01-03-15 Dubai -> Oman

• Left Dubai for Muscat on bus (5 hrs).  Comfortable, modern, cheap.  Met at bus station by Lorna & Rosemarie, and driver to Nomad Tours. 

• Went on Muscat City Tour bus: souk, corniche, old city, etc.  Very modern, clean city.  All buildings white, and less then 6 (?) stories by government decree.  Over the top Opera House, Grand Mosque (2nd largest carpet, after Abu Dhabi’s), terrific fish market.  Bought some frankincense for Caren.

01-04-15 Oman: Nizwa fort

• Rented a car for 4 days.

• Nizwa fort and souq.  But where to sleep?  maps.me to the rescue!  Selected “wifi”, and it led me to the Norn Majan Camp, not mentioned in my Lonely Planet guidebook.  I was the only guest.

01-05-15 Oman: Al Hamra, Misfat, Hat

• Al Hamra: one of the oldest villages in Oman - mud brick houses in Yemeni style.

• Misfat: date palm plantations, terraced stone houses, very picturesque.

• Potential disaster at Hat.  Foolishly decided to drive down the ungraded, precipitous road with very little petrol (What was I thinking?)  Soon realized my 2wd rental was not up to the return.  Found a guy in Hat (“No problem!  No problem!”) who took me under his wing.  Put two of his friends on the hood, and followed by another vehicle with a hose for siphoning gas, we made it back no sweat.  Another night at Noor Camp.

01-06-15 Oman: Jebel Shams

• Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun), with view of Wadi Ghul at the top (also called the Grand Canyon of Arabia), cliffs 1000 m or more.  Had to hire a 4wd for last hour.  

• Then Bahla (fort), Jabrin (Jabreen) (castle: 1675), and night at Oriental Night’s Rest House.

01-07-15 Oman: Wadi Bani Khalid

• Started day with random road up a beautiful wadi until I could go no further, then up Wadi Bani Khalid, with series of pools at upper end.  One other tourist.  This contrasts with many tourists the week before: the holiday season has ended!

• In the evening, driving towards Al-Ashkarah on the coast, I stopped to admire the sand dunes (my first) along the side of the road.  A local guy drove up, asked if I wanted to visit the dunes in his 4wd vehicle.  Definitely!  Off we went, first driving, then walking, until the sun set and it started to get dark.  We became “good friends” (this seemed to happen a lot in Oman), and exchanged phone numbers.  Over the next day and a half we exchanged messages.  Same with my host Saad in Doha.

01-08-15 Oman: coast

• On to the coast at Al-Ashkarah, and an hour south toward Shana’a along the coast: dunes on one side, sea on the other, camels and goats ranging freely, Bedu tribesmen in semi-permanent shacks.  Final push north to Muscat, seeing Wadi Tiwi (prettiest yet) and Wadi Shab (from the bridge only).  Don’t feel I’ve missed much: overnight in the desert?  Turtles laying eggs?  More wadi’s?  More forts?  Nah, ready to move on to Israel, and the kids.