Day 233 – Salalah, Oman
Four weeks ago Dali and I left Al Ras Hadd in the most north east est point of Oman, 1100 km from here to cycle south to Salalah where were on the final day to reach it. I couldn’t really believe it when I woke up in the green Park of Mirbat where I slept on thick, soft grass under a Coconut Palm.
Very unspectacular was the cycling, just grinding the road up and down, taking a break on a gas station, having a chat and coffee with the stuff there and a plate of sweet cake, oh yeah just a normal day on the road, but my mind was complete lost to imaging a city with green coconuts palms and banana plants, while I am still cycling with sand dunes left and right along the coast.
Red Carpet into the City.
A heavy wind was shooting sand in my face and forced me to push hard for progress until a big turnaround where the first coconuts palm trees bending over in the wind. I stopped for a Pic and continued just 200 meters where I stopped again to shoot the wide three-line road with palms left and right until the horizon. This was my gateway into the City and made my mood change. I enjoyed rolling down the road, it felt like the city was preparing a red carpet for me or in this case a green road. I couldn’t stop smiling.
What an Idiot will cycle there?!
At the next bigger turnaround I met Dali randomly without connecting us beforehand. Like a sightseeing tour we cycled down through the massive green plantations of Coconuts Palms, Banana and Papayas plants. Along the road fruit markets selling a huge variety from sweet to sour, we spend half an hour to check out all the stuff. Got a coconut opened and celebrated the journey. I told Dali when I entered Oman I saw a road sign after the border with the text on it “Salalah 1200 km”, I thought at that moment: Crazy, NO way I will go there. Dali replied he saw the same and thought “What an Idiot will cycle there”?! Obviously this two.
