Spotting dolphins, swimming with fish and watching rural life in Musandam more than made up for inconveniences encountered at the border.
After packing the cool box and making sure we had enough snacks for our drive to Musandam, Oman, we headed out of Dubai just after 4pm on a warm Friday afternoon.
The journey took us through Sharjah and all the way onto the northerneast coast of the emirate Ras Al Khaimah, where we had to stop just a couple of times for cows to cross the road.
Our foreign guests were excited, to say the least … as if there are no cows scattered across the English countryside!
When we finally reached the Oman border, we were relieved. But that was, however, short-lived since we had to fill out a bunch of papers and get them stamped.
The process took a long time. Let's just say it was daylight when we arrived and by the time we left, night had already set in.
The reason? None of us had Omani car insurance and had to apply for it at the border. It cost Dh100 for a minimum coverage of ten days.
Finding neverland
The winding mountain road in Musandam in the dark (sometimes pitch black) made the drive a little tense since the turns at some corners were sharp.
It didn't help that the car was filled with eerie exchanges of horror stories. Focusing on the drive, I could only overhear bits here and there — one story featured an aluminous man who back-flipped his way into my friend's face, then suddenly vanished into thin air!
But back to the drive. Following a bit of a goose chase trying to locate Esra Hotel Apartments where we were to stay for the night, we finally located it at a dark end.
The place was simple but comfortable and offered the basic necessities needed for a short stay.
We were all excited about the events scheduled for the next day — diving, snorkelling and spotting dolphins.
Dive in deep
The minivan picked us up at 9am (very painful!) and a quick drive saw us at the Khasab harbour.
After making sure that we had our bright lilo's and snorkelling gear, we hopped on to one of the waiting dhows. We were all excited about the trip.
After our guide, Mahil, told us the plan for the day and the places we would visit, we sat back on the Arabian-style seating and started cruising.
Within a few minutes, we spotted dolphins. Some of us had never seen dolphins before and could not hide our amazement on seeing these friendly mammals of the sea.
After showing off their swimming skills with twists and jumps, they were gone — just like my friend's crazy, aluminous back-flipper.
Our first stop for the day was Telegraph Island, so named ever since the British set up a cable station to speed up communication between Great Britain and India. However, following many set-backs, the station was abandoned after 1868.
Today, it is one of the best snorkelling sites in Musandam. After taking a few dives off the dhow — and watching other tourists enjoying the same activity — and swimming among hundreds of fish, it was time for lunch.
Rustic charms
We sipped on delicious Arabic tea as we sailed to the next destination. Along the way, we noticed modest villages at the foot of the mountains, each with just a handful of small, white houses, in front of which lay fishing boats.
Fishing is the backbone of Musandam's economy. Tourism also seems to give the area a great boost — where genuinely interested travellers can get a good dose of local culture.
Yen for life
Our guide was a local and although he had not travelled much, his English was exceptional.
When asked if he had learnt the language in school, he replied: “I live in a village with just seven other houses but we have Showtime, PlayStation and listen to hip-hop!''
So would he exchange this for a different life? “Absolutely not,'' he said. “To me, this is paradise.'' Our last stop gave our group an opportunity to spot even more marine life.
There were colourful angel fish, tiger fish and sea urchins (make sure you do not step on these spiky creatures) and many more of the ocean's denizens.
As we threw food out into the water, the fish came by the hordes. Some did not hesitate to jump in and feed straight from our hands.
Some of us stayed within the comforts of the dhow. Others had fun holding diving competitions off the dhow to see who could land farthest.
Grand finale
As we headed back to the harbour around 4pm, the dolphins came to bid us a final farewell with even more impressive tricks.
After checking out of the hotel, we began our journey back home. Tired and overwhelmed by the excitement of the day, we could not stop talking about the experience all the way home.
