Al Jabal Hotel Salalah

Well, we're here. Actually we've been here since Wednesday. Yep, the company all of a sudden, without warning said 'You're flying tomorrow! go go go!' and the next morning we were carted off to the airport, stuck on a plane and flown to Salalah. Flying over the desert was pretty. It was so flat in some parts that I could see the shadow of every cloud perfectly. And there were some more mountains, and some dried-up rivers ...

... towards Hafeet which is Ibri road. You will reach Oman border post. Do border formalities. Go straight until Ibri and then Nizwa. From Nizwa take Salalah route. Nizwa to Salalah is about 900kms and single track road. Some 200kms road is under maintenance also hence the speed will become slow and the ride will not be smooth. But still the road is ok. Rest of the road is very good. However the overall ride is tiring as this whole 900km ...

... warm and very dry. When we left the ship at 7:30 AM, the sun was rising in a cloudless sky and the temperature was into the 80's and starting a continuous climb into the 90's as the humidity remain dry. We had arrived in Oman between the cool winter season and the hot summer season. The weather would be warm but climbing to hot by the afternoon. The luck of the White Lady in Port would once again hold and the day would be a good touring day. Harriet was reminded of the Palm ...

... sorely disappointed most of the tour. It was apples, rather dry pita in bags(not home made) Hard boiled eggs, cucmbers and tomatoes. Not the 5 star service we were led to expect really. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with it, it just wasn't up to standard. I think more than anything what has happened, is some cultural differences in understanding just exactly what good service entails. I know the Iranians were irate, and some ...

... and swim. To our big surprise the car also managed to get up from the beach. Today we spent the day driving around (full tank is about 7 bucks, water is more expensive than gas) the mountains above Salalah where we had to sick sack between camels and cows. So far our car has scared away most of the camels. We have managed to embrace the Arabic culture big time. Down here we shovel our food with our hands and we also ...

... oils, caftans, shawls, pens and postcards. The gold market was a sorry affair, but near the far end of the street there was a store where I bought some silver earrings I liked. They don't scream Oman, but are nice and match my hair. And finally we go to Job's Tomb. Job's footprint was huge and the guide said he lived to 190 years and grew very large. His tomb was also very long, but the guide said it was a ...

... the road, we hit some rain and headed down a treacherous mountain to the wadi below. This was Wadi Darbat, the most lush and popular Wadi around Salalah. It is also the place that every local, tourist and visitor decides that a picnic is a must, in the rain and amongst the cows....mind you it is a very picturesque spot (but has no facilities, and with my bladder screaming for a toilet, I could not ...

... into the desert and set up camp for the Kareef season and rent out there houses (entrepreneurs, me thinks!?) Along with these tents are lean to kitchens where locals head to eat freshly cooked camel and kebabs (unfortunately I did not stop to try this, this trip). We headed west to Mugsayail. Along the coast the surf crashes into the cliffs and there is a spot with blowholes that shoot water over ...

Salalah (Oman) - 3rd April 2008. We arrived in Salalah at 8 am to a very hot day. We did not book a trip here as we had decided to explore on our own. However we discovered from the ships morning programme that the shuttle buses were only going as far as the port gate. We were left to our own devices to try and negotiate a price with the taxi drivers to take us into town. The passengers were surrounded by them and the going rate was $60 (30 ...

... A mosque and mausoleum have been built around the site of the tomb in recent years and a lovely garden has been cultivated with bougainvillea, hibiscus, lime trees, and fig trees planted here. The surrounding hillsides are bare-and brown-as this is the dry season, so the improvements to the grounds around the tomb are especially impressive. On one wall is a diagram of a tree showing the common roots of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. To hear the names of the prophets ...