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Text Box: AN ARABIAN NIGHT.
In December 1999 while making our annual Xmas visit to our daughter & family in The Sultanate of Oman, she had arranged permits for us to visit a beach at Ras Al Hadd where green turtles lay their eggs.

It is illegal to visit these beaches during the hours of darkness unless accompanied by a warden. You could be deported if not following these instructions.

Green Turtles can be 30 to 50 years old, are between 3 to 4 feet long by 2 ½ to 3 feet wide and lay 80 to 100 eggs.

Arriving in mid afternoon we visited the nesting sites. The sand is soft & sugary, ideal for the turtles, & pits are 6 feet wide & 3 to 4 feet deep. The beach is flanked by tortuously sculptured sandstone cliffs, which look as if a madman with a chainsaw had attacked them. The marks made by the turtles are like those of a tracked machine.

We returned to the campsite. A large stony area like a car park. Numerous shelters were available, like concrete garages without doors. Picnic tables and b.b.q. bases were also provided.

We set up our small 2-man tents which had to be held down by heavy rocks due to the hard ground. One other party was setting up as well. This was a party of 4 led by David (a Japanese from Wales, who our daughter knew) he was accompanied by his wife, her sister & husband.

A brick built toilet block was provided, and we were given a key for this.
The two wardens came & started the generator in the toilet block, which also operated a light in the shelter. They gave us instructions to wait for them returning when they would direct us to the nest sites & it was important that we wore dark subdued clothing, & were very quiet to avoid causing distress to the turtles. They then quite insensitively produced a hatchling from the door pocket for our examination. lt was barely covering our palms.

We had a nice B.B.Q. of local kingfish, salad, & baked potatoes, with interruptions from a stray dog & an old Arab who begged bread & a canned drink.

By the time the wardens came to collect us the moon was casting an orange beam over the Gulf of Oman. Seven of us crammed on the back of the pickup truck & were deposited on the edge of the beach. While we all huddled down one warden went off searching with his torch for turtles. He eventually came