Musandum, Oman is pretty amazing. We drove up to Khasab on Tuesday and found some dudes to take us around the fjords in a boat. Miriam wasn't too sure about the whole operation until a real, live dolphin started swimming along the boat. It was smooth sailing from there.
I can't imagine how my life would have been different if at some point during my childhood a real, live dolphin had swam alongside a boat upon which I was a passenger. Isn't that every 6-year-old's dream come true? Heck, I'm 30 and it was kind of a dream come true for me.
We didn't go far off the beaten path on this first trip to Musandum. I know there is a lot more to do beyond the standard dhow cruise, but those activities will have to wait for another time. One major strike against Musandum, however, is the dicey drive up there from Dubai/Sharjah. It's a scant 160 kilometers or so away but once you reach the end of Emirates Road (the 311) you have to make your way through what has to be the ugliest and most truck-trafficky section of Ras Al Khaimah for what seems like forever. Then the border crossing process is less than seamless (and costs more than free). The drive into Musandum on the Oman side is truly breathtaking, or I imagine it would be if you're not the one driving and thus are able to take your eyes off the road, which is cut into the side of the mountain, for more than a moment. I think to truly be enjoyed, and to shake the bad aftertaste of the annoying trip to get there, you should spend at least one night and two days in Musandum. We'll see if we can work that out the next time. Maybe we can camp in the village with no cars/roads...