At the end of a long and tiring day, Mark talks to us from one of his favourite campsites in all of Oman. He is sitting in a cave, ospreys are circling overhead and the team are about to bed down, exhausted.

24 hours ago they were looking at looking at night sky when they noticed the stars disappear and felt the first drop of rain. The rain came and was followed by strong winds which led them to trying to quickly store and protect everything in camp. In the morning the weather had passed over.

Mark had been told about an incredible archaeological site near by that was full of trilith fossils, what they were and what their purpose was is still unclear, but they went up a nearby wadi to find them.

As they continued their journey later in the day the challenges began. A punctured tyre led to a shredded tyre and some route redesigning. But just as they approached their stopover where Mark talks to us from now, they encountered sabkha, which is like slippery, muddy quicksand.

But the team worked incredibly well together again, freeing one of the vehicles and reaching camp to rest after what has been a long and exhausting day.

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The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio