This is our second year in Oman. Last year we never had the inclination to explore Oman. This year we thought we will do a bit of exploration so that we will discover Oman. We decided to explore the ‘Real Oman’ far away from the hustle bustle of the Sohar life. So we chose a destination that is 70 kms away from Sohar - Wadi Hibi. Surrounded by mountains the village of Hibi is peaceful and has some of the best picturesque places.
There are some structures which our driver cum guide Saed told us were old houses.They are made of perfectly shaped stones and plastered with mud. Omanis lived in these houses maybe some 20 years back. Now they remain as examples of the past. the houses were constructed in such a way that the inhabitants were protected from wind and other adverse weather conditions. It had sub terranean passages and air ducts for ventilation. The modern houses co-exist with these ancient structures, complete with air conditioners and satellite TV.
This was the taxi which took us on this journey. Behind you can see the mountains and a Masjid. People living in Hibi are usually go to sleep late and they get up late. Most of them are farmers and their pace of life is slow and relaxed. We met some of them and they invited us to eat breakfast with them. The time was 10:30 am. Hibi like any other village is a close knit society. People know each other and they share a sense of camaraderie. Maybe it is effect of nature on the minds of human beings. People are healthy and active. we met an old man whose age was 80+, walking around with the agility of an 30+ man.
( to be continued)
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