Oman: A deserted beauty

During the years of 2015–2017 I was working in a construction company in Oman. Whenever I say Oman, people assume that I worked in Muscat, a place filled with rich nightlife. Considering that, I was the unlucky one locked up in a deserted region, driving to work early in the morning and returning back late in the night with no extra time for release my fatigue out. The temperatures in the summer soared up as much as 40 degree celcius. I cannot afford to rest to take my eyes off work being the sole incharge and single point of contact of the civil works in the project.

When I was searching for a break to steam out my work load, in the midst of summer came the Eid. This gave me an opportunity to witness the land of my first job. Me and my small group of colleagues packed our bags to set of on journey. The place we decided to visit was called Wadi Shab. I wasn’t sure about how good the place will be, but I have already experienced the city life and my soul always belongs with nature. So my choice was always going to be different from Dubai (the popular destination for tours).

We started out early in the morning as soon as we moved a kilometers I expected a barren desert land filled with camels till we reached our destination. I was prepared for a rather dull journey till we reached the destination, but contradictory to my expectations I was dumbfounded by those majestic and beautiful rocky mountains complimented by the rich blue sea gently massaging the mountains cliffs. I didn’t take my eyes off the window from my car for the whole of my journey.

After about 4 hours we reached our destination. We parked our car and ventured into the “Wadi” which translated to the “stream” in Arabic. To my surprise the water was crystal blue, to such an extent I can see inside the water without my goggles. As we ventured further in we came across a cave half filled with water. The vibe from the cave was not spooky but felt like heaven with gleaming clear blue water dispersed with light shining our way through to the other side. And there it was, a waterfall hidden from the dangers of the outside world. So pristine and royal inside the mountain. What further proof do I need to not come to conclusions about a place from the inputs of others. We become hypocritical, when the situation is actually something else. A journey I won’t forget.