Oman: Turtle Beach Resort

Sitting on the cold sand at sunrise, I noticed two fresh tracks leading to the top of the dunes where our two outdoor campers were now perched absorbing the orangeness of the morning sun and dunes. Breakfast soon brought them down. We all ate in the dining area, except for mother who was kindly taken breakfast by her very attentive husband.

Earlier in the morning, bedouin ladies had been called on their traditional mobile phones to entertain the campers. Ava had her hands hennaed which she had to protect for as long as possible for the rest of the day, forcing her to walk with straight arms like a scarecrow. Pixi's various body piercings caused cackles of disbelief which continued while the ladies seated Floss and Pixi on reluctant camels. After the ride, the camels fled to freedom in a most ungainly manner.

With the bill settled, we headed out of the camp, although Pixi contemplated staying on for a few more years.

And so to Ras Al Hadd. The short journey went swiftly for most of us, except for Flossie's bladder which was getting impatient. We continued after a quick comfort stop and the group was soon basking on the beach in the strong afternoon sun until twilight.

That evening, around the wonky pool table that defined all laws of physics, Pixi performed a Vulcan mind meld on Ava to relieve her headache before dinner. This must be done correctly as improperly trained melders can transmit a Vulcan disease known as Pa'nar Syndrome (true). Most people usually come all this way to see turtles, but Mrs M and I come for the chicken and chips which did not disappoint.

At 9.30 pm we drove to Ras Al Jinz to see the turtles (or turtle as it turned out). One medium sized green turtle was at the right stage in the proceedings to have a torch shone up its bottom in front of a group of gawping foreigners. One German lady decided to ignore the strict ban on the use of camera flashes which caused our guide to leap in her direction to capture the offending instrument. The lady made an appropriate defensive manoeuvre and considerable words were exchanged. Other Omani group leaders calmed the gentleman down sufficiently to avoid police involvement. I have no idea why they do not ban cameras I am sure that most of the snaps taken in the dark are worthless. We supported mother back to the car and returned to the camp at 12.30 am. The clunk, ker-chunk of the pop-a-matic dice shaker could be heard into the wee hours of the morning.