When nature beckons, adventure seekers like Dr. Khaled Abdul Malak heed every whisper to explore the depths of caves, heights of mountains, caverns of canyons and corals of oceans
Having inculcated a love for the outdoors from his parents as a little child, he nursed it into a passion that eventually led him to overcome his fear of heights and scale some of the biggest caverns and loftiest mountains in Oman.
It was in 1996 that he came to Oman to establish himself as an oral surgeon and got firsthand experience of Oman’s impressive potentials for adventure seekers. Equipped with his homegrown love for nature and sports, particularly swimming, which he got initiated into early on, thanks to his mother, he took to the outdoors like a fish to the sea. During his early days in Oman, he frequented beaches to snorkel, which was his main passion at that time.
Things changed, literally, in 2000, when Dr. Khaled met French professional climbers Patrick Cabiro and Nathalie Henriot, who whetted his appetite for climbing and inspired him to overcome his fear of heights. The duo, who were touring Oman to experience its fascinating terrain and geographical wonders, introduced him to the ropes of climbing and caving and he ventured on his very first trip, Wadi Finns in Jabal bin Jabir. The trip saw the team hike for five hours to reach the entrance of the cave and walk inside for about eight hours before it was time to call it a day. “But I insisted to go further and I, along with my friend, went inside the tunnel and climbed and crawled a bit to see a fantastic chamber full of amazing formations. I call it beginner’s luck,” he recalls.
Dr. Khaled soon got the hang of caving and continued his trips with the French couple, along with his wife and two children. The family shared his interests and he gained enough confidence to venture out and open new canyons with friends. He has since been instrumental in opening several canyons in Oman.
The accumulated pictures from his explorations attracted patients who encouraged him to compile them in a book, and thus came his first book, ‘In Search of the Sublime, a journey through Oman,’ in 2008. “This book featured the four playgrounds of Oman for outdoors folks – caves, mountains, canyons and beaches,” states Dr. Khaled, who is a practising Oral surgeon at Harub Dental Surgery. He followed this with another book – ‘Canyoning in Oman – 12 Exceptional Wadis’ – with the help of the Ministry of Information and went a step further with a fascinating film on Oman’s nature – ‘Adventure has an address – Oman’ – last March, again in association with the Ministry of Information. In addition, he used to contribute regular features of his explorations to a local English daily and has written several articles for a British publication called The Arab Weekly. Recently, he did a documentary with the BBC on canyoning in Oman, which is expected to be telecast shortly.
Dr. Khaled, who lives in Oman with his wife – his daughter has settled in Oman following higher education in France and his son is currently working in France – has plans to write a third book on Dhofar and Musandam. In the meanwhile, his weekend trips continue with his family and friends. As he notes, “There are endless possibilities and potentials in Oman…” However, for novices who are seeking to follow suit, his advice is to “know your limits and respect nature!”
The home I grew up in…
I grew up in Beirut and spent my summer holidays in a small village in Lebanon called Btater where we have an old family house, which is approximately 700-800 years old.
When I was a child I wanted to…
Like most children, I wanted to be a pilot, but later decided to go for a medical career.
The moment that changed me forever…
It was in my high school, when my teacher, Mrs Naim, triggered in me a more analytical and logical way of using my brain.
My greatest inspiration…
The French climbers who initiated my caving expeditions.
My hero…
It was the blues player Stevie Ray Vaughan, who I was a big fan of.
If I could change one thing about myself…
I am happy the way I am.
I dream of…
Passing my love and respect to nature to the whole world.
What I see when I look in the mirror…
I think I look a lot like my both parents, my mother and my father.
My greatest regret…
I do not have regrets, but I would have had if I wouldn’t have met my mentors Patrick and Nathalie.
You may not know it but I’m very good at…
Living in nature…in the wilderness.
If I have time to myself…
I would go outdoors more often.
My house is…
My security; my nest.
My favourite haunt/holiday destination…
The whole world. Every country I have travelled to I have found something to like.
My favourite weekend spot in Oman…
Is a place where I like to take everyone who comes to visit us – Al Tahri Cave.
I will not leave my house without…
My wallet, my keys, my phone.
Things I like about Oman…
First of all genuine Omanis, and secondly, genuine Omanis. I like the country itself and the nature is really beautiful.
A book that changed me…
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.
On top of my wish/bucket list is…
To be able to work with the youth and pass my knowledge of nature.
My success mantra is…
Nature!
In 10 years’ time, I hope to be…
Sitting on my terrace in my old house in Lebanon with a drink in my hand…
(Pictures courtesy Dr. Khaled Abdul Malak)