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| Wadi Bani Khalid, cool, clean and crystal clear water. |
3 days in a country which is closer to me than Dubai.... Oman. What a trip it was!
Over 10 hours of driving, we stopped at 2 rock pools, Wadi Damm and Wadi Bani Khalid. Jumps, swims and good old Arab hospitality. There was a climb and a futile cave exploration that I attempted in the soaring heat. The soles of my feet were burned from the boiling hot rock surface but it was still worth it. The cool temperature of the water compensated for the burnt feet... heavenly!
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| Wadi Dhamm. Quieter than Wadi Bani Khalid |
We bumped into some local Omanis in the first Wadi. Two things really impressed me about them. They were immensely hospitable, insisting on taking us to their house. But as is custom when travelling in a group with locals, they generally decline the invitation unless its their own family. The second thing was that I noticed some older Omani locals at the pools. They were so agile and fit! Jumping from rock to rock effortlessly as I was embarrassingly slipping at every minor slope. This Wadi is pretty empty at off peak times. Hardly anyone was there and you can take your family there if they're willing to trek uphill a bit.
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| Camel meat and rice, a bit chewy and hard on the stomach |
We moved on to our second destination Jabal Akhdar. The terrain is pretty similar on all mountains in Oman... barren and desolate, unlike the mountains in Europe, lush, green and always some snow. We prayed in mosque high up in the mountains and feasted on some rice and camel meat. The Omanis practice Islam similar to that of the Emiratis but they are from another sect, Ibadis. There's slight differences in the way they pray and in their beliefs regarding the four caliphs but it doesn't really cause much tension or divide like it does in other Arab countries.
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| Jabal Akhdar, the green mountain. |
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| Bahla, the town of the Jinn. You can see the wall in the backgorund |
Driving onwards and upwards we got to the Hajar mountain range and onto Jabal Akhdar, the Green mountain. Although it doesn't seem very green, the area is known for fruits -walnuts, apricots and pomegranates. We found some people selling it on the side of the road. We bought a bunch of Pomegranates and although I'm not a fan of them, they were absolutely delicious! I took a few for my mum and then moved on to a deserted mountain village... or what was left of it.
There was another interesting place we went to, known locally as the city of Jinn, Bahla. It had an eeiry feeling to it and the local with us mentioned that every time he visited the place, the attractions were cordoned off.... because the Jinns would disturb everyone! You can read more about Bahla
here. They also have an ancient wall built around the city which the locals claim was built by the jinns.
Overall a lovely trip and one where I would recommend to go with locals. Makes everything so much more easier.
