In 2017 my wanders started in February in The Sultanate of Oman. Most of the middle east gets really bad press so even though I have a very good friend who has lived all her life in the region I have never come around to visiting. Though I have visited the very tourist friendly UAE in the past (will link a blog on this soonish) I wasn’t sure what to expect from a more traditional S.O.Oman. I went with the intention of spending time with my friend and was pleasantly surprised with all that the country had to offer.
Being a solo traveler of the female species I usually get some unnecessary attention from locals especially my male counterparts coming forward to offer their help when I don’t really need it. Nevertheless I have learned to play along as a damsel in distress as opposed to a raging feminist in my younger days. I just like to have some fun by playing dumb and let the knight rescuing continue. At immigration two male officers donned in traditional outfits screened my documents. I had been observing in the queue it took between 10-15 minutes for people to get through but for some reason the officers were taking a bit too long screening my passport. I usually credit my longish immigration checks to the colour of my skin. Anyhow after a few smile exchanges the chatter finally ensued with the men expressing their disbelief at my age, which as much as is flattering tends to get annoying for being looked at as pretty young thing. Men in dishhdasha’s (traditional Omani clothing) spent a good 40 minutes examining my passport giving me a very friendly ‘Welcome to Oman’ complete with recommendations for things to do and places to visit. As soon as I stepped out I had loads of taxi drivers trying to get me to hire their ride including a guy with a placard for Mr. Robert’s attention. I guess I do look like a Robert from my left side profile.
The next 2 weeks were spent doing some really fun things with my friend like experiencing local culture, visiting beautiful mosques, exploring souqs (markets), duning and eating Omani cuisine. Just a little tip even if you are not familiar with Frankincense do pick some for yourself as some of the best is available in Oman. My friend took me out to see the dolphins though we saw a few dolphins the highlight was the captain letting me drive his boat and giving me some free boating lessons all without even asking. I guess being a solo female traveler has it perks! Or perhaps Omani’s are just great hosts and go out of their way to make you feel welcome and enjoy your stay in their country.
Oman has very beautiful beaches that offer some lovely activities like laying on the sunbed on a private beach or for the adventurous types snorkeling and scuba diving. Being a certified scuba diver I signed up for a day of diving even though it was off-season. Even though I trained in cold murky British waters after my liveaboard trip at the Great Barrier Reef as a rule I only dive in tropical waters with high visibility. The day started with me being highly charged with all the solar energy from the bright sun but soon it turned into me being highly sea sick thanks to the choppy waters. Reluctantly, I got into the water with my buddy who was also the instructor from a tiny boat without a platform which made it even harder given the chop in the water. Somehow I got into the water only to lose a fin and camera swallowing some very salty seawater. Once underwater the visibility was as bad as British waters with us losing our direction.
At 22 meters we had no clue where we were going so we came back up only for me to panic further as there was no sight of our boat as far as I could see. Most times my memory betrays me but not at that moment; it automatically started reminding me of all the disaster scuba stories I had read or heard of. Though it felt like forever we were rescued soon enough and as soon as I got on the boat I empty my brekkie. My instructor convinced me to get back into the choppy water only this time it went a bit better with us spotting some fishes but unfortunately no turtle which was the reason I decided to go diving in the first place. So that was a bit of a bummer 
I was happier to be back on shore soaking in the sun on the beach.
Oman has some amazing mountain ranges, which accentuates the rustic look of the settlements. I dragged my friend and her family to visit the Al Hoota caves estimated to be 2 million years old. My friend and I couldn’t stop giggling like teenage girls when most formations were very phallic looking 😀
We spent a lovely afternoon at Nizwa exploring the ruins and the souq there before hiking up to Jebel Akhdar in a Jeep of course 😉 It offers some breathtakingly beautiful sights very similar to the mountain formations found in the west coast of U.S.A.
I went to Sulatanate of Oman with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised having some interesting experiences including a near death one! (Oh BTW did I mention I am a bit of a Drama Queen 😛 ) Even though I never judge a book by it’s cover (I know it sounds clichéd; but it’s true) I sure learned keeping an open mind always results in more enjoyable wanders 🙂
|
What To Pack
I was there in their winter, which was fairly warm so check the weather before you get there.
|
Where To Stay
This is where the resorts are. So if you are looking to splurge then this is where you should head. It has some of the best resorts with tranquil private beaches. If the resorts are out of your budget you can still have access to the private beaches for a fee.
|
|
Must Do’s
I would have loved to explore more but ran out of time.
|
Must Eat & Drink
|
Wandering Faqir 