Wadi
is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. It often referrers to a dry riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. But there are exceptions - sometimes the water source can be from underground sources. When this occurs, pools of water at the lower end of the valley create beautiful settings for recreation and swimming.
Oman does not have Provincial, Federal or State Parks, it has Wadis. Families head to there favourite Wadi on weekends and especially holidays. I visited three different Wadis on my travels around Oman. I enjoyed floating down the slowly moving river with the cliffs overhead - beautiful.
Some of the Wadis were run by the Ministry of Tourism and others by private companies. The ones run by the Ministry had fairly conservative expectations for guests. The private ones, not so.
My favourite Wadi was Wadi al Shab. Beautiful hike to the water pools and great swimming with a cool waterfall in a cave. Very popular with local Omanis.
Wadi - River of Stones
Restaurants/Food in Oman
In Oman, all signs are in English and Arabic.
I enjoyed the food in Oman even though it was very different from what I am used to. Not only is the type of food different, but also the way it is eaten. The photo below shows what you will find on most tables in Oman. Yes, that is a box of tissues. No napkins/serviettes - just a box of tissues.
Why would you need a box of tissues. Because many people eat with their fingers instead of cutlery. Cutlery is put on the table, but many use their fingers to eat.
Another unusual feature you will find in Omani restaurants is a public wash basin. Not behind a door but in a corner of the main restaurant. This is for washing your hands as your fingers might be greasy.
The meal below is from a typical Omani restaurant. Omani flat bread was served with very meal. This was used with your fingers to scoop up the different items. The photo on the right is the meat - it is goat. Actually tasted much better than it looked.
Another interesting feature of Omani restaurants (especially in the rural areas) was the family rooms. I had a lunch at a restaurant that was 80% family rooms. These are rooms where women with families could dine in privacy. Many of the women using these rooms were dressed in traditional burqas.
Below is a very traditional meal. Pictured below: flat bread, rice, humus, lentil soup, cucumber salad and two types of fish - Hake and Hamour. Lots of fish on the menus.
