First visit to the sink hole and walk in Wadi Shab
In the morning we packed lunch and drove off to Wadi Shab which is easily accessed and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the East Coast. On our way we stopped at Bimmah sink hole at Hawiyat Najm Park. It has recently become a very popular destination for visitors and many come here to see the unique formation, to have a swim in the water or to just hang around the park and have a barbecue.
In the morning we packed lunch and drove off to Wadi Shab which is easily accessed and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the East Coast. On our way we stopped at Bimmah sink hole at Hawiyat Najm Park. It has recently become a very popular destination for visitors and many come here to see the unique formation, to have a swim in the water or to just hang around the park and have a barbecue.
If you are not familiar with the term sinkhole, you might be mislead by the Arabic naming of the place and the local legend, which says that the hole was formed due to a meteor falling in this spot. However, Bimmah Sinkhole occurred naturally due to limestone erosion and the collapse of the rocks forming what you see.
We even witnessed a man jump into the water from the top of the sinkhole!
After this visit we drove off to Wadi Shab, first having lunch on the beach before entering the Wadi. This was our view, and the bird sat there during our entire lunch:
According to the off-road book, our guide in Oman, the hike in Wadi Shab is easy and takes no more than an hour to reach the lagoon. Unprepared as we were we just 'went for a walk' in the Wadi without bringing swimming gear, drinks, hats and not wearing proper shoes... The walk took much longer than the guide predicted and we decided to turn back after spending 2 hours in the Wadi. We'll certainly do it over again and we'll be certain to reach the lagoon next time! ;-)
Aside of what happened Wadi Shab is an amazing gorge to walk in and has some beautiful sightings. The children enjoyed their swim and we saw this amazingly beautiful turquaze bird that we tried to get on film:
First meet and greet with a real Princess
Princess Astrid visited Oman for the Belgian Economic Mission. We were honoured to be able to be present at the Royal Opera so the children could see a real Princess for the first time in their lives. I did have to inform them she wouldn't look like a disney princess or would be wearing a crown. ;-)
Ready for the Princess:
That same evening Wim went to a reception where the delegation also was present and the next day he flew with the delegation to Duqm. His picture even was in the Belgian newspaper 'GvA'.
Margaux's first time on the potty!
We are delighted now Margaux is nearly potty-trained and we are counting down the days until we can finally say: 'no more diapers!'. After 7 years of daily diaper changes and running around with a diaper bag all the time, I dare to say I won't miss it at all!
Next episode on the blog: wahiba sands and first time camping!
To be continued...
