My daughter Ilana wasn't the only one to get that sinking feeling when we went on a 4X4 desert safari in Oman on Monday.
There were 12 jeeps in our convoy, each with four passengers from Costa Cruises' Costa Victoria, and we all had a good laugh as this one went nose first into the sand.
"He didn't follow my tracks, you have to follow the lead car because the sand are always shifting," our jeep driver Waleed told us. Then promptly blazed his own trail, slip-sliding across the sand. But not before telling us he had been doing this for 11 years.
Those who had been in the jeep found it less amusing, but emerged unscathed. Amazingly they managed to get the car out so we could carry on our way.
The excursion lasted nine hours and it was interesting to see a bit of Oman, which is basically made up of mountains, desert and drivers with a death wish. Costa had done a good job pairing up the English speakers so we were able to make some new friends on the trip, but overall the day out didn't quite live up to its billing.
We had only barely 10 minutes skidding around the sand in the jeep, 20 minutes to take pictures while they figured out how to get the car out and 45 minutes at Wadi Bani Khalid for packed lunch and a wander.
The rest of the time - and remember it was nine hours - Waleed was hammering along tarmaced roads and motorways, dodging would-be Schumachers, to make sure we got there and back on time. At £122 each, it was quite an expensive day of driving.
Jane Archer
