Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Experiencing the heart of Oman on a motorbike

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I think being a single woman on a bike puts you out there. People are curious, and intrigued. I experienced kindness in the purest form, from complete strangers. They touched my heart, brought me to tears with their generosity.





Kaushalendra Singh -


MUSCAT  -


A keen photographer and traveller Rosie Gabrielle took up the adventure of moving around Oman on her bike. She decided to say goodbye to 2016 and welcome the New Year in a style. She started her trip on December 31 and finished it on January 8. “I wanted to bring in the New Year this way, to start the year full of adventure!” she said in a free-wheeling interview with the Observer.


Relieved yet excited to share her current 1,800 km biking experience Gabrielle found Masirah experience “amazing as I fell in love with the island and the people. In the nine years that I lived in Oman, and all the travelling I had done in the country, I had never experienced it like this before.”


“I think being a single woman on a bike puts you out there. People are curious, and intrigued. I experienced kindness in the purest form, from complete strangers. They touched my heart, brought me to tears with their generosity. I am so excited to have this gift. I had an inkling of being vulnerable as a solo female rider. But to have these amazing experiences and to be able to share them, it is a real gift. I’ve documented my entire trip, and I’m really looking forward to releasing the videos on my YouTube channel very soon.”


A keen biker Gabrielle has covered 3,800 km in Oman on a motorbike. In the current trip she started from Muscat to Jabal Shams then she went towards Al Ghuba and then crossed to Masirah. Stayed there for two days and then went towards Sur, then back to Muscat. “I battled 300 km of insane cross winds on my way back. It was very intense,” she said while talking about some adverse journey situations.


“Wadi Bani Awf had some of the most challenging roads I’ve ever ridden. I have done that route by car many times, but on a motorcycle it is a whole different story. The roads are super steep, very tight turns and deep loose sand. People said because of no rain since July, the roads did not have good grip. I dropped the bike for the first time there. I was very scared to ride that mountain as it was very challenging for me, but a very proud moment when I conquered it.”


For her it was a little nerve-wracking riding, especially as a woman. “And I cannot lift my bike because it is too heavy. When I dropped my bike on the mountain I was very lucky that I was fairly close to a local village. I immediately ran down the mountain and asked for help. Without hesitation three villagers came to help me. They lifted the bike and I was able to get up the mountain safely. That same night as I was trying to navigate a camp spot in the dark and a local Omani insisted to guide me with the headlights of his vehicle. He stayed with his car parked and light illuminated so that I can pitch my tent quickly, he even helped... I cannot say more, just how hospitable, kind, and amazing the Omani people are.”


Commenting on her earlier bike tour, Gabrielle said it was her second Oman tour. “Earlier, last year in March I started a journey around Oman on a Royal Enfield. Unfortunately due to some health concerns, it was cut short. That trip was 2,000 km, starting in Muscat going down the coast road stopping at the sinkhole, Wadi Shab, passing through Sur, visiting the turtle beach in Ras al Hadd. My intention was to get down to Masirah Island, but didn’t quite reach and had to come back. I passed through Nizwa visiting the Friday morning market and I ended in Jebel Shams before I got back to Muscat.”


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