I head out for a quick walk into the dunes and come across several camels grazing. One of them takes particular interest and comes loping towards me within an inch of my face. I hope this one’s friendly! He takes a sniff, looking for treats. I should’ve brought some dates with me. I continue on and he follows me for a bit and then returns to his grazing. I see a herd of goats in the distance and make my way to them. A female herder is separating the babies from their mommas and I yell a greeting. She seems startled to see me but responds with a smile. This is the first woman I’ve come across out here and for want of a better term, she looks hearty and used to hard work. Her face is deeply lined and weatherbeaten and she’s covered head to toe in black with some coloured beading on the scarf edges around her face. Beautiful.
Amur picks us up for the drive back into town. Our stay in the desert is over which saddens me. I would like more time here to explore. As we approach Amur’s Bedouin camp we see a few baby camels with their mothers so Amur stops. One of his camels walks right up to front of the truck, stretching his long neck to the windshield. He’s looking for food. Amur makes some sounds and waves his small cane at him to move it on.
Amur surprises us with a small detour by driving to the top of one of the large sand dunes before turning around to head back down to the road. The truck perches on the lip of the dune, facing downwards. I hop out as I want to take video of the truck sliding down the dune and I can hear Becca give a little screech as the front of the truck tips sharply downwards and starts its slow descent. When they reach the bottom, I start running and sliding down the dune, sinking into the deep sand with my arms flailing to keep balance.
Amur sees a small lizard on the side of the road. It’s almost the same colour as the sand and about 6” long. He hops out of the truck, slowly approaching it from the front. His hand sweeps down and he’s caught it! He brings it to us so we can have a closer view but the lizard doesn’t stay captured for long and leaps out of Amur’s hands.
Amur explains that he has tourists stay at his Bedouin camp and in the winter months when it’s cooler, takes them across the desert to camp at the seaside. This sounds amazing and I think I may have to return to Oman in cooler temperatures to do this along with exploring more of the country.
We’re off to Ibra and Nizwa. I’ve put Ibra as a stop in our itinerary but haven’t specified why or what there is to see, so once we arrive I pull over to do a bit of research. Apparently there’s an old part of Ibra that contains the original buildings of the town, so we head off to find it. I’m maneuvering the vehicle through a windy, paved lane that is the width of the car. We come to a short, steep decline that leads into a rocky wadi with a shallow pool. I can see the destination on the other side so figure, screw it. We’ve got the SUV so let’s make the most of it. I put it into manual gear and creep down the rocky hill into the wadi before picking up speed to go through the water and up the hill on the other side. Becca’s continuous string of “Oh my God’s” as we cross makes me laugh. No problem, we’re on the other side!
A narrow, stone arched gate is ahead and I opt to park outside and walk in. We walk through tall, crumbling stone and clay buildings. Some of the bamboo roofs have caved in with just the intricately carved wooden door frames still intact. There are a few newer homes mixed in with the decrepit ones so I’m assuming people still live in the area. Power lines crisscross above us leading to small satellite dishes.
As we’re heading back to the car, we meet Saleh who invites us for coffee. I thank him and accept his invitation. He takes us to a small building beside the falaj which he uses for guests. The interior walls are covered with hundreds of photos of his family and of guests that have visited him in Old Ibra, including King Charles of England. We sit and he pours water over our hands for washing before providing fresh dates, coffee, halwa and water. He talks about the history of the area and Oman and then provides us with his business card, saying that if we have any questions or need assistance, to contact him. No question of money is ever put forth. He’s offered all of this out of generosity and we have been his guests.
We continue on to Nizwa and although Google has been doing a great job of guiding us so far, she seems confused when we get to the old area to find our hotel, Antique Inn. I drive down a narrow lane with crumbling, stone buildings rising up on either side. Google tells us to turn left but a building has collapsed and there’s just a small trail so it’s not an option. Another vehicle is driving towards us so I have to either reverse, which is going to be a nightmare, or find a spot to move over. I locate a small parking area that appears to belong to a guesthouse and pull in. After the car passes, I drive back to where the main fort is located to get reorientated. Becca stays with the car as I walk the area to try and find the inn. I’m walking on a narrow trail through rubble and collapsed buildings. Clearly this is not correct, but I end up locating the inn. I make my way back to the car on the paved roadway and realize we had turned right where we were supposed to drive straight, except there’s two large red cones blocking the road. How the hell are we supposed to get to our hotel?? I find a gentleman driving a golf cart and in broken English explain our hotel is on the blocked off road and can I move the cones. I think he’s said it’s ok so I run back to the car, we move the cones and continue to the inn. Success!
Antique Inn is lovely. Built directly beside crumbling buildings that are slowly being renovated, it’s like we’re in a fort or castle. I’ve chosen a room directly beside the pool so as soon as we’re checked in, we get our bathing suits on and hop in. Hmmm, not exactly refreshing as the 40+ degree temperatures have heated the pool to warm bath water, but it’s better than walking around with the sun beating down on us.
Later in the afternoon we walk around old Nizwa to explore and end up in the Halwa Souq. There we meet Faisal, who’s selling tea and coffee. He has the absolute best smile I’ve ever seen, with perfect white teeth and a handsome face. He sees my camera and says he’s a photographer too so I hand it over so he can take a look. He asks if I have instagram and promptly follows me (this has happened a few times while in Oman. I guess it’s a thing). I purchase some Karak tea from him and we continue on.
As the sun sets, groups of women and families are out walking in the cooler temperature. I greet a group of young women who are clothed in black from head to toe except for their eyes. They’re very friendly and I tell them their outfit is very beautiful to which they motion towards me and repay the compliment.
We find a hotel that has a patio with a view of the mosque and the fort lit up (Nizwa View). We sit for awhile enjoying our refreshing drinks in the peace and quiet which is only broken by the Imam’s call to prayer just after 8pm. Perfect way to end the day.
