As you start to walk out on the way,
the way appears.
As you cease to be,
true life begins.
As you grow smaller,
this world cannot contain you.
You will be shown a being
that has no you in it.
–– Rumi
In your life, you should visit a place with deserts where all you see an ocean of sand dunes. Or where the desert meets the see. Or where you swim in sinkholes with turquoise blue waters. Or where you find lush green oases in the middle of the desert. Or where you can gaze at pitch black night skies where the stars blaze and the heart floats through the Milky Way. Or where the sun sets the horizon ablaze during dawn and dusk. Or where people are so open-hearted that you will never look at a stranger the same way. Or, just visit Oman.
What to see in Oman:
Half-day trip – The Grand Mosque in Muscat. A spiritually stimulating place. The grande architecture of the mosque emerges from the the plaza while the gigantic chandelier sparkles like it is filled with millions of diamonds (my ladder wasn’t high enough to perform a spectrographic test). You have to take off your shoes, women have to wear a hijab which is provided, and walking barefoot on the carpet (and marble outside) feels connecting. I closed my eyes and listened to the many hushed voices. If you are quiet long enough, you might even hear the prayers from devout Muslims echoing through the halls.
During the morning or evening go for a stroll on the beach for sunrise or sunset, see people play football on the beach, or just gaze at the sea.
Muscat is not a walk or bike friendly city. Download the OTAXI App and you aren’t ripped off negotiating your fare. You pay what the meter shows in cash as the credit card option wasn’t working in December 2019.
Day trip – Nizwa, Jebel Shams and Bahla
Nizwa Fort – A fort structure built in the middle of the 17th century with a foundation going back to the 12th century, Nizwa Fort is Oman’s most visited national monument. Nizwa represented a strategically important location at the crossroads of important trade routes Historically signified by the name Frankincense Trail, it has an informative museum inside. While strolling through Nizwa, I recommend trying all the dates you possibly can. If you cannot find a date here, well, you won't find one anywhere.
Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun) – The Grand Canyon of Oman. A mountain range similar to the Grand Canyon, however on a much smaller scale. The drive up with a 4x4 is arduously bumpy but the views at the top are breathtaking nevertheless. There is a wire fence as safety guard at the steepest drop-off, but the other sections are not well secured. Tread safely. You can take beautifully panoramic images.
Bahla Fort – A UNESCO World Heritage Site. We only stopped at the fort for a picture but this location is definitely worth a whole day excursion.
Day trip – Sinkhole and Desert Camp
Bimmah Sinkhole – Turquoise water fills this sink hole and is great for dipping your toes, or as a refresher during your drive. The locals call it Hawiyyat Najm which means ‘the deep well of the (falling) star’ as they believe the sinkhole opened as a result of a meteorite that had crashed here on the surface. I couldn’t corroborate that claim scientifically.
Wadi Shab – A wadi is a valley, ravine, or channel that is dry except in the rainy season. Wadis are prevalent in Oman. This Wadi is at the end of an approximately hour-long hike to the water hole, where the water is cool and refreshing, even for a Winter day. It must be even more cooling during the scorching summer heat. Bring your bathing suit and swim/walk about 15 minutes to the “bathtub” where you have to duck/squeeze your noggin through a narrow opening to find your way into an amazing cave, with water rushing through a natural waterfall slide.
Lunch by the sea – Eat like the locals. When you are driving all day, at some point you need food. Abdullah took us to this hole-surrounded-by-walls lunch place, where we devoured a whole plate of rice and tuna.
Day trip – The Desert
Wahiba Bedouin Rustic Camp – In the middle of the desert, no lights will impede your view. The generator is turned off at 10 PM and only the stars will guide you. The camp owner is ever so friendly and very engaging, as are his sons. After dinner we were dressed up as bedus with turbans and then were asked to perform a dance. Our host explained the “bedu dating” rituals: in desert camp dances you would wink at the woman of your desire, but quickly because her brother is nearby. Then you continue pursuing her in a courting ritual with visitations, gifts and more winking. However, the woman being courted would never say no to you directly, but alternatively send her brother to either beat you up, if your advances were not welcome, or he would communicate further interest. The head bedu of our camp has a lot of teeth missing.
