"I was halfway up a cliff in northern Oman when I realised I hadn't thought about my prosthesis in more than an hour - which, if you've ever worn one, you'll know is no small thing. The socket was slick with sweat against my thigh. The ridge of my liner had started to roll slightly, but not enough to make me stop."
"This wasn't my first solo trip. I'd wandered the alleyways of Jordan, roamed Istanbul, gotten lost on purpose in countless cities. I'd learned how to pack light, how to listen to my body, how to push it past the borders of comfort. Yet Oman was different. There was something elemental about it all: the land stripped to its bones, the quiet confidence of the men I'd found online to hike with, the challenge I'd set for myself."
Zainab Al-Eqabi, an Iraqi para-athlete and disability advocate, climbs cliffs in northern Oman and experiences physical challenges without constant focus on her prosthesis. She hiked five hours, managed sweat and a rolling liner, and hauled herself and her leg up a rock face with a safety cable bolted along the ledge. Solo travel grants her a sense of freedom and identity separate from roles like daughter or patient; she feels simply herself. Previous travels through Jordan, Istanbul and other cities taught her to pack light, listen to her body and push comfort boundaries. Oman presented an elemental landscape and male hiking companions found online who inspired confidence.
Read at CN Traveller
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