Camels, Desert and Automatic Weapons

The day before we started work, Chris, our generous tour guide, showed us another amazing time and took us way out in the boonies for our first peek at desert life.  I cannot tell you how exciting it is to see a camel while you're driving down the highway!  We stopped for a few pictures on our way to lunch in Hatta, which is on the other side of the border from Oman.  There's one tiny little piece of Oman that is completely enclosed by the UAE, and the security going through that border is no joke.  Machine gun clad security officers greet you at the checkpoint, and it's so intimidating you almost feel like you've done something wrong and will be carted off to a desert dungeon at any moment.  I've never been that close to a machine gun and desperately wanted to take a picture, but I'm sure that could land me in jail. 

Once we got past the checkpoint, it was a lovely afternoon in the desert.  Here are our pics:

Don't be fooled by the cardigan and scarf - it was HOT!

 (Isn't it weird to see power lines in the desert?) 
This guy was hiding behind a bush and slowly crept out to eat from another bush...

 

He's a cute little guy.  The owners tie the camel's front legs together with a hobble (I think that's what it's called), which is also the same thing the men wear around their heads to keep the guthra in place. The animal lover in me didn't like it at first, but they can still walk pretty well, and most veterinarians won't treat camels who haven't been hobble trained, so I guess it's okay. :)

Chris brought carrots for the camels, but they weren't very interested.

Desert donkeys!  

We're learning something new every day!

Camel crossing :)

Lunch in Hatta!

 They must spend a fortune on landscaping to get this much grass to grow in the desert.

I wanted to jump the fence and run up the sand hill, but the sand was hot, hot, hot!

 

Isn't it beautiful??  Can't wait to see the desert at night!