Oman - a date a day keeps the doctor away
Oman isn't somewhere that most people think "yes, kids we're taking our family vacay in oman". I'm here to tell you that it certainly should be. When I first booked my flight to Abu Dhabi I wanted to have a bit of time to explore more than just Abu Dhabi. Many people said that Dubai wasn't really my scene so that left me to Oman. The more I started to reading about it the more I realized its awesomeness. It's quite unique in that outdoorsiness (camping hiking) are all big things to do. It is also extremely safe. I felt safer in Oman than I do in DC.
I took the bus to Dubai from Abu Dhabi after having said goodbye to Cass. From there I searched for the "bus station" in Dubai with 10 minutes till the scheduled departure. The address I had was in fact not a bus station but my taxi driver said he knew where all the Omanis hung out so it had to be there. I made it with one minute to spare. Always exciting on transit days! I made the faux pas of attempting to sit on the back of the bus, but was reminded by an elder lady to sit in the front. It's the oldest trick in the book, taking a night bus. You don't have to pay for another night of accommodation. And you don't waste a day. I was ready to go at 6am when we arrived for a full day in Muscat (very false actually the old lady couldn't hear so she spoke quite loudly and the bus driver was listening to a comedy talk show. I learned that Arabic speakers like to shout as well when speaking so bit of a long night). After spending a very frustrating taxi ride that involved me most definitely paying too much because I confused the conversion rate I made it to my guesthouse. I set out for the day to the fish market in matrah where I enjoyed some of the best snapper I've ever had. I continued walking along the corniche to the old souk. Souks are the markets where everyone is calling you best friend as they put pashminas on you and convince you to buy bangles. It quite fun but also exhausting. You gotta have your head in the game. I continued along the seaside to old Muscat to see a cultural museum and the palace. It was such a different place from the glitz and grandness of Abu Dhabi. The building are max two to three stories tall and all in white or tan. The streets are narrow and winding in the old part of the city. It had a very Mediterranean feel. As the sunset I watched some kids jump off the rails into the ocean near some of the old forts. As I was walking back to Mutrah I was stopped by a group of men picknicking near one of the old forts along the corniche. This was when I learned about Omani hospitality. There was another man there from Algeria who was with his family. We were treated to fruit and Arabic coffee (a bit on the lighter roast side but spiced heavily). I even asked if I could go take a photo of the fort, "no you must eat with us. I insist" well alright can't turn down a free meal. I had the most lovely evening chatting with the family who happen to live in Abu Dhabi as well as with the group of men who we suspected were policemen but told us were fishermen. It was a 3 hour affair mainly because as soon as my hand was empty they handed me more food. The Canadian family dropped me off at my place (thank you so much!) for the night. Muscat was leaving a great first impression.
The next day I decided to book a tour to head out of Muscat to Wadi Shams. Wadi is like a cove between mountains and shams is sunshine. Already nailing the Arabic. I went with another American guy and our guide where we hiked through the mountains till we reached the wadis. We swam from wadi to wadi which was amazingly refreshing after an hour hike in the vicious desert heat. I didn't even realize the average temp was about 100 Fahrenheit. We reached a point where you had to swim under a cave to reach another pool. Honestly, this was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I think about how if this were at home it would be quite commercialized and of course packed with people. Of course there were tourists here but it was undeveloped and therefore unspoiled. It was one of those moments like "wow this is my life! Just another day swimming in the waterholes of Oman". Really neat! We stopped at a sinkhole on the way back as well as a tea corner. This is a big thing I've learned since my time in the Arabian peninsula. Everyone hangs out at coffee shops where ironically most people are chilling drinking tea or a lemon mint. In Oman you pull up to the corner and honk continuously at the restaurant or coffeeshop until someone comes out. We enjoyed a karak and Omani bread with cheese and honey. I was spent for the day and decided to stay local and ended up chatting with the guesthouse owner. The guy who ran the guesthouse, Abdullah, was a delight. He told me everything that I must see in Oman, which was of course way to much for my next two days. I was learning that a car was pretty necessary to do anything in Oman. I always thought that that was crossing the line. I'm a girl, alone, driving a car in a country I've never been to, I don't speak Arabic, yadda yadda. Abdullah convinced me otherwise and gave me the best advice. I promised I considered this carefully. I was realizing how safe Oman was and how generally accessible and easy it was to drive. It wasn't like Nepal where you battle don't the other drivers for road space. I also got an Omani number just in case anything happened. This was either going to be the best decision I've ever made on my travels or a bit of a mess. (Don't worry it turned out great)
The next morning I rented a car and made a stop at the grand mosque. Amazingly gorgeous. Everything, like the name implies, is grand and over the top. I was particularly fond of the wood carvings on the ceiling and doors. I headed off to carrefour afterwards to stalk up on goods for camping (as guided and advised by Abdullah). I bought a gallon of water and some mutabbel and pita for dinner. I also had my medical kit thanks to auntie nic who always travels with me <3. I ran into the nicest lady from New York but lived in Muscat who also was giving me advice about what to do in Oman. Really, just the nicest people! It was about an hour and a half drive out to Fins beach where I decided to camp near. It was a white sandy beach not too far from the village. On one side was the ocean and the other the mountains. It was such a lovely night with some swimming in the ocean and chilling on the beach watching the fishermen. A French family and tour group pitched their tents nearby and I was quickly acquainted with the tour guides where we hung out by the fire. I've learned that you can try as hard as you want to be alone but it's almost impossible. I thought for sure camping in oman would be a night of solitude. A very large and loud Omani family came quite late in the night blasting some Arabic tunes so sleep was a bit tough. I set out early the next morning to Sur, a big village just a bit south of Fins. An Omani man named Aiziz checked on me when I was lost and offered to give me a "quick" tour around the town where we saw the lighthouses and the place where the dhows are built. I enjoyed another refreshingly swim in the impressively clear water while listening to the Friday midday prayer. As the pattern followed he insisted that I come to his house for fish with his wife. I'm pretty sure no is not part of Omani vocabulary. I consumed a total of two whole fish and enough dates for a lifetime. Apparently you eat dates in odd numbers so don't make the mistake of having a couple cause then you'll just have to eat more. There are now quite a few Omanis very excited to meet the Lane family. Oman summer of 2020?? I made the gorgeous drive back up the coast along the mountains to Muscat where I returned my car and another intense moment of hospitability unfolded as the car rental guy insisted he drive me wherever I liked and then to the bus. The level of kindness is immense but also quite aggressive. It's something I'm not use to and found alarming at first but learned that all the best intentions are behind it as Omanis are so proud and want guests to have the best time. I said a dear goodbye to Oman as I left back for Dubai on the night bus.
I cannot say enough good things about this place. I feel so lucky to have kind of stumbled on this traveling opportunity, but now I know how great it is I will definitely be back. To the great outdoors and dates! Shukran Oman!
I took the bus to Dubai from Abu Dhabi after having said goodbye to Cass. From there I searched for the "bus station" in Dubai with 10 minutes till the scheduled departure. The address I had was in fact not a bus station but my taxi driver said he knew where all the Omanis hung out so it had to be there. I made it with one minute to spare. Always exciting on transit days! I made the faux pas of attempting to sit on the back of the bus, but was reminded by an elder lady to sit in the front. It's the oldest trick in the book, taking a night bus. You don't have to pay for another night of accommodation. And you don't waste a day. I was ready to go at 6am when we arrived for a full day in Muscat (very false actually the old lady couldn't hear so she spoke quite loudly and the bus driver was listening to a comedy talk show. I learned that Arabic speakers like to shout as well when speaking so bit of a long night). After spending a very frustrating taxi ride that involved me most definitely paying too much because I confused the conversion rate I made it to my guesthouse. I set out for the day to the fish market in matrah where I enjoyed some of the best snapper I've ever had. I continued walking along the corniche to the old souk. Souks are the markets where everyone is calling you best friend as they put pashminas on you and convince you to buy bangles. It quite fun but also exhausting. You gotta have your head in the game. I continued along the seaside to old Muscat to see a cultural museum and the palace. It was such a different place from the glitz and grandness of Abu Dhabi. The building are max two to three stories tall and all in white or tan. The streets are narrow and winding in the old part of the city. It had a very Mediterranean feel. As the sunset I watched some kids jump off the rails into the ocean near some of the old forts. As I was walking back to Mutrah I was stopped by a group of men picknicking near one of the old forts along the corniche. This was when I learned about Omani hospitality. There was another man there from Algeria who was with his family. We were treated to fruit and Arabic coffee (a bit on the lighter roast side but spiced heavily). I even asked if I could go take a photo of the fort, "no you must eat with us. I insist" well alright can't turn down a free meal. I had the most lovely evening chatting with the family who happen to live in Abu Dhabi as well as with the group of men who we suspected were policemen but told us were fishermen. It was a 3 hour affair mainly because as soon as my hand was empty they handed me more food. The Canadian family dropped me off at my place (thank you so much!) for the night. Muscat was leaving a great first impression.
The next day I decided to book a tour to head out of Muscat to Wadi Shams. Wadi is like a cove between mountains and shams is sunshine. Already nailing the Arabic. I went with another American guy and our guide where we hiked through the mountains till we reached the wadis. We swam from wadi to wadi which was amazingly refreshing after an hour hike in the vicious desert heat. I didn't even realize the average temp was about 100 Fahrenheit. We reached a point where you had to swim under a cave to reach another pool. Honestly, this was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I think about how if this were at home it would be quite commercialized and of course packed with people. Of course there were tourists here but it was undeveloped and therefore unspoiled. It was one of those moments like "wow this is my life! Just another day swimming in the waterholes of Oman". Really neat! We stopped at a sinkhole on the way back as well as a tea corner. This is a big thing I've learned since my time in the Arabian peninsula. Everyone hangs out at coffee shops where ironically most people are chilling drinking tea or a lemon mint. In Oman you pull up to the corner and honk continuously at the restaurant or coffeeshop until someone comes out. We enjoyed a karak and Omani bread with cheese and honey. I was spent for the day and decided to stay local and ended up chatting with the guesthouse owner. The guy who ran the guesthouse, Abdullah, was a delight. He told me everything that I must see in Oman, which was of course way to much for my next two days. I was learning that a car was pretty necessary to do anything in Oman. I always thought that that was crossing the line. I'm a girl, alone, driving a car in a country I've never been to, I don't speak Arabic, yadda yadda. Abdullah convinced me otherwise and gave me the best advice. I promised I considered this carefully. I was realizing how safe Oman was and how generally accessible and easy it was to drive. It wasn't like Nepal where you battle don't the other drivers for road space. I also got an Omani number just in case anything happened. This was either going to be the best decision I've ever made on my travels or a bit of a mess. (Don't worry it turned out great)
The next morning I rented a car and made a stop at the grand mosque. Amazingly gorgeous. Everything, like the name implies, is grand and over the top. I was particularly fond of the wood carvings on the ceiling and doors. I headed off to carrefour afterwards to stalk up on goods for camping (as guided and advised by Abdullah). I bought a gallon of water and some mutabbel and pita for dinner. I also had my medical kit thanks to auntie nic who always travels with me <3. I ran into the nicest lady from New York but lived in Muscat who also was giving me advice about what to do in Oman. Really, just the nicest people! It was about an hour and a half drive out to Fins beach where I decided to camp near. It was a white sandy beach not too far from the village. On one side was the ocean and the other the mountains. It was such a lovely night with some swimming in the ocean and chilling on the beach watching the fishermen. A French family and tour group pitched their tents nearby and I was quickly acquainted with the tour guides where we hung out by the fire. I've learned that you can try as hard as you want to be alone but it's almost impossible. I thought for sure camping in oman would be a night of solitude. A very large and loud Omani family came quite late in the night blasting some Arabic tunes so sleep was a bit tough. I set out early the next morning to Sur, a big village just a bit south of Fins. An Omani man named Aiziz checked on me when I was lost and offered to give me a "quick" tour around the town where we saw the lighthouses and the place where the dhows are built. I enjoyed another refreshingly swim in the impressively clear water while listening to the Friday midday prayer. As the pattern followed he insisted that I come to his house for fish with his wife. I'm pretty sure no is not part of Omani vocabulary. I consumed a total of two whole fish and enough dates for a lifetime. Apparently you eat dates in odd numbers so don't make the mistake of having a couple cause then you'll just have to eat more. There are now quite a few Omanis very excited to meet the Lane family. Oman summer of 2020?? I made the gorgeous drive back up the coast along the mountains to Muscat where I returned my car and another intense moment of hospitability unfolded as the car rental guy insisted he drive me wherever I liked and then to the bus. The level of kindness is immense but also quite aggressive. It's something I'm not use to and found alarming at first but learned that all the best intentions are behind it as Omanis are so proud and want guests to have the best time. I said a dear goodbye to Oman as I left back for Dubai on the night bus.
I cannot say enough good things about this place. I feel so lucky to have kind of stumbled on this traveling opportunity, but now I know how great it is I will definitely be back. To the great outdoors and dates! Shukran Oman!
I believe this is the first place you have mentioned that you want to return for another visit? Interesting.
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