Thursday 08 / May / 2025
Muscat: Two women, trekking for over 1,000 kilometres across Oman to mark the country’s 50th National Day, were joined on their journey by a very special guest as they made their way across the country.
Omani national Anissa Al Raisi and British Army doctor Natalie Taylor were accompanied on the latest leg of their travels by KK Ahsan Wagan, the Ambassador of Pakistan to Oman, and his team.
He trekked with them for seven hours, braving the sun and the thirst-inducing conditions of the desert, over a span of 30 kilometres, in an area of the Al Dhahirah Governorate, just before the Empty Quarter, one of the world’s largest and harshest deserts.
“We arrived at their camp the previous night, and gave them a proper Pakistani dinner,” said the ambassador. “We served them traditional biryani, haleem and kheer… I even brought my cook with me and we made the food at their encampment.”
“The next morning, we once again fed them a traditional breakfast of aloo paratha, peas pulao, and potato curry before setting off around 8 am,” he recalled.
“I am really amazed by Anissa’s and Natalie’s endurance and determination: we trekked non-stop for a day, and by the end of it, at around 4 pm, all of us were exhausted – I slept like a baby that night.”
The Embassy of Pakistan and the country’s expat community in Oman are among those to have helped the women’s journey – called YallaGo 2020 – a success, and ensure there are few logistical hiccups, but even all of their preparations could not account for some of the challenges nature would throw at them.
“It was so hot – we were walking under the sun at temperatures of about 38 to 39 degrees Celsius – that I was on the verge of getting heatstroke,” admitted Wagan.
“There are aid vehicles moving with them, but because we were in the middle of the desert, it was really hard to locate us. I have realised first-hand now, what it must be for endurance sportsmen out in the field.”
“We were walking across some really soft sand, so much so that if you don’t walk quickly and take deep steps instead, your foot will end up sinking into it,” he added. “I myself am a mountaineer, I do take part in hiking and running events, but walking on this sort of surface is a challenge that tests all of your muscles differently.”
Although the trek over the weekend had taken its toll, Wagan and his team were back in the office on Sunday, to help process the applications of Pakistanis leaving the country under a scheme announced by the Ministry of Labour.
“Their intention and determination to celebrate the Sultanate’s National Day and empower young people by showing them just what it means to take on the outdoors and learn so many valuable skills is what really motivated me to join them,” he said.
“When we heard they were going to go on this mission, we decided to hold a gathering of the Pakistani community here to see how they could be helped, and then gave them enough food to last for all 50 days of their journey.
“I plan on going back to meet them for the final leg of their trek, which is the 20 km stretch from Mirbat to Salalah, but that might not be possible, because this is the final month of the repatriation programme,” he added. “If I do have the time, though, I will definitely join them there.”
