Oman – Wadi Shab

wa·di (noun)

noun: wadi; plural noun: wadis; noun: wady; plural noun: wadies

1. (in certain Arabic-speaking countries) a valley, ravine, or channel that is dry except in the rainy season.

WADI SHAB is probably the most popular/visited wadi in Oman, perhaps due to the fact it is one of the most  spectacular and easily accessible – located about 100 km southeast of Muscat just off the main motorway heading south to SUR

The wadi – simply speaking – is an outflow from a mountain/underground water source that cascades down through a series of emerald green pools, waterfalls and streams. In the rainy season the flow of water is presumably much greater however when we visited large sections of the river bed were dry. The narrow ravine with virtually vertical cliffs either side make for breathtaking views as you work your way into further into the mountain

Leaving early, we slept in the car and starting walking at 6.30am, to avoid the tourists we were lucky enough to enjoy the wadi for ourselves for about an hour. After a 2 hour walk up we felt the heat from the sun started to warm up the ravine so  after a 20 minute swim in the highest pool, where the water bubbled up from under a massive rock from an underground stream, we headed back

Needless to say that throngs of visitors had started to arrive by this time which meant we made a speedy exit

Fabulous morning walk which was not for the faint-hearted!

Oman here I come…!

FRANKLIN BENJAMIN DOUGLAS RUSSELL MR

Traveler(s) Itinerary Booking Reference: 3ABNP4

Dammam to Muscat

Flight 1

Confirmed Non-Stop

Departure Date: Wednesday 23 September 2015 Arrival Date: Wednesday 23 September 2015

Departure: 04:25 Dammam , Saudi Arabia – King Fahd International

Arrival: 07:15 Muscat , Oman – Muscat International

Flight No. Oman Air / WY692 Duration: 1 Hour(s) 50 Minutes

Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Class / Cabin: L / Economy Meal: Meal

Airline Booking Reference:

DZUDOU

Flight 2

Confirmed Non-Stop

Departure Date: Sunday 27 September 2015 Arrival Date: Sunday 27 September 2015

Departure: 02:25 Muscat , Oman – Muscat International

Arrival: 03:20 Dammam , Saudi Arabia – King Fahd International

Flight No. Oman Air / WY691 Duration: 1 Hour(s) 55 Minutes

Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 Class / Cabin: T / Economy Meal: Meal

Airline Booking Reference:

DZUDOU

Early death VS baldness

Oh let me die earlier for the sake of a full head of hair

The Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba, a much fabled and legendary queen from 1000 BC, a seeker of truth and wisdom and she has heard that King Solomon of Israel is a very wise man. She travels on camel from the Arabian peninsula <possibly today’s Oman/Yemen> to Jerusalem to meet him and test his knowledge with questions and riddles. She bought an enormous amount of wealth with her including frankincense, myrrh, gold and precious jewels

 

1 Kings 10

10 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. ² Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. ³ Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, ⁵ the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at^[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

⁶ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. ⁷ But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. ⁸ How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! ⁹ Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”

¹⁰ And she gave the king 120 talents^[b] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹¹ (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood^[c] and precious stones. ¹² The king used the almugwood to make supports^[d] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

¹³ King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.