Oman

He Who Must Be Cherished had kept our honeymoon destination a secret, just saying that it would be hot and to take many beach clothes. I obeyed instructions but took a few woollen cardigans just in case the evenings were cool. In fact, the temperature was 30 degrees at midnight.

Sultan Qaboos has ruled Oman well. He's invested the revenue from oil in infrastructure. The roads are excellent. Citizens pay no tax and at the age of 21 each person is given a plot of land on which they can build a house.

The moon, funnily enough, was a key element of the honeymoon as we arrived during Ramadan and the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid festival was marked by the new moon. This appeared in most Muslim countries on Saturday 19 September but was a day late in Oman, much to the consternation of all. Omani families enjoy a lamb extravaganza over Eid: they eat boiled lamb on the first day, lamb casserole the next and lamb which has been slow-roasted for 24 hours underground on the third day.

We had some great expeditions into the desert, to see the forts around Nizwa and to watch the dolphins jumping in the Gulf.