Burami

With the weather starting to get hot, the camping season is gradually coming to a close. Some friends invited us to go camping this weekend at a spot we have been with them before. There is a great spot just over the UAE border in Burami, Oman with some wonderful scenery and some great hiking. I was excited at the prospect of going camping with some friends in a favorite spot of ours until I read this article saying that there have been protests throughout Oman, including Burami. In addition, my wife got a message from the Japanese embassy telling people to stay away from Oman.

That's right, the stupid government protests in Oman had to go and ruin our fun. I suppose it's not so much the protesters to blame, but the tanks being used to disperse them. Unlike most of the other protests in different Middle Eastern countries, the goal is not to get rid of a corrupt government. Rather, in Oman, the people are trying to call for jobs and reform.

I have to stress that through this all, there is no indication in Abu Dhabi that any large scale protests are happening in the region. It seems that the UAE has done a good job of managing its resources and spreading it's wealth fairly evenly. I'll just have to keep my outings within the UAE borders for now.