The drive took us through the desert and the mountains of the UAE. We didn't know what to expect, so we loaded the car with bottles of water and some snacks, in case we broke down in the middle of an empty bit. As it turned out the roads are very good and there are small settlements with fruit stalls and other shops all along the way.
The first part of the journey took us through a desert area with rose coloured sand and a stretch of land that had perfect roads with signs and markings all laid out ready for housing to be built there. We stopped at a row of stalls to haggle for some mangoes and bananas and then drove on to the coast.
Suddenly we were surrounded by quite high mountains, cut through with creek beds and speckled with small farms and palm plantations. The land everywhere was nearly as barren as we had expected, there were always at least some shrub and small trees. We also saw wild camels and goats foraging along the road. They seem to run quite free here. Once Fiver saw a man chasing a white goat across the forecourt of a cafe where it had been looking for leftovers.
We took lunch at the Meridian Al Aqah near Dibba on the East Coast. Fiver went for a swim in the Indian Ocean, while Peter and Stuart lounged with a cup of tea under an umbrella like the proper English gentlemen they are. The Meridien is a perfect place for a weekend of destressing, totally remote with a lovely stretch of beach and a diving school on site. We are already planning to go back.
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