Oman Day Three - Wadi Shab & Bimmah Sinkhole

It feels like I have been in Oman for a long time but it's only been 3 days, I think I feel this way because I have done and seen so much within the short period of time that I have been here. Today I took a tour with a private guide that came highly recommended and our first stop was at Wadi Shab which is the most popular Wadi in Oman that's an hour and a half away from Muscat by car. 

To get to the pools of Wadi Shab you have to take a short boat ride then hike for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on your fitness level and pace. The only challenging aspect of the hike is navigating the very slippery rocks along the way, that's why comfortable shoes with good grip come in handy. The surrounding areas are so beautiful, making the hike worth the while.

Finally got to the pool after an hour of hiking and it was so worth it even though I did not swim.

After getting my fill of Wadi Shab, my guide Nasser took me to another nearby Wadi called Tiwi. This wadi isn't similar to Wadi Shab but it's unique in the way the greenery compliments the surrounding dry terrain. I don't know how else to describe it but it is beautiful in it's own unique way.

After visiting both wadis we took a lunch break then headed to our final stop, Bimmah Sinkhole which is considered one of the most beautiful natural pools in the world. If you fancy a swim you can easily access the water by going down the steps. 

Although this wasn't part of the plan, we made a bonus stop at Qurum beach in Muscat. There were many families seated together enjoying a meal or watching their kids swim and the ambience was family friendly and chill.

That's it folks! a good day was had. I didn't go into too much detail on the places I visited today because I am very tired and ready to call it a night. Tomorrow I have a very early start so I better go to sleep now because I will need a lot of energy to keep going as I have been. Watch out for the next adventure!

Oman Day Two - Wahiba Desert & Wadi Bani Khalid

Day 2 in Oman found me on a tour to Wahiba Desert & Wadi Bani Khalid. Wahiba is located in the eastern part of Muscat and is about a couple of hours away by car, thus making it a good choice for a day tour from the city. It is a popular desert so there are many companies that offer tours and I went with GidOman, a tour company that I came across online. They had a special going on so their price was much lower than the rest of the companies I looked at, plus they had really good reviews which sealed the deal for me.

The first stop once we got to Wahiba was at a local Bedouin home where we got to enjoy some dates and coffee as we learned about their way of life. 

Next we went dune bashing which is essentially driving over sand dunes at various speeds. It wasn't my favorite part of the tour because I was scared as hell as our driver accelerated over the dunes and it felt like we would topple over, glad I experienced it but I would probably not do it again. The sand dunes were beautiful so at least I got to appreciate that.

After we had out fill of the desert, it was time to head on over to Wadi Bani Khalid which was a 45 minute drive from the desert. A Wadi is a valley and some of these valleys are filled with water making them ideal spots for swimming. This specific Wadi is one of the most well known ones in the country and since it is not too far from Muscat, many locals and tourists alike visit it. 

That's it folks! it was a day well spent, I got an overdose of some much needed vitamin D and once I got back to my hotel room I was ready to call it a night. Tomorrow, another adventure awaits!

Oman Day One - Muscat

I landed in Muscat the capital city of Oman a few hours ago and me being me, I hit the ground running by touring some of the popular highlights of the city before jet lag humbles me and knocks me out. Oman is located in the Middle East and shares borders with Yemen, Saudi Arabia and The UAE. You hardly ever hear about Oman in the news so a lot of people don't know anything about the country, at least that is the impression I have judging by the common question I kept being asked when I mentioned that I was visiting Oman, "Where is that? how do you even spell that?"  

I hope writing about my adventures in this country during my week long stay will be informational and better yet, inspire any reader of this blog to visit. Now let me give you a quick run down of what I have been up to for the past few hours. 

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque - This is the largest mosque in Oman and took 6 years of construction to complete. The mosque has a blend of Arab, Middle Eastern and Omani architectural design and it was once famed as having the largest chandelier and carpet in the world, before the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE swooped in and claimed this fame. The Sultan Qaboos mosque is one of the only mosques in Oman that allows visitors of all religions inside the prayer halls.

Al Alam Palace - This is the official ceremonial palace of the Sultan of Oman and public entry into the palace is not allowed unless you are a visiting dignitary.

Mutrah Souq - This is one of the oldest market place in Oman where you can find a variety of goods for sale, heck! you can even buy Luis Vuitton bags and all the big designer brands, authenticity is definitely not guaranteed.

The Royal Opera House - This is the leading arts and culture organization in Oman with a vision of serving as the center of excellence in global cultural engagement. World renowned concerts are held here and I got the chance to peak inside, the stage is huge! I can only imagine how amazing the performances are.

That's it folks! it was an active day, just the way I like it and now it's time to succumb to jet lag and rest up as tomorrow I continue on with yet another exciting adventure.

Random Thoughts of The Day

Muscat has to be one of the most chill cities that I have ever visited, maybe my opinion will change later during my trip but so far I have observed it to be so quiet and not bustling with activities or people. I was told that most people come out in the evening and at night since it is cooler. I will confirm this later.

With half a day, you can see pretty much most of Muscat city's highlights. It is easier to do this with the help of a car as the public transportation system is not really catered to tourism.

The roads in the city are in perfect condition and the drivers are not aggressive so it's not intimidating to drive here. Ooh! and Oman being an oil producer, expect gasoline prices to be pretty cheap!

Oman's population is in the 5 million range and about half of it comprises of foreign workers who provide cheap labor. You will see many of these foreign workers in Muscat working in restaurants, shops, hotels etc. 

Day 6 - New Delhi, India

Today was my last day in India, instead of taking another overnight train from Varanasi to Delhi, I decided to fly because I was not about to spend another 10 hours in a train while I could alternatively spend slightly over an hour on a flight. I arrived in Deli at night which gave me a good opportunity to sleep and rest up before embarking on a few last adventures in the city. Remember I had already seen a few sites in Delhi on the first day of my trip so what was remaining were a few more sites before officially wrapping up the trip. 

The first stop was at the India Gate which was built to commemorate the thousands of Indian soldiers that died during World War I. 

Second stop was Humayun's Tomb built in 1570. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, it was the first garden-tomb in India and was heavily influenced by Persian architecture. This tomb actually inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal. 

Isa Khan's garden tomb, it precedes the adjacent Humayun's tomb by two decades. It is the culmination of an architectural style used for royal tombs in Delhi during the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties from the early 15th to 16th centuries. How pretty are the colors at the top? can you imagine how they must have looked like in the past? 

The other places I was meant to check out were the presidential palace and the Lotus temple. Both were closed to the public unfortunately. There wasn't much else to do so I had my last meal in Delhi before heading back to the hotel to get ready for my trip back.

That's it folks! I am rushing through this post because my taxi driver is almost here to take me to the airport. All I can say though is that this trip taught me about gratitude, India has a lot of challenges and even though I had a guide, I still felt those challenges. Initially I was ready to be done with this trip but after I looked at the unique experiences I had in the country, my perspective changed and I appreciated what this trip exposed me to. It's been quite an adventure and now it's back to reality! Until the next adventures.............Adios!