Our Round-the-World adventure

[tacototheworld]

Kenya - Part 2

Tsavo National Park had beautiful scenery, but brush was often thick by the side of the road so it could be more difficult to spot wildlife. This made us appreciate our next park, Amboseli, even more with its wide open vistas and more elephants than anywhere else we had been.

Scenic overlook at Amboseli National Park

A Cheetah! We sat and watched it as the sun went down. It was not the least bit concerned we were there, although eventually it sauntered off

Not quite the iconic Kilimanjaro shot at Amboseli, but if you look carefully you can see it poking out of the clouds


Then we were off to Lake Nakuru. This was unexpectedly one of our favorite parks, definitely lesser known. But the scenery was stunning and varied and there were lots of opportunities for intimate wildlife sightings.

Photo of the photographer

Hippo fun

Mother and baby white rhino strolling along the lake bed

Andy’s favorite bird - a Lilac-breasted Roller

Giraffes taking a break from headbutting practice

Hyenas - always so fascinating to watch, the most recognizable evening silhouette with their sloping backs

Then, our final national park with the safari company, Masai Mara. Connected to our favorite, the Serengeti in Tanzania, Masai Mara is known for lions. It did not disappoint.

Early morning pride of hunters

In one of our trip highlights, we watched this pride of lions encircle and try to take down a warthog. We all hold new admiration for Puumbas, as the warthog evaded capture and took off across the savannah, tail high. Maybe the lions were tired but they left a wide avenue of escape for it in their formation.

Cape Buffalo wallowing at Masai Mara

Christmas morning picnic breakfast in the park (Rafael assured us there were no lions about).

Because just when you think there are not lions about, they are there!

At our hotel outside the park, we took a walk with some young Masai men from a neighboring village. The young man who spoke English described their lives and customs. He was anxious to earn money for more cows which he could trade to the local schools for his younger siblings’ education.
Then, the next day on our final drive, Rafael took us by a different Masai village which welcomed tourists with a traditional dance.

And a demonstration of making fire

Our time with the safari company ended on a high note. We said our grateful thanks to Rafael, who dropped us off at Lake Naivasha so we could explore Hell’s Gate Canyon National Park.
To wrap up our family time, we were heading back to the southern coast to Kilifi to attend the New Year’s Beneath the Baobab music festival. Well, most of us. Claire’s boyfriend Nick had to fly home to go back to work and Andy decided to relax at the Airbnb and forego multiple days of young DJ and African house music artists lighting up the Baobab forest.

Trevor indulging in a life long tradition (taught to him by Andy) of catching and holding wildlife

Nicholas indulging in a lifelong family tradition of climbing whatever rock is around (also taught to him by Andy)

Beneath the Baobabs festival grounds was a surprisingly calm experience, a remote reserve with cool breezes and venues well spread out. Two days of music! It was a cultural immersion into young African artists and an amazing experience.

Relaxing by the stage (going to see live music, a lifelong family tradition taught by Dawn).

One of the many young DJs we enjoyed

Thank you for reading and indulging us in a family memoir. Not to worry, once we hit the Arabian peninsula there will be much more of the overlanding content again. Happy New Year all!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Fascinating trip and the photography is outstanding ! Once again, thanks for sharing your amazing life with us. And once again, I say.....I sure do wish you posted more often and shared hundreds more of your photographs. I typically read your posts and view your photos 3 or 4 times at a minimum. Also, no apologies needed. Great stuff !

 

[tacototheworld]

Fascinating trip and the photography is outstanding ! Once again, thanks for sharing your amazing life with us. And once again, I say.....I sure do wish you posted more often and shared hundreds more of your photographs. I typically read your posts and view your photos 3 or 4 times at a minimum. Also, no apologies needed. Great stuff !

Thanks! Many of these photos were taken by our son with his SLR camera and his 600mm lense. Yes, posting more frequently would great because I have to edit out 2/3rds of the photos, that’s difficult. Our problem is finding places with high speed wifi. We’re usually limited on data on our cells. Typically I post when we’re taking a break from wild camping in a hotel

 

[mangymarmot]

I just stumbled upon this posting and so glad I did! I ended up spending the early afternoon of my day to read through all of your posts. Definitely inspiring and added to my must see places in the world! Safe travels and I’ll be following along.

 

[tacototheworld]

I'm super glad you like it! Every traveler needs to visit Africa at least once

 

[tacototheworld]

Oman - part 1

Oman is an overlander’s heaven. It is probably the simplest place we have ever traveled in our truck in terms of abundant and gorgeous wild camping and easy and inexpensive access to any amenity (gas, food, water). Oman has wisely invested it’s oil revenue in infrastructure and the roads are excellent. Frequent cell towers ensure coverage over most of the country, even in most remote areas. The people are warm and welcoming, and embrace a culture of camping and enjoying the outdoors.

The scenery astounded us. We thought of desert and sand and more desert. But there is so much more. We drove some of the most beautiful coastlines, wound our way up rugged mountains, and explored private wadis (deep canyons or ravines with rivers, streams or water pools depending on the season).

There are very few actual regulations about where you can drive in Oman, leaving it up to common sense which seems to be working.

Oman quickly jumped its way to our short list of favorite countries. (Others on the list: Iceland and Norway for scenery, Romania and Albania for a combination of intriguing culture and beautiful varied outdoors, Morocco and Benin for diving into ancient African cultures and architecture, and Tanzania for an iconic African experience that combines wildlife, beautiful landscapes and fantastic people.)

We arrived in Oman in January which meant perfect weather - cool enough to hike and walk, warm enough to swim in the ocean, sunny, bright and dry. The only surprise for us was the tendency for strong gusting winds to blow up in the middle of the night, rocking our camper with their strength. We learned to plan for this as we pulled into our sites at the end of the day with a slight balmy breeze that we knew would turn into 35mph gusts by 2am. This tendency with the winds was consistent from low elevation beaches to the highest peaks.

Our three week 1500 mile route through Oman

Oman was also the perfect landing pad for us on the Arabian Peninsula. The country seems to successfully retain its Muslim roots and traditions while embracing modern economics and tourism. The country was recently ruled by Sultan Qaboos known for his “renaissance” period. He had a vision for education and prosperity which embraced workforce training and investing in infrastructure and actively opened the Oman up for tourism. The country feels prosperous. Although there is also the fact common throughout the Arabian peninsula that a majority of the manual labor and lower paying jobs are going to immigrants on temporary work permits from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This creates a very obvious division between the Omani people living more luxurious lives and the immigrant “worker” population. In Oman, 67% of the workforce are immigrants.

Oman is a safe, stable country. The current Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq took over from Sultan Qaboos and has continued his policies. He also believes in the country’s role as a peacemaker in the region. As visitors we were welcomed and with curiosity and smiles. The Omani people dress traditionally with the men in head to toe white and the women in black. Almost all women covered their hair. Although we dressed modestly and Dawn stuck to long dresses, she never felt that she had to cover her hair.

So happy to be back on the road in our home on wheels. After a month of carting our duffels and food in and out of Airbnbs in Kenya, we are remembering why we love the simplicity of this lifestyle.

As Americans, we are very aware of the complex web of relations between the US and countries in the Middle East. We did our best to approach interactions with humility and kindness and were treated in kind. We also had one hilarious interaction early on at a souq where Andy was trying to say “thank you” and instead called the shopkeeper a drunk (shokran vs sakran). Some confusion at first, but then lots of smiles and laughter as the mistake was explained by someone with good Arabic and English skills.
As rookie travelers to the Arabian Peninsula, we booked our plane flights with a Friday arrival in Salalah, the port city where we would reunite with our truck. In the Muslim world, Friday is the holy day so we had some time to kill exploring Salalah before we hit the overland life again. We were also blessed with the continued presence of our son Trevor who traveled with us from Kenya to explore Oman.
Salalah was our introduction to typical modern Islamic architecture. Very white (or cream), clean lines with touches of artistry.

A happy reunion! Picking up the truck from our shipping agent.

We headed west along the coast from Salalah as we had heard there were spectacular beaches and cliffs to see - there were.

Trevor sitting on the edge at Shaat cliffs

Our first night’s camp at Fazayah Beach. Trevor tenting it.

At another beach picnic stop. We found loads of pink shrimp. They were everywhere! Dying along the edges of the water.

And then oops, didn’t quite get enough speed up leaving the beach and sand softer than we thought. Looking closely you can see the tire deflator on the valve stem, we hadn't deflated beyond highway pressure.

Maxtrax to the rescue - again! (We have used them three times in three years, Mauritania, Senegal and now Oman)

Made it out with a speedy back up then punching it back through. It made us feel a little better that a local driver got stuck too in almost the same spot so we were able to exercise our winch and get him out.

Just appreciating the stunning coast line as we headed back through Salalah and started working our way north toward Muscat

Fresh water in wadi Ash Shuwaymiyah

A happy reunion with our container buddies we shipped from Kenya to Oman with

A classic picnic lunch in Oman - pita bread, cheese and hummus available in even the tiniest markets

A local family came out to meet us and using a lot of hand signals, asked for Andy to put air in their tires (they had quite a load in their pickup bed). We are guessing that they had come to understand vehicles like ours often had compressors on board.

While Andy worked on the air, Dawn posed with the family camels

Not every intended camp spot worked out, we went out to this remote beach to find it covered in fishing boats and infrastructure. No people though, we probably could have camped there but it felt strange to do so.

Found a scenic site in the black rock formations set back from the beach

Another quiet morning in camp

Mid day stop at the rock garden at Duqm. Typical for attractions in Oman, free and no one around. There’s Trevor finding the highest point again.

 

[ITTOG]

Great pics and it does look like a great place to visit.

Hopefully Trevor didn't shaat his pants while sitting on the edge at Shaat cliffs. One wrong move and he would have for sure. Awesome pic though.

 

[sg1]

We traveled in Oman with a rental Landcruiser and a rooftop tent. We loved it.

 

[tacototheworld]

Oman - part 2

Typical town along the coast


Despite already getting stuck in the sand once in Oman, we decided to check out a track into Wahiba Sands - the biggest dunes in Oman. We know we are heavy, so sand is not always our friend, but still thought we would try.

Heading into the Wahiba Sands track from the coast

Of course, we got bogged down and stuck. We fired the notion of driving the track further but decided to spend the night in the dunes anyway.

Found a hard packed camp site on top of a hill!

This was our first time traveling for multiple weeks with a third person and it actually worked well (at least for Andy and Dawn!) Trevor slept outside in a tent (we offered him the small converted dinette bed but he declined) and rode along in the small third seat. He was a great helper, problem solver and navigator. Not sure we would want to do it with someone who was not a family member though! While he was with us we removed the backseat shelves and just folded the extra stuff in, it worked somehow.

Trevor all set up for the night in the dunes


Our last stop before Muscat was a stop at Wadi Shab. The most developed and well known of the wadis in Oman, reaching the end involved a short boat ride, a hike and a swim through consecutive pools.

Hike into Wadi Shab

Despite it being more touristy and visited than other wadis we went to, it’s sheer beauty made it worthAndy preparing to jump in for the swim to the end at Wadi Shab - phones and t-shirts in a dry bag.

Bimmah Sink Hole - picnic lunch stop

And then we were in Muscat, the largest city in Oman. As we approached the city and saw more people using the wild areas and we realized how unique our time down along the rugged southern coast with miles to ourselves had been.

Beautiful mosque view from our hotel room. Highlight for us in Muscat -first hot shower in 2 weeks!

A rare meal out in Muscat - the best falafel ever!

First experience of the over the top mall culture on the Arabian Peninsula. With many areas being unbearably hot outside for half of the year, malls are huge and include a variety of extravagant amusements - this mall in Muscat had a snow play area inside.

We only spent one night in Muscat - washed ourselves and our laundry and were on our way. It was a modern prosperous feeling city, very contemporary in feel and we were hungry to visit some history.

We made our way to a few historic forts and appreciated the architecture, but could tell they had been fully renovated and there was usually very little information for visitors of the historic importance of the site which made it harder to appreciate.

Beautifully renovated and sited Nakhal Fort

From Nakhal Fort we made our way to Nizwa Souq - one of the oldest and most famous souqs (market place) in Oman. It was a relaxing place to visit - no pressure and lots of beautiful local handicrafts.

Pottery at Nizwa Souq

Old mosque in Nizwa

We wandered some side streets in Nizwa and found old abandoned houses to explore

Andy taking the opportunity to wash the truck in a wadi. We later found out that you can be fined for having a dirty car in Oman - oops

Our final stop on our historic cultural tour of the region was Tanuf Village. An ancient village which was bombed by the British in the Jabal Akhdar Wars in the 1950s, the standing ruins still give a sense of how people lived.

Tanuf village ruins


Our final stop in Oman was one of our favorites. We drove into the tallest mountain range and explored the vastness of the Jebel Shams area. We did not take on some of the epic cliff hanging drives as we are basically overloaded and still have PTSD from some of our African road attempts but opted for the direct, mostly paved, route to the top of Jebel Shams. Once there we went on one of our favorite hikes in years, the Boardwalk HIke, a cliff hugging trail which ends up at an abandoned village built into the caves. An easy 5 miles round trip, the views were astounding.

Boardwalk trail, Jebel Shams

Abandoned village at the end of the trail

The sun goes down on our Jebel Shams camp

Well, Oman was fantastic. We hope we have inspired others to visit. We look forward to seeing what the rest of the Arabian Peninsula has to bring. Thank you for reading and safe travels out there!

 

[sg1]

You didn't go to Musandam? You should. It's beautiful.

 

[tacototheworld]

United Arab Emirates - part 1

Dhafeer Fort - Liwa Oasis

The United Arab Emirates continued our fascination with the Arabian Peninsula. Although it did not quite have the extraordinarily beautiful wild camping spots common in Oman, the country offered the intrigue of huge culturally interesting cities and of course, the Dubai bling.

For the first few days we continued to have our son Trevor with us, as we worked our way toward Dubai where he had a return flight home to Oregon.

First desert camp in the UAE, Trevor tucking his tent behind us in a effort to minimize the wind.

The United Arab Emirates is composed of seven emirates (or states). Each state is ruled by a monarchy. The seven states are united into a country ruled by a president elected from the monarchy, usually the ruler of the Abu Dhabi emirate. Only 12% of the population living in the country are actually “Emirati” with the rest being mostly South Asian immigrants who form a vast working class. Most of our contacts and conversations were with these immigrants. The Emirati receive significant government benefits including land, jobs, health care and education. From our perspective, as outsiders, the Emirati were more inclined to keep to themselves.

Our 1100 mile route through the United Arab Emirates

In the last few decades the government has been working on shifting away from complete reliance on oil and gas. The huge investment in the development of Dubai is a strategic effort to promote tourism. As one of our guides put it the president looked around for a place with no gas or oil and said “let’s build a city there for tourists” and so Dubai was born. It seems to be working, the city is alive with visitors from all over the world. Unlike in the neighboring countries of Oman and Saudi Arabia, in much of the UAE, alcohol is sold in stores, bars and restaurants.

Despite the influx of drinking and immodestly dress international travelers into Dubai, the country still holds its conservative Muslim roots. Outside of the cities people are dressed traditionally and women are completely covered. There are separate praying rooms in mosques and even separate beaches for women. Among the Emirati, polygamy is the norm. When Dawn drove in the country, she was very aware that women were only legally given the right to drive in 2018.

We do regret that we did not have the opportunities for deeper conversations and shared understanding with the people of UAE. Dawn would have loved to know more about the local women’s philosophy but we felt that there was an unseen barrier, especially as short term visitors in the country.

Our first real stop in the UAE was a last mountain trip for Trevor - a drive up to Jebel Jais.

Not everyone in our group was obeying the appropriate footwear sign for hiking

Throughout the UAE we could see the continuing growth of the burgeoning tourism industry. Jebel Jais was a prime example with the mountains being developed with the world’s longest zip line, a bobsled track, picnic areas and viewpoints with restaurants. The upper hiking area infrastructure was finished but the lower one was under construction.

But of course Dawn was prepared with appropriate footwear
The mountains and views were spectacular and the the road to the top steep, curvy and brand new.

Making our way to the end of the accessible road - spot the truck?

Camping at Jebel Jais was allowed at pull outs along the road. Some were paved with food trucks and restrooms, others were basic gravel. We opted for a gravel patch with a view, enjoyed the sunset, had dinner and went to bed with one other car across the lot. Over the next few hours until 2am, cars and trucks full of young UAE men pulled in, music at top volume, loaded with picnic supplies and even a big screen which was set up for a soccer game. Our little camp was surrounded by a raucous party. One of our worst night’s sleep ever, oh well.

Hiking at the lower area at Jebel Jais. Area is under development but we skirted around the excavators and found a great trail.

In the morning, not well rested, we made our way to Dubai.

Plaza in front of the Burj Khalifa - tallest building in the world (many superlatives in the UAE)

Our Airbnb apartment came with parking - it was a very tight (1/2”) squeeze but we made it

Mall culture is huge in the UAE - as elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula where the heat prevents people from being outside much of the year. But in Dubai it is on a whole other level. Malls are so big it is common to see people navigating them in golf carts. In addition to stores from brands all over the world, they house world class restaurants, entertainment centers and even in one, a ski resort.

Enormous aquarium in the Dubai Mall

Fountain inside the Dubai Mall

Taking the boat taxi across one of the many water ways in Dubai


And then sadly we sent Trevor on his way back to Oregon, checked out of our Airbnb with clean laundry and returned to camping life.

Camped on the Dubai waterfront

View of the lit up Burj Khalifa from our camper window over dinner

We left the commercial excesses of Dubai to seek out more knowledge about the UAE and its history. Next stop was the neighboring emirate of Sharjah, home to the Museum of Islamic Civilization. More traditional than Dubai, Sharjah was a dry emirate, no alcohol allowed and the atmosphere felt more calm and serious.

Throughout the UAE we found beautiful waterfront promenades to walk on - always spotlessly clean and well used by a variety of walkers.

Sharjah Islamic Museum

We learned much more about the Islamic religion in Sharjah, at the Museum of Islamic Civilization which was beautifully laid out and very informative (also free entry if you are over 60 years old!). We keep testing ourselves on the five pillars of Islam to make sure we can remember.
And then we stepped back in time at the Mleiha archeological site with its beautiful contemporary museum detailing the history of the migration of people coming from Africa to the Arabian peninsula for the first time.

Mleiha museum - excellent exhibitions about the movement of people from Africa to this region 125,000 years ago

Ancient tomb found in the desert at Mleiha

Then because we always love a wadi, we wound our way to Wadi Shawka for some camping and hiking.

Beautiful hiking at Wadi Shawka

Wadi Shawka camp

 

[tacototheworld]

UAE - part 2

Then we were back to city life and learning about UAE history and culture. Abu Dhabi was a pleasant surprise (those of you who have read other blogs know we are usually grumpy city people). After a year of navigating cities in Africa, we were still amazed with the cities on the Arabian peninsula which all seemed so clean and organized. They featured wide, well lit walking promenades with public art and benches, frequent clean public restrooms, easy parking, and were safe to walk at night, all qualities which we had learned to do without. The cities were designed for both walking and driving and the architecture was varied and beautiful. It was clear what a difference money and planning could make.

But to continue the comparison to Africa a little, we were also feeling a sense of loss related to the warmth and humanity of the people. We missed the big smiles, the laughter, music and camaraderie so common in Africa. We know we are making comparisons in very broad strokes, comparing two enormous and varied regions, but there was something missing. We found ourselves drawn to and having fun with the parking attendants from Kenya (which was our longest conversation in the UAE).

Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace - now a high end hotel

The varied skyline of Abu Dhabi

Art along the coastal promenade

Everywhere a blend of traditional and modern architecture

Old fort downtown, surrounded by skyscrapers

By far the most beautiful architecture we saw was at the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Well set up for tourists, visitors are taken on a guided tour explaining the history and design of the mosque. This was the only place in the UAE where Dawn wore a head scarf and made sure she was completely covered from head to toe (required to visit). The visit and the tour are free but require an advance online booking.

Open courtyard at Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque, also the burial place of the late president, Sheik Zayed

Our lovely guide at the grand mosque

The largest mosque in the country

Our last visit in Abu Dhabi was the Louvre. Yes, same name, in cooperation with the Louvre in Paris. It was the most historically diverse museum we have ever been to, designed to take visitors through time in displays of art and historic artefacts across the world.

The Louvre in Abu Dhabi, set on the water which is integrated into its design

Ancient Jordanian sculpture

Egyptian sculpture

The museum covered the traditions and cultures of the world through its art. We thought it was one of the best designed museums we have ever been to. There were stunningly beautiful religious sculptures from throughout time.

And then, back to the desert!

Desert camp along the way

Red dunes of Liwa

Visit to Dhafeer Fort in Liwa

More dunes!

And that was it for the UAE for us! Next stop, Saudi Arabia. Thank your for reading and coming along on our adventures with us

 

[Tennpenn83]

@tacototheworld

I am just now accidentally stumbling upon this thread while doing other research for something completely unrelated. It has taken a while, but I am reading through every page and every post. Thank you so much for posting up pictures and descriptions about your travels. I have only gotten so far into the thread where you guys just got finished in Albania, and it appears I have a lot more reading to do to catch up to where you are now. Much appreciation for this, you are doing exactly what I would love to do someday.

Please also keep in mind that there are likely many who read these type of posts without commenting themselves. That is typically also me, although this time I had to at least comment and say thank you. Your words are not falling on deaf ears, or being lost to the ether. Thank you for taking the time to post here.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I agree with Tennpenn83 above. I have found a few places to add to my own list from reading your trips.

 

[jaywo]

Amazing journal. Would you mind sharing average monthly or yearly cost on each continent? With so many different countries explored over such a long duration it would provide a good idea to people with similar aspirations.