Arabian nights

We just got back from our Wahiba sands/Sur trip. It was only three days long, but it was my favorite weekend so far. The first day we drove down to the desert and drove around on the dunes in a caravan of SUVs. It was like a roller coaster ride. Uncle Richard, you will be happy to hear that we got to sand-board down the dunes while we watched the sun set over the desert. Our camp for the night was surrounded by sand on all sides. All you can see when you look out is just a sea of sand - it was beautiful. That night we continued to surf down the dunes and ate some wonderful food as always. We played a game with Sultan (our Arabic teacher) and our drivers who were all Omani, that was basically an Islamic/Arab World trivia game...my team lost. Next we danced to some beautiful Swahili-influenced music. The tent we ate and danced in was a bamboo structure with Persian rugs on the ground, pillows everywhere and lamps hanging from the roof-so pretty. That night, the girls in my tent and I decided to sleep outside so we could see the stars.
The next day we drove to a camp just outside of Sur. That night we went to see the turtles. It was amazing. We got to see a mother laying her eggs, another digging a hole and another searching for a spot to start digging. As we were leaving we were lucky enough to see some babies climbing out of the sand and start their treacherous journey to the ocean. Here are some amazing facts about sea turtles that we learned: 2 out of 1000 babies survive the journey. They follow white light because they always assume its the moon's reflection on the water. Turtles lay their first set of 100 eggs 37 years after they are born. To do this, they travel back to the same beach where they were born. The next set of eggs is when they are around 60 years old. It was mind blowing to see this play out on the beach that night.
The next day we traveled to a Wadi near the ocean. This place looked like it came straight out of a movie. It was in a huge canyon and all throughout there were palm trees and the folage (irrigation system that looks like a small river). The sides of the mountains on the edge were giant and when you're inside you feel so small. The walk to the specific pool we were going to was an hour long walk. I had broken my shoes in Sur, so I was barefoot the entire time. There were stones, hot sand, hot stones, jagged rocks - I cannot explain how badly my feet hurt. I have never been so angry at myself before. 10 minutes before we arrived at the pool, Hugh found me a right shoe and then a left. At this point I could not fathom walking back without shoes, so I consider myself very lucky. The pool was worth it. We had to swim under a cave opening to get to it. It was basically a cave with a spring and waterfall inside of it. As much as my feet hurt, it was completely worth it. We only got to stay for 1/2 an hour because the walk back would be another hour long.
Once we arrived back in Muscat I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep. I probably needed a shower, but I was willing to skip that step if it meant I could get to bed just a little sooner. Right after I put my bad down in my room, my host mom Ifat insisted I could not go to sleep without food. After some discussion I finally agreed. She said great I'll get Said and we will go to my Mom's house! Oh dear. I was so tired, but I managed to stay awake those next 2 hours until I passed out in the guest bedroom. Despite this, the food was great and I was happy to be with the family again. Needless to say, I slept well last night and I'm fairly confident I'll sleep very well tonight as well.