Monday, October 5, 2009

Visa Run Again - October 2, 2009

We made our second visa run this past weekend. It wasn't as stressful as the first time. We went to a different crossing, one where you could see the Oman building from the UAE side. So we didn't have to drive 30-45 minutes in Oman to get our stamp. It was easier this time, but coming up to the crossing and seeing the barb wire fence with the roll of barb wire on the top is a bit daunting. The guards were so helpful, and friendly, one guy saw our kids playing the game boys and had to show us that he was playing a DS.


We went off the highway for a photo-op to get a family picture in front of a dune. The second photo is at a gas station just before the border. I thought it was kinda neat to see this mosque in the middle of no-where with the mountains in the background. The third is the other side of Jebel Hafeet. It was neat to see that some of the rocks were so sharp yet these were rounded and made you think you were on the moon or Mars.


Since the border was less stressful we had a wonderful afternoon at the water slides. They had all of them up and running this time. We were also able to squeeze in some mini-putt before supper. What a hoot! We got closer to some camels this time around. Oh speaking of camels- we didn't get a photo but we saw how they transport those poor beasts. In the back of a pick-up! They get them to kneel down and then they strap them in. We saw two different trucks- one had two in with them facing the back and the other had one in sideways. It was funny to see. The second photo is the view from our room. It was neat to see the ridge off in the distance. We also found a look out point at the hotel with binoculars, and were able to see the sand dunes, and many other neat things. The final picture is of the boys flaking out, waiting for the pool to open on Saturday morning before we had to leave.