A tribute to our earth: part 2 of 3
The night was calm. No wind, not a breath of wind. And we lay awake for a long time. Every little rustle made us nervous. Did you hear that? What was that? Is there something gnawing at our tent? And then Klaus to me: did you fart? Nope. You? And then we heard a tap tap tap…. A donkey, right next to our tent…. Loudly farting. 3-4 donkeys stand comfortably around our tent. Finally we fall asleep.
The curious goats have also gone to sleep around us. First thing next morning, feeding the goat.
Day 4, 11 AM: Fortress
A day that will probably be rather boring: A touristy developed fortress is our destination. We don’t really have an expectation and then it becomes such fun. There are endless stairs, nooks and crannies to find in a fortress. We wander around like children on a discovery tour. A mysterious journey through time. The knights’ armor is missing, but we still feel like we’re in a medieval castle, plastered with clay. Here a corner, here a staircase, at some areas the plain rock looks out. Sometimes we stroll, sometimes we hide and scare each other, sometimes we run.
And then we stand on such a plateau of the fortress and are amazed. We notice how wonderful is the simplicity with which they have restored this fortress. No fire extinguisher, no barriers, no railings, no “Attention” here or there and we don’t need to sign anything at the entrance “Disclaimer for damages to body and soul …..”.
We have safety authorities in Germany. There is plant security and analysis security, security services and security companies, road safety…. And so, if something does happen, is covered, we insure ourselves. Wow.
What happens on a journey like ours cannot be insured or covered. It happens and we have to learn to deal with it. With the dangerous trucks, with the often exhausting weather, with people who are not well-disposed towards us, with ugly regimes. The price for giving up security is our freedom.
How wonderfully free a boring day can be!
In the evening we drive again to the place with the farting donkeys and goats. And who do I discover there? My favorite goat. All the others seem to have gone home already. She is pregnant.
Now it has happened, I felt in love with her. Of course she gets extra carrots and apples. Prepared just right for the goat. And also the next morning she looks after the first daylight already over the rocks to us. Today there is bread, an egg and even more apples and cucumber.
Day 5, 6 AM: Dry valleys – river courses – wadis – gorges
Life should not be a fight, rather a game. For me, to train the game of life I train my visual imagination.
I often have a picture in my head before I take it. Of course, this is not true for all my photos. But when I get into a situation, I sometimes have an idea of what kind of picture I’m about to take before I release the shutter. This is especially helpful when people play a role.
We had discovered a wadi the day before and walked a bit into it. The plan for this day was clear. Early in the morning, with the first light of the day explore it deeper. Stones stand still, there is time to look at them from all sides. But the light that falls on them, that does not stand still. It changes quickly and constantly. In seconds, a new image is created, which immediately fades away again, while the earth continues to rotate.
This is how I train my perceptions. I observe and observe and I will see faster!
But back to our river course. Now, after the summer it lay between narrow high mountain walls deep in the valley. Huge stones tumbled in and over each other, waiting for the water that would hopefully flow again in the rainy months, moving them further, sanding them further. We first walked deeper into the valley on many small round stones shaded in all shades of gray. The stones got bigger and bigger and we began to climb. Here and there a small waterfall, small pools of water (finally a bath) and palm trees on the slopes. So we felt like slowly became smaller and smaller. The rocks, which were sanded round by the water, became bigger and bigger. To climb these further and further was the challenge. Which way is still possible? How far will we get and we had to help each other here and there.
We visited a few such wadis and all of them fascinated us in their own way. We swam in caves, hiked through small villages that were only accessible by foot. Some had several pools of water along the way and always fabulous landscapes, fascinating flora and fauna and on top always a gentle breeze. Fruit trees and other agricultural crops alternate. Wadis can be found everywhere in the country. If I had the time, this is what I would want to see more. Wadis with their villages, oases, people, agricultural land.
Day 6, 5:30 AM: A desert out of stones
An unspectacular night was coming up. We were on our way to the sand dunes. But at 5pm we stopped at the side of the road. Not much time left to set up the tent and eat. We were standing on a deep black pebble soil all over with green specks. How could all these plants live here? Where did they get their water? The soil was so black, so heavy, so dense, so massive, and then these light green radiant specks. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had all floated in the air in the morning. This is how I could imagine an alien desert planet. What a fantastic dream.
Black for regeneration and green for independence! Our earth has super powers.
One camel didn’t survive!
On the way here we stopped at another place, a desert out of harsh stones. Klaus was not so pleased. It was hot, the stones had stored the heat, the sun was still burning from the sky, but I was going crazy. I had to go in there. That was only possible on foot. Stones everywhere. Nothing but stones. Large and small cairns. And then some bone remains. The camel hadn’t survived. I don’t know how long, but we walked back and forth, up and down.
The sun! It is a blessing and a curse. It kills bacteria, can purify water, strengthens our bones and muscles, it is a source of energy and provides wind and warmth. Just as a side note, women in countries that wear a chad and no body part is exposed often need extra vitaminD despite all the sun. Crazy.
How everything startet with our trip in Oman!
And for your visit in Oman, I do really recommend a visit in one of the fortress. Take your time and… be careful 🙂
P.S.: looks like there more pictures this time. Maybe I get back to my main profession slowly 🙂