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Eastern Sultanate Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Forester: Sadly, this cache is no more.

It has been looted and is gone.

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Hidden : 11/28/2003
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This is the Far East of the Middle East. It's the Easternmost extremity of the Arabian Peninsula. Another 4 or 5 metres to the East and you'll fall into the high water mark of the Arabian Sea; much further and you'll need to take Indian Rupees with you for the fare home. It's complementary to, but much more dramatic than, the Eastern Kingdom cache.

The cache is a Tupperware/Rubbermaid type box, placed under a rock close to the cliff's edge.

When placed during Eid al Fitr, the box originally contained:

    Logbook and pen;
    A pair of 8 x 21 binoculars
    A currency calculator
    A Scottish card and dice gaming set
    Geometry compasses
    Relighting birthday candles
    Nova Scotia Weather Button
This cache is ideally located for a side-trip during a visit to the famous Turtle Beach at Ras Juneiz.

If you are using a 4x4 vehicle, turn off the blacktop road at 22° 26.123N / 59° 49.076E and make your way to the end of the useable track at 22° 26.376N 59° 49.955E. That's as close as you can get to the cachesite by vehicle and you'll have to hoof it for the final few hundred metres.

With a 2-wheel drive vehicle or one with poor ground clearance, simply park inside the Turtle Reserve compound and walk up the slope to the bluff which overlooks that beach from the North and work your way to the location from there.

The cache is located less than 5 metres from the edge of the heavily undercut cliff, so be very careful up there, but you don't need special climbing gear or hiking boots: I walked it in stout sandals. There is no scrambling or climbing involved if you choose your route wisely and avoid the mugtrap of trying to take a straight line to your destination from your point of departure or current position. It's not accessible with a baby stroller, but quite young kids (over about five years old) could make this trip with adequate supervision.

I recommend the excellent campsite at Al Naseem, nearby at: 22° 26.255N / 059° 47.708E, but strongly advise that you phone 968 593 232 to make a reservation well in advance if you're going at a weekend or during public holidays such as the Eids. Their webpage at: http://www.desert-discovery.com/text/travel/nature gives a fair and representative description of what's on offer. I found the place to be clean and very well organised, with ample refreshments in the early evening, followed by a lovely buffet supper at 19:00 and a fascinating escorted visit to the nesting and egg-laying turtles at 21:00 after a couple of hours and again at 05:00 to watch the newly hatched baby turtles scuttling down the beach like little clockwork toys and the exhausted mama turtles struggling to pull their huge bulk down to the safety of the sea.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Sbyybj gur tbng genpxf naq gura hfr lbhe TCF pnershyyl.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)