Hamiltan Plaza Hotel Salalah

... in a nicer one. Renting is pretty cheap, you can get a 3 bedroom villa for under 200rials ($500CND?) except that in tourist season (June-September) the landlords kick you out so they can charge the tourist waaay more. Apparently this is normal, and everybody just deals with it somehow. That's about it, I'm not super happy being here but it's only the first week. Hopefully I find some sort of routine to take up my day. -M

On the tip of the Arabian Peninsula within the Sultanate of Oman lies the city of Salalah. The area is protected from the harsh high heat of the desert by a range of mountains and receives much of its water thru the summer monsoons that blow in off the Arabian Sea. This combination of different weathers gives the Salalah area a tropical climate that is not enjoyed by the other countries of the Arabian Peninsula. This morning we docked at the Port of Salalah which is located ...

Well, I did have a good time but at the same time am disappointed. I do have to say that the guides we were provided, were great and performed well under pressure. Basically the entire group was unimpressed with the tour provided considering the price that was charged. $1200.00 USD is a lot of money for two days. (even including the flight IMO) The hotel I satyed at was clean,and had a nice spot on the beach, but there's nothing else I can ...

... Fishermen were out catching sardines, and there were thousands of sea birds circling around filling their bellies too. Oman is a major exporter of lobster -- too bad we don't get any. There were pleasant pavilions along the beach for families to use and a restaurant with cabanas for families to have a nice weekend at the beach without cooking. When asked how families would react to a tourist in scanty swimsuits, he ...

... the terrain much greener and where rain fell last week. It is still hot in the day, but the evenings are a beautiful barmy temperature. We finally hired a saloon, rather than the extortionately priced 4 x 4, and have just returned from our first sortie into the Dhofar Mountains. Little traffic, stunning mountain scenery and wadis, camels wandering everywhere and because of the climate, cows (and their deposits) all over the roads. Still the same warm reception ...

... Because of the cooler weather, everyone heads out for picnics and they just drive along the side of the road and pull up on a cliff or mountainside and set up. Blankets, shisha, BBQ, the whole kit. This was hilarious because it was cold and very wet with a fine mist..but hey when you live in a scortching desert, you don't mind so much! We visited Job's Tomb. The prophet lived out his life here ...

... we were surrounded by banana, papaya, coconut and other tropical fruit plantations. The palm trees were swaying in the breeze, the weather very noticably cooler and very appreciated after leaving 50 degrees celsius in Dubai. However, there was no sun shining, it was a cloudy, misty day. Why? Because it is the Kareef Season in the Dhofar regional of Oman (also known as monsoon season). The months of July and August are ...

... time, around the 2nd century or so, Salalah was a prosperous area due to the Frankincense trade. The "Frankincense tree" (Boswellia tree) grows only in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula and a small part of Northern Africa, and the resin of the tree was in high demand. Now, very few trees remain-partly because the trees rely on water that that is absorbed through their leaves and the leaves happen to be a favorite treat for camels. Once the camels eat the leaves of the ...

OMG, how long has it been since i had something to write about!!! If truth be told, I have to admit to a bout of laziness on my part also, but no more, as i'm once again at a point where i don't quite know where to begin this chapter. If i go back to early October, we were just leaving Bergen (Norway) and the more and more unpleasant North Sea. Must say I wasnt the slightest bit sad to turn my back on the place, as temperatures chilled me to the bone ...