Then there was lunch. For those who know us well this will come with no surprise: we just can't skip lunch. We had to stop for a quick bite in the family section of an anonymous restaurant alongside a petrol station on the motorway. So we were truly on our way around 12.30, perhaps 1pm instead of the planned 9:00 am. Hooray! We were starting our weekend, heading towards Ibra for a camping trip with a group of friends high up on the mountains on the Eastern Hajars. Did it really matter if we were late?
Not really. Although it almost did.. All of this could have been irrelevant if.. well if.. S. hadn't decided to set off without the exact GPS coordinates or at least appropriate instructions on how to reach the agreed place. We had to make do with some random and vague instructions I had found on the web and scribbled down casually on a piece of paper the day before, just for added info.
At least that set us in the right direction. As instructed, after 16km from the turn off to Wadi Naam we turned right into the Wadi, just before Anniba Plantation. We did, well we did turn right into what looked like a dry Wadi, just before a plantation. I started to suspect that the directions were wrong when instead of getting closer to the mountains it looked like we were driving away from them back towards route 23.
We drove for a while on soft gravel ground. A camel resting under the shade of a tree gave us a curious look. When we ended up back on a paved road not far from the main one we started from, we were sure we were not where we were meant to be. We ended up in a loop back to the plantation. We decided to go back on the gravel road thinking that maybe we missed a turn. We hadn't. We did it a second time and half a third time. We tried to call our friends but by then we knew they had already reached the mountains because none of them had reception. We were lost, late and had no idea where to go and on top of that we had forgotten our good road map at home... we couldn't have been more unprepared.I couldn't see how taking random off-road tracks would help, nor did I think that S.'s maniac driving could get us anywhere any faster. The 3rd time on the gravel S. almost lost control of the car as it swung from one side to the other. I thought we were going to end upside down, 4x4 have a high centre of gravity which makes them more prone to rolling. Having recently heard a first hand account of a Prado being rolled 180 degrees by an ex-class mate from the Arabic course didn't add any comfort. The image of her and her passengers hanging upside-down held by the seatbelts kept on visualising in my mind. They got out of the vehicle alright but had to wait 45 minutes for rescue. She got away with a few stitches and a bit of a shock while the car, borrowed from a friend, was a total write off.
No, I wasn't interested in that kind of experience so I must have sounded like one of those old ladies who keep on nagging to the driver, my body all stiffened up on the passenger's seat. I am normally quite adventurous but that afternoon I just wasn't enjoying S.'s driving.
Finally we decided to take a different route, on a paved road. We were getting closer to the mountains but we still had no idea where the turn off to start the climb up was. We drove through a road construction site until one of the workers had the good sense of telling us to get off... taken by speed S. missed the diversion sign. Not that they are usually very clear down here.
It was almost 4pm, the light softening in the sky, we had been going in circles around the same area for a while and still had no idea where to go. We had all the meat and charcoal for the rest of the group. It really could have turned out a fiasco of a trip.
Finally the bulb lit up! We called one of the friends who had to pull out at the last minute. The only one who knew where we were going and who luckily had phone reception. With directions and GPS coordinates we were soon outside of GSM reach, climbing up steep and bendy roads, surrounded by beautiful sceneries that unfortunately we couldn't stop to admire.We reached the top around 5 or 5:30 pm, not long before sunset. After 5 long hours of driving! Some of the others, who still thought we'd left early in the morning had got a bit worried and had gone off on a search for us. They were worried they were going to find us down one of the steep drops along the road...
Luckily it all turned out well. We pitched our tents and we enjoyed the rest of the weekend. The following day we drove to the other side of the mountains down steep tracks towards the sea. 1700 m lower and 10-15c later we were around Tiwi beach soaking in the warm sea.It was an adventure with a happy ending and it's definitely taught us something. At least to me not to trust a project manager to plan a trip.
Note - The roads to and from Ibra Toms are challenging, with narrow and steep gradients at points. The site can only be reached with a reliable 4x4 and some skilled driving. It's always advisable not to venture out on such trips on a single car. There is no mobile phone coverage from when you start venturing up the mountains until you come back down. Out of interest these are the GPS coordinates/directions we used to get to the top. If you decide to use them, you do so at your own risk. Do your own research before venturing out on an off-road trip. Roads change all the time and conditions can vary dramatically depending on weather.From Muscat take highway towards Nizwa and turn off onto Route 23. (Ibra exit just past Bid Bid).
At Ibra take left turn at the sign to Wadi Naam.
Follow this road and turn right into dirt track at first GPS point below.
Point 1 – N22.53.437 / E58.53.074 (turn off into Wadi)
Point 2 – N22.50.124 / E58.59.590 (start of the ascent)
- at junction take track to the right
Point 3 – N22.49.239 / E59.00.993 at water tank refilling point turn left up the mountain
Point 4 – N22.48.924 / E59.03.335 (Ibra Tombs)
No comments:
Post a Comment