Why OMan

Why OMAN

You may wonder... Why Oman? 
Some of our best memories were made cycling in the middle east. The incredible hospitality of the people that was genuine and heartfelt was something that has deeply touched us in the past. 
We've been busy building our home and business and family over the past few years, but we haven't stopped following fellow cyclotourers. 
Last winter, a couple that we were following went cycling in Oman and we were amazed by the beauty of the scenery as well as their experience with the local people, that appeared very similar to what we had experienced when we travelled through Turkey, Syria and Jordan before things turned sour in that area.
After asking a friend of ours who grew up in the Oman area about his thoughts on bike touring there with a kid, he wasn't super enthusiastic, but didn't kill our desire to go there. He checked in on our plans this fall. We were by then thinking of something more flat, we were actually looking at Namibia and Botswana. But the things to see and villages are very spread apart in both those countries. Don't cross Oman off your list completely he said. There are beautiful things to see and the culture would be much like what you're hoping to find. And so it was decided. Tickets were booked. we are going to Oman. 
Since booking our tickets, we've followed an elderly couple cycling there complaining about busy roads. We've been studying the maps as you know (or if you didn't, now you do) we are allergic to busy roads. We do not understand why cyclotourers take highways. We prefer to find the smallest roads on the map, and ok it may take us an extra day to get from a to b but that's what it's all about. it's about being one with where you are and living the local live, integrate with the locals and soak up the culture. So, it turns out, in Oman, there may be some roads like we love that are calmer, but they risk being very steep as they cross mountain ranges. 
We're not quite sure of our exact plan as we are currently very busy with our business. But since this trip is about getting out there on our bikes and especially it being a great life and cultural experience for little Justin, we will do our best to find those little roads and we'll go with the wind, we've never really travelled with a set plan before, and I have a feeling this trip will be the same. We may just pick one area and spend two weeks exploring it... 
To be continued!