Busted at the Border

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Sometimes common sense should prevail but unfortunately today was not the day.

I taxied to the airport this morning on time and said my farewells to Nur on arrival, he has a group of Syrian friends that seems to grow all the time, having lived there as a kid and speaking Arabic helps.

I got my flight without problems a Scottish hostie even gave me an extra meal I must look pretty pitiful, with my ragged clothes unshaven face and cropped hair.

I arrived in Dubai went to the correct bus station and caught the right bus even got a double seat to myself so all was going well.

On arrival I got a cab driven by a dirtbag Pakistani who kept going on about gay sex, the freak, and went to the border, I was attempting to get an exit visa because the bus I planned to take the next day doesnt go through the UAE border post and the lack of an exit visa would have caused problems later. My plan which the border guards have cottoned onto it seemed was to get the exit stamp and sneak back to Al-Ain as it is possible to cross to its sister town Buriami, on the Omani side of the border without any constraint to catch the bus.

However when I got stamped out they wouldnt let me go back to the taxi, so I was stuck on the Omani side of the border with no means of transport to anywhere in 40 plus degree heat with no water. Luckily a French businessman that had taken the wrong road into Oman was sent back to the UAE border for an exit stamp and I asked him for a lift to Buraimi. He said ofcourse so I pushed my luck and got a free lift in comfort the 4 hours to Muscat although they had problems at the Omani border post 53km on down the road, so we were held up for a while.

I ended up arriving at 9pm and after dropping my bag in my room went for a walk on the Cornische, Muscat and Oman at this early time looks like a fantastic place. Grabbed a Swarmer about midnight before heading back to the hotel.

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Photos

Muscat
Cornische

Muscat
Port of Mutrah

Muscat
Fish Souk

Muscat
Mosque

Comments

[Kutts]

Photos
Loving the photos Atts. Is it just me, or are you still uploading photos to previous journals. I've just had a look back at your previous journals and there appears to be new "never to be seen before" photos. Keep em coming

[deleted_16181]

Pics
Great photos mate - how did you get over the problem of the broken CD?