There's always a reason to smile III

Even in a roadside caff, you can find something to take the edge off a frustrating day ...

10 reasons to love sand

My friend Mal and I recently did a little mini-tour of Oman which we nicknamed our 'Sand Tour' - unintentionally, it ended up involving a lot of sand, of different kinds and in different landscapes.

So, it may end up in your ears, up your nose, between your toes and where the sun don't shine, and you may still be shaking it out of your shoes and your rucksack for years afterwards, but here are 10 reasons why I still love sand ...

1. WIND SCULPTURES - the interaction of wind and sand makes for some breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, some of nature's most graceful art ...

2. WET SAND ART - the combination of wet sand, tides and scurrying little creatures also makes for some wonderful patterns and designs ...

wiggly worm trails

I don't know what made these;
is it only me that thinks that they look like little sperm? 

3. FEAST OF COLOURS - sand comes in a whole range of colours that I just can't find names for - bronze? ochre? off-white? ...

From nearly white ...

... through pastel shades ...

to deep reds ...

4. MOVING LANDSCAPES - sand isn't just static; I love the way it shifts and encroaches, changing the landscape from one day to the next ...

Dunes slowly swallowing posts ...

... and sometimes even the road itself.

5. IT'S NICE TO WALK ON - walking along the beach or in the desert with soft sand between your toes is just delicious ...

6. IT'S EVEN NICER TO LIE ON - the perfect place for a little lie down, or even a full night's sleep better than anything those silly camping mats can offer ...

And relax ...

7. IT'S FUN TO DRIVE IN - oh boy, is it fun to drive in, like driving on snow but with less chance of skidding and the added bonus of dune-bashing!

8. A NATURAL EXFOLIANT - it may be a pain when you get it in every nook and cranny, but why waste money on all those expensive exfoliating masks and scrubs when you can let sand mixed with water or wind do all the work for you ... for free?

Glowing tanned skin,
strictly nature's way ...

9. CAMELS - OK, not strictly a property of sand as such, but where there's sand, there are usually camels, and I LOVE camels (a much maligned and misunderstood creature) ...

10. SUNSHINE - as a rule, sand and sunshine go hand in hand, and I can never get too much sunshine ... isn't this reason on its own enough for you to love sand too?!

Chilling with a sandy sunset - lush ...

Even more reason to smile ...

For those among you with a sweet tooth who may have been interested in EXACTLY what delights the Dream Cream shop has to offer, here is the menu in all it's glory. Enjoy ...

Stormy weather

As the grand finale to our epic journey across Oman last weekend, we spent the last hour driving into and through the best storm that I've witnessed since arriving here - as we drove down from the mountains with a glorious sunset behind us, we had dark clouds, rainbows and a lightening show ahead. And it just got darker and darker and more and more fun ...

(note the interesting use of hazard lights ...)

And when we got home, we had the joy of a beer on the balcony to enjoy nature's very own 'son et lumière' show ...

Making new friends

Another magic moment when diving in the Dimaniyats a couple of weeks ago ... Oman is home to many turtles, large and small and four different species. They are normally quite shy creatures, but every now and then you come across a curious one, often one of the smaller 'teenage' turtles (unfortunately no mutants or ninja masters yet ...). This one saw us coming, came over to check us out and let us have a little stroke - fabulous ...

"Well, hello there ladies!"

"Down a bit ... left a bit ..."

Strike a pose!

"Does my bum look big in this?"

Thanks for the photos, Antonia!

There's always a reason to smile II

One for the gourmets among us - the dream shop, selling all things cream-based (shakes, cakes, ice creams, floats and cheesecake all represented) ... genius!

Mamba country ...

For various reasons, I ended up doing the marathon journey from Salalah in the south to Muscat by car this weekend - a 1000km journey through the desert inland of the country. This really is MAMBA country - Miles And Miles of Bugger All ...


View Salalah to Muscat Road Trip in a larger map

But having said that, and against all expectations, this was not a long boring journey - I had good company, but there was also plenty to keep the senses engaged, even if the landscapes didn't change very fast - it's amazing how exciting it is to spot a lone tree or a settlement when the rest of the view is so empty, and with all the road signs to read and holes in the road to avoid, it actually involved a certain level of concentration ...

The sign warns us to beware of ... nothing

cracks appearing in ... nothing

A single large set of dunes in the middle of ... nothing

Sand dunes encroaching ...

A lone tree and tracks to ... nowhere

Some landscape!

scrubby nothing (variation on a theme)

The mirages in the desert also gave the journey a surreal twist - following lorries gliding in mid-air and driving past floating sand-dunes.

floating dunes ...

follow the floating lorry

an oil field transformed into a magical city ...

And then every now and then, there's something bizarre that leaves you wondering ...

Blofield's new lair?