Safari Muscat

... tiny terraced fields, stone built houses clinging to the cliff, and even a football pitch straddling the road. There was one particularly beautiful spot where a collection of houses overlooked a date palm grove, with lush grass beneath and small standings of corn growing next to the wadi. Just beyond, where a spring appeared from under the bare rock face, a small damn held a pool of water, the reservoir for every home further down the wadi. From here on up it was a ...

At sea. We are now traveling from Cochin to Muscat and another beautiful day at sea. The sea is glassy and the sun has yet to get too hot. We gained another hour last night which is amazingly civilized, and having had our daily three lap very brisk walk of the promenade deck(one mile) , we feel a bit of sitting on the balcony and trying to catch up with the reading is in order. We have not included too much in ...

... t recommend it too highly as the crime is spreading vastly, the townships are spreading and there is widespread thought that it is becoming the next Zimbabwe; she fears for her mother who still lives in Cape Town. I find that so sad that a country that I've always had in my heart is falling apart at the seams. Will I ever get back? The world seems such a small place these days yet SA seems so distant now...   F ...

... brand new car on a test drive. I had four wheel drive, I had 3.8 litres, I had 276 bhp, I had a low ratio gearbox, and I had a locking differential (don't ask me, that's just what the brochure said). I had nothing ahead of me but miles of perfect beach. I made it approximately 20 yards. I then spent the next 5 minutes digging myself and the car a fair part of the way to bedrock. If it hadn't been for a group of friendly locals ...

... the part of the world we're in/passing through at the moment. · Siesta This place is quiet enough outside of the hours of 1-4pm but it's almost graveyard quiet during those mid-afternoon hours. Everything closes and everyone, we assume, stays indoors either praying, eating or sleeping. · Eminem & 50 cent But not everyone stays indoors. Yesterday afternoon we got taking to local who was, like us, sheltering from the sun in a bandstand on the ...

... on; they only take cash. Oh, and everything closed from 1-4 PM. Civilised, perhaps, with the climate, but inconvenient at this particular time. I did a little wandering of Mutrah; as I described before, it's lovely, and swung into Old Muscat to look at the forts, walls and slightly ridiculous Sultan's Palace. The fortifications are imposing, but not accessible to the public, particularly not since it was Armed Forces Day. Soldiers in uniform kept appearing, from ...

... 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 ...