Advertisement
Published: December 21st 2011
DSCF2715
At the port in Bandar Abbas. People are carrying so much stuff with them, especially food. Seems to be quite expensive in UAE On Thursday, 3.11., I arrived with the ferry in Sharjah, UAE. The entry to the country was quite easy. I got a stamp at the border with allowance of 30 days staying. In Sharjah I enjoyed my first proper supermarket since Erzurum, Turkey, maybe. And you can use the credit card again. I still have much cash left from Iran, so I didnt need a cash machine, but I was not sure at all if I still remember the PIN and wanted to try out. From two machines I tried to get about 10 Euro, but they said its too much. Aehh? I figured out that it was just too little and I remembered the right PINJ
In UAE are living many different people: Arabs, Western people, Africans and many Indians. And you see skin. I had to get used again to see women that are not covered everywhere!
I was riding to Dubai. I thought there is a proper sign that one town is finished and the other is starting, but no. After 30 km riding and still just huge skydrivers and no sign that the city comes to an end, I was frustrated and had a lunch
break. There I realized that I am already in Dubai. I had a Couchsurfing host in Dubai Marina, the very other end of the town. Riding through Dubai was not so fun, I was at a 6-8 lanes highway. It is impossible of staying at the right side because of the many exits and entries to the highway. I tried several times to get off the big road and follow smaller roads was always lost and came finally always to the highway again. The city is as you imagine, huge buildings, pompous, extravagant, artificial, plastic fantastic, you see only very big cars. A completely different scenery than I have seen in the countries before.
My host was called Diggy and is also from India. He and his dog Jambo are living in an apartment next to the Jalmeira Beach Resort, the touristic beaches. We were at a beach club, where I enjoyed my first beers since Turkey. I had some relaxing days in Dubai. I was swimming at the beach, Diggy gave a beginners lesson in tennis on a court in the apartment building, I was using the gym which is also in the building, I was in
one of the huge malls where is also a ski hall. I tried to explore the city by cycle but realized thats not so fun going by bike through the city. I also was stopped by the police and was told that I am not allowed to go in the middle of the highway on the bicycle, but as I explained before you always get automatically to the highways and there on the middle because of the many exits and entries. I washed my sleeping back. It was the first time since the start of my trip! I think it was quite necessary J Thanks a lot to Diggy and Jambo for their hospitability! The day I wanted to figure out how I could get a ship to India Diggy was getting unexpected visit from India. So I should leave quite spontaneously. I was going to Abu Dhabi and thought of making there the effort of finding out about a ship to India.
I let me much time to get to Abu Dhabi, maybe because I didn’t really wanted to get in a big city again and didn’t know how to find a ship to India. First I was
staying at the highway which was boring and annoying. On both sides were fences, I couldn’t figure out what for, actually. I felt a bit like in prison. On the highway were many lights, which is of course quite nice for riding/driving but not if you want to find a sleeping place. Because of the fences it was not possible to go far from the road. One day I tried an exit without knowing where it was leading to. (I had only maps from the bigger cities of UAE, not a road map of the country). After 30km and nothing happening only that the desert was starting I was going back. One day I had at the same time a broken spoke and a puncture. I was worrying a bit that the broken spokes series is starting again. One day later I indeed had the next broken spoke. Both spokes are the bad guys from the improvisation from Esfahan. However, after that there were no problems with them so far. One day I even had a cloudy day with even some rain drops. In the night was awaked by some rain ( I still sleep without a tent just
under the free sky) and was thinking of building up my tent, but then it was over again. I have read that in UAE there are usually 360 sunshine days in a year. So I had luck and got one of the 5 non sunshine days J
The day I was cycling into Abu Dhabi I found on the highway 5 Dirham, quite exactly 1 Euro. A few seconds later, I still was happy about my found, a guy was stopping, had a little chat with me and suddenly gave me 500 Dirhams! Wow, that is the first time that something like this is happening to me! Unbelievable. In Abu Dhabi I arrived from the port. Hmm, here I want to ask for ships that will take me to India? I have no idea where to start between all the containers. Actually I got a Couchsurf host, but I couldn’t reach her on her phone. I was standing in the middle of Abu Dhabi in front of a mall and didn’t really know what to do, then a guy came to me and asked me if I have an accommodation for a night or if I need a
DSCF2733
view of the top of the building where Diggy lives couch. So he invited me to his apartment. Fantastic, seemed to be my lucky day! Paul is from New Zealand and works at the moment as a teacher in UAE. Thanks so much, Paul! From many travellers I met or am in contact with, that also tried to get a ship from UAE or Oman to India, said that they had no success and took a flight at the end. From one German freight touristic company I heard that at the moment no passengers are taken with cargo ships because of many pirates in the region in the last time. Just to be able to say that I made some effort on my own I wrote to maybe 20 Cargo ship companies from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat and Mumbai if they would take me and my bike to Mumbai and decided to continue cycling and wait for their answers.
So next morning I continued to the direction to Oman. I was not cycling at the highway anymore but on a truck road. At first, it didn’t seem to be a good decision, because it was very busy, only one lane and of course, only trucks. However, after a
while it was getting rather quiet and I could enjoy the desert. I spent one night in the sand dunes, great! In Al Ain, at the border to Oman, I was in the internet cafe and since I haven’t got any answer of the cargo companies I booked a flight from Muscat to Mumbai. I decided to have 10 days in Oman, that is maybe a good compromise of being soon in India and getting a little impression of Oman.
The entry to Oman was quite easy, but what I didn’t know was that I had to pay 35 Dirham to get out of UAE and 20 Omani Rial, ca. 38 Euro, to get into Oman. In the first night in Oman was happening some crazy thing: round me I heard some noises as if stones were falling to the ground. I thought that are maybe some fancy animals jumping out of the ground, or the earth is bursting because it is so dry. I thought of trees that have heavy fruits that are falling down, but there were not such trees in the near and there was not such a wind that could carry the fruits so far
away. For testing I was throwing o rock and indeed it sounds the same. After a while I really could see two guys throwing rocks in my direction! I shouted at them and they stopped but still stayed there, hidden in the dark. I didn’t feel very comfortable you can imagine! They waited for a car, went in, and came with three to my place. They saw my bike, my sleeping bag and asked “sleep?” “Yes, sleep!” “Okay” and went off again. What? I didn’t understand anything. A little excuse would be quite nice I think!
I wanted to go to a Ghul, some kind of river. There was one, Paul had recommended to me. But I haven’t found any water, everything was dry. Later I have heard that I have to trek the hills, so it was no wonder that I missed the water. There was a dripstone cave I wanted to visit. However, the cave was closed just that day. I wanted to go to Nakhal where hot springs are. I missed the right exit of the road and was already in Muscat. A guy called Ishueg (or so) was inviting me to a restaurant and some
DSCF2741
shower for Jamboo beer and shisha. He is originally from Sansibar and now living for 20 years in Oman. He says he is the bodyguard of His Majesty, the sultan of Oman. But when you hear him talking it seems that he is doing more party then protecting the sultan. The spring in Nakhal was very crowded, many tourists. A big tourist group from Austria was there. Everyone had a big lunchbox and most of them couldn’t finish it. So they gave me a huge mountain of food that was enough for the next two days. I also was in the fort of Nakhal. I met there three foreigners who are working in a hotel in Muscat. Their boss was showing them around. I could join them. After the tour through the fort he invited us for a tea at his house. The tea was in reality a huge lunch. Luckily, I am like a Python as my mother says. I can eat a lot and then for a few days nothing. So I could manage to eat the lunch although I was already full of the much food I got from the tourists. After the lunch I got a huge bag of
fruits. I tried to explain that i already have enough fruits from the tourists and that I cant carry more but id hasn’t helped, I had to take the bag, too. That night I stayed at the springs in Nakhal. In the night it was a bit more calm. It was nice to have a warm both the next morning. It seems to be usual that the locals there are washing and brushing their teeth there. I think it is not such a good idea to have all the soap and tooth crème in the water.
I was told about other hot springs in Al Rustaq. So I went there as the next station. It was not so natural, there were built a kind of bath cabins around the water. The water was very hot there. However it was nice that both springs were free to use without any charge. After the springs I went in direction to my 8. sea at this trip, the Gulf of Oman. Of course I was swimming there!
For the flight to Mumbai I needed a box to put my bike into. I was at the airport of Muscat to ask if
they know where I can get such a box. Of course they didn’t know. I saw the cargo part of the airport and had the idea to send my bike with cargo. For the regular flight I can take my bike with me and it is handled as usual luggage. 30kg +7kg cabin luggage is allowed. However, I have about 50kg in total, so I would have to pay much for the luggage, about 10 Euro that is above the allowed luggage. So I asked at the cargo how much it would be. They weighted my bike and measured the size: about 100 Euro. I told them that I can reduce the size of the bike drastically and with the estimated sizes they said about 60 Euro. That sounds good, much cheaper than taking it with me on the flight. The disadvantage was that the bike would arrive one or two days later than me.
The last night I met a Omani who showed me on the map all the nice things in Oman I have missed. The last I really liked Oman and felt pity not to have much more time in Oman. When I hadn’t booked a
flight I probably would have appended spontaneously a few days/weeks in Oman. The last night I slept at the beach near to the airport. I was surprised how calm it is hear next to the city. I thought at the beach there are no mosquitoes and slept just in my sleeping bag. But there were much mosquitoes and I couldn’t sleep well. I heard fancy noises, as well, as if somebody was scratching at my bags. However, I couldn’t see anything. The next morning I could see that indeed one or more animals have eaten my biscuits and my bread, and they even have bitten through my pannier, although there was no food inside!
I send my bike with cargo the morning and stayed the rest of the day at the airport, the flight was at midnight. It was a pity that I haven’t seen anything of Muscat, I think you can see much there, but I also was looking forward to go to India!
Attention! You can earn a postcard again! A question for friends of statistics: If you cross randomly one of the following answers, what is the probability of being right? A) 25% B)
DSCF2751
Burj al Arab 50%) C) 0% D) 25%.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.273s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 12; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0499s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Elseknoett
non-member comment
Answer to question
Hey Fritz! It was again very fantastic to read your entry. :) I enjoy it. Now to your question. I didn't catch it, but I will have a guess :D It might be that I get it once more;) so I say answer B is correct. But actually I have no clue hihi... Love from Netherland! I hope you have nice christmas days :)