[2019] Oman, Happy Arabia

This year, we have chosen a destination that has not #8217 been understood and/or located by many people… Oman ! It is #8217 the land of Orientalist musings, tales of the Thousand and One Night or Sinbad the Sailor. We were lulled for ten days by perfumes from #8217 Orient, #8217 and rose largely dominate fragrances. The #8217 the smell of biquette is also well present and less charming ! It's all #8217 sweetness : Climate, Landscapes, dishes, the smile of Omanis who are very friendly and very inclined to discuss. We were amazed by their kindness and tolerance. I invite you to visit with us this beautiful country !

The mountains : nurbex in ancient villages

Rock The Casbah, the house of naughty

Sand castles : exhibit without panties at the museum

Lingerie : Operation “Desert Storm”

Wahiba Sands : the song of the desert and exhibits

Wahiba Sands : when you'#8217 naked in the desert of #8217 shows

Beyond : exhibiting and naughty in the land of a thousand and one nights (to come)

Oman is a country still unknown and stigmatizing a lot of prejudice. Yet, #8217 it is a very welcoming and open people to the discussion. Omanis salute in the street and are inclined to discovery. They wave their hands in the car or ask where we are going and where we come from. Curious, they honour a long tradition of exchanges dating back to the days of the Incense and Spice Routes. If the dominant landscape is arid, the mountain rubs shoulders with the sea and the desert. The colors are warm and soft. Camels and goats are found everywhere ! The road network is perfect, very recent and everywhere enlightened. France could take the example. Omanis are Muslim and have a different approach to the body than ours, we made sure to respect it as much as possible. No exhibits were made in the presence of locals. During a visit to a museum, we saw an old map where Oman was named Happy Arabia and that's so true. Petrodollar money took the country out of the economic slump that was waiting for it and elevated it to the similar rank of countries like the United Arab Emirates or Switzerland.. No one would have worried if we had gone to Dubai… Oman is even less risky.

As soon as you move away from the well-known tourist destinations, it's as much questioning as it worries. The border neighbourhood is not the most welcoming, I understand the apprehensions. As for Namibia, we had to reassure on the following three questions :

“This is where Oman ?

In the Arabian Peninsula with the United Arab Emirates as its neighbours, #8217 Saudi Arabia, Yemen and #8217 Iran.

“It's super dangerous., come back alive !”

"Frankly not", it is the third safest country #8217 in the world, the fourth being Switzerland ! The level of insecurity is much higher in South Africa, Costa Rica or France. Oman is very serene ! There is no #8217 #8217 insecure : people leave the windows of their car open or their mobile phone to load unattended in tourist areas. It's a rich, state-of-the-art country, who wanted to maintain a traditional way of life out of envy. We receive 5G everywhere and we could eat on the floor as it is clean ! Petrodollars have made it possible to build a singular country between modernity, traditionalism and display of wealth (Marble, Gold, teak wood and Swarovski dress all the monuments).

“Lilli will have to wear the veil, you're not going to be able to do anything, it's super strict.”

The Omani people are open and tolerant. I respected their manners to the maximum by favoring mid-length skirt, jeans and t-shirt, on the other hand I bathed in bikini. I tried the diving suit, but seeing that all the women were in bikinis, I copied them. We've seen a lot of Western tourists in miniskirts, Shorts, longshoremen and crop top ! They were no worse judged than I was. I was able to chat with the Omani men on an equal footing with MrSirban. I conversed, asked questions freely and got all the answers directly. I've never felt in the lower position when I was a woman. By the way, Omanis are considerate with their wives carrying their bags, caressing them back or face, playing with the kids… With my man, We held hands and kissed publicly, we didn't feel any looks of disapproval or embarrassment.

That's, you are reassured and conquered, you'd like to know when to go ?

The ideal period is between November/December and March/April, this corresponds to their cool period. Honestly, except in the mountains, where it's 24 degrees during the day and 3 degrees in the evening, we didn't get cold. The daytime temperature was about everywhere between 24 and 30 degrees. The water temperature was 27/28 degrees at the end of December, whether it's in the Wadis (Oasis) or the Sea. You can wear the same jersey as in France : Bikini, monokini, underpants or swim shorts, diving outfit…

Some practical tips…

Hotel supply is reduced, because there are few visitors. It's a destination in the process of being discovered, where you can travel quietly ! Mass tourism does not exist. Wild camping is permitted and poses no danger, whether it's insecurity or wildlife. You might just wake up face to face with a biquette, a donkey or a camel.

The local gastronomy is very good and cheap. The dishes are essentially Arabic specialties (kind of Lebanese cuisine), Indian and Pakistani. We mostly ate at local restaurants. There is often only one dish consisting of meat (chicken or sheep), rice and raw vegetables all served with a bottle of water and bread galette. You have to count between 3 € and 7 Depending on where you are. For the toilet, you'll have to forget the paper for a while and you adapt to the shower ! Otherwise, do as I do, pack your handkerchiefs with you everywhere !

Rent a 4×4 to get around the country is almost an imperative, otherwise you'll miss the bulk of the trip or struggle unnecessarily. Forget public transport, they are non-existent. A standard car will not allow you to access the mountains, because all vehicles are checked at a checkpoint and on the 4th×4 is mandatory. You won't be able to drive in the desert on the sand either, otherwise it's at your peril and I don't think you want to test the silting.

Regarding driving in the desert, think about having your tires deflated before and don't listen to touts who will try to scare you or sell you their turn. We were only annoyed at this place by very insistent sellers. The rest of the country, including the souks, is only quiet, smile, gentleness and kindness.

The real fake

For the first time in a trip, we read everything and its opposite before leaving and a lot of things turned out to be completely wrong.

• Google would be banned by the government

False ! From the airport, by purchasing a local SIM card for the phone, we asked the question and… the sellers laughed well !

• Suddenly, you have to use maps.me to get the GPS

If you're used to Google Maps, you can use it. Maps.me is convenient because there is no need for a 5G connection, but it doesn't always point in the right directions and makes a lot of mistakes like a detour of 150 Miles, that surprised us. It was on this day that we discovered its unreliability. We used both with a preference for Google.

• Omanis burp and fart publicly

It has been read on blogs that Omanis are supporters of the “there is more room outside than inside, any compression results in decompression”. Not at all ! We stayed there for ten days., we ate at small local restaurants every lunchtime and we didn't hear a single burp or fart. What a disappointment !

• The book Oman Off-Road is essential

He was found at the airport and he is not given the bugger (45 €). Having read everywhere that it was necessary, we bought it. It would allow us to discover remarkable points of interest. Honestly, we tried two outings with and it is not clear enough to find the place, whether it's in terms of the schematic or the text. The first attempt led us to a bad track. The second, we walked forty minutes in the middle of nowhere, then we turned back. Chatting at the hotel, There was a half day walk to find caves… against two kilometers of path announced in the book.