The UAE border control on the other hand is far from obvious. At one time you had to got to the Hatta Fort Hotel; buy a main meal for want and a refreshing glass of non-alcoholic beverage and with receiot collect a voucher which you exchanged for a form which was copied and stamped, in triplicate and then thrown in the bin and you went on your way.....OK I might have exaggerated a little there. But you did used to have to go to the Hatta Fort Hotel to get your exit stamp. Then having exited (officially according to your passport) you then drove a fair few km down the road to the actual border, where they had an officer who checked you had the stamp, and took great pleasure in sending you back if not.
When I arrived this time I had been forewarned that the Hatta Fort Palerva had been removed and that you now had to get your stamp from a little kiosk on the border, just after the Ali Bin Daylight Robing Insurance Company offices. So I duly drove down to the border, found the insurance offices, parked my car and wondered around aimlessly for ten minutes trying to find the said kiosk. Eventually I found a prota-cabin/building thingy only to find it was shut....no explanation why.......no instruction on what I should do otherwise. I asked around other people just shrugged and said “Everybody just driving straight through now”. And sure enough there was a steam of Dubai and Abu Dhabi plates driving straight through past me. I decided I had better things to do that wait at a border post that was closed so carried on to the Oman border with a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I was going to regret not getting my exit stamp.
At the Oman border post, as usual, a completely different experience. Whats this, a large clean white building, with clear signs (in Arabic) and a number of windows at which to get the necessary stampage, all set at a height and offset that you cna easily reach from your car. The guy behind the counter is polite, smiles and takes the pastports with a friend “Salam Ali Coumb” (apologies to the Arabic speaking world as I am sure I have spelt that wrong). He then taps on a computer, stamps the passport and hands them back with a smile. I tense, and wait for it......the inevitable “ah wait, problem”........he smiles again, I smile back and he goes to speak.......he it comes.......”Hallas, you are finished”. “What, I can go? That’s it?” “Of course, hallas”. I thank him kindly and drive away remembering why I love leaving the UAE and love arriving in Oman.......but I am still looking in the rear view mirror expecting to be called back.
With the border cleared its off to Muscat, guided by the GPS and looking forward to one of Lou’s cuppa’s. And apart from a short detour as it seems the Garmin is programmed to believe the quickest way in to Muscat is to leave the freeway and go through a supermarket car park and then rejoin the freeway (I have no idea why, but it did) we had no hassels
After a good cuppa and a few beverages at 'Steve's Bar' Bob and Jan arrived and we bid them all good night and went to get a good nights sleep.
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