Leaving Iran and starting on the Arabian Peninsula.

Leaving Iran gave us no time to rest. Next up was a short blast through the bottom corner of Iraq to get to the safe haven of Kuwait, but we had to pass through Basra, and the temptation to stop was too great. We needed a rest anyway; from leaving the Iraq border, we had dozens of police checks and passport checks, and so we parked on the very modern Corniche by the waterfront in Basra. It wasn't what we were expecting at all.

The Arabian Peninsula is vast. This photograph does not tell the real story.

The Corniche was an area for locals to promenade, picnic and show off their fancy cars.

We were a distraction to normal business, and we were inundated with knocks on the door and a big welcome. It was lovely but got annoying when we wanted to get into our pyjamas later in the evening.

Traditional Iraqi breakfast.

We were glad to have the family with us. The menu was a little challenging.

A very kind family took us out for Breakfast the next morning at a traditional Iraqi restaurant, then took us to see cousins up country for lunch in the marshes. They then allowed us to rest but brought us dinner to our truck. 

An elder relaxes before taking lunch with us.

Lunch is traditionally served on the floor.

Everyone shares and eats with their hands.

Nearly done, and then it's time for Chai.

Chai brewing.

While out on our family drive, the oldest son asked if we minded if he played his music on the car stereo. We said no and looked forward to hearing some Iraqi music. We laughed when he played Dancing Queen by Abba. It's a small world.

Other than the Corniche, Basra and the surrounding countryside was a chaotic mess, and a plethora of plastic and associated rubbish was everywhere. Packs of dogs scavenged for food. Such a shame.

Kuwait was next and was so clean and precise against the chaos of Iraq. 

When we eventually got through the border, we were so tired that we opted to sleep in a residential area car park soon after the border. 

Kuwait city from the massive bridge

The whole country appeared wealthy, and all the houses were huge.

By mid-morning the next day, we had a range of food options for lunch after several people dropped by to give us food and welcome us to their country.. The strangest was a lady in a maid's uniform from one of the local big houses who brought us a huge silver tray full of food and a Thermos flask of Kuwaiti coffee but spoke no English.

Even the water towers are magnificent in Kuwait.

The problem came the next day when we left; we didn't know to whom to return the tray and flask. 

Kuwait City was bristling with money, and it has a bridge to access the other side of the bay that is an amazing 22.5 miles long (36km). One of the longest in the world.

We are never short of visitors, and these guys popped in to say hello.

The modern financial district was truly amazing and a rival to any financial district anywhere.

This was such a contrast to what we had seen previously in Iran and Iraq, and yet all three countries have wealth from oil and gas. 

Saudi Arabia wasn't far away, and the drive down from Kuwait through the barren desert lands of Saudi's north east corner wasn't much fun.

Bahrain offered us a chance to mingle with the many ex-pats working in Oil and Construction jobs, living in gated communities with all mod cons, domestic help, and a range of sporting and eating excellence to be enjoyed, including Alcohol being available at a price!

Bahrain is dull as an area, we thought, with little to see and quite a small area, but the luxurious living and the sporting and culinary options make it an attractive option for some, I guess.

Not paying taxes must help as well.

After another dull drive through Saudi, we arrived in Qatar.

We were often randomly stopped whilst driving and offered Chai and Dates

The norm is to throw out a blanket to sit on.

Another wealthy Oil enclave, Qatar defies everything you think of. Wealth pours from every corner, and the men are in their gowns and colourful red and white check Dish-dash head gear.

The women, however, when you do see them, which isn't often, in their dower black burkas, don't stand out so much apart from the pure idiocy of wearing a full black gown when the temperature can reach 40+ degrees.

Most people from the Arabian peninsula are of Bedouin/tribal descent, and now they are all just rich, and very few Saudi, UAE or Qatari people do a job. They employ migrant workers from India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Bangladesh to do everything, and I mean everything.

The pecking order is the Indians from the Kerela area of India are generally well educated and get the better jobs, the Philippines work as domestic help and the Bangladeshi community getting the shit jobs, literally. 

A lovely touch was the Indian men would congregate in car parks, open spaces, in fact anywere they could get light and would play cricket after work until the early hours most evenings.

Everyone has domestic staff, and the Qatar guys sit around drinking Chai and smoking the Shisha pipe. The women? They are rarely seen.

Camel Racing is huge in Qatar, and unlike horse racing, the Camels don't have actual jockeys, just a small robot that presumably delivers a small jab to jolly them on, remotely controlled by the camel owners, I suspect.

Camels getting exercised at the race track.

We didn't see any racing but saw plenty of camels.

Camels are worth anything from $3000 (£2500) to more than $1,000,000 (£800,000) for a good runner.

Gambling is not allowed, and the prize is the prestige of owning the winning Camel.

I guess when money is no object, that's enough.

Whilst making a random stop for water in a small village, we were approached by a guy who offered the now expected welcome and offer of help. This was now normal for us.

This guy extended his offering to go to his car and produced from the back seat a Falcon as you do? 

He took us in his car to his camel farm out in the desert and displayed his Falconry skills as well.

The Falcon is placed on the back seat whilst we are driven to the Camel farm.

The Falcon is displayed while we fill the truck with water.

The Falcon was then placed on the back seat of his car next to Charlotte like a small box of groceries. Quite surreal..

The owner showing us his camels.

We got introduced to a few of the Camels.

He was very proud of his stock.

A mum with her newborn.

Camels are highly prized, and although they are not the best looking creatures, in Saudi Arabia, they do have an annual Camel beauty contest. The camels are judged on the length of their eye lashes and their hanging mouths.

All was good until 2018, when disgrace fell on several camel owners, and 12 camels were disqualified for having Botox injected to enhance their hanging lips!

Fridays are sacrosanct in most Arab countries, and almost all men attend the Mosque for Friday prayers, and almost everything is closed, apart from the Hardware stores, which are allowed to open as men have time on a Friday to do jobs around the house (or get their domestic help to do jobs for them).

Officials look on as a Dhow race takes place in Abu Dhabi.

We also visited the UAE and went to Abu Dabi and Dubai. We visited Dubai many years ago, and it was a building site, and it still is. The amount of Construction is staggering.

The city's area is very slick, though, and offers endless dining and leisure facilities for holidaymakers and the endless expats that live there.

But this all comes at a price; with a pint of Guinness costing around £14.00, you need deep pockets or huge salaries.

We drove again through Saudi to Oman. Distances are huge, and progress is slow.

Muscat, the capital, is modern and was an okay place to visit.

Oman people are not Bedouin and were settled people and is the only part of the Arabian Peninsula to be able to claim this.

The goat market was about to start.

The goat market in Nizwa, Oman.

Oman people claim 65% of Oman people do a job of work. I didn't check that, but I have my doubts. We had our truck serviced, and the manager told us he would part company with his Omani employees in a heartbeat, but any company has to have their quota of Amani's to conform to employment law.

The migrant workers at the garage were mainly Indian, and they lived onsite in a company block of flats around the back. They had three meals a day cooked for them and their family. They paid around £70 a month for this service and kept them loyal to their work.

We travelled the 1000km to the other end of the country, and the beaches in the south were pleasant, but the best part was Snake Canyon. A super driving experience that made our monster truck look tiny.

Snake Canyon

Snake Canyon. A real treat and a test for our truck.

We also stayed on the only campsite in Oman and got our washing done. The owner had a secret bar, and I spent a few nights rubbing shoulders with local dignitaries who would call by to drink alcohol away from prying eyes.

Young street sellers learning the trade at the goat market.

A smart Omanian poses for a photo in the campsite's secret bar.

The owner also went to a family reunion whilst I was there. Unfortunately, 20 family members couldn't make it, so they were down to a mere 175 people. Males under 18 were not invited, nor were Women!

Oman also has Bullfighting. We said we wouldn't go, but after further investigation, we went to look. The fights are between 2 highly decorated bulls, and as soon as a Bull turns away, the fight is over. There is no blood, and the fights last 1 or 2 minutes maximum. 

The all-male audience sits around chatting and eating. It's quite a spectacle.

The Bulls are tethered to poles driven into the ground, all around the area where the bulls fight, and we had to be stealthy to avoid getting trampled by the Bulls awaiting their turn. Health and safety, my ... armpit!

Charlotte was the only female and caused quite a stir.

The Bulls are ready to fight

Each one decorated by the proud owners.

The men relax and watch the bullfighting. It wasn't at all life-threatening for the Bulls, at least.

Water was also plentiful in Oman. We called in at a tanker filling stations, Fuel stations and sometimes a random hose at the side of the road.

We carry around 400 litres of water, which is used for showering and washing. It's filtered for drinking as well and lasts around 6 days.

Water tanker drivers relaxing and drinking Chai whilst their trucks are loaded with water for delivery.

The water tankers are highly prized and decorated.

Next up, we were back in Saudi to see a stage of the Dakar rally, and I will cover this next time.

Thank you for reading this blog.

Please let me know your thoughts/questions.

Just a few random photos of the last leg of our journey

A camel herder looking after his camels.

Some night park-ups are very special.

It was a little windy.

A view from our Safari hatch

Another water stop.

Lunch time on the road.