Christmas with Uncle Jim: Part 2 (Two days and nights in the middle of nowhere)

We arrived at the Oriental Nights Rest House on Christmas Eve where we bunked down for two nights of fairly basic but perfectly satisfactory accommodation. Mohammed, the owner, was delighted with James' getup and was full of useful information and directions.

Our first stop was the stunning Wahabi Sands Desert, where we watched some crazy dune driving and enjoyed a bonfire while watching the almost full moon disappear behind the horizon. During the entire drive from home to our destination and back again Margaux became very excited by the sight of a camel - which was fairly frequent. She would point out the window and exclaim, "Amel! Amel!"

The Desert initially appears to be a vast expanse of nothingness - which, in reality, it essentially is - but then you discover there are slightly more worn paths and almost hesitant roads that have been made by so many 4x4 vehicles speeding along in the same direction. And when I say 'speeding', well... this puts any autobahn to shame.

And the dune driving! My goodness - hoardes of men in their impeccable white dresses (whatever they're made of is the most effective dirt-repellent I've ever seen) charging up these massive dunes at terrific speeds - either aiming to reach the summit or to make a 180* turn part way up. It was testosterone and machismo to the hilt, with not a drop of alcohol in sight.

We were Staggered there wasn't at least one accident involving one car sliding back down the dune while the next one was careering up it, or one driver that had successfully reached the summit and was now flying back down the dune crashing into a driver making the attempt up, or a car tipping over while on the curve of the turn... Apparently we were lucky because they happen frequently - the general attitude is that if they die it's because Allah willed it, so let rip! (And apparently this is also the reason that taxis don't have seat belts in the back seats and that kids don't have to be strapped in - let alone in booster seats. Astonishing.)

The following morning was a very low-key Christmas Day for us. We shared some gifts and then headed off to the picturesque Wadi Bani Khalid. I was feeling really rather pregnant by this stage so opted out of one of the walks that took the blokes plus an intrepid Margaux (who didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter) into some spectacular scenery and rock formations. I must have had a smudge on my camera because all my photos turned out with a fuzzy kind of outline, unfortunately. Forgive me?

The photos here don't really capture the majestic beauty of the place but the Wadi was stunning, the waters were perfect for swimming, and it was accessible for all of us. James cut an interesting figure in his Pakistani garb and board shorts - much to the amusement of the locals!