What a ride!

We drove through Wadi Bani Awf toward Muscat and enjoyed the steep mountain cliffs before reaching the end point, Snake Point, of the gorge.

We had a nice hike in the gorge before having a picnic.

We are coming home early because of the Corona virus. We will not be visiting Qatar until a later date....

Yes, our group gets to come back in the future to finish our adventure!

Plants

The date palm is every where. The yellow flowers are where the dates grow. They are delicious!

Banana tree

Henna tree

Frankincense tree

Mud houses

We visited the town of Al Hamra and saw the renowned mud houses of Misfat Al Abriyeen.
We also had a chance to go inside a mud house that is now a museum.

A woman making bread in the traditional way.

Ibran Castle

As we drove northeast toward Nizwa, we stopped to visit the Jabrin Castle. Read about the castle below.

Qais, our tour guide, explains that soldiers would listen to conversations was having. They would pop out of the vents if they thought the Sultan was in danger.

Look at the original painting on the walls and ceiling.

Camel riding

The cost of the camel ride was 2 rial. Another joined me on my ride, a 95 year old French woman.

Sleeping in the desert

It's true what they say about the desert. When the sun goes down it gets cool. We watched the sunset, played in the sand with forerunners and even went down the side of a huge sand dune. This sand is fine, soft terracotta in color. In order to drive in the desert, 50% of the air is taken out of all the tires.

Entrance into the camp. We were greeted with dates and Omani coffee, tea or water.

We slept in one of these huts. My bed is on the right.

The cold shower and toilet were outside.

Wadi Bani Khalid, an oasis

We drove to the Wadi Bani Khalid.  It is a rocky oasis nestled in the East Hajar mountains filled with natural pools.

Notice that regular swimsuits were not allowed. Modesty is the policy here. "Berkinis" were allowed though.

Bimmah sinkhole, Dhow Shipyard and Green Turtles

We went to visit the Bimmah sinkhole today. Swimming was fun. The tiny fish nibbled on your feet, taking away old skin.

Wadis are canyons. We went to a couple today.

We visited the Dhow shipyard in the town of Sur.

Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region.

  

The highlight of our day was going to the turtle sanctuary in Ras El Jinz where green turtles lay their eggs. Since it isn't turtle laying season we didn't expect to see any turtles but saw two large turtles without various flippers. We didn't see any egg laying but saw a couple of young ones going into the water.

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A baby turtle going to the water.

Grand Mosque, Bait Al Zubair and Muttrah Souk

The Grand Mosque in Muscat is unbelievable! The former Sultan paid to have it built. It holds thousands of people.

Women must cover their heads in mosques. Shoes are not allowed either.

Inside the Grand Mosque

The Bait Al Zubair Museum was fascinating. There was extensive explanations of customs, dress, etcetera.

Time for lunch. Would you like to try the chicken and lamb kabobs? The green drink is a lemon mint concoction.

How about going shopping at the Muttrah Souk? It is a great place to find all kinds of things.