Day two in Oman I left the city in search of a little desert time. It is possible to rent a car and drive oneself, but as I cannot drive, I hired a driver/guide to show me dunes and oases. It was about a three-hour drive, but was very pleasant, watching the landscapes and chatting with the driver, who was from Egypt but was able to answer all of my questions about Oman.
Desert Dunes
We arrived at a small town on the edge of the desert where the Bedouins live. At some point, the Sultan had all the Bedouins move to the edge of the desert and gave them land to do so, so they are not nomadic as they once were.
In the town were modest houses and pens of goats and camels.
And then there was sand. Glorious, beautiful, rolling dunes of sand ranging from light tan to deep ochre. I could not stop being amazed by the varied contrasts between sand and sky. We drove over the dunes, sometimes doing sharp turns or driving down steep dunes such that it felt like me might topple over.
And whenever I felt like, it I walked (ran, staggered, crawled) up and over the dunes, which is exhausting, but very fun. And then I leaped or rolled back down to the bottom.
That’s about all there was to do, but I loved it. Until the combination of the hot sun combined with the motion of the ‘dune bashing’ made me feel a little ill. No matter, as the next stop would be a swim in a desert oasis.
Wadi Bani Khalid
We drove to Wadi Bani Khalid, a desert oasis popular with locals and tourists alike. It is a long stretch of blue water set between rocky cliffs, fringed with palm trees. It looked like it was out of a movie.
I wanted to go swimming, so I had worn my bathing suit under my clothes, but as it turns out, bathing suits are not allowed. There are strict laws around what can be worn. Men can swim in long shorts and t-shirts. Women must wear the same, or can wear a long skirt or trousers.
So I swam in ankle-length leggings and my bathing suit. My guide said it was ok to have my bare arms. And there was a guy there keeping tabs on the modesty, walking around, observing the attire; clipboard in hand.
The water felt wonderful. I swam from the open pond area, down a narrowing stretch of water to the end. From there it was a short walk over slippery rocks to another pool and small waterfall.
None of it seemed real, it was so lovely.
It was quite busy when we were there, but most people weren’t swimming; they were picnicking or walking by the shore.
After that, we drove back to Muscat.
I had mentioned that I wanted to smoke some shisha, so my driver dropped me off at an Egyptian hookah café for an hour whilst he tended to some business. I had some double apple shisha, falafel and Turkish coffee while watching “Braveheart” on a big screen TV. (Music was still banned due to the Sultan’s recent death.)
I was then returned to my hotel. I went for a walk but otherwise stayed in and packed, and slept early as I had a middle-of-the-night flight to Lahore, Pakistan.
I know there is more to see in Oman, but my two days there left me satisfied. I liked it a lot but I was ready for the comparative noise and activity of big-city Pakistan.