Day 223 – Duqm, Oman
Leaving Masirah Island the same way back, jumped on one of the Cargo ferries to get on the mainland, cycling back the 10k road on the sand bay with crystallised sea salt left and right looked like a rose-coloured ice lake.
With the Wind in our back we easily cycled 70 k inland until one left turn towards south opened up the view on a sea of sand till the horizon were a black line of asphalt devidet it in half.
Definitely fascinating to look at but very difficult to camp in there in the soft sand, which starts to grow angle deep one meter beside the road. I rolled some kilometres in front of Dali towards the Sunset when I spoted a few single trees standing out of the monotone curved Sand dunes made me felt like rolling through a ruff, orange ocean. Would be great to sleep under one of those but how to reach them, anyway we had no choice either, the sun was taping the horizon and the landscape showed no sign of a better chance. Dali arrived and both of us pushed one bike together over the dunes two hundred meters under a pair of trees. Setted up camp in the surreal environment. The Night was dark as it gets with the nearest Town 80 km away. I was tired and after diner i always have the desire to relax and fall a sleep in my cosy sleeping bag, but I also always tell myself its necessary to capture this moment and my short term self is not allowed to take the decision here.
Cycling is getting monotone even I like cycling and have no problem with that. The breaks are usually initiated when I find a place in the shade every hour or so. Beside the road I spot herds of Camels and the white scull bones from animals which didn’t made it in this harsh environment. The Landscape changes and some rocks and mountains shaped between the sand dunes. Finally, after cycling 100 km through nothingness the first gas station appears even with a restaurant. Dali and I decided it to call it a Day. Luckily next to the gas station was an old ice factory where we were allowed to sleep behind it with the view on the sunset in the valley. The Guys from the factory invited us for dinner, Fish with rice like every day. They start work at 3am and finishing at 10pm, a long day of work seven days a week for usually two years to get back to India for 3 weeks and then another 2 years for an 800 Euro a month until they paid off their house at home. At this point their children are 10+ years old and the guys saw their wives and kids growing up through a 5 inch smartphone screen. This or a similar Story I listened to a lot in the past 2 month on my way from Dubai through the north of Oman and now here. There are millions of workers from India, Pakistan or South East Asia in each country of the Golf region like UAE, Oman, or Qatar, they are the real People building and making the countries going. I have no Words for this people who are able to leave their country and family to work for their future and building a hole part of the world mostly from scratch.
