t was a busy night in the carpark. We picked the wrong spot for sure. Disappointed really as this was hard ground, level and dark. After slipping into a coma at gone 1am and disturbed only a handful of times by the fishermen we are suddenly aware of a police car pulling up beside us. Don’t panic, Becky get some cloths on pretty darn quick.
The two Royal Omani Policemen were calm and collective as they asked us for our documents and checked through them. They were polite about the odd English couple sleeping on top of a Jeep in a carpark and once they were content we were not up to no good they cheerfully started asking us questions about Bruce the Jeep, especially his hard hat – the iKamper on top. As we gave them the grand tour of Bruce they saw we were slightly crazy but super well prepared for our Omani overland adventure and even we think close to wanting to buy Bruce off us. We exchanged stories and details of our vehicle and adventures which at 6am and after only 3 hours hot and sweetly sleep, the Darren and Becky show went we think rather well. Giving us advice on where to go next, our new ROP friends slipped away, we think to finish the end of their night shift, waving happily back at us.
Well, at this point there is no going back to bed, we are still buzzing from our morning ROP wake up call and the temperature is rising fast. Where to next? Firstly we need breakfast. Still no gas so the blessed cup of tea and nectar from the gods could not be boiled up of course. We decide instead to have a show in the Nomad tent and of course Becky takes it a step further by having a full hair way and condition, but needs must. We then head off to LuLu’s supermarket for some chilled fresh fruit again, there cold fruit counter is becoming a nice habit.
So off we set towards our next destination Yiti Beach. We had also managed to find a potential source of gas there.
We had managed to about half away and still no cup of tea. We note this is a very important necessity of overanding, but as this is our shakedown and Eid holiday, we get distracted by a sign for the Shanri-La hotel. Becky had a natural built in magnet for 5star resorts and we decided to just stop for a cup of tea, honestly.
It was fate for sure because there in the grand door way is a classics Willy Jeep convert pickup. After some posey selfies, tea, lunch, a dip in the pool and snooze later we emerge feeling human again and press on to Yiti.
We now hit some of the amazing rolling hills and mountains of Oman the scenery is amazing and such a kaleidoscope of colours which includes the mosques and what we notice the fellow Jeeps. That regularly pass us in an array of colours that we have never scene. There is obviously a major love for the Jeep here and even overlanding as we have seen some of them geared up for an adventure.
We pull into a garage for a quick refuel and suddenly notice we have reached the camping supplies shop too with the potential gas. We are warmly greeted by two young 10 and 8 year old boys manning the shop. With broken English and big smiles they serve us well, even if they do not have the gas for our Coleman’s stove, but we leave with a burner and some gas, so looks like Darren will be cooking tonight!
We call into Yiti Beach and no we decide not as this is another carpark, but this time in a working quarry. Not wanting to try any further along the Yiti beach we decide to head further along the coast to Bima.
This place had mixed reports but we drive on watching the sun set behinds us in the rear mirror. It might have taken a little longer than expected due to stopping for the wild dinky photos and listening to Becky imitate them for the next 80km.
We arrive well after dark at our destination a hidden beach near Bima. We think it is called hidden as it took us at least 14km longer because the exit road as given to us by the sat nav did not exist. Undeterred we try a dark and unlatched road, a shirt off road and making sure we did not actually drive
into the sea in the dark, we pull up on our second beach all to ourselves. As stated earlier, Darren then cooks dinner! Oh as washes up, but only after setting the iKamper up. Good news Becky digs a hole for the toilet and is not too scared by the wild donkey hit footing passed her in full vocal chorus of e-or! She is becoming well trained.