Gonu-newsfeeds-June 6, 7.20pm

MUSCAT --
They followed the rules 364 days of the year. But, on the day they broke a simple rule, all hell broke loose, commented Bina Malhotra, a well-known Indian student career counselor in Muscat, who was part of the blessed lot, who confronted cyclone Gonu, and lived to tell the tale.
She, her husband, Pawan Malhotra (who apparently is leaving Oman for good), and her close friends ended up at the Barr Al Jissah resort, some 30-odd kilometers from their home, after being stranded for nearly four hours in the storm. The couple, along with their friends, all experienced off roaders, ventured out on a 4WD (Jeep Commander) with three objectives in mind. They had a birthday party to attend, test drive their new vehicle and most importantly check out the actual effect of the storm. But their adventurous storm chase ended up with the storm chasing them and soon they were in no position to get back to their home. Gonu played party pooper to this adventurous and enterprising lot as they gamely tried to tour the rain and wind afflicted sites of the Capital city, but were soon forced to seek comfort in the safety of a swank hotel. “We started out around 11am and moved across the highway to the Corniche, then went towards Wadi Kabir and upto Barr Al Jissah. We were egged on in our journey by the stupendous sights on the way. Minor waterfalls gushed out of the mountains, the winds tore through the shrubbery and the trees, but suddenly, midway, we realized that our picnic was over!”
Earlier around 11am, they had stopped on the Qurum flyover and had looked at the water logging in several parts, especially around a popular, internationally known, eatery, a shopping mall and other key buildings. “Within an hour and a half, the first floor of the popular eatery was submerged. This was the same case with the shopping mall and other main buildings in the area.
“Suddenly, from a friendly but strong wind and drizzle, the weather metamorphosed into a quirky and temperamental storm that began to wreak havoc. We realized that there was no way to reach our home, so we turned back to the Barr Al Jissah.”
The second time up, the Qantab road, which led to the resort, seemed far more perilous than before. “Small-sized boulders were falling down from the mountain, in fact, one rather huge one, narrowly missed us. Visibility was low, water was pouring from all ends, this time, and the intensity was fiercer. We did not waste any time: we swung our way to the hotel, and booked a room – thanks to one of them, who luckily had a credit card with him, while the others, who joined in did not take any money along because they never realized it was going to be a long trip -- there!”
“A word of praise for the authorities must be given. There is nothing that can be done when natural calamities occur and we are all mere puppets in the clutches of a storm like this. But, we must give due where it is deserved. All the ROP personnel whom we met in our path were extremely courteous and greatly helpful, within their limitations, of course!” Beena said.
She also had a word of advise for other motorists: “We have been foolish enough to venture out. Of course, we enjoyed it, but we would never advise anyone to venture out on the roads. Like, I said, we never break any rules, and for the last 364 days, we did not break any. But today, when we did, we were stuck in the storm. And we were let off lightly, this could not be the same case for everyone, so please don’t venture outdoors!”