Sunday, November 14, 2010

{Wadi}

We took a day trip out to a Wadi two weekends ago. Our friends, who have lived here awhile knew the perfect location for a little "oasis," day, away from computer, cell phones, and work.

Saying you are going to a "wadi,"{meaning valley} is like saying you are going on a picnic, or to the beach, or maybe to a river/spring (if you ever do that sort of thing.)

It involves crazy huge brown mountains surrounding a green oasis. And, down down deep in a cut in the earth is a spring of water, meandering slowly among rocks. See, here is the wadi from "above," you can't even see the cut in the earth {to the right side of the picture, before the greenery,} but it's there alright!

And here's the water! It felt so nice, and four families, including us, had a grand ol' time exploring, wading, and seeing how far we could follow it, before it plunged even deeper into the earth.
I took it pretty easy, and tried to put my usually over adventurous self at bay, considering the rocks were slippery and I'm, you know, pregnant.

I spent alot of time contemplating the safest routes through the rocks and tried not to submerge myself more than knee high in the water, because I'm still not sure about bacteria and the like.

Ian and our friend K got to be super adventurous.

Because they are boys.

And they aren't pregnant.

And I snapped this pretty awesome picture of them after they scaled the rock wall and went to see where the water led. I was down in the wadi and we had come to a plummeting waterfall that we weren't about to follow, so the boys tried to trace it from above and find another way down. No such luck.

After all of that exploration, we stretched out in the sun, glad to have no other prying eyes around for once, and relished in the fact that I could wear Short Sleeves outside, and not feel like I was being looked at like I was a character from Friends. Or Sex in the City.

Hallelujah.

Ian and a Buddy scrambled up a mountain that was beside our campsite and then we called it a day. We can't wait until we can go overnight camping near one of these places! The weather is beautiful now (mid to low 90's during the day- a welcome reprieve from the 115-120 that was constant 2 months ago!)

4 comments:

Callie said...

Oh, that is beautiful, in a really barren sort of way. I'm glad you get to get out into the countryside a bit! It looks like fun.
And I'm totally like you - I wouldn't submerge myself deeper than my knees in any water I wasn't sure about being pregnant. I was feeling suspicious of the water when we swam under that waterfall in the Dominican Republic, and I wasn't even pregnant then! But we didn't get any weird diseases, so I guess it was okay . . .

Cara said...

What clear water! Lifting you guys up & in case I haven't said it yet, SUPER thrilled about your new little one on the way!!! :)

A Nerd and A Free Spirit said...

BTW... congratulations on the little bundle you are expecting! How exciting!

~K

Unknown said...

I have never seen an Oasis before. Just heard what they are! :) It looks so peaceful there.

Oh and a sun house is a little hut with a seat that shelters you from the sun. It was used in the pre 1900 era to read under but now it is used more for decoration in gardens. :)