Thinking about a way to spend New Years, I chose an inexpensive cruise to the Persian Gulf.
So, we left the port of Dubai and headed to the Sultanate of Oman, namely the capital of 

Muscat

.
I decided to go on an excursion offered onboard. We arrived in the 

port of Muscat

, the capital of Oman. At the ladder, we were met by a brilliant white jeep and a very pleasant, smiling driver/guide. The journey to the desert was 108 miles (175 km).
Such beautiful sand! It had a yellow-brick color.
The driver was laughing but continued to make steep turns around those infirm sand dunes . . . 
After the desert, we drove about an hour to a beautiful oasis, hidden high in the mountains. There was delightfully blue water, schools of fish, bridges and gazebos, picnic baskets full of the local cuisine – what a paradise!
I was very satisfied with this tour. We looked at the country, drove about 300 miles (500 km), stopping in small villages, experienced the excitement of a desert safari, enjoyed a fabulous mountain lake, took a ride along the streets of the capital, saw the handsome and well-groomed capital, Muscat. What a great country, what a great trip! Duration: 9 hours, cost: 122 Euros per person (as of 2009).