The Border Run

The Border Run
Today my family drove to Oman for what we call “A Border-Run.” A border run is necessary to get a stamp in your passport good for 60 days. It is taking me longer than anticipated, to get the proper certificates authenticated mostly because the process is a long one if you are getting birth certificates from different states authenticated. In order to receive a resident visa for the UAE you must have your birth certificates authenticated first by the state of which the birth took place and then on to Secretary of State in Washington DC in Ms. Rice’s office. Once authenticated in Washington it must be forwarded onto the UAE Embassy. If you are married, the marriage certificate must travel the same route.
We set out at about 9:30 this morning and arrived at the border about an hour and a half later. There was absolutely no line this time. We were the only travelers at that time, I am assuming it is due to Ramadan, everything slows down during Ramadan. Along the way we saw large sand dunes and rock formations nothing really exciting. Because the trip is kind of lengthy I had to visit the ladies room where I was taken by surprise to see holes in the floor. I had heard and seen these before in Korea so I knew what they were for. I was having no part of it; I looked further for a “normal” toilet and was happy to find one however; there was no toilet tissue. Toilet tissue is not a priority as a lot of people in the UAE do not use tissue. I used the water hose that was next to the toilet. I was expecting a drizzle of water but it came out of the hose with such force that I wet everything. I walked out of the ladies room with soaking wet pants, perfect for the hour and a half ride back to Abu Dhabi.