Route Map through OMAN. Covered approx. 3,500km on the motorcycles.

Newspaper Article about us traveling through the Middle East in the Muscat Oman Tribune. March 11, 2006

March 01, 2006. Coast Line ...

...along the MUSANDAM PENINSULA.

We stop to take a break and take in the incredible scenery.

Village BUKHA ...

...the Restored Fort in the village...

...beautiful doors...

... and the BUKHA FORT...

... impressively located on the sea ...

...with the mountains in the background.

More deserted beautiful beaches.

The Fort of Bukha on the hill.

Town of Bukha.

Bukha.

Ruby exploring.

So many good views.

Blue sky and blue ocean.

KHASAB, capital of Musandam Peninsula.

Locals surround us.

The younger generations is especially interested in us.

Mike's 55 insect bites on one (1) Arm.

Wild camping in a windy gorge.

Campsite surrounded by barren mountains.

As we sit in the tent, the fly open and the lap top in Ruby laps a local peers into the tent.

His eye were huge as he touches the material of the tent and stars at the lap top. We wonder what he thinks. Are we for real or what.

The amazing paved road that winds its way along the coast.

Cooking supper.

A small village along the coast.

March 02, 2006. The KHASAB FORT.

Closed to the Public for renovations.

A local elderly decides to talk to Ruby.

Somehow we are always able to communicate. A smile goes a far way.

Off the beaten track.

The road up the mountain to...

...KHOR AN-NAJD.

High above sea level.

The road descends into Khor an-Najd. Incredible steep, rocky and twisty.

The only fjord accessible by road.

We decide to stay a day...

...and enjoy this amazing secluded spot.

We set up Camp on the beach.

Surrounded by high mountains...

...and a view that is breath taking.

View from our tent.

First time snorkling lesson for Ruby.

Don't ask!

There is actually a fish.

Not much ocean life to scare off Ruby.

March 03, 2006. To mountain road to SAYH PLATEAU.

We climb up to 1800m from sea level.

Graded Road all the way...

...with switchbacks and steep ascends & descends.

The road from RAS AL-KHAIMAH to DIBBA.

From UAE, through Oman Musandam Peninsula & back to UAE. Views like that leave us speechless.

Again the road climbs up the mountains...

...some don't make it...

The view is rewarding.

It is a harsh environment...

...not much plant life found here.

Old deserted dwellings.

Terraced gardens with old stone houses.

It is hard to image anyone living in this environment.

The road starts to descend...

...and winds it way through a narrow gorge.

The narrow pass-ways are amazing.

A picture to compare the size of the bike to the size of the gorge.

We cross back into UAE late in the evening. See UAE for more pictures. A day in transit through UAE and we are back in Oman.

March 04, 2006 Campsite. Just past SOHAR on the south part of Oman.

Crossing inland from AL-KHABURA to IBRI.

A lot of small villages have old remains of ruins from times long gone by.

The road turns from pavement to graded ...

... & old lookout tower are scattered along the country side.

As we negotiate our way through the Wadi...

...encountering countless water crossings...

...and more ruins...

... we get lost and take a break under a lonely tree from the afternoon heat.

...it takes us 6 hours to make it through 100kms of this.

Ruby's first crash. She was trying to avoid the big water body or not. Bike and Ruby were not hurt.

Another water crossing (in total we did cross probably 40 times the same wadi).

Our favourite Breakfast in Oman. We love KEEMA and PARATHA.

The NIZWA FORT.

Build in the 17th Century.

Old canons secure the entrance.

Beautiful old carved wooden door lead the way.

The main water supply, a well.

Oman definitely know how to take care and appreciate their old history.

All forts in Oman have been restored and allow access for a reasonable fee.

The huge fort at Nizwa was once the capital of Oman.

The architecture of these forts is unique to Oman ...

...and not found anywhere else in the Middle East.

There are approx. 500 forts in Oman, ranging from simple defensive structures to massive complexes.

The material originally used to construct the forts were what was available locally....

...stone, mud and clay, moxed with straw or dung, and palm trunks for wooden structures.

The forts were solidly built, with waqlls usually around 2m thick for rooms, thicher (up to 3.5m) for 'fire' towers.

The modern town beyond the fortress walls.

The Oasis surrounds the fort walls.

A sitting room with beautiful restored painted ceilings.

Bathroom.

Toilet.

Bedroom.

Ceilings were traditionally constructed using palm trunks for beams, on top of which palm-leaf matting was laid, with a layer of mud or clay on top of this.

The blue domed Mosque across the Nizwa Fort.

The fort was built in the mid-17th century by Sultan bin Saif, the first imam of the Al-Ya'ruba dynasty.

From the outside the fort does not look large, until we enter and see the map.

View from the top of the tower toward the town of Nizwa & surrounding mountains.

Its most striking feature is this massive, central round tower, ....

...built to withstand enemy mortar attack.

View of Nizwa.

These doors are more then 300 years old.

There are a few funny store sign we come across. This is a common one. "Food Stuff Sales".

The town of Bahla, lies approx. 40km west of Nizwa.

It is the pottery capital of Oman....

... and has a huge fort, the BAHLA FORT.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Part of the Bahla Fort are thought to be pre-Islamic in origin.

It is undergoing major restoration and ...

... is currently closed to the public.

Once completed it will be a major tourist attraction.

The remains of the old wall that surrounds Bahla stretches 5 miles.