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Italiano (Italian)
Nizwa
The ‘time came for the alternative New Year’s Eve, which I celebrated in the desert in Oman.
From Muscat airport I took the rental car booked at the time; good price with the addition that fuel costs exactly half as much as in Italy.
For so long I was hesitant about renting cars on my own, and still now if possible I prefer public transportation. But in fact for certain countries it is the best solution, and with google maps (in this case off line), it is easy.Oman gets around very well, the roads are great, little traffic (excluding Muscat) and with wonderful scenery: rugged mountains, rock or sand desert; ocean.
Before arriving in the desert in Oman, I stopped in Nizwa on a Friday afternoon. The owner of the giant apartment I did not even meet because he was away for the weekend. He left the keys on my door, and I paid at the phone store (it is as full as the jewelry stores and they are the only ones that open very early in the morning) below the house. I was just outside the souk, which I turned around in no time, Too bad there are too many cars in the way, but the fort is beautifully restored; it is a town that could be better enhanced, but interesting,
I would have been in the mood for a comfortable dinner and a smoke of shisha , but the restaurants are in fact just kebabbari with plastic tables outside and water smoking is not as popular as in other Arab countries. I soon returned and got on with reading about Lawrence of Arabia’s adventures.
Bahla Fort
The next day before entering the desert I also went to explore Bahla Fort; beautifully kept but bare. For the first time I crossed paths with a group of Italians from an organized trip. I laid eyes on the potential woman of my life, exchange of smiles and that was it, they went in and I came out.
Outside the fort I had a snack of kebabs and watermelon juice; in the small table next to mine was a couple of young Slovaks, and we compared what we were seeing; I am the only one I know who has matched the 2 countries in so few days.
Sharqiya Sands, the desert in Oman
I came to the part of the trip I cared most about, the visit to the desert in Oman.
If for the Emirates I had studied with some approximation, for Oman I had not, and in particular the choice of tented camp in the desert was thoughtful and in hindsight a winner. There are many of them, some with as many as a hundred tents, but I was interested in enjoying the scenery; the sand; as much silence as possible and the starry sky: this was the plan for my alternative New Year’s Eve 2023.
The desert in Oman to be precise would be many, the particular one called ” The Fourth Void” is shared with Saudi Arabia, is immense, and to cross it takes more organization and time than I had.
Of course I wouldn’t have minded sharing some intimacy in the desert tent, and I gave a thought to the chatty Austrian also solo with whom along with a couple of Russians and the boss, we reached the camp which is a half hour from the meeting point. The drive can only be done by 4-by-4 (I had rented a regular car) and immediately you see camels roaming freely.
There was the possibility of taking a ride with the tame camels, or by jeep over the dunes, but after the customary photos, I pointed to the fantastic dune that towered above our tents.
Fire lit under the starry desert sky
The sunset was, of course, splendid; I baptized the Austrian as far too chatty since although she kept me a seat next to her at dinner, she actually hung up on everyone. So, she was not interested and in the starry post-dinner, in front of the blazing fire in my company she took turns with the 2 Russians and an Omani driver: all interesting chatter.
Absurd dialogue to close alternative New Year’s Eve
In the main tent, a group of Portuguese had joined a group of Poles, and I don’t know who had remedied the most bottles, so much so that the chants were wasted, after midnight perhaps in Portolac. Before going to sleep, I stopped by to say hello to the Austrian woman who introduced me to her new Polish friends
He is Italian!
How nice, we want to die Italian; for now we have a second home in Anghiari, but we don’t have time to learn the language.
They went to call their son who must have been about ten years old and was quite embarrassed: he will become Italian, talk to him.
After a while I could close my alternative birthday, finally good night and happy new year.
Home travel It never rains in Oman anyway – travel to Oman and the Emirates
Previous stop Visiting Dubai, reception in bed
Next stop The pedicure fish of the wadi, Oman
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Countries visited in my travel stories
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