Oman > The beautiful oasis Wadi Bani Khalid

It was cooler last night than the previous nights. When I go to the toilet, I see the beautiful starry sky above the desert. I pull the warm blanket over me again and fall asleep. After breakfast, I drive out of the desert. At the main road, I say goodbye to Achmed and get back on the bus. Walkhim drives me to Sur on the coast.

Oman - Wadi Bani Khalid is a beautiful place to swim

Before reaching Sur, I first visit the oasis town of Wadi Bani Khalid. The bus struggles with the mountain pass. Just before the wadi, water streams have washed away parts of the road, and construction workers are repairing the pavement. Wadi Bani Khalid is a stunning oasis with clear water. I jump in and swim among the rock formations. Through a narrower passage, I reach a second pool. High above, mountain goats watch me. At 11:30 a.m., I continue toward Sur, still about 130 kilometers away. Walkhim drives firmly but safely. As I approach Sur, the buildings become denser. Sur is clearly a larger city in Oman. I pass my hotel for the evening and drive to the city center. I notice an extraordinary number of minarets; it seems there is a mosque every two hundred meters. The streets are quiet. Shops are closed for lunch, and people stay out of the sun. At the lighthouse at the entrance of the natural seaport, I make a short stop. I visit a traditional dhow shipyard, where wooden boats are built with precision.

Oman - The lighthouse of Sur on the Ayjah peninsula

Finally, it’s 2:30 p.m. when I sit down for lunch at a restaurant. I order a small meal because I have an early dinner planned. In the afternoon, I feel like walking. Around four o’clock, I leave the hotel. I turn left and then take the first right into a residential neighborhood. I walk through the outskirts of Sur, heading toward Bilad Sur Castle, though I’m not exactly sure where it is. People look at me with surprise and wave kindly. Frequently, I hear “How are you?” and “Where are you from?” I walk toward the hill in the distance. I see a ruin, but the low sun behind it makes it hard to tell if it is the castle. Later, I realize I’ve already passed it. I walk from neighborhood to neighborhood and sometimes past abandoned fields. To be safe, I carry some stones in my pocket for aggressive dogs. Eventually, I reach a neighborhood with identical houses—social housing. A boy of about twelve rides toward me on his bike and politely introduces himself as Hamad. His friends also introduce themselves, curious to know where I’m from. I decide to take the same route back, just to be safe. It’s now past five. Suddenly, everywhere in the neighborhood, people start playing football, and the sand flies with every kick.

Oman - A football match in a suburb of Sur

By six o’clock, I’m back at the hotel and take a shower. In the evening, I drive for about an hour to the tip of the peninsula, Ras Al Jinz. This beach is a regular nesting site for giant sea turtles. In two groups of 25 people, we walk to the beach. Sahud guides my group to Beach B. Before we arrive, he receives a call: there are no turtles on Beach B and only one on Beach A. The first group is already around the turtle, and at a distance, Sahud explains how the turtles lay their eggs. Using their front flippers, they dig a deep hole about half a meter. With their hind flippers, they make a smaller hole where the eggs are deposited, then cover the hole with the front flippers. It’s my group’s turn to approach the turtle. The turtle on the beach is just covering her nest. She is a medium-sized green turtle, clearly struggling, pausing every few digs to catch her breath. She seems unfazed by my presence and continues calmly. Laying and covering the eggs takes her over two hours. Suddenly, a call comes from the dark beach: small turtles have hatched and are heading to the sea. The tiny creatures, only a few centimeters long, dash across the sand until they are carried away by the waves. I take a final look at the mother turtle and head back to Sur around eleven o’clock. What a wonderful experience.