Wadis this?!

 

 

Picturesque images run through the mind with the mere mention of any country in the Middle-East. A magnificent castle amidst the stretches of sand dunes, a dove faced princess wearing the Arabic headdress (hijab) peeping through the oriel window, herds of camels languidly trotting on the tawny sand… thought provoking is the geography of Oman.

Oman emerged out of its reclusive shell and revealed its friendly side to the world after 1970, when the current Monarch, Qaboos Bin Said took over, transforming the country into a destination worth exploring. In Muscat, the capital city, the extensive green parks with rows of neatly preened trees on either side of the roads and colorful flowers adorning the traffic signals shove aside the prickly-cactus image of this middle eastern expanse. Though travelling during rainy season isn’t ideal, yet the monsoon greens amidst the desert in the wadis is a spectacle to behold. There’s the Wadi Darbat, Wadi Bani Khalid and others with perennial water pools that would urge even an aqua- phobic to take a careless dip. Once used by the shepherds for shelter, the natural caves with animal paintings on their walls coupled with the sound of gushing waterfalls seem to transcend the physical world. To get more of the Bedouin feel, visit the Muscat Souq (a centuries old market) or Bahla for pottery and witchcraft. And if adventure is your beat, then hiking, sunset camel safaris and snorkeling in the azure waters should satiate...

So if time permits, take a lo-o-ong vacation to this oasis for there is much more of excitement than what my words can offer.