This Friday we went on a trip to the desert to see the inland sea, with a group from the office. We thought we were going to camp overnight, but due to a misunderstanding we came back around 9 p.m. which was just fine. It gave me enough of a taste to know that I want to do more! It was so much fun. Above is our driver letting the air out of his tires - the first step on a trip to the desert, I gather you get better traction that way. He was a great driver and showed us some amazing moves. Not only did we hug the contour of some of the sand dunes, rather like a bike in a velodrome, but at one point we went downhill backwards on one of the steeper parts! It was really exciting. Definitely something you want to do with someone who has experience of the area. I gather there are regularly accidents with expats thinking they can just take a 4 X 4 and go for a drive in the desert. Experience counts.

This is what it is all about. The scenery was truly stunning and so vast that photographs don't really do it justice. Some parts were really carved by the wind and breathtakingly beautiful. We stopped several times to take photographs, but it just left me wanting more.

Here is a view from the car, we would go up this seemingly innocuous hill, only to find we were on the edge of a precipice on the other side! we would go swooping up and down, just like a roller coaster.

When we got to the camp, we had time for a leisurely swim before being served a delicious traditional meal. I have never been so hot - the humidity by the water was astounding and I couldn't believe I was instantly soaking wet. My glasses fogged up instantly on getting out of the car - rather like Canadian winters in reverse. The camp was equipped with change rooms, showers and portapotties - albeit somewhat primitive, it did the job. The sea was just like a warm bath and very very salty, but when the sun went down it was refreshing and we sat out having our meal with a nice breeze off the water. This is a picture of where we could have sat to eat and probably sleep, but it was much cooler eating at the tables by the sea where it was open to the breeze. We headed back home again, fairly sedately compared to the drive out and after filling up the tires again, we were driven back to our cars for the trip back to town. It was all really so much fun. I will put more pictures on the blog tomorrow.