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~ Stories of MacDonald Family Adventures

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Tag Archives: Oman

The Rest of the Story

29 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by lcmacdonald in Oman, Traveling, UAE

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Tags

Beach, Camel, desert, Masirah, mountain view, Oman, Salalah, Shannah, Surf

It’s been 5 months and I finally feel like I can talk about the first few days of our trip to Salalah with our Australian travel mates.  To recall our last day near Salalah see this post.  I also feel the need to apologise for the long winded nature of this post…but it’s in my genes so suck it up or just look at the pictures.

Where are they?  Jaron peaks at the window while we wait for our travel buddies on the side of the road.

Where are they? Jaron peaks at the window while we wait for our travel buddies on the side of the road.

Our trip started on Saturday, August 10.  When we finally rolled off the University grounds at 6:00 am the temperature gauge read 33C.  The day involved a lot of driving and a lot of stopping.  The Ozzy’s suspected car trouble and Jacob’s feeding schedule left us wondering on more than one occasion where the Land Cruiser disappeared too.  4 hours into the trip and my new nickname for Joe was “The Magician”.  We arrived at Shannah Harbor at 6:00 pm, the temp was 27C and we had made it just in time to catch one of the last few ferries across the bay to Masirah.  I don’t recall the cost of the ferry but I feel like it was very reasonable.  Basically you just drive up to the boat and wait for someone to wave you to backup onto the ramp.  PS, there are toilets available for your use, BYOTP (bring your own toilet paper).  BYOTP should actually just be a rule traveling anywhere in the UAE or Oman, keep it in your car always.

Shannah Harbor Ferries

Shannah Harbor Ferries

We arrived on the island at 8:00 pm under cover of night.  The voyage had been rough and windy and we were all tired and hungry.  The only lights to be seen were within the tiny town, so we drove beyond the lights before beginning our search for a place to rest our weary heads.  9:30 pm we finally decided that we couldn’t possibly drive any further.  We turned off on a dirt road, crabs ran across our trail through the headlights as we looked off into darkness not being able to see 10 feet in front of us.  Tired we decided to stop.  The wind was still blowing wildly, but without more light, or more energy we were not going to find any shelter from it that night.  James and I tore the gear from the CR-V and attempted to set up the tent.  It was nearly impossible and every gust flattened the tent and filled it with sand.  It was then that we decided that the kids would sleep in the car.  We piled the buckets of gear into the tent to stabilise it and keep it erect while we attempted to tie the guy lines to the car for security.  The wind blowing the way it was there was no way to make a fire, or even keep a stove lit.  So we went to bed without dinner that night.  Flashes of lightening accompanied the wind and kept us up most of the night.  Unable to keep the fly tied down against the wind, sand filtered into our tent covering everything.

Sand on the mattress when I lifted up my sleeping bag.

Sand on the mattress when I lifted up my sleeping bag.

The next morning we woke early (did I even sleep) to a layer of sand over everything.  It was in my hair, my teeth, my sleeping bag, my bra.  I couldn’t have had more sand on me even if I rolled in it.  We set off exploring right away, as it turns out we practically set up camp in somebodies back yard or goat herding path anyhow.  We pulled over at several different coves and beaches to play in the waves and look for interesting sea life and sea shells.  The men would even attempt to ask for directions from some local fisher ‘boys’ and some anxious surfers to help us find a better camp spot and safe beach for the kids to play.

Looking for treasures

Looking for treasures

'where is a good beach for kids?'

‘where is a good beach for kids?’

Looks like snow.

Looks like snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One beach we stopped at the kids were in the water before I could get the sunblock on them, and they paid dearly for it (sorry guys).  We picked our camping spot while we still had more than enough light, even giving ourselves time to collect firewood and get properly set up.  Dinner that evening was generously prepared by our comrades while dessert was a bit of a disappointment.

Beach camp

Beach camp

My wonderful, pinterest “over a fire apple crisp” recipe didn’t work out so well.

Early morning again, and this time we were off in search for some sunburn relief before getting on the ferry back to the mainland.  It was 11:00 am before we were on land and on our way to Salalah.  Gas stations pepper the road every 50 km or there a bouts, so there is no need to worry about running out of gas in the middle of the desert (unless you neglect to stop at any of them).   We stopped in Haima, temp. 44C, next to the gas station for dinner at a traditional Arabic restaurant where there were 3 items to choose from on the menu, Combo #1: chicken & rice, Combo #2: mutton & rice, Combo #3: fish & rice, utensils optional.  A few minutes down the road and we were met by a police checkpoint.  IMG_5249There were plenty of these along that way, a comforting reassurance to those who don’t make the long drive because of the fear of pirates.  As if began to get dark we decided we would look for camp the moment the temperature dropped below 27C.  The temperature didn’t even begin to get close to that mark until 10:30 pm when we reached a tourism/ police checkpoint in dense fog.  They were checking drivers licenses and registration like every checkpoint before, but also instructing drivers to clean the protective paint off their vehicles.  Around here when one does a lot of dune-bashing with a personal vehicle they tend to protect the paint by using a protective spray on coating.  This spray on coating comes in many different colors and washes off ‘easily’ under soap and water.  It is applied by hand usually and doesn’t tend to look very nice.  In fact it can make your car look dirty, or like it was just plain vandalised.  In Salalah, it is illegal to drive ‘dirty’ vehicles and can result in some very hefty fines.  The temperature here was still warm, about 32C, we would still need to continue on to find someplace to camp.  An hour later we arrived at the Frakensense Park (yes, like one of the gifts given to Jesus kind of Frakensense).  The temp here was a perfect 24C, however it was likely a lot cooler than that if you factored in the blustering cool wind that rocked our car and threatened to blow us into the gulley.  IMG_5269Tired we looked around the area briefly to see if there was some sheltered area we could set up our tents out of the wind.  Alas, there was not.  So back into the car we piled.  As we drove into Salalah resolved to find a hotel we quickly learned that idea may not be possible as we came to a stop in a 5 km traffic jam, it was 1:00am.  During Monsoon season (about May – September) this area becomes overpopulated with visitors from all over the place.  Saudi’s, Yemenese, Omanis, Emirates, and Expatriates flood to this green oasis from out of the desert to party all day and apparently all night.  2:30, that was the time that James woke me up to crawl from the car into the tent.

"What is that guy doing up in the tree?"

“What is that guy doing up in the tree?”

The next morning we discovered that the men had managed to get us to the quiet end of a public beach.  We took things slow, exploring the beach, playing in the waves, climbing coconut palms….  James managed to climb the palm to the top and drop several coconuts for us to try to open.  Just before lunch we were packed up and back on the road.  We had intended to go view the blowholes, but not realising how popular an attraction it is, decided against it upon seeing the packed parking lot, winding line of people  and 2 dozen tents on the beach next to it.  We carried on instead up the mountain to explore.  The sites are truly beautiful so don’t be in too much of a rush not to stop and take it in every once in awhile.  There are also many camel farms in the area, and could literally run into herds of 20 -200 on or alongside the road.  We followed the signs down off the mountain top to a small village called Rakhuyt.  Rakhoot Street circles the little town, and there appears to be a road that goes off around the  mountain side.  Our Australian companions may have been able to navigate the rocky, and sandy terrain but our CR-V lacked the required clearance and power to get much further than a couple hundred meters.  We turned back and decided to head through the gate towards the beach.  Out of curiosity we followed the unpaved road to its end (stay to the right) and came upon a plateau overlooking the ocean, perfect for a camp.  We parked at about 3:00 and took the trail to the beach to explore.  Tiny hermit grabs and snails peppered the shoreline as the waves washed them in and then pulled them out again.

Chasing the kids up the beach.

Chasing the kids up the beach.

The large boulders formed caves that the kids enjoyed playing in.  James found a trail leading up through the rocks but we didn’t ever find the time to explore it more thoroughly.  If we do make it back here, I’m sure that will be the first thing on his list to do.  James was eager to run back along the switchback road we had just descended while camp was being set up so for an hour we sat around, enjoyed the view, and watched the kids playing in the cold ocean waves.  The past late nights, made for an early bedtime that evening, and we were soon all tucked away into bed.

Happy Birthday to me!  Lightening again in the night had made for light sleep.  I woke up early to see the sunrise and also was startled to see a herd of cows and a small group of camels walked down the beach towards us.

Stand off.

Stand off.

They stopped abruptly about 200 meters and turned back the way they came.  Lilli emerged from her tent than her and I run up and down the beach trying to chase the hermit crabs as they were washed ashore and getting video of the snails as they burrowed into the sand to escape us.  After camp was collapsed and we were set to go we decided to collaborate and decide on our destination for the day.  We were in agreement to continue down the road towards Yemen to Dalkoot to check out the fishing village that would likely be the point of departure to reach some scriptural locations we wanted to investigate.  However, because of the choppy waters the marina parking lot was packed with parked parked boats instead of cars.

No fishing today.

No fishing today.  Boats pulled up on shore in Dalkut.

No one would be going anywhere on a boat.  Rain kept us from spending a lengthy amount of time exploring and we were soon on our way.  As it was my birthday I voted to go see the waterfall, but it was in the opposite direction and would add time to our trip.  Instead we decided to find Wadi Uyun on our way back out of Salalah towards the highway home.  Even here the signs using English alphabet are phonetically spelt and not always the same on every map.  We missed the turn off and drove into the village of Uyun instead of heading to the Wadi.

Here this camel shows us the way.  Not at all spelt the same as on the map.

Here this camel shows us the way. Not at all spelt the same as on the map.

Some directions from the locals got us headed back in the right direction and we found it without difficulty.  Rain threatened us and lead to a rushed setup of tents and tarps.  That evening we enjoyed dinner, birthday cake, and some really deep political and religious conversation.  The trip to this point had been absolutely wonderful.

The next day was the day James wrote about 5 months ago.  The day in which they are both still recovering from the traumatic series of events.  I can’t even bring myself to write or think about this day as it only leads me to think of how much worse it could have been.  After the attack we drove back to Haima and stayed at the Arabian Oryx hotel.

YAY for hotels with big beds and hot showers.

YAY for hotels with big beds and hot showers.

It was nice, clean, decently priced and had hot running water 🙂  We returned to a similar restaurant as the one we ate at our first time through to discover they had an additional item to their menu, Camel & rice!  This time we ate on the floor on a woven carpet with a plastic sheet under our platters of food.  No utensils were offered so we did our best to rolled the rice into balls to better eat it.

Yemenese dinner.

Yemenese dinner.

I can’t say that James and I were very successful but the kids were naturals.

The next day we were looking forward to an uneventful drive home, but were surprised by a flat tire 45 min into our drive.  Between towns and gas stations there is not a whole lot to look at.  There is nothing but a 2 lane road with broad paved shoulders (so more like a 4 lane road for the locals that drive it).  This knowledge was a bit unnerving as we pulled off on the shoulder to change our tire.

 

That looks flat.

That looks flat.

Getting the jack in place

Getting the jack in place

Just a little nerve racking being pulled over on this road.

Just a little nerve racking being pulled over on this road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would have to say, being on the side of the road at 7:00 am in a cultural setting where the rest of the population isn’t getting up until 10:00 am worked in our favour that morning.  There weren’t many cars on the road that morning, and on top of it, the temperature was bearable for spending time standing on the blacktop of the pavement.  Once the tire was on the kids decided they needed to pee….

Toilet break.

Toilet break.

Did I mention there is nothing but pavement to look at?  So out came our handy dandy portable changing room and a shovel and business was taken care of.  By 1:30 we were across the border and in Al Ain.  We took our traditional stop at Bawaldi Shopping Center food court for lunch/dinner, enjoyed Fun City courtesy of our Australian friends and then we were back on the road to home.

 

 

Enjoy these and other photos from our trip to Salalah.  Can’t wait to go back again.

Where are they? Jaron peaks at the window while we wait for our travel buddies on the side of the road.
Tied to the car.
In the vestibule.

Sand on the mattress when I lifted up my sleeping bag.
Dusty glasses from evening wind storm.
Watching the sun set as we depart from Shannah Harbor.

Shannah Harbor Ferries
Shannah Harbor
Lone camel

Lunch – taco salad in a bag
Looks like snow.

‘where is a good beach for kids?’
Playing in the waves
another beach

Washed up trash.

Can you spot the crabs?

Looking for treasures
Beautiful waves

beach

My baby turtle scurrying off to sea.
body surfing

Poor Mr. Turtle.
Looking kind of flat.
Hmmm. Sunscreen anyone?

So sorry you’re burnt bud, bad parents!
Uh oh, somebody lost something.
Beach camp

Burnt apple crisp
Looking for firewood
What is that?

Lilli: It’s not a bank, it’s a ‘baaank’.
I could really use some ‘foodstuff’

Heading to the mainland.
On deck
That’s all?

Mmm, dinner.
Look a gazebo…in the middle of no where.

Check point.
It’s a little foggy.

Beach camp
breakfast of champions
“I’ll get the coconuts down Dad!”

“So the plan is…”
“What is that guy doing up in the tree?”
Palm trees are not fluffy and soft.

Jaron: evil laugh “It’s mine. All mine.”
So much work, but so yummy.
Ouch! I’m such a good parent.

Giant kites on the beach.
Tents on the beach at the blowholes.
Into the mountains

Beautiful views
We saw camels…
…lots of camels

We started at Al Mughsayl Beach, then drove through the mountains to Rakhyut.
Crazy switchbacks.


Nice lookout…where we also picked up a ton of No-seeum bites.
COWS!

Watch out for camels.

To Rakhyut
There is a lonely little grey flamingo off to the right.

Sketchy road
Sussing it out.
Tarps to shelter from the monsoons.


private cove
Stand off.
COWS!

There were some issues with Joe’s stove.
Skipping.

Camp from above.

You can see our camp elevated up on the right.
Chasing the kids up the beach.

Playing in some rock formations.
Playing in the waves

Hello Mr. Crab.
Buying my birthday cake 🙂

The Canadian border was getting too complicated…
Aussies represent.

Curious goats.
We saw a lot of these signs.

Fishermen walking along the shoreline.
Yemen that way…
No fishing today.

Hmm. More camels.
Above the clouds.

Here this camel shows us the way. Not at all spelt the same as on the map.
A fine place to camp.

Al Uyun camp setup.
Left: the route we tried to take first; Center: camp; Right: the hornets nest
The wadi we hoped to explore.

The initial route to the Wadi – too much bouldering for the kiddies.
Watch out for that eagle Reef!
Nasty beasts.

James right after being stung.
Jaron passed out after receiving Benadryl.
Getting his armour on.

Poised. Ready to fight.
Funky gecko
New meaning to the ‘open road’

YAY for hotels with big beds and hot showers.
Jaron’s bites
Jaron’s bites

James’ bite 4 hrs later.
Yemenese dinner.
That looks flat.

Getting the jack in place
Just a little nerve racking being pulled over on this road.
Toilet break.

FUN CITY! Jaron’s happy dance was so epic the camera couldn’t capture it’s awesomeness.
TICKETS! More epic dancing.
Who needs a stool?

Choices, choices.
Rain? In Dubai? In August?

 

Northern Musandam: Wadi Khasab

09 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by lcmacdonald in Oman, People, Traveling, wadi

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

arabian gulf, Bassa Beach, bluff, Camping, cliff jumping, hiking, khasab, Musandam, Oman, sea shells, snorkeling, steep mountain, swimming

Days of rest are many here in the UAE.  June 6th is as of now (May 20th of this year) a national holiday here in the UAE called Al Isra’a Wal Miraj in Arabic, الإسراء والمعراج.  It is taught in the Quran to be the day that the Prophet Muhammed traveled to Jerusalem from Mecca in one night and ascended to heaven to speak with God.  So with yet another holiday suddenly upon us we quickly packed our camping gear together and headed for the mountains of Oman for our last possible chance to sleep comfortably under the stars.

Following the coastline.

Following the coastline.

We departed University City around 3:00pm, and arrived at the border crossing by about 4:30pm.  No trouble there and we were on the road.  The road past the border winds closely along the coast with the Arabian Gulf stretching out on one side, and steep mountain cliffs on the other.  With no clear road signs (or signs with familiar names) we missed the turn off to the Sayh Plateau and stopped instead at the Acacia Forest.

Acacia Forest near Sall Ala

Acacia Forest near Sall Ala

At 7:30, it was still +43C so we decided to pass up the temptation to set up camp here and head to the mountains where the temperature would likely drop to a more tolerable level.  We drove back along the road to a small village that was located where we had expected the turnoff to be.  Our trusty arab speaking ‘cousin’ made quick work of getting us on the right path after flagging over some local men and asking for directions.

IMG_0884

Sunset approach up Wadi Khasab

The road up the mountain was unpaved, and steep but not nearly as soft and sandy as the mountain road we attempted the last time we were in Oman.  The view was beautiful as we watched the sun disappear behind the mountains…I wish I could better portray in photographs the beauty we witnessed.  It took approximately 25-30 minutes to reach the camping site confirmed to us only by the presence of other tents visible in our headlights.  We searched among the rubble of an old settlement to find relatively flat ground free of rocks for pitching our tents.  James and Jeremy set to building a fire from the dead branch of a near by Acacia tree, while us ladies set out to assemble our shelters.  Dinner was quick and conversations short as we were all off to slumberland by 10:30.

My kids were focused on their devices most of the drive out, missing all the beautiful scenery, and when night fell that did not change.  They quickly ate their dinner and hurried off to watch movies and play games on the iPad in their tent.  Jaron must have been watching an action movie, as the sound of rattling guns and people yelling kept me awake late into the night.

I couldn’t have been happier with our chosen camping spot (unless I had gotten more sleep) when morning came and I had a perfect view of the sun rising up over Jebel as Sayh at 5:30 in the morning.  I quickly dressed and emerged from my tent to go about taking care of the morning business.  A few shots of the campsite in daylight, and then a trek up the trail to take in the view.

View of camp and Jabal as Sayh from the hiking path.

View of camp and Jabal as Sayh from the hiking path.

The temperature was perfect, and the hike was a little treacherous to be climbing in my flip-flops.  I was soon joined by our two little “cousins” Miriam and Megd, and we explored the area for cool rocks while we waited for their Mom to join us.  As we saw tents collapse we headed back down the mountain for a quick breakfast.  We were off by 8:00am, back down the mountainside to find our way to Khawr an Najd.

Mountain path to Khawr an Najd

Mountain path to Khawr an Najd

Khawr an Najd is the only beach bay accessible in the fjords by car.  To get there you must drive up a road cut into the side of the mountain, much like what we drove up Wadi Khasab to the camp site on Jebel as Sayh.  The view was spectacular, and  the beach…less impressive.  The amount of garbage on the beach and floating in the water was enough to convince us to start home and find a suitable beach along the coast.

Just past Khasab we pulled into a large gravel/sand lot next to a bluff named Bassa Beach.  By this time the outside temperature was back to +40, and the water was just cool enough to give relief.  We had pulled up on the beach near a group of young teenage boys who were jumping off the bluff into the ocean.

James and Jeremy jumped off the cliff with some Omani boys.

James and Jeremy jumped off the cliff with some Omani boys.

No surprise then when James and Jeremy disappeared to investigate did we see them a top the bluff with this group of boys.  One by one they flung themselves from the top.  Bridget guessed it was at least 40 feet to the water.  James claimed a ‘lost’ t-shirt he found lying on a rock near the bottom of the bluff, and both received injuries from grazing the sharp rocks on their way back to beach.  The younger kids were quite happy to just look for shells on the ocean floor in the clear blue water.  2 hours here and then we were ready to move on.

Crossing the border on the way back was as quick as one could expect, though the lineup for those traveling into Oman must have been quite a wait.  We made a good decision traveling the day before the holiday instead of on the holiday instead.

Enjoy some more photos from the trip.  I apologize for them seeming out of order.  The photos are from multiple cameras…

Camping in Oman – Part 1

30 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by jrwmacdonald in Oman

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Camping, g with Kids, Hiking with kids, Oman, Wadi Shab

It has been a few days since we’ve posted.  This is because we’ve been camping in Oman.  Oman is the eastern most country on the Arabian Peninsula.  With borrowed tents, sleeping bags and even a borrowed car we set out with two other families this Eid weekend.  A special thanks to our friends the Palmers who led our way and planned such a great trip.  The weekend (Thursday Oct, 25 – Sunday Oct, 28) was packed with so much fun and adventure I hardly know where to begin.  So, I will begin at the beginning and anticipate that it may take several posts to get the whole story out.  This story includes swimming in warm desert oases, views of the sun breaching the horizon over the Gulf of Oman, exploring the Oman capital of Muscat, a trek across the terraced mountain village of Jebel Akhdar,  finding cool temperatures in the mountains and navigating the border crossings and roadways of Oman.

This adventure, like so many others of late, begins with our dogs.  After some investigation it became clear that we should not attempt to take our dogs into Oman.  This necessitated finding a kennel that would take the dogs for the weekend.  Lisa found the kennel and they sent her directions to its location in Al Zubair.  The directions sent us up highway 311 from Sharjah toward Ajman.  This highway can be heavily trafficked so when we headed out after work on Wednesday we thought it may be better to take the bypass road, highway 611.  We had seen a sign to Al Zubair on the 611 the day before.  Armed with a hand drawn map we took the 611 route rather than the route provided.

It turns out that just because you can get to the general location of a town you are not guaranteed to find the exact location especially when the directions include turning left at the orange fence and traversing several alleyways.  So after driving up and down the roads of Al Zubair, avoiding the camel being herded by a man in a small SUV we thought to call the kennel for further directions, we had to be close.  Unfortunately, we had run out of pay as you go minutes on the cell phone.  We could receive calls and texts we just could not send any. The kennel kept texting us, “are you on the way,” “when will you arrive.”  We had no way of getting back to them.  It turns out that Al Zubair is really just a subdivision.  There was no gas stations or stores from which we could recharge the phone.  So we had no choice but to turn around and go back the way we came to follow the original route we were sent.

That original route included the traffic of highway 311 in rush hour.  As we feared we found ourselves proceeding slowly toward our destination.  Thankfully we eventually found ourselves turning at the orange fence down dirt alleyways.  We pulled up to the locked gates of the kennel at dusk and hollered to the young man crossing the yard.  He approached the gate but could not understand my English or my poor attempts at charades.  He refused us entry.  If only we could call the kennel office they would direct the young man to open the gates.  We turned around again and headed back to the highway.  I pulled over at the first gas station.  Purchasing some minutes for the cell phone we could now call the kennel and let them know our plight.

I’d like to say that I handled this frustrating situation with grace and patience.  Lisa and I simply smiled and joked with each other about how silly this comedy of errors really was.  I would like to say that.  When I came out of the gas station an Emirati man parked next to us in a shiny black SUV offered to purchase the dogs from me.  He could see their cute little faces pressed against the glass.  I could see Lisa’s beautiful face beyond them and swallowing refused to sell the little creatures.

Now you must know that once you get going in one direction on a highway in the UAE you may find that to go the opposite direction is nearly impossible.  The gas station was on the south side of the highway and I needed to go back to the north.  Try as I might that seemed nearly impossible.  We ended up driving into Ajman and caught in heavy traffic.  It seemed to take forever but miraculously we eventually found ourselves on the highway headed north and turning once again at the orange fence.  This time the gate was open to us.  Our 20 minute run to the kennel to drop off the dogs had turned into a several hour odyssey.  The kennel operators seems friendly and knowledgable and the facilities passable.  We abandoned the dogs to their care and made our way home.  I still had to pick up the car we’d be taking to Oman (a Honda CRV) and prepare for a 5am departure the next morning.  The friendly staff at the kennel directed us home… down the 611 to bypass the traffic.

At 5am on Thursday morning we with all our gear were loaded into the car and leaving the university.  I was grateful for the Palmers in their little blue Forerunner (aptly named I think) directly ahead of me guiding the way to the Oman border.  Within a couple hours we were passing through armed border crossings.  Not just one border crossing but several.  The last crossing required us to park the vehicle and head into a large building with everyone.  It took over an hour to make our way through the lines to the guard who silently processed our Visas and collected the Visa fee of 50 dirham per visitor.  Had I known better we would have changed some dirham to Omani Rial at the border.  The first time we would need gas in Oman had me borrowing 5 rial from our friends the Andersons.

There were three families on this trip.  Us with our 3 kids, the Palmers with their two daughters and the Andersons with their four kids.  The Anderons’ children being the youngest of the group.  9 children and six adults exploring a foreign land seems a little crazy to me on reflection but it all went rather well.  Our intrepid leader Jeremy Palmer, as I’ve mentioned in the past, is a linguist and fluent in Arabic; a skill that was beyond helpful.  Many times I envied his ability to speak with the locals.  I can understand the occasional word with my few arabic classes behind me but I am far from being able to communicate anything beyond my ignorance.  Perhaps a day will come when I will understand the language well enough to hold a conversation; Inshallah (God willing).

After the border we drove along the Gulf of Oman south through the capital Muscat and on to the little village of Tiwi.  Our destination was the Wadi Shab. Driving through Tiwi was a treat.  We scooted our little SUVs through the narrow village streets waiting for the goats to cross and watching the locals dressed for Eid preparing for the holiday.  The ocean to our left would appear between the plastered buildings that looked as old as the landscape.  We parked beneath the highway where it crossed over the waters of the wadi as they merged with the green-blue waters of the Gulf.

You could hire a small motorboat to carry you across the water to the trail head but the water was only waist deep and we were on our way to get wet.  I wondered at what the locals charged for a boat crossing but didn’t bother to investigate as the waters of the Wadi were calling my name.  The trail meandered through the deep walls of a canyon and appeared and disappeared among the broken rock and boulders on the canyon floor.  Palm trees grow along the banks of the Wadi and the occasional tree clings to life along the walls.  Jaron was nearly uncontrollable with his delight.  He first lost a sandal in a mud hole beneath about 2 feet of water.  Lisa took the time to search the mud thoroughly and eventually produced the sandal.  Every hole in the rock side was a treasure cave and every new bug, lizard and fish a wonderful treat to Jaron.  He could have spent the entire day at the trail head never knowing the majesty of what lie at the end.  To him the beginning was as grand as anything the end could possibly offer.

The trail was challenging for the little legs of the children but they traversed it with hardly any complaints.  Jaron would accept no ones help and would much rather go over  any rock than around it.  He picked the most difficult path he could find and relished the challenge.  A trait that seems clearly genetic.  The hike in all took about 45 minutes.  The first substantial pool that we came to was once used as the site of a Red Bull cliff diving competition.  I had a great time climbing and jumping from the cliffs.  This you tube video of the Red Bull diving will give you an idea of the immensity of the canyon and the beauty of the water.

Of course, I only climbed and dove from the cliffs at the bottom of the dives you see in the video.  That was plenty high and plenty challenging for me. I did have a great fan club though.  A chorus of “Dad, dad ,dad – jump…”  as I prepared each leap.

This was just the first swimming hole though.  On we went and how glad I am that we took the time.  I had seen the cave at the end on youtube so I knew something of what awaited us but there is nothing to compare to actually being there.  We reached what appeared to be as far as we would be able to take the kids and took a break for lunch.  I went ahead with the Palmers.  All the kids and 3 of the adults remained behind.  We scrambled and swam to the end of the Wadi.  You must swim the last 100 yards or so before it comes to what appears to be the end.  There is, however, a crack in the canyon wall.  By the time we arrived the canyon was in shade and the crack which passed through the canyon wall was dark.  About 1 and a half to 2 feet of cave extended above the blue water of the Wadi.  Swimming about 20 feet through the wall you emerge into a stunning open cave filled with clear water.  A waterfall pours into the cave with a rope extending down its face.  Using the rope you can climb the water fall and jump into the warm waters below.  The roof of the cave is open in various places to allow for light to reflect off the walls and illuminate its interior.  I cannot imagine that anyone could tread water in that cave and not be overcome with gratitude for life.  I absolutely had to share this with my family.

After a few moments in the cave and a quick dive from the waterfall I raced back to where I had left my family.  I swam hard and ran over the rocky banks.  I passed several people who must have believed I had seen a lion in the caves.  I was doubly glad for the small life jacket I had bought Jaron just a couple days before else he would not have been able to join us.  Lilli did need the canyon wall a few times but she did marvellously as I led them back through the canyon and the crack in the canyon wall.  This youtube video should give you some perspective of the beauty of the scene:

We played there for some time but not too long as I wanted to be sure we made it out of the canyon before dark.  As it turned out we did make it out before dark but barely.  We then drove back up the highway a few miles and found a place to pitch our tents on the rocky beach of the Gulf of Oman.  In the dark we cooked up a batch of chilli which the kids inevitably found too spicy.  We spread out on top of our sleeping bags to the gentle crash of the ocean waves on the rocks just below.  In the morning I awoke as the sun rose from the ocean a burnished orange orb. Though the hard ground made for stiff joints I was immensely happy to be sharing this with my family.  Jaron and I pulled on white collared shirts and the girls dresses and we set out with our friends to find the small branch of saints that meet each Friday in Muscat.  I leave it here for now.  I hope to finish the tale in the days to come.

Lisa took so many great pictures.  Here is just a sample of the first day.  We didn’t have a waterproof camera but the Andersons’ did.  They took some pictures of us in the cave.  If they turned out I’ll post them here later.

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