More on that update

Chapter 4. Ramadan
I've started the update afresh. Uploading pics onto blogger is a total pain in the arse. Speaking of which, when the world wide web was coming into prominence in the early nineties, I knew, deep down, that one day my arse would be on it. I picked up this bruise walking down a scree field after climbing all day. No injuries climbing, but walking is a different matter.

Where was I? That's right, Ramadan. The above bruise happened in Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims where we work shorter hours and get to not eat or drink in public all day long. Which is weird, because the whole thing is about Muslims testing their faith, so they should be tempted in order to really test themselves. Non muslims should be encouraged to eat bacon in front of them, and drink beer in front of them, that sort of thing.

Actually, I've got nothing else to say about Ramadan, except that it's a crap time for visitors.

Chapter 5. Visitors

Roger and Lynn came to visit the other day. I can't believe it's been a year since their last visit. I also can't believe that once again it coincided with other visitors on the same weekend, this time Jenny and Bill. The tour of Dubai was much as it was for Natasha, except this time I could drive right up to the top of the Palm, which hadn't been opened in May. A new hotel, Atlantis, is up there, which is famous for its underwater suites (they look into an aquarium). Apparently big aquariums have divers in them an awful lot, so as much fun as it might be to get on the job in an underwater suite, it may no be a very private affair...

No visit during Ramadan is complete without iftar, though. This is the evening breaking of the fast and is much like Friday brunch, only it's typically all-Arabic food and the booze is substituted, for some reason, with television. We went to an upmarket one at the Palace Hotel and were sat next to a TV. We got it turned down and eventually turned off, but instantly a nearby arab decided he was watching it so it went back on. Other iftars have been the same, even outdoor ones. Restaurants that normally have no TV in sight, suddenly wheel them out and turn them on full. I can't imagine what people did at iftar before TV. Talked?

We also went to Hatta which is in the Hajjar mountains on the border with Oman. It's a funny area as you actually go through Oman to get there but there is no border post. It used to be an enclave, just a little couple-of-kilometer stretch on the main road that actually belonged to Oman, but now it is connected up to the rest of the country. If you turn south off the main road, as we did this last week, you do hit a border post (no passports needed, just insurance papers) but you can loop around and get back to the UAE on another road without any more checks. Pretty slack, but so much more convenient than the alternative!!

6. Eid

The last few days have been Eid Al Fitr, the holiday to mark the end of Ramadan. Most people got at least three days off (Tue - Thur) but Atkins only gave 2 (Tue - Wed), so creative timesheet scoring was called for to go camping in Oman on Wednesday night. Stunning scenery but we forgot the camera. I will post shots if I get copies or when I go again, and I will be back! We went to a wadi near Ray which you could wander along. It's very mountainous and rocky, not at all sandy like the west cost. In fact, on the drive the scenery goes from yellow sand (coast), to red sand, to rock to jagged, barren mountains. It is just sensational.

Afterwards we went to Ghantoot (Thursday night) for some wakeboarding. The Thursday night session was choppy as hell, but we camped on the canal and on Friday morning the water was like glass.

We wakeboard on a canal on the Abu Dhabi - Dubai border, and the king of Bahrain has a palace there. It was occupied at the time, so we could only go as far down the canal as the gunboat patrolling near the palace, which was a bit of a pity, but who can complain when you've got the rest of it to yourself?

Right, that is it. You are updated. I will try to be more regular from here on in. Keep the comments coming.