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some of the best remaining in the world today. There is a huge variety of fish; a multitude of reef fish, sting-rays, blue-fin tuna, moray eels and once again, our friend the snake — this time the sea variety, but equally as poisonous as the desert kind. There is also a kind of fish that can be found in the wadis that will, if you can sit still enough, nibble all the dead skin from your feet — a treatment that would cost you a pretty penny in a London Spa.
As one stares out from your air conditioned car at the passing landscape, it is hard not to imagine what life here would have been like before the introduction of modern travel and conveniences of plumbed water. A hard existence, suitable only for an expert of the environment. We were fortunate enough on a recent AT excursion to
spend a day learning about traditional village life in a remote wadi. The falaj system that allows for gravity fed crop irrigation was and still is a luxury for those who live in a place where such a system is possible. For the remainder, a nomadic existence was necessary to meet all the needs of the family. Today, bottled water can be bought at every corner and there are the standard service stations dotted throughout the country that provide fuel, food and cheap coffee (I would not pay for a tumbler of over- sweetened Nescafé back home, but somehow here it is part of the experience, especially when served with a couple of hot parottas). One has to be careful about what meat you order and which restaurant you order it from - the soldiers have found a local favourite in DFC: Duqm Fried Chicken - but the appearance of chains such as Starbucks tell of the growing western influence.
The call to prayer is part of the daily chorus, a sound that is beautiful while foreign to our ears and reminds you that you are a visitor to this country. However, a more hospitable or accepting country to visit is hard to find — the local Omanis bring a welcome warmth that is rarer in other, religiously stricter, Arab states.
It is in these landscapes and surrounded by these sights that A Squadron has been wringing the cloth to extract as many experiences as possible from this amazing country. First there was hill walking in the Jebels, rock climbing, wadi bashing, kayaking, mountain biking, offshore-sailing and snorkelling at a centrally run AT week, then last week
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