friday meditation: my top ten happy memories in the sultanate

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Life, Oman, Travel

Friday, Mary 24: I will carry to America hundreds of wonderful memories of my time here in the Sultanate of Oman.  There are too many to put into one blog post, as I have written over 475 posts during my 20+ months here.  As part of my fond farewell to Oman, here are my top 10 happy memories.

1.  On April 19, 2012, Mario, his Omani friend Sultan and I went on a mis-adventure to Wadi Damm.  It was shortly after a big rainfall and we had to cross about 10 fast-flowing wadis.  It was a foolish exploit, because many people get killed every year in flooding wadis; it rains so rarely here that most of the time the wadis are bone dry and people don’t realize how dangerous they are.  For us on this day, it was a grand & somewhat dangerous adventure.  We laughed a lot and then ended up at my house drinking wine and enjoying the night away ~ high jinks all around.  (an attempted trip to wadi damm ~ foiled by raging wadis)

one of the raging wadis on the way to Ibri

2. On April 26, 2012, two of my friends, Kathy and Tom, and I ventured across the Hajar Mountains in Oman.  We drove over a treacherous dirt road along the edges of steep mountains through Wadi Bani Awf toward an idyllic little village called Balad Sayt.  In order to get to this beautiful village, we had to clamber through a pool-filled canyon to emerge on the other side in an open bowl surrounded by mountains.  The village with all its lush green plantations sits in the middle of this bowl.  Kathy made the mistake of abandoning her shoes beside one of the pools in the canyon.  When she came out on the Balad Sayt side, she struggled mightily to walk over the burning gravelly path up to the village. She devised several methods to protect her feet, using discarded pieces of rotten wood which she tossed ahead of her one step at a time; this painstaking method didn’t work too well.  She finally tied some flexible bark around her feet with old twine.  I know it wasn’t too funny for Kathy, but Tom and I never laughed so hard in our lives! (52 pick up: success (aka overcoming adversity))

Kathy and her bark and twine makeshift shoes ~ at Balad Sayt, Oman

3. On March 28, 2013, Mario and I went up to Jebel Akhdar to see the roses.  The year before, we had tried to see the roses but had come too late.  This time, we were able to breathe in the sweet fragrance and take lovely photos of the pink blossoms.  We had a lovely time walking through the rose gardens and then having wine and dinner at the Sahab Hotel after (the roses of jebel akdhar & a lovely encounter with an irish couple).  We repeated similar amazing experiences on Jebel Akhdar so many other times, I can’t even count them all.

Roses on Jebel Akhdar

Everyone who reads my blog knows that my favorite place in Oman is Jebel Akhdar.  Each time I went up the “Green Mountain,” I had different memorable experiences that I’ll carry in my heart always.  Here are a couple more of my favorite times.

• Taking Beg and Mona Lisa up to the mountain on Valentine’s Day, 2013:  a valentine’s day adventure on jebel akhdar
  

  the terraces of Jebel Akhdar on Valentine’s Day

• Taking Mike, Alex and Adam to the Hanging Villages on January 8, 2013: a hike around the hanging villages of wadi al ayn on jebel akhdar
  

  Alex, Mike and Adam on Jebel Akhdar

• Hiking through Wadi Bani Habib with Mario and his Omani friend Mohammed on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2012: thanksgiving day on jebel akhdar: villages of wadi bani habib. {part two}
  

  finding colorful ruins at Wadi Bani Habib with Mario & Mohammed

  

  Mario in the ruins of Wadi Bani Habib on Jebel Akhdar

• Taking Malcolm and his lovely wife Sandy to Jebel Akhdar on a cold December night in 2012: a cold but lovely night at the sahab on jebel akhdar
  

  Sandy & Malcolm on a cold night on Jebel Akhdar

4) On May 11, 2012, Mario and I went hiking on Jebel Akhdar in search of the roses, but we were too late to see them.  However, we had one of many great conversations throughout the course of our friendship.  After our hike, he invited me to come over and share lime-flavored white corn TOSTITOS® tortilla chips (a rare find in Oman), apricot & almond cheese, cheddar cheese and a bottle of wine.  We sat in his air-conditioned living room and talked about the tribal society of Oman and the confining rules under which a tribe must live, a conversation I call “escaping the tribe.”  Sometimes I think I should write a book titled “Conversations with Mario.” (searching for roses on jebel akhdar & a conversation about escaping the “tribe”)

Ruins at Wadi Bani Habib on Jebel Akhdar

5) On January 13, 2012, my sons came to visit me in Oman, and all of us loved our excursion into the watery cave at Wadi Shab (cliff-jumping in the hidden caves of wadi shab).  Stunningly beautiful.

The entrance to the pools at Wadi Shab that you must swim through to get to the cave

6) On April 11, 2013, Mario and I went to explore Wadi Bani Kharous.  Not only did we explore the multitudes of picturesque villages in that wadi, but we experienced some great Omani hospitality along the way. (a trip to wadi bani kharous)

Omani hospitality at Wadi Bani Kharous

7) On Tuesday, February 21, 2013 Mario and I went on a huge road trip, where we explored Wadi Dayqah Dam, among other places, and ended up in Wadi Arbiyyin on the east coast of Oman.  Then we headed to Muscat and had a sushi buffet.  It was the road trip to beat all road trips, and perfectly lovely, except for the gunshots that scared us out of our wits. (wadi arbiyyin >> quriyat >> sushi in muscat. {the road trip: part 3})

Wadi Arbiyyin on the east coast of Oman

8)  When I first arrived in Oman, I coudn’t find anyone who wanted to go exploring Oman on the first National Holiday, so I went by myself. I had a great time at Al Areesh Desert Camp meeting random people and listening & dancing to the Bedouin music. (national holiday chapter 3: sharqiya sands & al-areesh desert camp)

Bedouin singers at Al Areesh Desert Camp

9)  When I went to Jordan over the 2011 Eid, I met an Italian guy, Guido, who came to visit me in Oman in December.  We had a great time going to Wadi Tiwi on his visit here on December 2, 2011. (cathy takes guido to wadis tiwi & shab…and up the coast to muscat)

Exploring Wadi Tiwi with Guido

10) The first time I went to Nakhal Fort, had lunch with an Omani family, then drove through Wadi Mistal to Wekan was simply magical. (nakhal fort, lunch with an omani family & a wild drive up wadi mistal)

My first magical time in Wekan

I’ve been to some of these places many times, and each time was wonderfully special.  I’ve picked my favorites based on a feeling of peace and contentment I experienced during those specific times.

My time here in Oman is coming to a close.  I am ready to leave, but I will carry many happy memories with me. 🙂

another day on jebel akhdar: wadi bani habib

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Oman, Travel

Wednesday, January 9:  I’ve done the Wadi Bani Habib hike too many times to count already, but I never find it boring as there’s always something new to discover.  The hike is atop my favorite “Green Mountain” in Oman, Jebel Akhdar.

Mike and Adam with the first village of Wadi Bani Habib behind

Mike, the boys and I park at the end of the road past the modern, but characterless, village of Bani Habib.  We walk down winding stone steps into a narrow gorge filled with walnut and apricot trees and flowering shrubs.   The greenery contrasts nicely with the brown bare rocks of the mountains and the sienna-colored ruins of two villages, made of stone in various stages of dereliction and clinging to the edges of steep sandstone cliffs.  Down the wadi a bit is another village.  It’s wonderful to stand in one village and look down the wadi to the other village.  A spectacular view.

the view from village 2 to village 1

The hike down the steps is quite easy, but it’s difficult to make our way up through the first village because of the ruins blocking the path and the rocky and uneven footpath. However, we gingerly make our way up where I take the boys into a painted house, where it’s obvious someone had both wealth and a love of color.

Click on any of the photos in the gallery below for a full-sized slide show.

me in the painted house in the first village

Adam in the house

Mike, Adam and Alex

Looking over the ruins of the first village down the wadi to the second village

Adam, Mike and Alex

ruins in the first village

We follow the trail through the village where Alex swings from a tree branch, and further on where Adam squats down along the path, facing the first village in a meditative Buddha-like pose.  The boys climb high to the top of the rocky mountain, and I make my way higher up into the village than I’ve been before.  In this second village is another beautiful painted house I’ve seen before, where we stop for photos.  Further up, we discover another one with the lower half of the walls in royal blue and the top half in crazy brown and cream designs.  Someone obviously had a streak of wildness.

Adam: ohm.

entering the second village

looking at the upper houses in the second village

a wild & crazy painted room

the second village

Mike, Adam and Alex in the painted room

me in the painted room

Alex does some exercises

descending into the wadi before we climb up the mountain again

heading through the path off the wadi

I guess everyone can tell by now what is my favorite place in Oman. 🙂

a cold but lovely night at the sahab on jebel akhdar

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Oman

Wednesday, December 19:  Tonight I take my colleague Malcolm and his lovely wife Sandy, who has arrived from Britain for the holidays, to Jebel Akhdar.  We go up the mountain late in the afternoon, after work, and I show them Al Aqr, the village of the roses, and Wadi Bani Habib.  There is no time for walking before the sun sets, but it isn’t really our intention to walk.  They’ve never been to the top of the mountain, and I just want to give them a quick overview of my favorite places.

After our little drive, we head to the Sahab Hotel.  Being Brits, they have brought their bubbly to drink.  I have my bottle of red wine.  We take numerous pictures of the sunset, the mountains, the Sahab, the aloe vera and each other.  We shiver and shiver, and then, after having a drink or two, we stop noticing the cold.

glorious mountains

Al Aqr, village of roses

Malcolm & Sandy

the view from the entrance to the village of roses

Me with Sandy

Wadi Bani Habib

the front entrance to the Sahab Hotel

the Sahab Hotel

another beautiful sunset from the Sahab

aloe vera plant

the sun sets on Jebel Akhdar

Sandy & Malcolm

clouds all akimbo

aloe vera plant

Making a toast with the bubbly

Sandy and Malcolm

Sandy and me

an old door converted to a beautiful table

Christmas at the Sahab

traditional baskets and pottery

Santa dangles from a tree. 🙂

Despite warming up slightly on our insides, we still opt to eat dinner inside, where it’s nice and cozy.  We talk about our grown children and what a challenge they can be sometimes.  Malcolm and I talk about our novels in progress.   We enjoy our smoked salmon and chicken kebab appetizers, along with Arabiatta and mushroom soup.  We eat our main courses; mine is less than stellar, but Sandy and Malcolm enjoy theirs.

I share some of my wine with a German couple sitting nearby and get into a long conversation with them.  There is a big piece of natural wood near their table and, stupidly, I trip over it and fall flat on my behind.  Fun times. 🙂

Later, we drive down the mountain, switching back and forth, curving down and down at precipitous angles.  We’re guided home by the lights of Birkat al Mouz and Nizwa below us, a sparkling toast to a lovely evening.

thanksgiving day on jebel akhdar: villages of wadi bani habib. {part two}

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Oman, Travel

Thursday, November 22:  After lunch we head to the two abandoned villages of Wadi Bani Habib.  It is fall here and yellow leaves dangle from the walnut and apricot trees in the wadi.  Mario and I marvel: this is the first sign of fall we have seen in Oman.  Ever. Neither of us has been to the top of Jebel Akhdar in November, and we are pleasantly surprised by the cool, crisp autumn air and the sprinkles of gold on the trees.  The sun is low in the sky, so it paints a burnished light over the villages.  We walk down steps from the promontory, through the wadi, through one village, through the wadi again, and then into the other village. I’ve never seen this second village up close before.  We wander into a beautifully painted house, where we take pictures and Mohammed tells Mario, who is always a little devilish, that he is Mr. Innocent. We laugh and tease Mario.  Yes, Mr. Innocent.

Click on any of the pictures below for a full-sized slide show.

fall colors at Wadi Bani Habib

pretty little flower

yellow leaves on Jebel Akhdar

yellow leaves on the walnut and apricot trees

looking up at part of village #1

golden leaves of fall with village #2 in the background

village #1

village #1

ruins of village #1

village #1

me with village #1 behind me

looking back at village #1

entering village #2

looking back at village #1 from village #2

windows in village #2

door in village #2

village #2

village #2

ruins in village #2

door to the painted house

painted walls in one of the ruined houses at Wadi Bani Habib, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

Mario in the painted room

the Prophet “Mohammed” written in the niche

Mario & Mohammed in the wadi

yellow leaves and a crushed pomegranate

the steep steps up the promontory

Victory!

We have a hard time finding our way down the steep hill from the second village and through the wadi.   Mario keeps saying, as he leads the way, “I think” we walk this way, “I think” we go that way.  Mohammed tells him to stop thinking and tell us something for sure.

Mohammed is a real gentleman and keeps offering his hand to me as I gingerly step down some steep and gravely slopes.  It’s nice to have someone to keep an eye on me, as I have taken falls numerous times on steep, gravely slopes.

Finally, we make our way back up the steep stairs, panting and gasping for breath.  We’re exhausted, but, as Mohammed’s shirt says: “Victory.”  What a fantastic walk!  This is what life is about: friendship, laughs, fresh air, a shared experience of discovery & adventure, lovely surroundings.  Topped with a night of food and wine at the Sahab.  🙂

searching for roses on jebel akhdar & a conversation about escaping the “tribe”

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Jebel Akhdar, Oman, Travel

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe. ~ Gustave Flaubert

Friday, May 11:  This afternoon Mario and I drive up Jebel Akhdar in hopes of seeing the mountain’s famous roses.  We park on the Saiq Plateau, an extensive 2000 meter high plateau atop the mountain, bordered by jagged mountains to the north and by the gorge of Wadi Al Ayn to the south.

The village of Al Ayn on Jebel Akhdar

The plateau has been farmed for at least a thousand years because of its mild climate.  Many of the fruits that thrive here can’t survive the heat of the lower altitudes in Oman: peaches, apricots, pears, grapes, apples, figs, and pomegranates, along with walnuts, a variety of vegetables and the area’s famous roses.

pomegranate trees in bloom

The Saiq Plateau and its terraced fields

We park a little down the road from Diana Point, at a point near Al Aqr, one of the area’s prettiest villages. It’s famous for its rose gardens and perches on the edge of the chasm, with terraced fields stepping down into the Wadi Al Ayn gorge.  Its cluster of little houses is cut by aflaj and it has a stunning view over the gorge.

plantations on the plateau

It’s guessed that the famous rose gardens were brought to Oman from Persia.  The damask rose (Rosa Damascena) grows nicely here due to the plateau’s temperate climate. Apparently the gardens are most colorful and fragrant for a few weeks in April, when the roses bloom.  So, it appears we have come up here too late.  For some reason we thought it was May when the roses were at their peak, but we come to find most of the roses have been harvested and the remaining roses left on the bushes are brown and withered.  😦

A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.
~ Leo Buscaglia

The rose gardens on the Saiq Plateau are a valuable commodity in Oman, due to their use in producing the sought-after Omani rosewater.  According to The Rough Guide to Oman, the petals of the fully grown roses are carefully plucked (usually early in the morning, when the weather is coolest, to help preserve their intense aroma) and then taken off for processing.  The petals are stuffed into an earthenware pot with water, sealed up in an oven (traditionally heated using sidr wood, Zyziphus spina christi, although nowadays it’s more likely to be gas) and boiled for about 2 hours. The resultant rose-flavored steam condenses into a metal container inside the pot, which is then repeatedly filtered to produce a clear liquid.  Demand for Omani rosewater usually outstrips supply.  It can be added to drinks and food and is an important ingredient in Omani halwa (a mushy gelatinous dessert made from semolina, ghee, sugar and rosewater, flavored with cardamom and almonds and slow-boiled over a wood fire). Locals believe rosewater is good for the heart, and can ease headaches if rubbed into the scalp.

the rose bushes with the mosque behind

We are disappointed that we miss the roses this year, but next year we’ll have to put it on our calendar for mid-April.  Never mind.  It’s still lovely to walk on the trail through this village and the adjacent village of Al Ayn, perched on an unusual rock spur projecting out from the tall cliff.

farms on the escarpment in the village of Al Ayn

We wander along the falaj through the rose gardens but we don’t spot many roses.  We do enjoy the aroma of the few pink flowers that are on the bushes.  We walk past a sign that says “Women prayed.” An arrow on the signs points down the pathway to a mosque.  I guess the women who already prayed can walk that way??  Or that’s the way to the women who prayed?

women prayed > this way

We continue to walk along the pathway, admiring the green walnuts hanging from the trees and large gardens of pomegranates.  We enjoy the views of the terraced gardens, which are everywhere, and the spectacular gorge and mountains around.  There is actually a breeze up here, and although it’s still hot, it’s cooler than down in Nizwa.

fruits on the trees

more of the gorge and the terraces

a mosque perched on the side of the rock face near Al Ayn

After walking through the gardens we drive to Wadi Bani Habib to see the walnut trees in the wadi and the ruins of the old village.  Both Mario and I have been here before, but we still love coming here.

an abandoned village at Wadi Bani Habib

We walk down steps into a deep gorge; the wadi below is filled with glowing white-barked walnut trees.  Some boys are harvesting apricots along the side of the wadi.  We wander up into the ruins and walk into what looks like the landowner’s house, perched on a high rock overlooking the village.

the landlord’s house (at least that what I think!)

Inside the house we find beautifully painted walls.  It’s lovely and was at one time obviously the home of someone wealthy.

the painted walls inside the house on the hill

I love these painted walls… 🙂

We continue to walk through the village, taking more pictures of the ruins and also the village on another hillside perpendicular to the one we’re on.

cool ruins at Wadi Bani Habib

someone used to live here…

After we finish hiking around the ruins, we run into some colleagues, Francois, Giles and Carol, lounging around and drinking a few beers in the dry bed of the wadi.  They are stretched out comfortably on the rocks catching the dappled sun rays. We chat with them awhile, postponing the long climb up the stairs out of the wadi.  I seem to be in such bad shape that I have to keep stopping to catch my breath.  Finally at the top, Mario buys some fresh apricots from a boy who is selling the fruit and bottles of rosewater for 3 rials each.  After getting into my toasty oven of a car, we head back down the mountain, eating the juicy miniature apricots and tossing the pits out the open windows, as we wind and curl through the steep decline to the bottom.

a combination I love ~ flowers and ruins 🙂

Mario has told me about an enticing almond and apricot cheese he bought from Al Fair in Muscat.  He invites me to come over and share white corn TOSTITOS® tortilla chips (a rare find in Oman), the apricot cheese, some cheddar cheese and a bottle of wine.  We sit in his air-conditioned living room and talk about the tribal society of Oman and the confining rules under which a tribe must live.

the other village at Wadi Bani Habib ~ I haven’t explored this one yet…..

Mario compares Oman’s tribal society to the “tribes” in our own cultures.  I talk about the “tribe” of Oakton, Virginia, a sort of tribe of upper middle class families who try hard to outdo each other with their Lexus and BMW cars, their mansions or McMansions and the most prestigious universities for their kids.  It’s a kind of culture based on bragging rights, where the more possessions you have and the more your children have accomplished, the more you have the right to brag.  It’s a culture of pecking order, a dog-eat-dog kind of tribe, where possessions and accomplishments are everything, and personal satisfaction is insignificant.

I told my husband when I left that I could no longer stand the confines of this society where I never felt I fit in.  It wasn’t about our marriage, or about him, but about me needing to escape from a “tribe” whose values I couldn’t embrace.  Mario felt a similar urge to escape the confines of his “tribe” in Newfoundland, Canada.   We share a similar outlook on life, both enjoying our independence, and what Mario calls our “free agent” status, where we are living in a culture but outside of its confines.  We can observe Omani tribal society from the outside, but we never have to be a part of it. We both enjoy this “free agent” status.

a welcoming entrance, but no one is home….

To be honest, I miss my family and my sons and daughter in Virginia.  But every time I think about returning home to the rat race and the circumscribed life in suburban Washington, I feel thankful that I have this time to myself, a time to explore another world, to discover my inner heart and soul, and to grow creatively and spiritually.  I tell Mario that in Virginia I could never feel content; I always felt restless.  I used to wake up every day and say, “This is it?  This is my life?  This is the way it will be till the day I die?”  I was never content. I felt I was missing something more meaningful in the world at large.

Today Mario tells me that’s one thing he sees in the me he knows.  Granted, he hasn’t known me long, but lately he’s the friend whose company I enjoy the most.  He spends a lot of time with me and he is a patient and astute observer. Mario says I seem content.  And he’s right, generally speaking. I am content. I just hope I can eventually carry this contentment back home to America with me.

weekly photo challenge: distorted

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postaweek2012

Distorted: deformed, bent, twisted, crooked, contorted, misshapen….

Many trees in the desert climate of Oman are gnarly and twisted, distorted; they’re like bony fingers reaching and reaching for a drop of water, and failing miserably.  They seem to be crying out for sustenance, yearning for a bit of sympathy.

a tree distorted by the forces of nature in Oman

On Jebel Akhdar, a small village in Wadi Bani Habib has been distorted by the forces of nature after its abandonment.

an abandoned village distorted by the forces of nature

Sometimes, man and nature work together to create topiary gardens, bushes or trees distorted from their true essence and formed into something artistic.  Where distorted usually has a negative connotation, in this case, the distorted plant becomes beautiful and fascinating.  This was taken on an island in South Korea, Geoje-si. (geoje: rough seas and caressing grasses)

nature distorted by gardeners' hands

Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish. ~ Herman Hesse

hiking jebel akhdar ~ a spectacular overlook at wadi bani kharus & an abandoned village at wadi bani habib

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Oman, Travel

Thursday, February 23:  Today I drive up Jebel Akhdar to go on a hike with my Omani friend Moo.  Moo has lived on the “Green Mountain” his whole life, so he knows every valley, every trail, every village. He knows the plants, the trees, the wildlife and the views.

clouds nestle on the mountain tops at Juniper Trees on Jebel Akhdar

This hike is his choice, and I put myself in his hands. I trust him to pick what he thinks I will like. He estimates our hike to a ridge overlooking Wadi Bani Kharus will take about 2 hours each way, 4 hours round-trip.  It’s a glorious day, with crisp breezy air and blue skies ~ a perfect day for hiking.  I don’t know what I will discover here, but I feel sure it will be something amiable, possibly even spiritual.  And of course spectacular in its Jebel Akhdar way.

juniper trees at Juniper Trees

We drive first up to the area Moo calls Juniper Trees; the rocky mountaintop is dotted with centuries-old juniper trees.  He has me park along the roadside and we start climbing slabs of rocks up and up and up.  When we get to a high point, Moo points down a valley and tells me we will go down then up to a ridge way on the other side.  I can see our destination in the distance, and it looks like quite a hike. I hope I’m up for it.

bushes afire with sunlight on the mountain

We pass more juniper trees, a grove of dead olive trees, gnarly trees gone wild. Green bushes all afire with sunlight. These bushes have no odor to them, but Moo tells me that when families cook their goat meat or beef in the ground during the Eid, they cover the meat with sprigs of these leaves.  The herb imparts flavor to the meat as it cooks.  I should try it next Eid, he says.

hiking along the mountain

I take pictures of the bright green bushes and the gnarled, dead-looking trees, and when I’m not taking pictures, I’m getting my clothes caught on branches covered in thorns.  After only an hour, we reach the ridge that we were aiming for.  It literally takes my breath away.

me framed by gnarly mountain trees

I couldn’t see this from below, but at the ridge, the ground drops abruptly beneath our feet, a sheer and deep cliff.  One more step and I would sail over the edge to Wadi Bani Kharus below.  This cliff seems to spread infinitely to either side of us.  Moo wants me to walk to the edge so he can take a photo, but I’m too terrified to get close.  No mistakes can be made here, and as klutzy as I am, I can just see myself tripping over my own feet and falling to my death below.

the view over Wadi Bani Kharus from the ridge above

me on the precipice

It’s breathtaking.  The view is a little dusty and cloudy today, but we can see the valley floor below with no trouble.  Moo says that on a clear day you can see the beach at Sawadi, which is along the coast west of Muscat.  We sit at the top and soak in the view for a while, then we make our way back down the mountain, and then up, then down again.

Moo on the edge; he has no fear!

Back in the car, Moo says he wants to take me to see Wadi Bani Habib. At an overlook to the wadi below, another steep and terrifying cliff edge, Moo tells me this is where he took my sons hiking while I had to go work.  He points to where they started at Juniper Trees and shows with a sweep of his hand how they came down the mountain, walked along the bottom of the wadi and then to the abandoned village at the other end.

the view of wadi bani habib and up to juniper trees

the other end of wadi bani habib, toward the abandoned village

We can’t see the village from this viewpoint, but we drive further down the road and find steps leading down into the wadi and to this village clinging to the side of a mountain.  We walk through the wadi under the gleaming white branches of walnut trees and pink-flowering peach trees.

the charming abandoned village in wadi bani habib

I LOVE exploring abandoned villages. The age-old houses are made of stone, rather than mudbrick, and set as they are among the greenery and the sandstone cliffs, they make a beautiful painting. The village is in total disarray, but that’s what makes it so picturesque and charming.  We climb among the rocks and ruins and find little treasures around every corner.  It is getting close to sunset, so the light on the crumbling walls and buildings is golden and glowing.

the wadi bani habib village all in disarray

I could wander around here forever.  I love this about Oman, the fact that you can find these beautiful gems that are not touristy or commercialized.  There are no lines of tourists buying tickets, no vendors selling tacky souvenirs, no crowds or tour buses. It’s just an abandoned village, inhabited only in some bygone era; now only its ghosts remain.  We can wander in and out to our hearts’ content, exploring its little treasures, taking the memory of it home in our hearts.

i love this…. 🙂

We also wander along the old plantations near the wadi bottom, and along a falaj which is still flowing with water.  At one point we walk up some steps under which a stream flows.

the steps over the falaj

It’s so strange being here in Oman where water and greenery are so rare.  Because of this scarcity, whenever I see anything green, or any water, I get really excited, like a person lost in the desert who sees the mirage of an oasis. The local Omanis are the same; they go out in droves, entire huge families, to picnic or explore any green or wet place.

I will go back to Jebel Akhdar.  Again and again. Yes.

delicate little gems