To start at the beginning ... up at 0500 ... answer & send out emails. Will be in Thailand next week - have decisions to make. Watch the sunrise at 0615 and then head for a lovely breakfast with the boys in Sultanah - one of the restaurants in my hotel.
At 0700 Yousuf (the guide) picks us up and we drive 2 and a half hours to Nizwa. This city was Oman's capital city in the 17th century, was the birthplace of Islam in the country AND it is home to the country's top tourist attraction - The Nizwa Fort & Castle. It was built in 1668 AD by Imam Sultan bin Saif al Yaarubi ... and it took 12 years. The fort is 115 feet above the rest of the fortification ... and has a 150 feet in diameter tower. It incorporates peep holes, gun slits and these runs down which hot oil, hot water and even hot date syrup would be poured over the attacking enemy. The Fort never saw service ... but would have been a VERY tough nut to crack.
Nizwa is almost in the centre of Oman. It has its own water source, is surrounded by hills ... and is where the Imams or Leaders came from. An ideal capital city. I was shown round by guide of 19 years Ali Ahmed Mohammed Al-Quseimi. A knowledgeable fellow....
From there - a drive back to Muscat and a trip to the sand dunes. Waiting for me was Ziyad Al-Zadgali who runs Bike Planet ... Quad Bikes.
10,000 square kilometres of Oman is desert ... and where there is sand, there are dunes and where there are dunes ... dune-bashers! We had fun for a couple of hours zooming around the sands ... much more difficult than road and field riding as the sands "shift" ... Tim got stuck ... he is now on a diet! I didn't crash or fall over ... or get stuck! Good for me!
Early to bed after a lovely dinner ... tomorrow will prove a long, arduous but rewarding day.
Song of the Day: Banana Boat Song - The Muppets & Harry Belafonte
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpg-KIKD5gU
(I laughed so much, I cried!)
Weather: Are you kidding? HOT HOT HOT!
sunrise ...
first excursion of the day
ali & I get connected
"don't you get too close"
ziyad & I are friends again!
whoo-hoo!
only one way down .... 
