drivers just shout for a while then continue on.

Abu Simbel was built for Ramses II as a tomb and also a show of strength to any enemies that may be sailing up the nile from Sudan, it is very impressive. Again lots of facts and figures but I won't elaborate.

After a whirlwind hour look around, we were mini-bussed back to Aswan and then I was taken to the river where I boarded my 8 metre long wooden Felucca. On board was Wes, an Aussie from Bendigo, and Captain Fanan and his crew of 22yr old Mohammed and 20yr old Ramanadan. We waited for ages for 2 more passengers before finally setting sail and meeting them an hour upstream. They turned out to be Facundo and Nahuel from the train.

*Abu Simbel

To cut a long story short, we spent a very enjoyable day sailing and drinking while watching the activities on the banks of the river and the various other ships on the river.

The next day was more of the same. Just kicking back relaxing, docking every now and then for a meal or a walk etc. We spent the evening at captain Fanans cousins house which was enjoyable. His cousin was very friendly and we watched some Egyptian video clips, very strange, and even heard Fanan sing. It turns out when he has time he sings at weddings and other events.

*Captain Fanan, The Nile Dancer, The 'Sudan' (100+ Yrs Old) + Wes (below)

As well as Egyptian and various other nationalities, there were lots of Australian flags on the feluccas which was a nice sight. Australians have a good reputation amongst the captains and generally throughout Egypt which was good to know. http://www.niledancer.blogspot.com/ (Highly recommended!)

15th: Woke early to see the sunrise over the river. Had to leave the felucca and her crew unfortunately. I could have easily spent another day cruising along the river, a definate highlight. The 4 of us passengers then caught a local taxi truck to firstly the Temples of Kom Ombo then Edfu. Next a mini bus north to Luxor.

*Temple at Edfu

16th: Sightseeing!

The morning was spent at the Valley of the Kings and queens on the West Bank of the river. Very impressive Tombs carved into the rock on and around the valley floor. Next the temple of Hatshepsut and a couple of other places. I was then taken to an alabaster shop where I was invited for tea and shown around. This was the 3rd time I was taken to a local shop as part of the itinerary. Obviously my stops in this shop, the papyrus shop in Cairo and perfume shop in Luxor were part of a commision deal with the Ramses II hotel but I didn't mind. It was a good chance to work on my haggling skills, and you can always say no!

The afternoon was spent on the East bank at the massive temple complex of Karnak and then the Luxor temple. The design and scale of these temples is quite amazing, however after a day under the Egyptian sun jostling with fat American tourists I rushed through the Luxor temple so I could get back to the hotel and freshen up for a 16 hr bus ride to Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula.

16th+17th: f*&^$#^g long bus ride!

From Luxor I bused 20 hours to Dahab on the Eastern coast of the Sinai peninsula. It took ages as we stopped 3 -4 times for food, once for fuel, once for a flat tyre, and at least 8 times at police checkpoints where I had to show my passport each time. From Luxor it was to Hurghada on the edge of the Red Sea, then up to Suez, then all along the coast to Dahab. Now I know why Moses parted the Red sea instead of taking the bus!

After a few hours sleep I found a barber to get a shave. An hour later I walked out 100 EGP ($25) poorer after a shave, face cleanse, Moroccan mud pack, eye treatment, haircut and Egyptian facial wax! The Egyptian wax was done using a length of cotton which was curled and then run over my small facial, ear and eyebrow hairs. My monobrow was gone in a flash! Oh yeah he cut out my nose hairs for good measure too.

Now I didn't ask for all this but after a long bus ride it felt fantastic and I was ready to hit the town. I ended up at Tota's for trivia. I found a nice English couple and a know-it-all English bloke, Tristan, to team up with. We were in the lead most of the way, Tristan telling us often he never loses, guess what, we lost. I was smiling on the inside as Tristan went back and forth over the answers to see where he went wrong.

18th: The next day was spent snorkelling at the Blue Hole. A nice little touristy spot where I met a nice kiwi couple. Relaxing, drinking tea, snorkelling, eating and then repeating! Turned out Kiwi Sam, like me, was also born in Masterton NZ, 'Home of the Golden Shears'!

18th+19th: That evening I left Dahab with 3 American girls and 2 Japanes guys for a 2 hour drive to Mt Sinai for an early morning hike to the top to see the sunrise (0130 start). Mt Sinai is reputedly the Mt where God appeared to Moses and gave him the 10 Commandments. When we got to the top I tried to call him but it seems he wasn't in. After a cold hour in my sleeping bag the sunrise was very welcome and also very nice, except for the loads of people up there with me.

The walk down was very picturesque and halfway down I was asked to take a photo of a man and his g/f. When finished I asked them for a 10EGP tip like a good Egyptian would. The bloke laughed, proclaimed that he was Latvian and gave me a slug of his 45% herbal Latvian booze he had in his pack. Since I was carrying some whisky I offered that in return and we were instant friends!

*Sunrise - Mt Sinai, the walk down the mountain, Monastry in valley

Apparently the manastry houses a descendant of the 'burning bush', however I went to sleep instead of jostling with the masses inside. Back to Dahab for a sleep then a relaxing evening by the beach.

20th: Breakfast and a swim before checking out of my room. Had a traditonal Bedouin fish lunch at the hotels restaurant with a couple of beers to wash it down. Was supposed to leave for Cairo at 1430 for a nine hour ride but instead was told would be leaving at 1700. I settled into my easy chair by the shore, opened my book and another few beers.....tough job but someone had to do it.

Apart from having a lunatic mini-bus driver,it was a fairly uneventful trip back to Cairo. A minor highlight for me was going through the tunnel under the Suez canal. I'm easily pleased.

21st: Alexandria Day trip.

Picked up at 0700 by Ali for a day trip to Alexandria on the northern coast. Ali spoke little English, and I was tired, so it was a quiet ride to Alexandria. Alexandria is a city of 11+ million and is over 20km long but only 3km wide. We went to the Kings palace, a big old mosque and the citadel before calling lunch. Lunch at a local cafe was washed down with tea and a smoke of a sheesa pipe. Although the library in town is supposed to be well worth a look, I was ready to head back to Cairo, so we drove around town for a bit then left. An uneventful night in Cairo just walking around aimlessly.

*Alexandria - view from Citadel

22nd: Home. Taxi to the airport where I manipulated my last 60 EGP into a couple of beers and a feed. I spent the time waiting for the plane finishing up my diary. I can easily say it has been one of my favorite trips. Although difficult at times, I really enjoyed it. The amount of history is unbelievable and I found the people to be generally friendly and helpful. All-in-all Egypt gets 2 big thumbs up!

Dubai Pub Crawl

139 Bars and clubs in 6 nights, a drink in each? It can't be done you say. Well you're right, but I thought I'd head to the big city of Dubai and try anyway!

I had bought myself a copy of the January 'What's On' magazine for Dubai and counted all the drinking establishments they had listed, mostly bars in the main hotels plus a few others. I got myself a map, broke it into areas, then made a list of all the bars in each area.

After a quick nap after my nightshift i headed to the doctors to organise a 'mental health day' to add to my long weekend. That done, I hit the road for the 400km, 4-5 hour drive from Muscat. After getting slightly lost entering Dubai I arrived at the youth hostel about 2000.

*The Burj Al Arab 7 Star Hotel

Day 1. (Airport Area) n.b. 1 Omani Rial = 10 UAE Dirhams = 3 AUD First stop the Sofitel Hotel and Churchills Bar. An English style sports bar. A pint of Kilkenny drunk to the sounds of a middle age duo singing mid-80's cover songs.

Le Meridian Hotel next and 3 bars. Firstly Dubliners for a guinness and a few rounds of trivia. Then one of the courtyard bars for a becks and a lie down...I mean a becks and an African band. And finally Jules, the hotel nightclub, where 40 UAE Dirhams buys you entry to a small club where wankers come dressed to the nines to listen to a crap house band....but that's just my opinion! (n.b. most larger hotels have a standard bar, 1 or 2 trendier bars, and a club type bar)

A walk across the road took me to the Millenium airport hotel and the promise of 3 more bars. Biggles was first, where trivia again reigns supreme and the staff wear flight attendant uniforms. I wasted 20 minutes of my life on a bourbon and coke waiting for someone to guess the famous person from these clues _ _ L L _ R Y / _ L I N _ O N. After 4 'unlucky' punters tried and failed, I pretended to be the missing in action Franco so I could end my agony and finish the game. Unfortunately Franco returned from the bathroom to catch me out which was my cue to leave.

As it was getting late I taxied to the Irish village instead of 2 more hotel bars. I downed a couple of Guinnesses at 2 of the bars before closing time and then headed towards the Park Hyatt in the hope of one last drink. I managed to talk my way in and asked the barman to pour me his favorite drink. I took a seat outside by the water which housed several luxury yachts, where I proceeded to drunkenly ring my father and Jon. Thankfully for the rest of you out there I ran out of credit and was unable to recharge it in the UAE for the rest of my stay. My drink arrived, a black mess filled with sambucca and something else which really finished me off for the night!

Total Bars - 8

Day 2. (Deira Area)

Lunch at a noodle bar before a walk around Dubai creek and Deira. Stumbled upon the gold souk where I bought a basic 18 carat gold ring for 220 dirhams to add to my ring collection. However with sightseeing done it was down to business again and off to the Hyatt Regency on the coast and Arabian gulf.

Carpenters bar was small but nice, and had the cricket on t.v. 'The Bar' was the upmarket one with views of the coast and expensive drinks, and the Hibiki Lounge is the Japanese style Karaoke bar. In the Hibiki there was 2 barstaff, 3 apparent regulars and 2 Indian businessmen. After looking through the song list I felt it was my duty to introduce them to Meatloaf and 'Bat out of Hell'...all 6+ minutes of it! After what I'm sure was appreciative laughter, 'I broke out of my body, and flew away......like a bat out of hell'

Next the Raddisson SAS on the creek. Fortunately this place has 5 bars, unfortunately Dubai has 5 million cars...or it seems that way, and it takes forever to get anywhere in a cab!

I finally made it and started at 'The Pub', another Englished themed, and imaginitively named bar, where I had dinner and wondered what this sign on the wall meant? 'Our lager, for easy-going girls, refreshes the parts anyone can reach.'

Pondering this I moved to Ku-bu, funky name, funky looking people. I muscled my way to the bar where I paid too much for a vodka and lemonade. A Turkmenistan lady at the bar asked me what I had in my top pocket as it was bulging. It was the pink box that my ring had come in, which I gave to her as a present, happy to be rid of it. She thanked me, told me she would give it to her daughter and then she unsubtely offered me a similar sounding present! Realising this wasn't a free offer like mine I declined and headed to La Moda, the restaurant bar.

A quick drink then the elevator to the 10th floor and the '10th Floor' a jazz bar with great views of Dubai creek and good music from a jazz trio. Next was marbles, the lobby bar and the quickest drink in history. Dodgy philipino cover band, Kenyan and Russian hookers, and fat, drunk English businessmen!

Sheraton Hotel next and the Chelsea arms, another English pub. Then the Hilton Dubai creek and Issimo, a minimilist type bar. Finally to Champions, a sports bar at the JW Marriott.

Total Bars - 11

Day 3. (Bur Dubai South)

Lunch at the Wafi mall.....in Carters bar.

Walked around the mall for a while then headed the Movenpick Hotel and the promise of 3 more bars. Unfortunately none of them were open so I had to walk around and sightsee.

Back to the Wafi Mall which is in 'Little Egypt', a bunch of pyramid shaped buildings. The shopping festival is on at the momment so most of the malls (33 of them) have entertainment going. Today was Shaolin acrobatic monks and chinese dancers which were very good.

I had an authentic Arabic dinner at Planet Holleywood before a Gin and Tonic at Ginseng, a trendy club in the complex. I didn't manage to get inside the Raffles 5* hotel for a bar search so headed across the road to the Grand Hyatt and the 'Cooz' lounge. Very stylish place with myself the only one wearing denim. I decided to order a Martini to make up for my lack of style although I don't think i fooled anyone.

After 3 long days I opted against the 3 level Mix niteclub and had an early night. Poor form.

Total Bars - 4

Day 4. (Jumeirah Area)

The Big Bus Tour to start the day. I did the blue route along the coast through trendy Jumeirah, home of the Burj Al Arab, the self-proclaimed 7 Star Hotel. It costs $150 US to even get in the door the bus driver said. Therefore the Juna and sky view bars were now definately off the list!

I stopped at the Jumeirah souk (or market) for some shopping before heading to the Mall of the Emirates which houses Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope.

For 170 dirhams you get 2 hours on the slope. There is a central lift and a T-Bar down one side. There are 2 main runs, a kids learning space, and a small fun area. There is a small half-pipe, 3 rails and a few jumps also. I finished my 2 hours then headed to Apres bar for a cleansing Ale. For interest sake, I had an 'iki', a japanese beer which includes green tea and yuku fruit, weird but nice. (I have loads more photos if any ski enthusiasts out there are interested).

After a bit of shopping in the 3rd largest mall outside Nth America i headed to the 5* Jumeirah beach Hotel for the start of my night out. First I changed into my new shoes and shirt before pretending to be a guest and stowing my backpack in the lobby.

Dhow+Anchor first and a Bulmers cider in yet another British pub. Next was Go West, a western restaurant with a small bar. Then a golf cart ride out to 360 degress, a round restaurant and bar on the end of a walkway extending from the hotel. The views were good however the music was bad house, and the drinks way overpriced.

I then tried Uptown on the 24th floor, It was booked for a privte function though so no luck with that one. I did however manage to infiltrate a party on the hotel lawn where I had my first free drink of the tour. It was a corporate event of some sort, I didn't stick around too long to find out for fear of being caught. I was too early for the hotels nightclub, The Apartment, so headed back to the Jumeirah souk and a list of no less than 7 drinking establishments.

*View of Burj Al Arab from the Jumeirah Souk

BarZar was first for a rum and coke. I wanted to stay for a while and watch some Aussie jazz in Jambase so I decided to run to Leftbank, The Agency and Trader Vics for a quick shot of Tequila each. After this little effort i settled in to jambase for a while over a large glass of red. Unfortunately the band was playing covers however they were still quite good.

I couldn't find the Koubba bar so walked to the Mina a Salam hotel next door and the Bahri Bar. Cocktails were all the rage here so I went for a 'lemon bee', partly because I wanted the lemongrass swizel stick to add to my growing collection I had started pinching from the bars.

Next at Mina was the Nakhuda Bar where I just had to have a Captain Nakhuda. Not sure it was a wise move though as it was some sort of sweet Rum and orange cocktail type thing that nearly sent me over the edge. However I called for some peanuts and a glass of water and soildered on!

It takes 4 weeks to get membership to the Trilogy nightclub in the souk, although you can get entry if you are staying in the Jumeirah beach hotel. With some quick thinking I pulled out my backpack check-in card and did some fast talking. When asked for the hotel keys I told them my wife was down at the Emirates mall with them spending all my money. They asked me what room I was in, I said 101. When one of the 3 big bouncers got on the phone to the hotel I decided to make a subtle departure.

Undefeated though I headed to the Barasti bar at Le meridian Mina Seyahi Hotel. A popular ex-pat hangout on fridays. Waiting in line I was told it was couples night as there is always too many blokes. I saw a group of 1 man, 2 ladies and asked if I could join them. The friendly Dutchwoman Brigete (I think?) grabbed me by the arm and escorted me in. I bought a round of beers and settled in for a chat. Before I knew it my Dutch friends had returned the favour and I had broken my one drink per bar system. Turns out I had 3 beers and 3 spirits here before I roused myself to continue.

The Buddha Bar was next. The music was chilled out but the clientelle were arrogant and loud. I moved to the Oasis Beach Resort and 'Charlie parrots'. The dj was a jamaican guy playing reggae, the theme is tropical with parrots everywhere, therefore I thought a rum would be appropriate to finish the night. I called it stumps at about 0330.

Total bars - 15

Day 5. (Bur Dubai Nth)

A late start today. A shitty weather day with a strong, cold wind blowing sand everywhere. I thought I would take the free Dhow cruise along the river, (an extra from the bus tour ticket), however it was too rough to go ahead. Instead I took an abra (boat) ride across the river for 1 dirham which included a free shower from the rivers spray!

I walked around for a while aiming for the Dubai museum. Along the way I found Pancho Villas for a nacho lunch and tequila, and the Arabian Court Hotel and the Sherlock Holmes bar for a scotch and coke. The museum was next door to the Arabian Court and I spent an enjoyable hour wandering through the old fort and attached gallery.

I strolled round town for the afternoon before heading to Rydges Plaza Hotel and Aussie legends bar where i drank a VB tinnie. I decided against the 2 other bars in the hotel and instead headed to Waxy O'connors, a small, dingy Irish bar packed with idiots, drunken dancing to loud + crappy music. The majority of the bars in Dubai still allow smoking, and Waxy's was one big fog cloud of smoke.

Next was the Boston Bar at the Jumeirah Rotana Hotel. This bar is supposed to be based on the bar in Cheers, however apart from a central bar, I couldn't see much resemblance.....and no-one seemed to know my name! The place was packed, and I was a fading fast, so i decided on the movies instead. Another poor effort but it had been a big few days.

Total Bars - 5

I knew it was time to leave Dubai after I had sat through 2 long hours of Rocky IV...(hey it was that or Predator vs Alien 2)....and returned back to the hostel to 4 arabs snoring their heads off in my dorm room.

Grand Total of bars - 43

Swizel sticks swindled - 10

Matches - 5

Bottle openers - 2

Toothpick - 1

Dental Floss - 1 packet

Hangovers - 5

Now I'm not advocating this method of tourism, however walking from bar to bar is a good way to see the city. I also met a lot of interesting people in the various bars and clubs.

This week I am drinking water and eating salads.....!

Road Trip

1 man, 1 idea, 1 car, 1 ipod, 1 bottle of bourbon, 873.4 km's

The idea hit me between 05-0600 Wednesday morning! I was aimlessly googling while waiting for my last hair raising, butt-clenching stint of ATC Oman style.

I was on http://www.surfersofdubai.com/ wasting time, when one of the local controllers asked me what I had planned for my 3+ days off? "Nothing much" I said. He told me I should relax, take it easy and refresh before my next work cycle! My next work cycle??

I kept flicking through the website and came across this....
Asilah May 2003
Or is that Asyliah? Asilah? Asylah? Aslyah? Asylyah? Any other variations? Anyway, another great surfing weekend. Again, small swell but proper waves so lots of fun. Long RH rides off Joe's Point - one american on the jaunt compared it to Rincon(?) - I haven't been there so don't know. But at least 100-200 m rides and potential for longer. Nice peeling beachbreak on the inside for beginners.
Found a couple of other spots worth checking out for bigger swell days. Not much more to report but photos here (obviously we were so busy surfing we didn't have time to take many surf photos)

It was then I decided, "screw ATC, screw relaxing and waiting for work next week, I'm going to Joes Point. Today!

Day 1.
After 4 or 5 hours sleep I woke and considered my options for the day? Against my bodies better judgement I got out of bed! I showered, threw a change of clothes in my backpack, the remainder of my homemade veggie pie and my half bottle of bourbon in my car cooler, grabbed my ipod, Oman off road explorer and Oman residents guide, and jumped in the car.

First stop was the service station to fill the tank and grab a couple of bottles of water. Next the bottle shop to fill up the cooler. Unfortunately it was now 1257 and my friendly local 'bottle-o-man' had taken an early lunch, therefore half a bottle of bourbon would be my lot for the next 2 days.

I have wanted to drive down the Northern coast of Oman for a while, however I decided to drive Southeast and inland to Al Ashkhara, to the Al Ashkhara Youth hostel, which is on the Eastern coast (Go East young man!).

If you want to see a map go to http://maps.google.com/ type in Oman, then zoom to the East coast and surrounds.

I chose the inland route due to the fact it was early afternoon, I was tired, and I had driven half the same way before when I went to the Al Raha desert camp for New Years and could therefore sleep half the way there!

After Al Mintirib everything was new and exciting so I woke up, cranked up the tunes, and started paying attention to what was around me. Although the landscape seems harsh and inhospitable, and often is, there is definately a lot of different shades of yellow, brown, red, orange, and some green, to keep things interesting.
On the Dubai surfers website they say you can't miss the hostel and they're right. It is only a small way out of town, however it seems a long way from anywhere.

When I checked in at about 1830, after about 350k's, there was my car and the Hostels van in the carpark. It was at this stage I renamed the Al Ashkhara Youth Hostel the 'Bates Motel'. Thankfully the staff didn't appear to be physcopathic crossdressers, and I was escorted to my 25 Rial a night 'hotel-not-hostel' room by a friendly Indian staffmember.
Now a lesser man, after only 7 or 8 hours sleep in 48, may have settled into his luxury digs with a couple of bourbons, 2 English pay tv channels, and ease the night away, but not 'Craig-Road-Tripper!'.

Since there obviously wasn't an abundance of young, nubile female backpackers at the edge of Oman I decided to check out the East Coast of the Arabian Peninsula by Kia car.

From Al Ashkhara I drove South along the coast for about 70km to Khuwaina.
For 50 k's there was only a couple of small villages, maybe 1 or 2 opposite direction cars, and me at 1000km's an hour, sun roof open, stereo blaring and not a care in the world!

The first 'major' village on the coast is Qurun. My first sight was of about 20 Omani kids sitting in front of a tv outside of the first 'store' in town. I turned down the stereo, closed the sunroof, slowed down, and tried to look inconspicuous in a brand new car in the middle of nowhere. If the world held a staring contest the first people I would put my money on would be the Indians, however the Omanis would be a close second. In saying that though, you wouldn't expect a young Aussie fella to be driving willy nilly down the East coast of Oman every day would you...?

After Qurun I drove into Bandur Qurun, a little offshoot of the main town. It didn't take long for the asphalt to run out, the goats to come out, and the sea to spread out, so I headed back to the coast road to explore some more.

Khuwaina was only 10k's south from Qurun and much the same except bigger. I saw 2 groups of kids gathered round watching 2 tv's, I guess that's the difference between big town and small town in these parts. The next southerly part of the road was newly asphalted but pretty rough still, so i turned around, cranked the music up again and headed back to the hostel.

(n.b In 1970 Oman had 10km of paved roads - think about that over your cornflakes)

Opposite the Bates Motel is the Arabian Sea. There are about 10 concrete huts spread evenly from the town down the coast for about a kilometer.

At about 2300, after watching a bad B-grade movie while finishing my bottle of bourbon, I decided I should go do something. I met my neighbours on the walk down to the beach, an extended family from Brunei, Grandparents, Uncles, In-laws etc......
After a quick chat, I went to check out the waves, and did a bit of bourbon induced philosophising while gazing at the stars. After watching my neighbours pull in fish 'hand over fist' for about an hour, I finally roused myself from my reverie and headed back to my room for a well earned rest.

Day 2.
My Mission, and I chose to accept it - Find Joe's Point!

When i was on the beach last evening I promised myself I would wake early and go for an early morning beach run. You know, get the juices flowing, start the day refreshed and energised. The hostel breakfast is 07-10, I woke at 1100, after several hits of the snooze button! Nevertheless, after a big, and the last, helping of the Iapozzuto veggie pie I was ready to rock and roll.

I drove through Al Ashkhara yesterday and took a quick look at the town and the fishing side of things, which must be their main industry. This morning I cruised back through and stopped to take a few photos and exchange a few late morning greetings with the locals.

Although I knew how to get to Arzilah, and Joe's point, I made a point of asking the local lads for directions. After a fair few laughs, due to our miscommunication, and a lot of pointing and gesturing, I was on my way again.
The road to Arzela cuts inland for a few k's, through half sand/half rock dunes, before it hits the main town. After my Southern exploring the evening before I thought it would be small, however Asilyaa turned out to be a 7 Mosque town! After a quick spin through town I headed North and about 10 k's later turned off to Joes point.

Joes Point, above, has all the attributes of a surf beach, albeit without waves or surfers! It did have a lot of fishermen and a lot of small wooden fishing boats however. It is out of season for surfing, and there was a strong onshore wind blowing, so no surprises that there was no surf action.

Apart from the local fisherman, I met an old scavenger fella while I was walking along the beach. We tried to communicate for a while. He didn't know Australia, or kangaroos, and I didn't understand what he was trying to say. However after I gave him an Arabic greeting, and some other pleasantries I've been learning, we became instant friends!

Moving on from Joes point, my next step was to be the Easternmost person on the Arabian Peninsula! I went to Byron bay last year with my good friends Greg and Colin, although unfortunately due to Colins' and my pending flight home to Melbourne, I was unable to be the Easternmost person on the Australian landmass.

Nothing would stop me today though!!

I left Joes point and drove to Ras Al Khaba, which according to my map is the Easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula.
I drove as far as I could to the edge of the cliff, parked, and got out to enjoy the momment....... 'edge of the world Ma!'

I knew my momment wouldn't last though, as I had spotted a white sedan parked next to one of the 5 or 6 concrete huts that dot the cliff. They are much like the huts on the beaches of Ashkhara except smaller and squarer, and strangely painted bright orange! They seem totally out of place in a Richie Benaud "beige, white, bone, ivory and cream" colored Oman. (I'll get a photo of them next time)

It turned out that the car was owned by Mahommed, a young engineering student. He was having lunch with his two non-English speaking local buddies. Mahommed was genuinely interested in me, his dickhead mate was interested in being a dickhead and trying to make me feel stupid, while his other friend just kept aside saying nothing. Mahommed and I spoke for quite a while, both ignoring dickhead friend. I explained how I wanted to go to the Easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula.

I guess it was a strange thing for these guys to see me stand on the edge of a cliff and Wooohoo and Yahoooo as loud as I could? It's a strange concept to me that these blokes wash hands, face and feet 5 times a day before turning West towards Mecca to kneel and pray though.

I sadly declined Mahommed's offer of a visit to his house as I still had a long way to go, jumped back in the car and headed off towards Ras Al hadd, the Northeastern point of the peninsula.

Ras Al Hadd was a bit of a dissapointment. I found it to be quite a sparse, ugly little town. It is a popular tourist spot however as there is a large population of turtles that breed here during the year, as well as several other places along the east coast.

After Ras Al Hadd I continued up the coast towards Sur, the second largest port in Oman and quite a big town. With a bit of work this could be a really attractive place, as the town has numerous little bays and inlets. I decided to drive round for a while and subsequently got lost! I'm glad I did though as I came across a local camel trading meeting. About 20-30 of these wonderful beasts stood at one end of a long track, which was lined with locals ready to check out their quality. 2 camels at a time were first walked, then run along the line of people. After watching this strange spectacle for a while I hit the road again.

I basically headed back towards the ocean and eventually found the main coast road back to Muscat. Cyclone Gonu in June caused quite a bit of damage along this strectch of road and therefore there was quite a few off-road diversions which were actually quite fun, and a good little test for the little Kia.

They are building a 2-lane highway all along the coastal stretch from Sur back to Muscat. Although a 120k/h highway would be quick and easy, it would be a shame not to visit some of the little towns along the way as they each have their own special character.

(Bridge construction, mountain pass, and a broken bridge after cyclone gonu)

I took my time driving back to along the coast. Although I would prefer the Great Ocean Road any day of the week, the scenery of the rocky Hajar mountains on my left, and the ocean on the right was picturesque enough to keep me awake and make for an enjoyable ride home.

It was a shame to get back into Muscat. I kind of wished I had stayed at Ashkara for another night. I figured I should tick one last task off my wish list though, so I headed to the Safari bar for a cleansing pint before heading home. I downed my pint of Heniekin while watching the West Indies capitulate to South Africa in the third test. I could have stayed for another couple except I was tired, and the bar had 1 elderly English lady and about 30 other English blokes watching football and screaming so it was definately time to move on.

I finished my adventure with a quick trip to the bottle shop and the local take-away for dinner.

All in all a fun couple of days out, and still 2 more days left to relax before work!!