Today we had our tour out to the east coast of the United Arab Emirates. We were picked up at 8.30am and then taken to the meeting point where we changed minibuses for our tour. Once on our way we first stopped at a petrol station to use the toilets. Apparently some people on the tour had been on the bus for an hour before we arrived. The toilets were absolutely disgusting so it was amusing to see the cleaning log on the wall signed off as being cleaned 5 minutes before we arrived. After the toilet stop we drove through Sharjah and out into the desert spotting the occasional camel. The next stop was at the Friday Market which was about a kilometre of stalls along each side the road selling fruit, vegetables and carpets. The market was just as the desert ended and the Hajar mountains just near the town of Masafi which we then drove through on the way to Dibba which is on the border with Oman. We stopped along the way at the UAE's version of the Grand Canyon in the Hajar mountains which was quite impressive before stopping briefly in Dibba to photograph a mosque.
 
We stopped for lunch at the Sandy Beach Resort in Fujairah. Lunch wasn't included in the to buy it at the resort restaurant. Food was not bad and not overly expensive. After lunch we had half an hour or so to relax on the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean before driving on to the oldest mosque in the UAE at al-Badiyah. No non-muslims were allowed inside as apparently 5 or so years previously some Russian tourists decided to sit inside the mosque drinking beer so the local government banned tour groups from entering the mosque. Nearby was the remains of an old Portuguese fortress which had great views over the mountains. Our final stop was at the Fujairah fortress, the oldest fortified building in the UAE, which was built by the British after they destroyed the village of Fujairah. There are partially restored buildings and ruins in the village which was quite interesting. We then had a 2 hour drive back to Dubai.
 
When we got back to the hotel we went straight out for dinner. For dessert we had ice cream at a place called Cold Stone Creamery. We didn't realize what they did there when we ordered our ice cream. The guy serving us scoops up the ice cream in two large spoons and then starts tossing the ice cream ball in the air as he walks over to a large cold bench top. He drops the ice cream on the bench top then we got to choose other toppings to go with the ice cream. They then mix it all up on the bench top and put it into the cup. During that time the rest of the staff and dancing around and singing. Bizarre!