On the beach

Down in one of the beach areas of Muscat checking on another flat.

After viewing, I wandered down to the beach (one of the attractions of the flat was it was within 'walking distance' so that had to tested. It was. There weren't many people around at that time of day. It was a time for mad dogs and Englishmen. And I'm not English.

I adopted my usual practice of walking aimlessly around just to get to know the place. The heat made it quite an unpleasant experience. Eventually I hailed a taxi - an old battered, dusty taxi with a charming driver. I realised I had forgotten the hotel leaflet which I usually show to taxi drivers to let them know of my destination. He didn't know of the hotel or the area but he thought it would be good for him to learn.

We got lost and we both discovered areas of Muscat which we hadn't been in before. You agree a price before you set off so there was no meter ticking. Eventually I recognised a few landmarks and we arrived safely at my destination. We both felt we'd achieved something.

I decided not to take the flat.