It has been months now that I have been craving for water bodies; Am mercilessly deprived in Gurgaon and have been trying to fill the gap by downloading innumerable pictures of beaches, lakes and other sea scapes.This Eid holiday, since we had company, I put in a little extra effort to figure what water body existed in Oman that I had not been to yet – lo and behold I stumbled upon pictures of Bimmah Sinkhole and Wadi Shab.Bimmah was a little surprise package, tucked away neatly into a little village of the newly constructed Sur – Quriyat freeway. The Bimmah Sinkhole is quite the geographical marvel! This 40 meter wide, 20 meter deep water-hole was created when a limestone cavern collapsed and is located 500 meters inland. What captured my attention was its bright emerald colored water which is the result of the mix between fresh and ocean waters.After an hour of a drive of the most brilliantly made roads I have seen the world over (Not to forget that it runs parallel to the ocean, thus quenching my long drawn thirst for blue) and being lost for about twenty kilometers, we finally made it to Hawiyat Najm Park which houses the sinkhole.It is indeed a spectacular sight, although I would have loved it more minus the crazy number of people who were there given the Eid weekend. The variants of the colour blue in conjunction with the clear water became the perfect spot for the kids to splash around (Although Omi and Bubble did make quite a noise about the tiny fishes and one rather annoying bee); They warmed up to it soon and had quite a blast! I had almost forgotten what sea water felt like and am now even more excited thinking of my upcoming ocean escapades!
After changing in the mens room (Absolutely unintentional, quite hilarious), fighting (in the mind) with Malayali women who tried to capture our lunch bench in the park, to the entire drive back home watching the Sun disappear into a pink haze behind the arid mountains, I also discovered that taking on from one of my closest, I had begun to smile at the Sun too. All these days, it used to be reserved for rain clouds and the moon – but am expanding my horizons!
A few guidelines for those who wish to reach the place with minimal confusion:
– Take the Al Amerat road which passes by Hatat House
– On passing the freshly crafted mountains, you will come to an array of roundabouts (There will be a shell, globe, just grass etcetera); What is crucial is the roundabout which has a sculpture of an eagle perched on a rock – that’s where you have to turn left from. This will take you to the new Sur – Quriyat freeway
– Keep driving on straight from almost 100 odd kilometers and keep an eye for a road sign saying ‘Hawiyat Najm Park’ -that’s the exit you take
– From then on, follow signs to the Bimmah Sinkhole until you reach a ‘T junction’ which would have a direction stating ‘Dabab Village – 6 km’, turn left
– In around 500 meters, the park will show up on your left
– Park and a five minute walk to the azure water filled crater
Bring on the big blue!