Before coming to Oman I had done research about places to visit and Wadi Shab was definitely one of them. I couldn't figure out how to get there as I couldn't find any bus going there from Muscat. The only possibility seemed to be renting a car which I couldn't do because I haven't driven since I got my driving licence and that's been 7 years already. Another option would be renting a car with a driver which was too expensive. Therefore I posted in a group of facebook for the people from Muscat and I asked if anybody wanted to go there with me and I could pay for fuel costs. I found a Pakistani guy Sam who lived in Muscat since many years. We arranged a meeting on 29th April at a shopping mall, I hitchhiked there, two girls took me firstly but I was upset because we wasted a lot of time when they tried explaining me that it wasn't reasonable to go to Wadi Shab at this time because it was too hot and already around noon. Finally they dropped me at a road where another guy took me to the shopping mall and he called Sam who came to pick me up. We went inside the mall because he wanted to buy a swimsuit but I was wearing sleeveless T-shirt and short skirt and someone came to tell us that I was inappropriately dressed. At the entrance to the mall there were pictures warning tourists against inappropriate dress code but I had no other clothes with me so I couldn't change.

Then we drove towards Wadi Shab but it was a long way, it took more than one hour to get there. We passed Tropics of Cancer while driving in the mountains. We didn't manage to find the Binmah Sinkole therefore we went directly to the Wadi Shab. We took a boat which took us across the river.

Then we had to walk nearly for one hour on the rocks along the riverside to amazing natural pools with a turquoise water colour. It was already 4pm when we got there and the last boat was going back at 6:30pm so we didn't have so much time to spend there. I enjoyed swimming in these pools and the water temperature was very pleasant. Then I swam into the cave with a waterfall, there was a rope which could be used to climb the waterfall and jump in the pool but I wasn't courageous enough to do that. 

After spening amazing 2 hours in Wadi Shab we had to hurry back to the river in order to catch the last boat and we arrived there just in time. It was sunset when we got to the car and we heard a muslim prayer Allahu Akbar sang by Muezzin. You can see the video with this prayer here.

Then we drove back to Muscat and we stopped in the mountains above the city to take some photos. We had a great view on the city with all the lights. 

Then Sam took me to a local restaurant where we had delicious dinner, we ordered soup and also rice with lamb and salad. 

After dinner Sam took me to my host's place and I had to ask my host Harout if I could stay for one more night at his place and he agreed. I got to his home around 11pm and when I announced him that my birthday would be coming in a few hours he baked a cake with honey for me and we ate it together. 

I arrived in Dubai on 26th April in the evening and I found out immediately that I had no place to stay that night. I had a contact with several potential hosts from CS before coming to UAE but due to bad arrangement nobody was available to host me. After some hours of waiting at the airport I managed to contact an Indian guy Mohsin who lived in Dubai and he came to pick me up. He hosted also an American girl at that time but he was leaving to Saudi Arabia the following day and even though I could have stayed at his place longer I decided to travel to Oman for 3 days. My host told me where to go to get a shared car to Muscat but when I got there I found out that it wasn't a right place. I had to take a taxi to Deira where we found a bus which was departing at 3pm so I got there just on time. The taxi to Deira costed 50 dirhams and the bus from Dubai to Muscat costed also 50 dirhams. The bus driver spoke English very well and also many other people in the bus. We had some conversation about Oman and everybody told me to come to Oman in summer and visit Salalah because it was very green at that time and obviously it was a popular holiday destination.
While we travelled towards Oman the landscape started to change and it was hilly.
When we got to the border I just found out that the cost of a tourist visa for Oman just quadrupled. I had to pay 20 OMR for tourist visa which was around 50 Eur.

I captured a sunset while travelling in the bus. I ate one meat sandwich during the journey so I wasn't hungry. I had to take a taxi to my host's place. My host Harout was an Armenian guy born in Syria. We talked together and we bought some food but then he had an Indian guy coming to visit him and I spent some time on the internet before going to sleep.
In the morning I wanted to go out to visit the city while Harout didn't want to join me because it was too hot for him. I went out and I hitch-hiked to the old city Mutrah while my driver stopped at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque to take some photos.

When we got to Mutrah it was early afternoon and the temperature reached 35°C that day but it was very humid. I went to the Mutrah Souq but it was too early and most shops were closed. I took a photo with Ismaeil who worked in one of these shops.

Then I went out again and I admired the panorama of Mutrah. I tried to go for a walk but the sun was so strong that it was almost unbearable to stay outside and streets were empty. 

I had to return to the Souq after a while and stay there till 3 or 4pm when the weather got more pleasant. I did some shopping that day in the Souq, I bought 4 different kinds of incense as the Omani incense is one of the highest quality and its smell is very intense. 

I walked along the coast and I watched Al Riyam Park Observation Tower which looked like an alien spaceship. I looked for a place to swim and finally I found a local beach with families. I swam in bikini there but it wasn't a good idea because everybody there was conservatively dressed and women usually wore a hijab. I even asked someone to take a photo of me but one woman told him off, she didn't even seem to be angry at me but apparently she was upset that he talked to someone like me. 

I went to the water and I stayed there also after the sunset and during twilight. Then 6 modestly dressed women came and sat on the beach just a few meters far from my bag. I am usually not a shy person but I became very insecure at this moment, I watched them for about 5 minutes and hesitated to go out of water. Finally one woman read my mind and she brought me my plastic bag which I used to cover my body while getting out of water. Then I got dressed and I walked towards Mutrah while the sky was jet black. 

I walked in the Mutrah Souq and it was very crowded in the evening, you can see the video here. I went to shops, I bought some souvenirs and I talked to Indian guys working in these shops. I bought some meat sandwich but I didn't like it very much. Then I wanted to hitch-hike back to my host's place but I had to take a shared bus instead. The first bus I got in was going in a wrong direction so I had to get off and wait for another one. The bus driver was 21 years old and he didn't speak English well. The bus was crowded at first but then people were getting off and at the end I found out that I was alone with the driver. He was watching a porn on his phone which wouldn't really bother me but then he took us to an empty secluded road and started to make indecent proposals which I didn't agree with. After a brief but vigorous fight I pulled down the window and I threatened him to kick his mirror to pieces which made him come to his senses and he took me to my host's place. It was a scary experience but I was glad that nothing worse happened.