Eid Trip to Salalah! part deux

Oct. 3 - "That's no mirage...", "Maybe we should ask... the waiter?"

Sleeping in the desert is incredible, the stars are clear and bright and there are more than I can remember seeing except in a planetarium. Waking up is easy and nice also. The temperature is pleasant and the sky is a light blue and the sun still isn't blinding until about 7:30. We woke up to the sound of footprints which belonged to Ahmed carrying some sweet bread and a pan of jelly-like brown stuff called haloye, or something like that. It was 6 in the am and we were getting ready for our hike. After a quick breakfast and hearing stories from Ahmed about the leopard that lives in the canyon and how there used to be more but people shot most of them in the 60s to the 80s, we set off on our hike which was very short but very steep. We went down a few cliffs then climbed a small hill, then down another few cliffs to the wadi which looked refreshing and deep. The guide book describes the pool as 'difficult to reach and one must have a comfort with height and cliffs to swim" They were right on. We had to scale down a cliff to get to a flat spot. On the way down, Lydia didn't want her backpack on because it was somewhat heavy, so she threw it down to me, but we didn't communicate very well and it hit a part of the cliff which jetted out and flew right over my hands and into the water! I yelled, "Oh no!", we started laughing and I ran to a cave to get changed so I could jump in after it, however as I turned my back Lydia basically jumped down two steep cliffs and jumped into the pond to rescue her soaking bag, towel, book, and a few other items! Luckily, there was nothing incredibly important in there.

I decided to only wear my drag suit to try to make the girls feel more comfortable being in their bathing suits around an omani man, but as it turned out, they all had their suits on under some special fabric clothing to swim in, so I just looked like a jack-ass! I can't help but think that Ahmed thought I was swimming in my white Wabash Wally underwear and that I was an idiot! But, we swam around, jumped off the cliffs and helped each other out of the water. Aside from being a fun experience, it was a great bath for all of us!

We hiked back up to our campsite and Ahmed and I exchanged numbers and promised to call each other if we were in the same region again. I was again elated that the talks from the night before were more than just mere words and we were actually interested in establishing a connection and friendship across religions, cultures, languages, and perceptions.

We left Wadi Uyun, Ahmed, and his lost baby camel around 9:00 am and headed to a garden on the east side of Salalah.

Although this was a short route, it took a while because every few kilometers there was a camel crossing. It was still so funny to see how they just keep walking out into the road even if a car is coming. They are so non-chalant in their gate and their head movements that they seem to have an air of arrogance about them. And the way they are treated and protected by the Omanis, they deserve to have that attitude. Coming around a corner I almost hit one, it didn't even seem to flinch, a car coming at it at 80 kms/hour was just an annoyance if even that. The rest of the herd crossed the road seperating our two cars. After a few camel crossings there was a cattle crossing. And of course, because everything happens in threes, there was eventually a donkey crossing also! Later in the day when we arrived at our next campsite we would get a goat crossing as well, we were excited about every single stupid crossing too.

The gardens were nice, but not much to write home about. The best thing was that it was green, we had some time to just relax and not be in the car and there were a lot of people on holiday. Next, we drove through the actually city of Salalah, but it was Friday so everything was closed and we just got some ice cream at a gas station, then moved on to the west side of Salalah to see the blow holes. This was a beautiful spot, but we didn't actually get to see any action until the next morning.

So, we went on to the drive the "steps" carved into a mountain. This road was constructed to make it "easier" for motorists to get from Yemen to Salalah and the rest of Oman. It was very exciting, we climbed 1,000 meters in just 8 turns. The road was steep and the turns were nearly 180 degrees. Once we were to the top, we looked down the carved out mountain and the road we just drove up and thank goodness we didn't have vertigo! I wasn't exactly sure why the mountain just just collapse because of how steep it was.

We drove on, now feeling pressure to get to our next destination before night fell. Once again, we weren't exactly sure where we were going to stay, but the guide book gave us a few suggestions on a nice beach or mountain top. We got to an army checkpoint, then continued on towards Yemen, then took a sharp turn southeast and headed to the ocean once again. We snaked with the road along the ridges of green mountains and through little towns with vacant hair-stylists shops, coffee-shops, and other buildings. With each town we couldn't tell if it was abondoned or still in use. We figured they were all still occasionally in use.

We passed a lot of cattle and camels on the roads, but eventually arrived to a small town on the beach surrounded by steep cliffs. It was a beautiful spot to camp and once we decided on the most private part of the small beach we went for a swim and body surfed then headed into town to get dinner. We had read in the guide book that we needed to get permission from the town leader to camp on the beach. It was already dark and we were starving, so we just decided that maybe we could ask our waiter if we would be allowed to sleep on the beach. He and the locals at the restaurant all agreed that that would be fine. We weren't sure if that counted as permission, but we thought it was at least in our favor if there was any trouble. The restuarant was cheap and the meat shawarma had a mystery meat. All we decided was that it was not beef, chicken, lamb, and obviously not pork. We figured it was goat, but didn't ask, and eventually didn't care. After dinner, we crashed on the beach. I should note here that we never used a tent on this trip, we just set down our Wadi mat and sleeping bags and that was our mini home for the night! I absolutely loved the simplicity of the camping. However, the last night we probably should have set up the tent... I'll explain later.

Oct. 4 - Holding on to that green grass and a desert storm

We woke up Saturday and the tide was pretty high, so we packed up and had a small breakfast and headed out of town back to Salalah. We we determined to see the blowholes at high tide. We drove back throught the green mountains, passed the army checkpoint and back down the steps to the blowholes. We arrived thinking they still weren't happening, but as we got closer, we heard the air being forced through the holes and then one of the holes spouted up a steady stream of water and mist, as well as a crab! The pressure of the air through the holes was powerful, and the sound shook our core. We watched a few spouts, then once mroe people started arriving, we left to visit the Salalah souk.


At the souk we bought some frankincense and some burners, then went to a juice shop and decided what we wanted to do the rest of the day and the final leg of our trip. This was where we had too many people with too many different ideas. But, we finally decided on a nice plan. Get pita bread, and find a nice tree on top of a mountain overlooking the green hills and have a picnic and rest for a few hours before starting our 1,000 km drive through the interior. We looked all over for pita bread and hommos, and finally got some after visiting about 5 different stores, then we headed out of town and found a beautiful tree which provided us with shade and friendly ants. We had our picnic and afterward, without saying a word, we all just put our heads on the wadi mat and rested, takin in all the browning green for the last hour.

At last, we decided to pack up and start our adventure in the desert. Again, we weren't sure where we were going to sleep at night, but our plan was to drive about 250-300 kms then pull off and camp in the desert. After about 3 hours of driving we pulled off and drove about 1km into the desert until we found a random spot. The sun was setting and was amazing in the desert. As soon as we stopped, we all went to use the bathroom (an odd thing in the desert because everything is absolutly open to prying eyes, but there isn't anyone around to pry). I decided to take a mini hike behind a hill close by and when I could no longer see the cars or my companions I took in the surrounding landscape. I was absolutely alone and there was absoulety nothing around me. It was a strange feeling to think that if I kept walking I could possibly never see anyone for days and never cross any roads or living plant life. I wondered what my mind would do if I was in this place, this natural, inescapable maze for days without seeing anyone. Would I go crazy, would I find inner peace? I thought of the aborigenes in Australia and I wondered what a walk-about in Oman would be like. The thought of that extremem exploration of this land, my mind, and of my soul was tempting. I felt that I could leave everything behind and walk into the desert with nothing and be completely content.

But, alas, I took another step toward that adventure and then thought that I was just high on the novelty of being in an immense desert for the first time and it might get boring after a while... Alright, I just chickened out because of my responsibilities and my curiosity of where my life is going, so I headed back to camp. But, it would have been fun, right?

As it turned out, camping in the desert requires a tent; which we had but didn't use because it was great weather when we put our heads to rest. As it turned out we had a great adventure that night just laying there. It was hot, so we all slept on top of our sleeping bags and due to our exhaustion, we went to bed around 7:30 or 8. Around 8:45, our young sleep was rudely interrupted by a constant pecking all over our bodies by something I couldn't figure out. We all woke up and realized we were in a sand storm. The wind was blowing dust and sand and forced us into our sleeping bags. As soon as I put my body in my sleeping bag and covered my head to protect myself from the penetrating sands, I began sweating all over! So, now and for the second time on this trip, I was sandy and soaked with sweat in my sleeping bag! I'm not sure when, but eventually the storm stopped, and I was able to breath a bit, then another came in the night and I woke up to slink back into my sleeping bag like a turtle into its shell.

Oct. 5 Dune running? Why not! We already are covered in a layer of sand!

The next time we woke up it was a peaceful, calm, foggy morning. We were surprised by the fog, but accepted it as weather from ocean. As we drove the rest of the day (another 7-8 hours) we shedded dust and sand from all parts of our bodies. Our heads were especially, well, let's face it, disgusting! Salt and sand in our hair, and every centimeter of skin!

We didn't let that get us down and as we made our way back at 130 to 140 km/hour we stopped at a massive sand dune to hike around and then for lunch shortly after that, and finally we got back to Muscat sandy, tired, but accomplished. The total driving time to cross the interior desert was only about 11 hours.

So, it was a great trip, one that I would do again in August when there is more green. Anyone want to come!?

Eid Al Fitr to Salalah Part 1

Salaam,

Well, Ramadan officially ended last week on Oct. 1 which meant that it was Eid al Fitr- the celebration of ramadan ending . Although we didn't fast, unless I forgot my lunch, Sara, Lydia, Jenelle and I decided to celebrate by taking a road trip and eating and drinking as much in public as possible; driving 3,000 km in 5 days (don't worry, it only cost about 40 rials- 100 dollars, for the whole trip in gas for Taj, my car).

Oct. 1 - 'That has to be water.' The mirage tricked me as I was trying to save face.

We met around 8 in the morning last Wednesday to leave on our adventure. The plan was to drive down the coast and return through the interior of Oman which is pure desert (but let's face it, the entire country is desert except Salalah). In a typical Manker and road trip fashion we didn't actually get on our way until 9 o'clock. But, we had to make sure we were prepared for everything. Sara was amazing, she packed the food and enough cooking supplies with gas and all to feed us in case we got stuck in the desert for a couple of months. I got 5 containers of water which usually will last me a couple of weeks in my apartment, and we packed up my Sportage and Jenelle's Prado. With our maps, guides, sleeping bags and Wadi mats we headed Southwest, then Southeast, then just straight South to the beaches.

Although it may sound boring to drive from 9 to 4 through desert, it was actually exciting. The mirages were the most impressive thing to me. The looked exactly like ponds or lakes. I can't imagine how horrible they would be to someone in need of water! They were so convincing I actually told myself they had to actually be water so I wouldn't feel so foolish when I found out that they weren't really mirages. But, they were, everytime!

The desert was also incredibly diverse. We gazed at classic light tan dunes intertwined with dark cliffs; strange palm tree forests; rocky terrain with small shrubs and bushes, only one green wadi which was overflowing with grass and trees and donkeys. The gazed at all these novel wonders at 120 km/hour and only taking pictures from the car; we were pressed for time to find a campsite hours away and we didn't know what we were looking for.

Jenelle and Sara were in the lead car and around 4 in the afternoon after the ocean came and vanished a few times from the horizon, we decided we needed to set up camp before it got too dark, so Jenelle took a left on the highway onto... more desert. We put the cars in 4WD and headed South to where we knew the ocean had to be. After 10-15 minutes of bouncing around on sandy paths, we finally came face to face with the ocean and parked and got out to meander around the beach. We looked around campsite and were pleasantly surprised that we were the only ones in sight. We couldn't see any people, roads, buildings, or sign of human existence aside from the trash on the beach. The waves were the largest I've seen in Oman, but after exploring the dead turtle and some small whale bones, we needed to set up camp and have dinner before dark, which happens at 6:30. So, that is how we found our campsite, by taking a left off the road. Oman is basically one big campsite which makes it pretty spectacular. The stars were incredible and I saw 4 of them shoot.

Oct. 2 - A message of peace and an offer of friendship from the middle east to the 25 year old American in shorts and a Cubs hat.

-Or, adventures with Ahmed in Wadi Uyun - ("Did you see a baby camel?")

We awoke in a thick fog and a cold we've never felt in Oman, it got down to 70 F. We were wet and sandy, but happy to be on our adventure. After a walk on the beach and a quick breakfast, we hit the desert, and eventually the road again to our next destination which was Wadi Uyun, a small wadi we found in our guide book. On our way there we crossed a few oil fields, had some camels cross our path, had lunch bought for us at a gas station (we still aren't 100% why) and Sara and I picked up a hitchhiker! I think his name was Mahmud. He was in Oman looking for work in construction to send money home to his family in Pishwar, Pakistan. He was very kind and we got to talking. Eventually the conversation led us to the Taliban. He was very quick to denounce the Taliban saying, "We think they are horrible. They have done horrible things to us. I don't know where they get their ideas, Islam is a peaceful religion". We've found this to be a very common sentiment in this part of the world so far. It was pretty neat to have my first hitchhiker be a Pakistani in Oman!

We left Mahmud in Thumrait, a small town north of Salalah, and continued on to see the frankinsence trees and a few kms later, the world around us suddenly transformed to a fading green. Grass appeared everywhere in the Dhofar mountains and we were amazed! Althought the green season is ending for Salalah, it was the greenest plantlife in abundance we've seen in a long while. We headed back north and out of the mountains to get to Wadi Uyun, and as soon as the grass appeared, it left us. And finally, after another long day of driving, we stumbled on a huge herd of camel and took our fair share of pictures, then found the town of Ayoon, which was a couple hundred meters about the Wadi.

As we entered the village, we were malled by little kids who were opening our doors and grabbing at everything in the cars. We left the town as fast as possible and found a gorge to go down, and after taking a wrong turn and putting Taj to the test, Jenelle took over the lead and found a great campsite! To my defense, nothing is labeled in Oman and I wasn't navigating, only doing a superb job driving! We decided to take a look around and cook in the dark to make better use of our daylight. So, Sara, Lydia, and I walked down into another gorge and discovered the mineral rich dry river bed where all the boulders were a chalk-white. I felt like we were in a fairy tale and we were in the land of giant eggs. I started envisioning giant creatures that were waiting to be born from the eggs. But, alas, no monsters of any kind. However, there were some giant bees!

After crawling around a while, we headed back to camp and set up dinner and our camp at dark. We played some cards and had wine before getting to bed around 9 (a late night for us on this trip). As we were settling down to rest our heads on our pillows and our hips on cushioned rocks we were surprised to find a young man walking around. He called to us from the dark, "Did you see a baby camel?" He didn't seem to speak much more english, but we said no and he walked away. About 15 minutes later as sleep was about to overtake me he returned and asked if he could have a ride home since it was 5 km away. I excitedly agreed knowing he would most likely invite me in for tea and I could get a peek into Omani life. Just that happened. His name was Ahmed, he was 20 and studied in Dubai for a couple of years at a university but decided he liked the simple life more than the city and is now herding camels and goats on his father's land, which is where we were camping. He invited a couple of friends into the entertaining room where I was eating a juicy pear, having a dark rosey tea, and enjoying the dense frankincense air. One friend spoke a lot of English. I stayed until 10:45 pm when the conversation began to extinguish and I no longer found it a novelty to have women trying to look in through the cracked door to see what I was like. Ahmed agreed to meet us at 6 in the morning to show us a pool for swimming. As they walked me out the one who spoke English said, "British, American, Australian, Omani, Saudi, or Afgan; it doesn't matter, we are all friends". I jumped inTaj looking forward to meeting up with Ahmed the following morning.

The rest of the continueing saga of our trip to Salalah will continue in my next post, tomorrow! Here is a post of the upcoming adventures: "That's no mirage...", "Maybe we should ask the... waiter?" and a so far untitled adventure of sleeping in the desert in a sand storm! Wow!