Leaving the International school in Sohar

Smooth. Just the whole day went smoothly. We got up in time to have one last breakfast with Lina and Michael at their home in Sohar. After a thankfully brief scene of goodbyes we were alone and ready to pack up our stuff. Two hours after that, we handed the key back to Lina and were on the road for good.

The ride was good as always in Oman. The incoming summer heat was tamed a good bit by light cloud cover and we arrived at the border in no time. We crossed the border in record time. Chapeau to both the Omani and Emirati officials, this was the least painful border crossing yet.

Let alone a pretty wadi just before the border in Hatta

The border is in a hilly region that separates Oman from the Emirates. On our way here, we did not see much of it coming in all the way after dark. This time we enjoyed the scarce mountainous landscape. When we came out of the hills we were quite surprised to see a vast sea of sand encroaching upon the mountains. This, we really did not notice the last time. The sand stretched all the way to the first outliers of Dubai.

Our first stop was not Dubai though, but the neighboring emirate of Sharjah, where we found the shipping agent for the ferry to Iran. Prices are steep, but what we expected them to be. We got the confirmation that the boat would leave Tuesday, as expected, and a good explanation of the procedure from here on out.

…sell…not fix…

It was still early in the day, so we were keen to tackle the next big ticket item on our list: Tires! The first try at a Kawasaki showroom was a miss, but they were along the way anyway. Next up on our list was the general importer for Shinko in the UAE. It was a tiny shop in Deira – at first, we thought we were out of luck, since the shop was closed. But soon after, someone was called and the doors opened.

I got a set of tires for mere 100 €, what a bargain (Shinko 705 Trail Master). The only downside was that this was a “sell only” kind of business, so we would need a workshop to get them fitted. A brief google search later, I had some candidates about 8 km away. The tires were temporarily attached to the panniers (resulting in a bike 130cm wide 🙂 ).

Off we went once more, a bit goofier than before, on our way to the first candidate. This custom bike shop felt not for us though and send us off – shop closed. Next door at the brilliant Superbikes Al Quoz, we had more luck. They stuck around for us and we got to talk a little while the wheels came off and got send off. I liked being called a “real biker” by one of the custom Harley riding guys in the shop. In the end, they did not even take our money. What a bunch of great guys.

Swooosh … night lights

To round the day off, we thought of going to Biker’s Cafe. Overlander friends of ours have recommended the place, since travelers apparently eat for free there. We had a look at the wall of fame with pictures of other travelers and ordered our dinner. The head waiter came out and talked to us a bit. We counted as travelers and he asked if we could come back tomorrow for a photo shoot and an interview. Cool, why not! Unfortunately, they forgot to shout us our dinner (they told us the next day that it should have been free).

We thought we might check out an iOverlander spot at Jumeira beach, but decided against it in a flash. Maybe with a car, but it was heaps too public for our taste. It was late and we were tired, so we caved and booked a cheap hotel in Deira. The price was good enough to justify the chance for a shower and besides, we really started to like Deira.