Jumbo Trip

This weekend we endeavored upon a three-day escapade around Eastern Oman. (Heads up, this post is primarily just a play by play of this weekends adventure)

View from Jebel Akdar

Thursday morning, we clambered into 4 wheel drive vehicles. Each vehicle was driven by a guide from a tour group, and there were staff members and teachers from the World Learning Center in each car as well. Also, a number of the Omani peer facilitators joined us. First stop was Jebel Akdar. Jebel Akdar is the highest mountain in Oman. We made a number of stops along the way, to appreciate the view, take pictures, and once even to explore the village of Ayn. Ayn is a mountainous village, built around a natural spring. When Sultan Qaboos first came into power, and declared that he would educate the population, students were helicoptered weekly from these mountainous villages to attend school.

For lunch, we ate at an Omani restaurant, where we were split into groups of about eight (one gender only), into stalls to enjoy rice, chicken, and lamb.

We drove several hours, stopping only to glimpse the ruins of the old portion of the city of Ibra, to a mechanic’s shop on the edge of the desert, where air was released from the tires. We then headed into the desert, 4 wheel driving over sand dunes, driving by camels, freely meandering. Our car was driven by the leader of the expedition, and thus he took extra liberties and drove even more audaciously than his colleagues. We stopped for a bit to play in the sand, before heading to our campsite. The campsite was comprised of huts, resembling small cabins, and was run by a Bedouin family. We drank extra sugary tea and Omani coffee, along with camel’s milk. We sang, drummed, and clapped to Omani songs with our peer facilitators, before eating buffet style with kabobs and rices, chicken and fruit. Later that night, as my roommates Liv, Julie, Lili, and I chatted by lantern light, a number of our friends piled in a few at a time, and we had a solid few hours of girls’ time.

My peer facilitator, Rasha

I barely slept that night. It was so hot without air conditioning, that even without covers, stripped to the basics, I kept awakening, sweaty, and from weird dreams about Yemen invading Oman, (don’t worry I’m not clairvoyant) and trying to negotiate with Yemeni soldiers in Arabic.
Lili, Liv, Julie, and I woke at 5 to watch the sunrise. We thought we were about to miss it, so we sprinted (or as much as was possible) up the dunes, as the campsite was in a valley of sorts. We eventually watched the sunrise over the dunes (there wasn’t exactly a horizon, the dunes went on for days). Then, we enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast, showered, etc. in our open air bathrooms, and ... RODE CAMELS. I was in the first round of camel riders, (I was a little too effusive about it), and me and Lili’s camel were besties. He kept nuzzling me as we trotted along. Afterwards, we packed up, and drove to visit the home of another Bedouin family, where they discussed their customs and migration patterns, and sold us their traditional goods.

Riding camels!

Before continuing on to the town of “Al-Sur,” our driver decided to do a little showing off. Having all nine other cars lined up as an audience, he drove up a massive dune, and went mad at the wheel. He made 360 degree turns in seconds, drove/flew over hills and dips in the sand, and as we raced parallel to the ground, we were simultaneously sliding down. We then ghost rode down the hill, with him standing out the door, merely maneuvering the wheel with his toes. If he hadn’t informed us he had been doing such tours for 14 years, we would’ve been scared for our lives, but rather, it was a thrill.

Sand Clouding Our Windows, while 4 Wheel Driving

We had lunch in Al-Sur, and then arrived at our lodgings for the night, a resort in “Raas Al-Hud,” which is the first place the sunrises in the Middle East (although unfortunately the next morning was overcast). We had several hours to frolick in the Indian Ocean, collect shells, and relax. After dinner, we visited a major turtle reserve, where we were able to see (very sneakily of course), massive green turtles laying eggs. They generally lay hundreds of eggs each time they nest, yet only one or two will survive. We also got to see a baby turtle, about two by three inches big, scuttling to the ocean.

Our Lodgings in Ras Al Hud!

Saturday morning, we drove to Wadi Sham. A wadi is essentially a river bed. Wadi Sham connects directly to the ocean, and while parts of it are dry on the surface of the ground, beautiful pools pop up as you go along. The water in the wadi was the color of the ocean, if all the sand, seaweed, and all that discolor it were removed. It was a pure turquoise.

Walking along the Wadi

We hiked, climbed, and trekked for approximately an hour, in a towering canyon, along the wadi’s path. There was a portion of the wadi where fresh water was available. The water tasted as thought it was straight out of the bottle- significantly better than tap, and perfectly natural! When we arrived at our destination, we swam for a bit, and then a group of us continued on to the farthest accessible point of the wadi. At the end, there was a massive cave, upwards of twenty feet tall inside, accessible only by a thin entrance, that we had to slide sideways along to enter. Light was able to peak through in a few small openings along the top of the cave, and it was possible to climb up on one side, and slide down back into the water. After spending an hour there, we trekked back to the entrance of the wadi, picnicked by the cars, and drove the 100 something kilometers back to Muscat.

Wadi Sham