What a Saturday Drive ...Goats and Great Scenery in Musandam, Oman

 

An hour away from Dubai, UAE is Musandam, Oman. We hopped in the SUV on a Saturday and decided to go for a drive. Before we knew it we were at the United Arab Emirate and Oman border to the north.

As we approached the Oman border, the signs everywhere said - NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED. I could not resist and had to snap a picture. Jeff was a getting little nervous as one of the Omani Guards approached our car. I hurriedly took the picture and put the camera away. I guess that  neither one of us would really want to visit an Omani jail today.
Below is a picture of us approaching the border patrol at Oman.

 

 

Should we go into Oman? What the heck, we have our passports and some dirham (UAE money), lets leave the UAE and cross the border into Oman.

We applied for our Oman visit visa, paid our 100 Dirham ( @ 27.00 US dollars) and were on our way.

 

 As we crossed the border, it felt like we had stepped into a third world country. Not only did the structures and over all landscape change, but there was a different feel in this area of the country. At the UAE/ Oman border animals such as goats and cows were roaming loose everywhere, many of them running or causally strolling in the middle of the four lane road.

 

The cows in the picture were resting in the middle of the four lane highway that runs through the town of Al Jiri. Goats ran around in gangs, chasing after one another, darting in and out of traffic.

 

Nope , never had seen that before.

 

 

 We have been to Muscat, Oman, but we had never been to Musandam. Musandam is in the most northern part of the country. On a clear day you can see Iran. The road to Khasab hugs the corniche, winding it was up and through the rock filled mountains and showing us scenery that was breath taking. 

As the road winds along the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, each turn uncovers countless photo opportunities. There are over 20 species of dolphins and whales that inhabit these waters and I can see why.

If I were a dolphin or whale, this is where I would want to live, right here in the waters surrounding Musandam.

 

 

The beaches were stunning !The beaches were abundant with not only large sea shells, but also random rocks sticking out of the sand like they had been placed there as "rock art. As we continued on the road to Khasab we passed through old, very old, fishing villages. In some of these areas civilization goes back thousands of years. That's right, thousands. Isn't that amazing ? Many of the structures had been built upon older homes foundations, with very few of them being inhabited now. And don't forget the goats, they were growing in numbers and everywhere.  

The fishing boats, nets and traps were scattered and littered everywhere along the shore line. We were fascinated with the small villages and friendlly people. It appears that they live very simple lives, still fishing, the occupation their ancestors did, but with little change in the process.
If the heat had not been so unbearable we probably would have explored more. Wondering in and out of the ruins, old homes.

We made it to Khasab and explored the small city until we knew that we better head back to the UAE.
In Oman it is all about the door or gate on the front of your home. The house may be dirty, run down and very old, but it is all about the doors and gates. They are the showcase of the home, the thing about your house that tells every one about you. The doors are brightly colored, vivid and unusual.

Every door we passed by, I had Jeff stop the car so I could take a picture. Okay, I think I have enough pictures of doors to last a lifetime, but they are beautiful, exquisite and tell a history about the family that lives behind them.

 

We will come back to Musundam. We need to come back and spend a day on one of the day trips to the surrounding islands. There are small fishing villages that are only accessible by boat and while out on the water, the dolphins are so plentiful they perform and chase the boats. This place is magical, it has stood still in time and its beauty of the land and sea has been preserved.

 

We stopped at the beach for a few minutes, picking up sea shells, when we were approached by Ali, the boat tour guide. Ali wanted to take us for a ride in his boat, it would only cost us 150 dirhams and he would even feed us ( OK that scared me just a little). But it was getting late and we needed to head home. Ali is a fisherman by night and tour guide by day. His face was wrinkled, craggy and very leathered by the sun. He was a joy to chat with. We got his business card. When we come back we will make a point to contact Ali. I don't think I will eat his food but I would ride in his boat. Below is a picture of Ali next to his tour boat. Isn't it cute !?.

 

 

We had a blast on our spontaneous Saturday drive to Musandam, Oman. Beside the mystical beauty of the landscape, we enjoyed the simplicity of the people, the way they live, the ancient history of this country that is visible everywhere and the goats. The goats were like licing on the cake. The goats running loose all over contributed to overall intrigue of Musandam,Oman.

I wish my family could see this wonderful place. It is a treasure untouched and seldom seen by many people.

Please don't ever change !