Lost in the mountains

What a day, what a trip! Decided to go up the mountain to escape from the heat of the plains. HAH!

Left around 9 am with whole family in tow, including two dogs who travelled in style in their own car (also with the food, BBQ brazier, coal, coolers and mats). 4 4WDs in convoy and each with their own travel plan. I won as I had Senior member of family with me. Second car kept on trying to lose me and I eventually sent them off ahead of me.

Just up the road to Jebel Akhdar there is a checkpoint. Local Checkpoint Charlie asked name and double googled when I told him nationality and name. Then asked if I knew what I was doing, we decided not to play with his mind any more and said yes we did. Off we went up and way with 3 cars following and making constantly making sure cars 3 and 4 were OK. What fabulous views, yes even the driver sees whats around him or her while negotiating the curves. Had to make a stop on a suitable lay-by as 3 and 4 were so far behind us, but we soon saw them chugging along like little toy cars behind us, being passed by locals in non 4WDs. One pick up passed us carrying a baby bull and a goat. Talk about a load of bull. Ha ha. Sorry.. sense of humour run off with me again. I was very concerned about the animals as the bull kept on moving as though to jump out of pick up bed, or the momentum of the curves to throw him out. Talk about heart in mouth at the thought of dead bull in road.

Pit stop at Jebel Akhdar Hotel and to show Senior member the place. Last time he was there was 20 years ago when passes were needed to access the single lane road leading treacherously up the mountain. This was a doddle compared to what it was then according to Senior member.

Off to find lunch spot and where to go. One car says this way, other says that way but we go any way. Confused? We were but its all fun, and off we go to higher elevations where temps down to 29C, but NO view. Turn around and on way back see young fellow resting under Juniper tree with local honey for sale. Stop and try to negotiate with him but only got less than 10% of him. It's cheaper down on the Sinaw road where the same honey (Sidr)* is sold for RO 20 per Vimto bottle. His reason for not selling cheaper? He had been sitting there since 6 am trying to sell the honey (and nothing was going to stop him from getting full price even if he had to stay there the whole night! or so went our thinking). His accounting was a way off as well when we came to buy the bottles, but he realised his error and agreed with us eventually.

Back down to Shireja and Diana Point (now renamed but I don't know the new name) where I led them to our picnic spot with view AND a tree to sit under. Whilst parking the car, Senior member tried to scare me into my old age by falling down and gushing pints of blood. Or so it seemed by the time I put the car in P and sprinted over to venerable parent. Luckily I had remembered to pack the first aid kit and we bandaged his palm up and put him under the tree with a very cold drink. I seemed to have been designated Cookie and after setting the rules (NO kids to rim without a parent, dogs in shade etc), set up the brazier, on with the BBQ. It was warmer than expected up there, despite the breeze which was very comfortable in the shade. Cooking over a hot brazier in 31 C in the sun is rather warm and one should not underestimate the effect of heat/sun stroke. Hats and plenty of water intake are a must.

After lunch a wee stroll along the rim with the dog and the kids, then off in the cars for a sightseeing trip to the walnut orchards. The hunt for the orchards in itself was a journey. Turning left on the main road, we passed the wee dip and curve in the road where according to Senior member there was a plane crash from the days of the troubles in the mountains in the '50s and he recounted the tale of 22 SAS. The village across from Diana Point is Al Ayn, a village of lovely stepped fields, where roses are grown. One of our suppliers of roses is here and we look forward to many more seasons of roses. The steppes are incredible and trail down the side of the gorge to what would appear to be the bottom. Supposedly built by the Persians who also gave to Oman the knowledge of the falaj (water system).

On to Wadi bani Habib, where the pomegranates grow and the famed walnuts. And what a crop of pomegranates (ruman in arabic) it will be judging from the net covered fruit hanging on the trees. I asked a local lady when the fruit would be ready and was told month 9 or 10, ie September or November. I wonder if they have roses here as well. I am sure they do. A lovely village, shown on the local map from the hotel as 'old village' - a definite MUST to return and photograph. Narrow roads and houses overhanging the road to make little tunnels and not easy to navigate. Our hunt for the walnuts was not so fruitful (no pun intended) and we had to reverse in some very narrow roads, go through tunnels barely large enough for a 4WD and up narrow entries praying no cars were coming in your direction! Well, its all part of the Lost in Oman experience isn't it. You have no idea whats coming at you.

Started down the mountain at 4.10 pm , with a quicker pitstop at the hotel. Tried putting 'Lucky' in descent gradient mode, but it wouldn't take as the minimum speed had to be 30kms and we were definitely doing more than that with safety to spare. Down at Checkpoint Charlie at 5 and on the highway at 5.15, back at base by 6.45.

A good day for all and lots of fun and memories made today.


The Sidr tree, (also known as Lote tree, Christ's Thorn, Jujube or Nabkh tree. Botanical name: Ziziphus spina-christi) is an ancient tree. The Jujube fruit was the first thing Prophet Adam (pbuh) ate when he was made to descend to earth. http://sidrhoney.tripod.com/id12.html

Falaj (pl. aflaaj) means a system for the distribution of water and is commonly used to describe the irrigation channel system downstream of the water's source. http://www.omanet.om/english/tourism/eco/falaj.asp?cat=tour&subcat=ecoo1