The journey from hell

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Monday was the day from hell. We left the hotel at 7.20am for the 10 minute drive to the airport, ludicrously early for a 9.25 flight but tour companies like to get you there early. We were eventually allowed to check in and were led up to a first floor waiting room. After an hour an official came to tell us the plane was delayed. ‘Inshallah maybe one hour, maybe two, but maybe cancelled’. An oil rig engineer on the same flight was in touch with friends who were supposed to be flying to Khasab from Muscat on the plane we would then take. They had taken off then landed again after the pilot was told the wind was too strong to land in Khasab. It’s a small airport, mostly military, surrounded by mountains, with a very technical landing. Hours passed and eventually, at midday, we were told the flight was cancelled. One of the other passengers was a Royal Navy engineer who told us it was possible to drive to Muscat (he couldn't as he was military), and he let us use his phone to call the tour company. They advised the only way to get to Muscat that day was to take a car and driver. They came to collect us and took us to their office where we sat around for an hour while they organised our car and driver. The manager arrived and we filled out the paperwork. The cost was the equivalent of £400 for a 600km taxi ride, but we had no choice other than stay in Khasab for maybe three days until the wind abated and a plane could land, or drive back to Dubai and try to get a flight from there. We finally set off at 1.15pm, grateful that we’d taken some food from breakfast which served as a late lunch. After an hour we reached the border with UAE, cleared immigration and carried on south. Another 3 hours saw us to the border into the main part of Oman. The roads re mercifully all expressways and very empty, but it still took 6 ½ hours to drive the 600km. The scenery we passed through was unremitting boring, some mountains but generally just miles of scrubby sand with grasses and stunted trees, not even an animal in sight. The only visual stimulation was the occasional vast cement factory and its attendant quarry when limestone was being ripped out of the mountainside. We were absolutely shattered by the time we arrived. We had a quick burger, chips and beer in the coffee shop (comfort food was needed) and fell into bed.

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