A few days ago we went on a desert adventure. Josh has this book called Off-Road Oman that has directions and maps to all these places you can visit that aren’t normal tourist spots and many of them require a 4×4 vehicle.
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to 1. Ride in the car for an hour and a half to take a precarious road that the guide described as “a little tricky” 2. sit out in 115 degree heat in the middle of nowhere with a baby. But, since I’m a good sport, (and because Josh bought good snacks) I went along.
On the way there Caleb kept complaining that he wanted to “go to Wadi Shab and go cliff jumping” instead. (that’s where they went last time. If you missed that post, go HERE.) One of the reasons Josh selected this place (it was called Wadi something-or-other) is because it was “family friendly” since we could drive right to the final destination, unlike Wadi Shab where you have to park and hike for a while to reach water.
Once we left the paved road we drove into the wadi (following tire tracks) past thousands of date palms. From a distance we knew there had to be water ahead because you could see a green patch in the middle of the desert from miles away. A wadi is a dry riverbed in the desert. During the rainy season you have to be careful because they flood without warning.
I haven’t figured out why some of the dates are red and others are yellow. Different varieties? Is one tree just slower to ripen than another? I’m too lazy to google the answer . . .
Normal Josh. Sunglasses and coffee. Even while four- wheeling.
Goats! Tons of goats. This village was actually on the edge of the wadi, off the main road. I wonder how often they get trapped by the flooded wadi.
Our destination: these pools of water in the middle of the desert. They didn’t look like much at first, but it ended up being a great spot to relax (for me) and to play (for the kids). We threw down our wadi mat and cracked open the coolers and ate, swam and hiked. Except I didn’t hike. Because of the baby, of course.
There were tons of these tiny little fish. The boys took off their shirts and used them as nets to catch them. They swam and “fished” for hours.
The water was the perfect temperature and depth. There were a few deeper places (maybe chest deep), but baby and I sat in the shallow water up to our necks and kept cool.
The boys all caught frogs. Calvin managed to catch two in one grab.
Patience and stealth: a fisherman at work.
Camille kept trying to drink the water. Yuck. So far she hasn’t developed a nasty bug so either her immune system is strong or much fun awaits. Hoping for the former . . .
