Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine June 2018 | Page 142

Travel | Oman
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1
Ask a travel agent to
describe Oman and they
will talk about the Wahiba
Sands, blood-red dunes
as high as ocean waves
that stretch as far as
the eye can see.
Another day, another climatic zone. Ask
a travel agent to describe Oman and they will
talk about the Wahiba Sands, blood-red
dunes as high as ocean waves that stretch as
far as the eye can see. The topography is Star
Wars meets Lawrence of Arabia, with tracks of
snakes, desert foxes and vultures dusted
nightly by the shifting sands. Some 3,000
Bedouin herders still call this desert home,
adding a taste of modernity to a traditional
diet of camel milk, coffee, rabbit and dates.
This being Oman, my accommodation
is five-star. Desert Nights Camp appears
like a mirage from the sea of sands.
Turbaned staff offer cold towels and mint
tea to visitors stepping out of their 4x4 jeeps.
Their ‘tents’ are like boutique lodges, with
outdoor beanbags and carpets on which
to plan your desert adventures.
1 The commanding fort at Nizwa, built above
an underground stream, was able to withstand
countless attacks from raiding forces.
At dusk the residents of the entire resort
climb a nearby dune for drinks as the sun
sets over Saudi. At dawn we’re up for
sandboarding (like snowboarding but more
painful) before guides offer dune tours
via quad bike and Land Cruiser.
Thoughts of rain are far away. But I drive
my Toyota into a tropical storm due south
in Salalah. Oman’s second city abuts the
Indian Ocean and receives the same
yearly monsoons as India’s Malabar Coast.
A population dominated by migrants
from the subcontinent lends a tropical
air. Coconuts and mangoes are offered by
roadside sellers, and street curries include
layered biryani rice and unctuous lentil dhals.
The palm-fringed beaches rival those in Goa,
while the archaeological site of Khor Rori is
said to be one of the Queen of Sheba’s palaces.
Khor Rori was the main trading port of
frankincense. These scented balls of tree
resin, known as the ‘white gold’ of Arabia,
were exported from Salalah to Rome,
China and India for untold centuries. The
frankincense tree forests north of the city
make up another UNESCO World Heritage
Site. I drive there, dodging both clouds and
camels. Turbaned workers are tapping the
trees for scented sap as views over ocean,
desert and ancient city tempt from below.
That’s Oman: scratch the surface and
centuries of history come to the fore.