Monday, March 11, 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

1000 Nights

Posted by Hippobean at 6:05 PM
Suddenly this huge orange sand bank appeared before us and we drove onto it. The world changed from mountains and houses and cars and palm trees to red undulating sand and orange dunes, the mighty immense Wahiba Sands. The sand was super fine and the wind created interesting wave patterns on it. The air was hot and dry and the wind was blowing. Above us was the immense blue sky and beneath and all around the never ending orange red sand. We didnt see anybody else there and there were no other trucks except ours. We've stopped at the bottom of a giant dune, ran up it and slouched back down again. What heaven! We did some dune driving and arrived at our luxury desert camp, the 1000 Nights Camp, amidst horses, camels and orange sand. We were immediately greeted with a wet nap and Omani coffee or sweet tea in the open air reception. A 2 story building next to the pool and the reception was the restaurant with bedouin style dinning. The sheep woolen tents were scattered all around in the enclosed camp compound. We had the Sheikh tents with open air en-suite. Nothing beats showering and using the toilet in open air. My tent was spacious, with a sitting area, the bed covered with clean sheets and towels. There was an electric light in the tent as well as in the bathroom but by 9pm, the generators were turned off. There's running water but only cold, which was fine because we're now around 38C. The cheaper arabic tents were simple with 1 shared bathroom.

We climbed up a dune and waited for the sun to set. We sat on the warm late afternoon sand and i took off my sandals to allow my feet to taste the fine sand. It embraced them and they sank into it luxuriously. When your bare feet touch the sand that is not coarse nor rough, or wet and cold, but soft and fine, warm and inviting, it's one of the most sensual moments in life. The sun, round and clear and bright, slowly dipped spectacularly down behind the dunes in front of us, until everything went silhouette. Possibly the best sunset I've ever experienced.

The buffet dinner was just OK as the BBQ lamb and chicken were both over cooked and tough to eat. The camp offered complimentary round the clock bottled water and soft drinks, so I had to go the bathroom quite a bit. The omani coffee, a light but flavorful brew and sweet tea were super delicious. couldnt get enough of them. The camp was supposed to have entertainment in the evening but there was no fire burning in the pit nor music nor dancing, so I was sourly disappointed, and we all retired early to bed. At 3AM I got up and stepped outside my tent with Small GreenEye Leo to experience desert at night. Pitchblack, absolute silence. Amazingly it wasnt cold. I sat in front of my tent and looked up to see the clear stars. Aside from their brilliance, i could see nothing. Moments like this was an unique treasure. Perhaps this was the only time in my life where the silence was absolute and the darkness complete. Absolutely one of the highlights of this trip. Suddenly a shooting star sped across the sky. then it was followed by the sound of jets. an airplane flying overhead from muscat!


See Wahiba Sands photos

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