Date: 27 Mar 2009
The best way to enjoy Fjords of Musadam is obviously
on a traditional wooden dhow ride, which we took.
(AED200/adult-full day package, AED150/adult-half day package,
Children under 12 years half price and under 5 years are free)
We cruised around Khor Ash Sham or Ash Sham Fjord,
which winds among remote villages and islands.
The sky is covered with dark cloudsI hope the storm will not come so soon
Just right after we left, about 10 minutes laterit's pouring with rain for about 15 min
The first village we pass is Nadifi, which has around100 inhabitants, mainly fishermen. There is no land
access so most of the villagers own small speed boats.
The children travel by boat to shcool, stay over
in Khasab from Saturday to Wednesday morning.
Further along the route, some unexpected delights await.
Past the small villages of Qanaha
( a small fishing village where the stone houses blend
into the cliffs, made from the local stone. In the old days,
this was the first line of defenc, not to be seen)
, Maghlab (a mountain village where the people
are earning their living by goat-hearding and fishing.
This small village is made up of only around 10 houses),
Telegraph Island, Seebi and Sham
We disembark for a little snorkelling and photo shooting
just off Telegraph Island (Here the British laid the first
telegraph cable in 1864, it ran from India to Basra, Iraq
and the island was manned for some 10 years).
One highlight of the dhow ride is dolphins,which we were told are seen almost every day.
A few came up to swim along the side of our boat.
Our excellent guide for the day!
Some shots of Musadam Fjords
The scenery is quite stark but beautiful
We arrived back into Khasab Harbour under a cloak ofdarkness and stayed overnight at Khasab Town.
to be continue.......
