In Oman we had booked only the first nights and the last. Me, Fabio and Rachid wanted to decide the route based on weather, fatigue and real distances. Before withdrawing the car we checked insurance, spare wheel, water and equipment. The freedom of the program made sense only with a concrete basis.
The first roads were simple, but it was enough to leave the asphalt because the landscape became more challenging. We weren’t looking for extreme steps. We asked for local information, avoided isolated slopes without coverage and renounced when the soil exceeded our experience. The adventure was to reach the places with clarity, not to show courage.
Wadi water
In the first wadi we arrived early. The path alternated rock and water, with stretches in which it was necessary to swim. We left sensitive objects in waterproof cases and evaluated together the current. Rachid didn’t feel safe in a deeper passage, so we stopped before and found a quiet area to stay.
That choice avoided turning a beautiful place into a test. We talked to other travelers and discovered a secondary route suitable for everyone. The day was full, only different. Once again the limit of a person has improved the quality of the group.
The night of the wind
In the desert we had planned an essential camp. In the afternoon the wind increased and mounting the curtains became complicated. We chose a sheltered area, far from the passages, and checked that nothing could fly away. The sand entered everywhere and the dinner was easier than expected.
During the night a tent yielded on one side. We got up all of us, arranged the tirants and moved part of the material into the car. No one slept well, but in the morning the mood lasted little. We prepared coffee, collected every refusal and waited for the light to show the dunes. The discomfort was part of the story, it was not a failure.
Decide without arguing
Every evening we chose the next stage with three questions: how many hours of driving, how much energy and what alternative in case of change. We didn’t vote. Those who were driving had more weight on the distance, those who knew better about an activity assessed the difficulty. This method reduced discussions and made the limits visible.
We brought extra water, enough fuel and downloaded maps. We were informing the housing when the arrivals changed. They were practical gestures that allowed the itinerary to remain open without becoming irresponsible.
The freedom prepared
I came back from Oman with the feeling that true freedom was not planning anything. It was having enough tools to choose well every day. The wadi, the desert and the long roads offered us space; the group turned it into a journey, deciding together when to advance and when to stop.