La Tarzane leaves the urban jungle: Getting the hell out of Dodge

So, the heatwave continues - 45 degrees, 65% humidity etc etc - and so the search goes on for ways to cope. Lesson #2 in 'How to Beat the Heat' feels a bit like cheating, but getting out of the Gulf, even for a short time, is certainly a winner - thousands of Omanis, Saudis, Emiratis, expats and basically anyone who can afford an air ticket can't ALL be wrong. And for those left behind there are benefits too - less cars on the road, cheap deals to keep us here, work pace slowing down for the brave who remain (except me, boo ...)

Orange is 30+, red is 40+ ...

Last week I got to try out the escape tactic with a long weekend in Jordan, which was mainly a chance to catch up with friends but had the added benefit of being a good 10 to 15 degrees cooler - no need for AC! being able to sit outside! I even got to wear a little jumper at night! The Jordanians, of course, were all complaining about how hot it was, but as a seasoned Gulfi I can now use that wry smile that I used to see on the faces of Saudis in Amman in August - hot? if you say so ...

loving a cool beer in the sunshine ...

I made full use of the pleasure of being able to be outside, getting up to all the usual shennanigans - bumping around the desert in a beaten-up old jeep, lots of sitting in nice spots having tea, and food food food galore ...

another nice cuppa

my fave - exploring the desert dunes and peaks

pretty pretty ...

And I got to try a new amazing thing - microlight flying! The flex wing microlight that I used is basically a chair with a lawnmower engine hanging underneath what looks like a handglider wing. I must say that flying a microlight feels like being suspended in an armchair 1000 metres up in the air - but not scary, really! If you ever get the chance, I thoroughly recommend this as a way of seeing the world from a different angle - and it goes pretty fast too, definitely exhilarating!