Ahmed drove us up and over the mountains and then along the coast to Wadi Shab. This is a narrow river gorge that was,until a violent flash flood in 2007,beautifully verdant and fruit producing. It now has a different beauty as the few locals try and rebuild their small plots. To get to the start of a unique hike you have to take a short boat ride under the bridge that only recently brought road access to the hamlet. A few palm trees remain however to give some shade as you trek along through the rocks climbing steadily to a series of pools that have to be swum to reach a narrow entrance to a cave accessed by diving underwater. A tiny ledge allows you to watch a few brave souls leaping into the deep water. All in all a magical experience.
On our return towards Muscat we had a late lunch in a small village restaurant and chatted to the locals and visited an enormous sink hole deep enough to dive into the sea water . Ahmed treated us to a cup of green tea from a small cafe that did waiter service to your car as a thank you for letting him stop to pray.
In the evening we strolled around the neighbourhood looking at the local shops before eating an Omani spicy chicken wrap.