Oman

ARRIVING AT MUSCAT - OMAN

A GREAT LOOKING CASTLE ON A HILL & A LOVELY BLUE MOSQUE...

GOING ON QUITE A LONG RIDE TO A WADI THAT LOOKED GREAT WHEN I RESEARCHED IT.

I THOUGHT I WOULD BE WITH BARBARA TODAY BUT SHE GOT IN ANOTHER CAR & I WAS WITH TWO OTHER LADIES, CAROLIN & VLADKA

THESE ARE OUR DRIVERS, WAITING ON THE QUAYSIDE.

WE DRIVE TO A SEASIDE TOWN FOR A PHOTO STOP BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO NOT ENTER THE TOWN, BUT STOP JUST OPPOSITE.

THEN WE CARRY ON FOR ANOTHER STOP AT A SINK HOLE WHERE I SEE THE LEADER OF OUR GUIDES FOR THE FIRST TIME.

HE IS YOUR HOLLYWOOD EXAMPLE OF THE HANDSOME ARAB, WITH A HUGE MACHO EGO TO MATCH.

HE JUMPS UP ON THE PARAPET & PROCEEDS TO BERATE PEOPLE FOR NOT LISTENING TO HIM.

SOME PEOPLE, INCLUDING BARBARA HERE TAKE THE HIKE DOWN TO THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER.

HEADING OFF AGAIN WE RUN INTO ( NOT LITERALLY ) SOME CAMELS CROSSING THE ROAD.

NOW FOR A STOP AT THE GRANDLY NAMED - DIWAN OF ROYAL COURT OFFICE FOR CONSERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, RAS A SHAGAR RESERVE -WHERE THE TOUR DESCRIPTION TOLD US WE COULD EXPECT TO SEE ANTELOPE.

OUR HANDSOME GUIDE TELLS US IT IS HIGHLY DOUBTFUL WE WILL SEE ANY ANTELOPE SINCE WE HAVE COME AT THE WRONG TIME OF DAY.

SILLY US!

THE LEADER HAD COMMANDEERED LISA, THE SHIPS YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER, FOR HIS CAR & WHILE I WAS CHATTING TO HER, HE PUSHED HIS WAY BETWEEN US.

VERY POSSESSIVE & A RIGHT ROYAL PAIN IN THE ARSE.

IN THE EVENT, WE DID SEE SOME ANTELOPE, WAY OFF AT THE EXTREME END OF MY ZOOM. OUR DRIVER WAS GREAT, TRYING TO GET US THE BEST VIEW. HE CAUGHT SHIT FROM OUR MIGHTY LEADER FOR DELAYING THE GROUP.

ON THE SUBJECT OF SHIT, HERE’S SOME FOR CAROLIN WHO HAPPENS TO BE CO-WRITING A BOOK ON THE SUBJECT OF SCAT, WHICH IS A STUDY OF HERS.

APPARENTLY ALL SORTS OF THINGS CAN BE DEDUCED FROM ANIMAL DROPPINGS.

HER BOOK IS TO BE CALLED.

‘KNOW SHIT!’

REALLY - NOT KIDDING.

THIS IS CAROLIN...

WE NOW GET TO THE WHITE SAND BEACH ADVERTISED IN THE DESCRIPTION BUT ARE NOT ALLOWED ON IT & HAVE TO SETTLE FOR WHAT WILL BE SAND IN SEVERAL MILLION YEARS.

WE HAVE A QUITE ENJOYABLE PACKED LUNCH SITTING ON THE BOULDERS. THE GUIDES HAVE THEIRS ON A NICE BIG BLANKET.

HERE’S BARBARA AGAIN..DIPPING HER TOES IN THE ARABIAN SEA, OR INDIAN OCEAN, DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO.

THE STORY ABOUT THIS CAR IS THAT IT WAS STRANDED DURING A BIG WIND OR SOME SUCH.

A LOT OF WIND PROBABLY.

SOME GREAT LOOKING DOORS, A VIEW OF WHAT MIGHT BE THE WHITE BEACH -

AND THE MOUTH OF THE WADI, LOOKING VERY INVITING.

THE TOUR DESCRIPTION WAS NOT CLEAR ON WHAT WE WOULD DO HERE, BUT I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED WE DID NOT VENTURE ALONG IT A BIT. MY RESEARCH SHOWED LOTS OF OFF ROAD TRAILS. OUR INTREPID LEADER WAFFLED ON ABOUT SOME REASON FOR NOT GOING FURTHER. MAYBE WE HAD RUN OUT OF TIME OR NEEDED BETTER TRANSPORT. WHO KNOWS, I GAVE UP LISTENING TO HIM A WHILE AGO.

ANYWAY - THAT WAS OUR FIVE MINUTES AT THE WADI & NOW IT’S THE LONG DRIVE BACK TO MUSCAT.

PASSING SOME LOCALS

AT ONE POINT OUR CONVOY SCREECHED TO A HALT SO THE DRIVER OF ANOTHER CAR COULD BE CASTIGATED FOR LEAVING THE ROAD & SHEDDING STONES TOWARDS OUR CARS. OUR LEADER AGAIN.

WE STOPPED FOR GAS & A PEE STOP & TALKED A LITTLE TO OUR DRIVER WHO IS ALSO NOT IMPRESSED WITH HIS LEADER.

THERE IS THE USUAL LINE UP FOR THE BATHROOM & ONE OF THE GUIDES SURPRISED ME BY SUGGESTING I USE THE ABLUTIONS AT THE MOSQUE. I QUERIED IT WITH HIM AS I AM NOT MUSLIM & HE WAS QUITE OK WITH IT.

MY ONE & ONLY VISIT TO A MOSQUE.

I KNOW THIS TOUR SOUNDS A BIT LIKE HELL ON WHEELS, BUT I LIKED IT. LEADERS EXCEPTED.

PITY WE DID NOT HAVE OUR EXTRA DAY HERE SO WE COULD OVERNIGHT. BUT WE SAIL & MOVE ON TO SALALAH, FURTHER DOWN THE OMAN COAST

We have now moved down the Arabian sea to Salalah, also in Oman.

The schedule today has me going to a lookout over the ocean, a spring in the desert, an archaeological dig and a fishing village.

Wake up to a glorious sunrise & head out past the local Mosque & into town

Hereabouts, they harvest Frankincense & I wander into this shop to buy some. I have no idea of the value but it used to be worth its weight in gold. I dislike bargaining so I give the girl five dollars and ask her to give me that in Frankincense & get a small box full of what may or may not be Frankincense. I wonder what customs are going to think of it when I get back to Canada.

Judging by all these tailoring shops, there must be a sizeable population nearby but not in evidence.

Note the signs in English. Even very remote areas here do this.

A quick stroll around the rest of the town which is almost empty of people....

On to the spring..

I do not take a photo of it but there is a very large sign here saying not to go in the water as it contains some very bad, disease carrying things.
The lady sitting next to the sign with her feet dangling in the water must be short sighted.

There were also a group of youngish girls, fully clothed in the Muslim garb, playing with a soccer ball who giggled a lot when I asked if they were related to Beckham. I don’t know if they understood or just thought I was funny.

Now I know there are deserts here and deserts have sand but I never pictured beaches to be around here.
They do have some lovely ones.
No sunbathers though.

And this is your actual Frankincense plant...

The archaeological dig is just that & here’s Barbara again, wearing yet another outfit. She must have brought a trunk load with her.

And is this a warning of more ships of the desert .....

- heading out to sea.....

I am not sure what happened in this village. An earthquake maybe. Lots of half demolished buildings & a very few people near the Mosque.

Now in the fishing village...

Past an oasis and back to Salalah.

Another place it would be good to come back to. Very real, quiet & hardly a tourist in sight apart from us passengers.