Page 128 - RSDG Year of 2023

126 EAGLE AND CARBINE
we sent a trip down to Salalah and the south to explore the dramatic coastline, beaches and wadis. We included a stop at Mirbat Fort, the location of the SAS’s Battle of Mirbat, to conduct a battlefield study — the fort and the surrounding fire positions are relatively unchanged and some are still intact, with remnants of the fight scattered across the area. There was beach camping, BBQs and wild swims. We enjoyed stargazing without light pollution and watched neon luminescence in the breaking waves. Simultaneously, a group chartered a boat and set sail for two days of deep sea fishing off the Muscat Coast. They caught dozens of fish including tuna, all of which were promptly cooked and enjoyed on a remote island beach. As I write this, we are driving up to Muscat for four days, for another round of cultural activity and R&R. The plan
includes a visit to the Grand Mosque and the Mutrah Souq, a day exploring Wadi Bani Khalid — a four hour scramble from source to mouth, through enticing pools and streams — and a visit to Nizwa and its fort, which is supposed to be one of the more spectacular examples in the country. We have definitely made the most of our time here but one can’t help but feel that you could easily spend months exploring Oman and barely scratch the surface of what is on offer. Certainly it is a place that will leave a lifelong impression on those that have been able to experience it and memories that will form stories to be re-told many times over.