AL HAMRA
We arrive here at around 16.30. Our guesthouse is located right near the abandoned old city, which we visit at dusk, after having left our bags in the room. We are practically the only ones wandering around the ruins.
We also reach the main road where there are some shops and a closed supermarket.
ACCOMODATION
Al Hamra Old House, 36 Eu for a double room with bathroom. We are on the ground floor next to the entrance. No noise at all. It is a traditional house, built with clay and furnished in local style, beautiful.
A steep staircase leads to the second floor, where there are other rooms, all empty, and to the third one, where we find a beautiful roof terrace. Here are some tables, and we eat our dinner, ordered though the reception to some restaurant with delivery service.
JEBEL SHAMS
We get up quite early and start driving in the direction of Jebel Shams, always following Google Maps. We know that the last part of the route will be unsealed and will require a 4WD, but we have read there are always local people in the surroundings who propose themselves as guides/drivers. We stop in a parking lot to admire the view of a town made up of traditional houses perched halfway up the hill in front of us, near a lush oasis. I believe it is Misfah al Abriyyin.
We are approached by a gentleman, who asks us exactly what we expected. We negotiate the price down to 30 OMR for both of us, and we sit in his Toyota. He takes the bumps at full speed without any problem, and we think of the via crucis we avoided by accepting his proposal. We reach the viewpoint in perhaps half an hour by road. We are almost exactly at the top of the mountains that could be seen from the parking lot where we met.
Later on, we leave our car in the village where our guide is born, and where some of his relatives still live. He introduces us to some of them, and to a granddaughter. Women don’t like to be photographed.
A panoramic path departs from the village. The view is more or less the same we could see from the past view points. Since we are a bit in a hurry, we just dedicate about an hour to the walk, then unfortunately we have to leave. We arrive in Muscat at around 17.00.