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Oman …every bikers paradise
August 12th, 2005
A sallam alay kum - Hello fellow riders.
My name is Jim Leary and I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
I retired in January 2005 and have taken the opportunity to do a
little traveling and enjoying.
I have just finished 6 months in Oman which is a very peaceful
nation in the Middle East.
Oman is east of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and north
of Yemen. You have probably never seen it on CNN or read about it
in the major newspapers...which testifies to its rather peaceful
nature.
I am returning to Oman for another 6 months or so because I have
just begun to see the country on Motorcycle. My original plan was
to tour by bike only; but when i got there the sand dunes and wadis
were just too tempting so i got a 4X4 pickup to go along with my
lowrider. I will send pics and stories (journal entries) about both
types of travel.
The roads in Oman are amazing. They are new, in great shape and
varied from flat " I can see for 20 miles" in the dessert to
switch back mountain travel to sea coast Big Sur style touring.
I am situated in a town called Ibra, which is in the desert plain
just south of the main mountain range in the country. Ibra is 90
minutes from two Oceans (The Indian - Arabian Sea on the west and
the Gulf of Oman
on the north) and 90 minutes from the mountains to the northwest.
I am extending an invite to anyone who is planning to visit the
Middle East to stay at my place and tour for as long as your
tourist visa will allow you. The airfare is a bit pricey but life
here is very cheap!!!
At any rate I will try to post some pics and relevant stories as the
year goes on. I have some pics on my MSN http://spaces.msn.com/members/learyjim/
space so you can check these out if you like.
learyjim@hotmail.com
motorcycle trips 2005 October 9, 2005
Well back in Oman and loving it. The weather has cooled so daytime
riding is tolerable. The daytime temp is down to the mid 30s to low
40s (Celsius) and the evening and early morning temps are in the
mid to high 20s. Great desert riding weather. The local HOG and
the Bikersoman Motorcycle group have started up their rides for the
season. I have ridden with Bikersoman but have yet to hook up with
the HOG.
First ride back was a solo trip through the desert from Ibra to
Samad Shan to Muldaihbi then back to Ibra. It is about 250 km. I
left at 6:30 in the morning to catch the cool air and returned home
around 1:00 p.m just as the shops were closing for the afternoon
and the towns folk were retiring to their homes for that welcoming
afternoon nap which is so popular in the warmer climes.
My second trip in Early October was to Nizwa to meet with the Bikersoman
group where we had coffee and some rapartie. Bikers are bikers
around the world I guess; Just friendly folk enjoying their rides
and each other's company. The bikersoman web site is
www.bikersoman.com . Check it out. There are some nice pics. The
sport bike is very popular here....speed is worshipped. With such
fine highways it is understandable that the sport bikes are the
choice....it is all race track.
Our next group ride is set for after Ramadan and will be to the sea
side town of Sur where we will ride the coast, surf the ocean and
eat fresh fish in the wadi.
I have attached some pics of my own and please check out the
bikersoman
site for more.
Jim "Man Oman"
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November 10, 2005
motorcycle trips 2005
It was to be an early start in the desert twilight....but by the
time coffee and juice and the usual morning rituals were completed
Amy and I didn't get on the road before 8:30...make that 9:00. It
is autumn here in Oman and the day time temperatures hang in the
low 30s C so the mid day riding is pleasant; besides we were headed
out to the Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean) coast at Al Ashkara where the
temperature is moderated by at least 10 degrees. From Ibra which is
in the heart of the Sharkiya region our first stop was for juice
and tea on the edge of the Wahiba sands at Bidiya. The coffee shop
was the usual Omani affair with a few sidewalk tables and a fresh
juice bar where tea/coffee, fresh juice aka smoothie and a shwarma
(flatbread sandwich) can be had for 400 Baiza which translates into
about $1.50 US. After chatting up the shop keeper and local patrons
as well as the German tourists fueling up at the local Shell Select
before moving into the sands for a 3 days safari, Amy and I mounted
and headed out on our next leg which would take us through the
southern edge of the sands to the sea coast. The highway was
excellent as are all the routes here in Oman and cruising at
120k within the hour we found ourselves emerging from the golden
brown and red dunes to overlook the 1.5 meter rolling blue waves of
the Indian Ocean just north of Al Askara.
The low rider was performing well but I reminded my self to be sure
to change oil when I got back and use the 25-50 Shell xt diesel
oil. Air cooled engines especially the big twins have always left me
concerned about overheating so I made the mental note to put my mind
to rest for future trips.
Even if I wanted to obsess with the bike, the ride was just too
outstanding to for me to do anything but sit back and mellow. We
pulled off onto a sand track to visit some fisherman who were in the
middle of setting out on their Dow (Omani traditional ship) to tuna
fish. The beach extended for 8 or 10 k and the Land Cruisers were
filled with the days catch off to market while Amy and I walked the
beach and thought about what was beyond the horizon?
We moved on up the coast toward Sur which is the second largest city
in Oman and boasts a strong European, African, Asian trade
connection as is evidenced in its cosmopolitan and multilingual
population. For 40 k we drove the coast with the blue ocean on the
right and the golden sands on the left; a fantasy of dune meets the
deep...one flowing into the other. On one occasion just passed the
fishing village of Al Ruways we parked on the cliffs overlooking a
60 meter drop onto crashing surf. The cliffs extended for several
kilometers and neither one of us could help express how fortunate
we were to be here at this time.
We arrived in Ras a Hadd, home to a famous sea turtle nesting area,
just in time to catch some late lunch. So over another sand track
we made our way to the new Ras a Hadd Turtle Beach Hotel. Amy had
some delicious Omani King Fish and I enjoyed the Indian cuisine,
which is so prevalent here. After fueling up at a "gas station"
operating out of 1000 litre above ground fuel tank we toured the
local cabana beach type resort then moved on to Sur through some
mountain passes, desert flats and plenty of curves and hills. I let
the big dog bark and in no time we were back into the reality of
busy streets and traffic in Sur.
We finished our last leg of the trip in the dark. Night riding here
is cool to the point of requiring a jacket and can be very
dangerous on the busy highway between Sur and Muscat. Speed is King
in Oman and night speed is the ultimate cruise. We kept our speed
between 100 and 120 k and stayed more or less with the flow of
traffic.
We were very pleased to see the lights of home after a long day with
the prospect of a warm shower, cold drink and a little chat and talk
about the day's highlights.
All in all we covered about 500 k in about 8 hours through the most
beautiful coast ride I have seen so far...but then again the last
ride is always the best isn't it?.
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