Shinas – Al Hagir

After saying goodbye to Thomas and Yoga who were cycling to their “Warmshowers” host, we headed to our first camp after leaving the ferry. It rained heavily the previous days so parts of the road were flooded and because it became dark it was hard to see how deep these were…Michele managed well but the last part was knee deep and she had to step of, still wearing her mountain boots…

We set up camp, cooked, slept well and the next day we met fellow cyclists Frank and Steffi from Germany who had slept nearby. They had left Germany 7 months ago but took a more southern route as us and also now they went South along the coast of Oman while we headed West direction mountains for Wadi Jezzi. We had a “rocky” camp there but comfortable and were invited for some chai and home made bread with fish cooked by a family who were barbecuing nearby. Next day we cycled and were surprised to hit a “Border Control”…we only had single entry visas! Lucky enough it turned out to be a control long before the actual border so all we needed was a stamp to remain on the right road in Oman which meant turning South through the mountains.

Days were hot and cycling sometimes tough but it was beautiful as well. Vast landscapes with stunning rock formations, small villages with colorful houses and friendly people. There’s always water to be found. At Mosques or Wadi’s ánd may I add that there are many public toilets in Oman, even in remote places!