Try thinking of the blue sea, maybe even azure (for the finicky ones out there), light sand and a bright sun. And my mind immediately jumps to images of brightly colored balloons, children running around and swimmers plunging into the sea.
Reality pans in, and I see a retinue of cloaked women and men instead, mostly in distinct same sex groups. This is Oman, one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East. But let me check myself for this is not meant to be a diatribe against the ‘culture’ of that region. No, this is supposed to be a plain old travel journal, from my latest wanderings into the parts of the world where oil sells cheaper than water and human life cheaper still (especially if the said lives are from Asia).
Traditionally, a nation of maritime traders, that had deep links with India, Oman now has over 6000 kilometers of very well constructed and maintained highways that crisscross the length and breadth of the country. The present monarch (Sultan) is credited with the excellent road network as with all else that is good in the country (a characteristic atypical of most active monarchies that one comes in contact with!). But this is hardly cause for complain since these very roads took us across the breathtaking vistas that Oman is home to.
Al-Sawadi
The first destination that we visited during my first weekend in Oman was the Al-Sawadi beach, a popular spot en-route from Muscat, the country capital, to Sohar, one of the country’s biggest ports. As the car swept into the promenade that leads to the beach park, we saw children running around just like their counterparts from across the world. The only difference; these kids wore robes (not the Harry Potter variety) and some of the little girls had headscarves on. As we got out of the car, we attracted stares courtesy of our more Westernized clothing and probably, the lack of headscarves.
Unlike India, the short walk to the shoreline was free of hawker attacks though we did get cornered by one as soon as we settled into a picnic hut. The sales pitch here included the hawker shaking hands with the men in our group (of course!) and then launching into a whole stream of Arabic. Fortunately my cousin understands the language and could decipher that we were being offered a boat ride on the sea. After deliberating on the safety of the short trip minus life jacket style encumbrances, we decided to go for it. A good decision since the rickety boat added to the thrill and brought us back to shore, sun-burnt but alive.
A huge picnic lunch and much walking on the beach sands later, we set out to an Ostrich farm, the second destination of the day. About a thirty minute drive away from the beach, the farm was owned by a rich Omani Sheikh and hosted a variety of animals, from extremely regal Arabian steeds to sleepy camels and the very adorable red butted ostriches (a completely invented and in no way scientific name). The ostriches, the main attraction, and the human visitors seemed to share equal levels of curiosity about each other. Though shaking hands and beaks (?) was a huge temptation, the barbed wire fencing proved to be an effective barrier. While we the humans had to be content with a lot of hellos and hand waving, the ostriches stared (and I suspect grinned) right back at us. Definitely a bonding experience!
The day over, it was time to start planning the next trip. Maybe exploring the Omani sea-life was next. We’ll see.
