Tag Archives: Lina

Day 264 – Coming to an end

Quite literally…

Our last day. In Sohar. With Lina and Michael. Having spent a week here when we arrived in Oman and now another week before we leave Oman, it feels like the end of an era. It’s the beginning of the end of our journey. /melodramatic

We took it easy. After a long breakfast, we only went out for sweets and hot chocolate in the afternoon. I had to try the Chocolate Room in Sohar Mall one more time. So we did. And picked up nice Indian take-away on the way back.

Lina still had to mark tests and prepare things for the upcoming school week so Michael, Flo and I played a card game together before ending the evening with more episodes of the Big Bang theory.

Day 263 – Last weekend at “home”

Demo shot – we did not bring the camera when we had a swim 😉

We already collected two real homes each. Maybe we should not be too liberal with adding new ones, but Michael and Lina were such amazing hosts and we felt so comfortable here, it is hard to call it by a different name. Come Sunday, it will be time to leave once more (the Omani weekend is Friday and Saturday).

Regarding today, there was really nothing on our agenda. Gladly, we are all the kind of people who can enjoy a cozy day at home. Thus the day was gently going by with us watching videos, listening to music and a whole lot of good conversation.

We did break the rut once in the afternoon for a splash in the both enormous and refreshing pool of Lina and Michael’s condo complex. Simple times!

Day 262 – Celebrating the weekend

All together at the restaurant

Flo and I finished our last administrative tasks today as Friday and thus the weekend was coming up. The most important information we got was that Touratech Dubai does not stock any tires in Rocinante’s size. So we either have to find tires somewhere else in Dubai or we have to make our current ones last until Turkey. We’ll keep you updated on this.

Other than that, we wrote blog entries, emails, postcards and updated trip data. Once Lina and Michael were back, the weekend celebration could begin. So we went out for dinner to a Turkish place and gorged ourselves on Fattush salad, a mixed mazza plate with the biggest bread I have ever seen, grape rolls filled with rice and some grilled meat for the guys.

In the end, we all had to roll out of the restaurant and still took some take away with us.

: this is some serious bread!

: Look at this – omnom!

: Lina and Nina discussing the merits of the food

: All together at the restaurant

Day 260 – Boy Zone

Our first day in Sohar was mostly spent using the power and wifi here. Even though we wrote a lot of the blog entries on the road, we now had to upload them. Commenting about 40 to 50 pictures for each entry took us a while so in the end, we managed four blog posts. Which isn’t bad but still not up to date.

When Lina and Michael returned from school, Flo was invited to Jorge’s place where Michael was headed to jam with Jorge and Todd on their guitars. Flo wanted to check the tank and the tank sensor of the bike and Jorge has tools and space so he offered it. Note: Lina and I were not invited…it was explicitly a boy thing. =P

: On the shortcut to Jorge’s house

: One of his three bikes. Very cool bike, but way too tall for me.

: A look into the tank revealed no dirt and the wiring looked fine.

Day 259 – Hospitality

Slowly, the valley and plains appear out of the darkness

We got up really early today – 5.40 am – to see the sun rise over Wadi Ghul. It was uncomfortably cold outside, but the colours playing across the vast sky made up for it. At least for a while. Once the mornings glow had played out and the sun was up, it would take another 45 minutes for it to reach “our horizon”, the steep mountain across the valley. We decided that the time would be much better spend warming up and catching up on sleep hiding in the tent.

Ready to leave our little spot in the sky now

Once the sun was fully up and the tent warmed by the morning rays, we were ready to get out and start our day. We knew it would be the last packing up for a couple of days, so we took our time. Even so, the bike was packed and the road beneath us at about 9 am.

There was plenty of time in the day and our goal was only 300 km away in Sohar with no point being there before 5 pm. Based on that and the great condition of the gravel roads up here, I was able to convince Nina to explore a bit further. The highest point of Jebel Shams is another 1000m up. An Air Force radar station was build on top, so the map showed a road going all the way up. Naturally, I wanted to see how far we can go. I think the highest we had taken Rocinante so far was around 2400m.

Had to capture the epic-ness one more time

It turned out that this would have to stand for a while longer since there was a gate and guard house with a sign telling us that entry is prohibited. As we were about to turn around, an Air Force guard came out and after a moment invited us over. I am always up for coffee and we had nothing to do, so we accepted. Nasser and his aid Adi were amazing hosts. We got Omani dates and coffee until we thought we could take no more. Then they brought out the chai tea. We spent an hour with them, talking about out trip, their families and the world in general. What an amazingly warm experience.

When we were too full to eat any more dates or have any more tea, we received a “small” bag of dates for the road, about the size of a head. Glowing, we got ready and back onto the bike to leave Jebel Shams. Thank you Nasser and thank you Adi for such an amazing experience.

The beehive tombs are up on a ridge next to a dry wadi

There was one more box to tick before it was all about getting “home” again to Lina. Oman is famous for its many archaeological sites – the last one on our list was one of the groups of beehive tombs on the way. These towers were build more than 3000 years ago as burial mounds, but not much else is known about them. When we reached the site some time after lunch, we were surprised on how low key this was compared to so many other destinations in Oman. No big sign or infrastructure around. Just this amazing site at the other side of a wadi. Luckily, we had a point of interest in the GPS.

Wadi, gardens, a mosque and the mountain range give great context to the beehives

To get to the tombs, we had to cross a horticulture and gardens and then the dried up riverbed of the wadi itself on foot. It was actually pretty cool to get a good close up view of such an integral part of everyday Omani life. There were about a dozen towers in varying states of conservation, but for the most part it was pretty clear how this must have looked like. We wandered around a bit, took a heap more photos and walked back to the bike. There, we got talking to a farmer on his way back from his field. He told us that he emigrated 20 years ago from Islamabad and invited us for tea. With a heavy heart (we had 200 km to go) we declined as politely as we could and got back on the road. What a welcoming country!

The road between Ibri and Sohar leads through the mountains once more

The ride back was beautiful once more – even though we almost got lost at a road closure on the way. Oman is the country where our GPS data is probably most outdated – mainly because of the incredible speed with which new roads are being build or expanded. This road from Ibri to Sohar will soon be dualised and in prime condition. For now, it was still a beautiful highway through the mountains and then down a wadi towards the northern coastal plain.

The day ended in a little surprise. Last week, we checked with our friends whether they would be around during the weekend, to hang out one more time before we had to move on. We knew that we would arrive earlier in the week, though, and had sent texts to confirm today’s arrival. As it turned out, our texts got lost in limbo and Lina and Michael were quite surprised to have us right at their doorstep tonight. Soon the surprise had worn off, though. We got a nice dinner and the room prepared for us. It is so nice to be welcomed, even if one shows up “unannounced”.

: The sky has leopard spots…

: Slowly, the valley and plains appear out of the darkness

: So bloody cold for a sleepy Nina. Had to wrap myself into the sleeping bag

: It’s a brand new day and the sun is high…

: Ready to leave our little spot in the sky now

: Which is still looking impressive

: Had to capture the epic-ness one more time

: It’s an adventure!

: After our “how much coffee and dates can you take?” invitation we went into Wadi Ghul for a bit…riding on pebbles is quite hard work

: …and since we were late by now, we called it after a while

: These shaggy goats have been shaved

: The beehive tombs are up on a ridge next to a dry wadi

: Only access is on foot

: Nicely silhouetted by the blue sky

: They still stand quite tall

: Looking along the row of them

: There’s a tiny entrance but we didn’t dare trying it for real. So all you get is a fake shot

: Wadi, gardens, a mosque and the mountain range give great context to the beehives

: Looking into the other direction

: A whole plastic bag full of dates courtesy of Omani hospitality

: So yummy as a roadside snack

: The road between Idri and Sohar leads through the mountains once more

: And as always, it is pretty!

: And the road is still perfect, too.

Day 246 – Baking fails and other delays

Our last day! Or so we thought. I, at least, started preparing pretty early on. Cleaned the kitchen box, sorted through our documents etc. Flo was way more relaxed. He voted to watch “Cowpocalyse” which we did as I needed to stop running around. While watching, the power suddenly went out. First, it was mostly annoying because the movie just went black. Then, we realized that Lina had started the breadmaker this morning which was now also off. What happens to the bread if the power just turns off?

If at first you don’t succeed, why not fail again?

An hour later, it came back on. The bread didn’t fare too well…Flo set it on bake but when the breadmaker beeped, it didn’t look finished at all. Since this bread was ruined, we put the breadmaker back on with a new round of ingredients. It refused to start, telling us that it was too hot. Finally, it started. The end product was not impressive at all. The bread didn’t rise nearly as much as it should have and the texture was very dense and doughy. The heat probably killed off the yeast before the bread making even started. What a fail. 🙁

To make up for it, I wanted to make very chocolate-y cookies. Weighing the flour, we then searched the house for baking powder and cocoa…both of which we just couldn’t find! Deflated, we succumbed to an afternoon on the couch, watching tv, waiting for our hosts.

The slowest pizza on earth …

Flo already toyed with the idea of staying another day as his arm was not as well as he would have liked it to be.

Lina and Michael arrived and showed the appropriate amount of piety for our baking failures. In comparison to their day, we have had a stroll in the park though. Soon, all four of us jumped into the car to have pizza. In your face, strange day!

The pizza place looked abandoned from outside but a member of staff opened the door and nodded so we went in. Lina’s and my vegetarian pizzas arrived soon after and we munched away. Flo and Michael had to wait for a curiously long time. In fact, a white car delivered plastic shopping bags to the pizza parlor before they got their pizzas so they must have run out of something.

It got later and later. By 6.45pm, the pizzas arrived. The guys asked for a take-away box as Michael just wanted to go home to relax. On the way back, we decided to actually stay a day longer. That was probably the best call to make as we then had a lovely, chatty evening watching comedy on the TV.

Try again tomorrow. 😉

Day 245 – Back to school (8th Month-i-versary)

Today, we had the amazing opportunity to accompany our friends Lina and Michael to their workplace. They both work here in Sohar at an international school; one teaching secondaries and the other a bit younger ones. We tagged along on our bike, with the chance to meet staff, visit a class and have a general look around.

Sports Hall

When we left at noon, it was once again one of those times where we had to pinch ourselves to believe that we really keep on getting these amazing encounters. Being able to sit with a class and see how much better school can be compared to what we were both used to from our own time at school was elevating. On top of that, we had the chance to hear an amazing author talk.

First we got a grand tour of the school. It is relatively small, even though it covers all from kindergarten up to the A-levels. A gym, dance and music halls and even a swimming pool on the grounds. We also got to say hi to a lot of staff, including George from Spain, who passed us on our way to school on a beautiful KTM 950 adventure. Always great to meet fellow riders.

Looking towards the building for secondaries

After that, we joined Michael’s class for a lesson. They are just old enough to transition to a more self-managed style of learning. It was so great to see these kids picking up skills that a bunch of professionals I encountered in the past struggled with. As a bonus, we even got the chance to work with some of the kids. We both got interviewed for their current long term team projects.

Pretty impressed, we joined back up with Lina after the lesson and learned that we could hang around and listen in to Lorie Ann Grover presenting to Michael’s class and another one. Lorie Ann is the mother-in-law of another teacher. We already got a chance to hang out with her, her husband and daughter during our wadi trip on Thursday. Back then, we did not quite realize how much of an amazing person she was. We were also once again impressed with the kids. The were fully switched on during the talk and with their questions afterwards.

The shadow of the safety railing on our curtain. So pretty!

With a full day’s worth of new impression collected by lunch time, we got back on the bike and made our way “home”. Along the way, we stopped at the local mall for lunch and more importantly shopping at Carrefour for dinner. We promised Michael and Lina to prepare dinner for them tonight and Michael opted for Nachoes.

We came back with plenty of time to get everything ready. Imported Avocados from New Zealand proved, unfortunately, much better in Gisborne that Sohar. Overall, I hope it was still nice enough. Our hard working hosts definitive seemed to appreciate the gesture.

Day 241 – Wadi picnic

Just keep following. And don’t bump your head

We had been thinking of going camping all together, but the recent heat made that a less appealing idea. Thus, we were keen to join when colleagues of Michael and Lina’s asked us to join on a picnic trip to a wadi nearby.

Wadis are valleys and rivers carved mostly by rain water. Some of them have running water at all times, some just after rainfalls. The one we went to today has water all year round enough for a swim in some places.

Mats are useful all around the world. Might need to buy cheap ones again

Given that we want to have as much time as possible for my arm to heal and we did not know the road, we decided to stick this one out in our friends’ 4×4. It turned out to probably have been the wiser choice nonetheless, since the road up the wadi had deteriorated quite a lot since our guides had last been there. Michael clearly had fun with it, which may not be true for everyone in our little tin can. Either way, Gandalf the White (their car) did a splendid job with the gravel track.

The picnic spot was superb and would be just as good for camping. Nice, even ground raised off high enough off the wadi floor and river to drastically reduce the risk of being caught in a flash flood (not that there was rain today, but people die every year in these). The view was great, the water was pleasant and there were perfect swimming holes nearby, shielded from the road.

Least appropriate swim wear. Exposed shoulders and legs are a no no…for men and women

So we enjoyed ourselves – first with a great picnic of delightful turkish food and later with a refreshing swim in the wadi. It was a bit awkward since we have the least appropriate swimwear for a Muslim country, but the good old Rarotongan sarong came in to the rescue. The water was beautifully cool and clear.

After a couple of hours we quickly packed everything up. The sun had come out in the meantime and the views all around were just stunning. Eager to have a bit more fun with the car, Michael convinced Lina and the rest of us to go and explore a bit further down the track and up the wadi. We drove up a hill, down the other side, crossing the river twice for about 800m when the little convoy was stopped again.

The recent rains seemed to have had a bigger impact than just making the road a bit worse. Here, the entire road has been washed away since our guides had last been here, down to the bare and jagged rock underneath. Even the decent 4×4 were not ready to cross the 60cm steps of rock that now lay were the road has been. It was nice enough, we walked around a bit more and enjoyed the landscape on foot before finally turning around and heading home in the golden afternoon light.

After all this excitement, we were all pretty hungry again. Instead of cooking home-made burgers for two hours, we went for lazy pasta which was soon done.

: We followed colleagues of Lina and Michael…off road

: The landscape is amazing and so different from Southeast Asia

: Just keep following. And don’t bump your head

: Goats! They are so shaggy, almost like sheep

: Carrying all our picnic gear to the wadi

: Tada!

: Like a tent without sides

: Mats are useful all around the world. Might need to buy cheap ones again

: Nice place and good for a swim

: Least appropriate swim wear. Exposed shoulders and legs are a no no…for men and women

: But not everyone has been here long enough to pick up something suitable

: A dry puddle…all broken up

: This would also be a suitable camping spot

: Moving on further off road

: He totally enjoyed it

: This far and no further

: So we all had a look at the steps in the track

: Argh, why u so bright?

: Luckily, there were enough people around to take a picture of us

: Little fellow in the water

: River crossing time

: Follow the red car…down the rabbit hole…or so

: Very pretty views

: This just looks like a car ad now

: What a view!

: Can’t wait to explore more of the country on our bike

Day 240 – Exploring Sohar

look at all this food – wohoo!

It was late yesterday…for Lina and Michael who waited for us to arrive and for us who needed to ride to Sohar and clear a border in between. Thus, we were all rightly tired and took it slow. The best start into the day is a rich and long breakfast so Lina did her best to impersonate her parents who have perfected that art. What I am trying to say: Breakfast was amazing. From a breakfast egg to fresh bread to the veggie platter. As always, I ate too much and as Michael put it, breakfast took three hours. 🙂

By the time we were ready to explore Sohar, it was 1pm. Sohar is not really a tourist destination as we found out when we looked for things to do on the Lonely Planet website. To be honest, it asked us if we’d “gone off the beaten track?”. However, there are still things to look at so we started with a trip to the ocean. When we had looked at the temperature in Oman last week, it was around 25 degrees but today, the car showed a lovely 34 degrees outside. Lina and Michael assured us that it changed only a day ago but such is our luck…it is hot here as well.

These things looks the same all around the world …

After a stroll along the beach, we drove to a Portuguese fort. There are renovations going on at the moment so it was closed to the public but we still managed to take some lovely shots of it.

The next attraction on the list was Sohar’s only mall. Recently, a “Chocolate Room” has opened there (Lina told me this a couple of weeks ago) so it was definitely a destination. Also, I really needed to keep my eyes open for a headscarf as the improvised black cotton would not do in this weather. So we entered a lovely little shop full of pretty scarfs and traditional male headwear…which were too pricey for us…but Lina said I can have one as a combined birthday gift. 😀 I now got an amazingly pretty, coloured, Kashmir-silk headscarf. So happy!

After this surprising gift, we went to the Chocolate Room and had hot chocolates. Can the day get any better?

Tired, we got home again. Too tired to cook, food (too much of it) was ordered. Well, since a picnic was planned for tomorrow, we were now all set of this as well. 🙂

: look at all this food – wohoo!

: attraction 1/3, check

: There was a nice bit wind going that day.

: Chin-muff is getting there

: These things looks the same all around the world …

: Close up of the outer wall

: New fort on the opposite side of the street

: Happy cocoa reunion shot!

: One looks like it’s drowning …

: What a beautiful scarf they picked.

Day 192 – Argh, argh!

Dragged ourselves out in our “sleeping” cotton shirts 🙂

We had planned to go on a little ride-out to find a lookout and hill station in the Bokor National Park. But once we had taken our breakfast at our still lovely guesthouse (we had decided to stay one more day, by the way) did the stomach demon strike. And that was it, pretty much.

We dragged ourselves out two more times to get food – Lunch at the Epic Arts (no experiments) and dinner at a more forgettable expat pizza joint in town, but that is it. A lot of sleeping, a lot of watching youtube.

No – honestly, that is it. So why don’t I use this to give an update on our more recent thoughts on the route from here on out and on our changing plans?

Why?

We had no illusions that all big plans we might have come up with in New Zealand had to have a level of flexibility when it comes to execution. Over the last two months, this has evolved and grown a bit beyond minor details. So, what are the issues? Why change?

First, because frankly, we have run out of money. Even though we have received incredible support to keep us going, we felt that we should at least consider cutting it a bit shorter to reduce our future outstanding obligations.

Further, we have felt an increasing pull to “come home” – to a single place for a good long while. Not so strong that we want to pull the plug entirely, but strong enough. We are both pretty sure that this will be a once in a lifetime trip and we would cut future adventures down to 1-3 months maximum.

Most importantly and urgently requiring a change of plan though was the fact that we realised that we do not want to go to Pakistan. Most importantly through Baluchistan. After a lot of talk it boils down to this: We do not want to risk our lives and more importantly the lives of some poor soldiers just to draw a line on a map. We, for now, have no pull towards Pakistan and would only be there to get to Iran.

There are other, minor bits: Nepal, our other big highlight, is in crisis right now with no clear end in sight. Myanmar required an expensive guide and can be well done some other time on smaller bikes. India is a mixed bag, but the long list of horror stories from the road (including fatalities) are playing into it as well.

The Plan 2.0

Right. So our new plan is to complete the Cambodia – Laos – Northern Thailand loop, then do Bangkok and fly either from there or from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai. Then we would do a little loop through Oman to visit Nina’s best friend and her lovely husband and come back to Dubai to take the ferry into Iran. Persia is, after Laos, the big “want to go there” item on our list.

After that, we would travel on to Istanbul, as a sort of unofficial end point and dash, broke as we are, back home across Eastern Europe.

All of this will probably cut two months out of our trip, making a perfect early summer return date. If all goes according to plan … 😉

planning …

Chaos roaming the world

random pieces of life of Nina and Florian