Hatta Pools.

In depts of Hatta, these rock formations could be found, with water in it usually during winter season. The water that gets stocked in it are called the Hatta Pools.

Somehow, our journies in to place are always unforgettable. On my first trip, we got lost because we didn't have a map yet that time and ended up driving in this road that wasn't at any case, civilized. The road continued to the top of the mountains...and there was this one that was really high that when you're on top, you can't see whats below. That scared us all, but the road leads to this hotel in the middle of the desert. We found yesterday that if you actually go straight from the that hotel, you'd reach the Hatta Pools. 

My second trip there was when we had an offroad map, a few weeks after the first. And we actually reached the place. It was summer but there was water, only, it wasnt much..but enough that we could swim. And we found this guy who toured a family and his car broke because he tried driving through the water. He didn't know the water was deep enough to actually damage his engine. So dad helped him because he couldn't contact anyone--no reception.

Yesterday, we came back. This time, with more friends. What's memorable about it?

One, we arrived there and saw that every wadi or pools dried. There's only enough for probably one person, but its not high enough that you can actually swim with it.

Where we swam when we reached the pools for the first time. Now its dried, polluted and abused.

Two, we found the hotel that became our landmark when we got lost. And figured out that we weren't lost afterall when we didn't have a map yet. And that the extreme road we passed before is cemented now...and civilized.

The hotel. No one's watching it now, and the barriers are broken that you can go down the cliff at the back or sneak inside the hotel's territory.

Three, we actually found the exact pools and rock formations in the pictures in our off-road manuals. But it was all dried out. 

My dad used the term dismayed to describe every person who got there and found dried pools. Could this be caused by global warming as well? I think it is. Three years ago, we went there at summer. And there was water. Now, we got there and its winter..but there was barely any liquid that you can swin on. And to think, there was more rain this year than there was three years ago.

I think this one was the one that looked like a natural well in the manual. This was really deep, and was zoomed in to see how dried it has become.

Although it still looks pretty, its sad to see how much the nature is affected with everything that's happening. The water used to be as high as the rocks, maybe sometimes it even overflows.

Pollution. One of the many things I blame for what had happened.

The worker we asked about the water and what had they done to it. The pools have been a source of water in the people who actually lived in this area.

Though its a depressing thing to find all of these pools dried, we still enjoyed other things that became a part of the trip. Like, watching the views of the mountains as we drive by, driving through the part of Oman that was situated in the area of UAE, looking over the horizons, finding more about this, and eating lunch in the place.

No matter where we go, or whoever we were with, the trip wouldn't end without a group picture.

A hit to someone is an expression of love.

Two years ago, a teacher reminded us of the saying "The more you hate, the more you love." Using our silly interpretations, we asked if that meant that hitting someone is showing them you love them. We got a chuckle in response. Our goofy selves turned on and we started smacking each other with an attached giggle and 'I love you' from the abuser. From a small group of friends doing that, it ended as a huge smacking fun.

Today, as we wait for the bell to ring, my friend mentioned how nice it feels to hit someone--just for fun. We then schemed for a sudden hit or more to two of our friends who would be arriving in the next 20 minutes. For my friend, Joy, who arrived last, she was whacked at by the three of us. She chased us with her bags still with her. We ran from downstairs to up and around the corridors. It was definitely what we needed for a start for our day.

And by the way, don't ever forget to say 'I love you' after you abused a person.