Novotel Seeb Muscat

... a warm Caramel bar worked a treat.<br><br>Between then and now I&#8217;ve been on/in a fair variety of boats. I was ship&#8217;s company on HMS Ark Royal (I was occasionally allowed on the bridge, but under strict orders to not touch anything - I was aircrew after all). I sailed the Canary Isles on a 55&#8217; Nicholson (as foredeck crew, again presumably to put me as far away as possible from anything breakable). I had a few forays on a Contessa 38 until the ...

... 51°C (55°C indicated on the car). The following morning, the temperature had dropped to a paltry 37°C and all was well. Right up to the point you left the house, walked through the turkish bath and got into the car. <br><br><br>37°C isn&#8217;t bad, but allied to 75% humidity, it gets a little uncomfortable. Walking from the car to the aircon comfort of the shopping mall you see people everywhere doing the expat shuffle - trying to look cool and in control whilst glancing over the ...

... to have got loud**...or maybe it echoes more around the tiled and marbled house!!!! I came back upstairs at 2am but set up the duvets in Callan's room. He has been unsettled, und**standably. He's been up 2 or 3 times the last couple of nights, so I'm now paranoid he'll get up and wake Colin (who has an early start) and not see me on the floor. Then I'm worried Freya would come in looking for me and wake Colin. So really not much sleep to be had ...

... On more than one occasion I have found myself smiling, walking out of whatever office I was visiting, going out to my car, rolling up the windows, and shouting at the top of my voice. Arguing would produce an understanding shrug, banging the table would prompt a kindly smile, and storming out would only get you to the back of the queue. Maybe an example would help. Obtaining a Resident's Card. When reading this. please ...

... elite troops drilling with their rifles, to the brightly coloured military bands. (Oman uses pipe bands for military purpose, as well. For some reason.) Then, I swung back to Mutrah. No problem, I said. I'll wire money to myself using Western Union. They'd apparently given my mother a horrible time (she sounded on the verge of tears when I'd talked to her back in Dubai -- they'd charged her credit card twice), but what the hell. No dice; I needed a phone number ...

... much longer to rebuild what's been lost. If you are interested in monitoring this situation, please see the following link. It discusses the destruction, relief efforts, and mentions what you can do to help if so inclined: http://gonu.blogspot.com/ If anyone in my family would like to donate to me, I am happy to buy a few supplies in town and run them back down to my friends in Oman.

... things have since been looking up. After settling in, I walked 5 minutes down to the beach. Its not the most beautiful beach I've ever seen, but the sand was soft, the air was warm and the water was cool. This was the relaxing vacation I was looking for. Of course, there isn't anyone walking around in bikinis and there are even some local women in the water with their abaya. I think if I want to sunbathe, I have to do it in the relative privacy of a hotel pool ...

... the city. All of the buildings, residences, round-abouts and random statues all convey the arabic style. The roads are rather impressive. They are all freshly paved and pot-hole free. I really wish Calgary had nice roads like Muscat. The only downside.....roundabouts. Whoever invented roundabouts should be SHOT! They are the most ineffective form of traffic control, and they are everywhere ...

... to picture two buses and 60 some people around this single tree in the desert learning the history of frankincense and having the opportunity to rub the tree to smell its scent. Perhaps this port didn't have too much to offer? We then headed through the mountains on the way to Mughsail Beach where there is a small fishing village and some beautiful scenery. Driving through the mountains, we got our first close-up look at camels meandering along the ...

A few photos from the souk at Seeb (souk is Arabic for a market), where I went and shopped with my family. The different souks around the place are bustling with life and the energy of trade pulsing through the small streets and shops. As a treat our parents would buy us a Samosa ...