March 20, Holy Thursday
We had an interesting time in Salalah, the capital of the Dhofar Province in the Sultanate of Oman. It is very warm here at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula and very dry.
Salalah is the summer residence for the sultan and a resort destination for Arabs and Indians during the summer months. The country is dry and brown during this time of year, but beginning in May there is a monsoon season that transforms the place. A light rain falls throughout the summer, creating mists in the mountains and restoring life to plants on the hillsides, turning them green. Then, the coastal areas are filled with tourists, some of whom camp on a large expanse of flat land across from an entertainment park, while others fill the many hotels in the town. Some local residents pitch tents and rent them out to visiting families during the rainy months. Everyone seems to appreciate the "monsoon" as it cools the air and makes Salalah very inviting.
At one 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 trees, the trees die. The trees are very slow-growing-and thus very vulnerable. We were able to see two trees-two that are protected now from the camels-and our guide sliced away a piece of the bark, showing how the resin is collected (the resin oozes out of the cut in little beads, eventually crystallizing into small balls that are then harvested). The Frankincense crystals are added to water to improve digestion and strengthen one's constitution, and they are burned to sweeten the smell of one's home and to keep away insects-not to mention the use we are most familiar with-in liturgical services and other ceremonies.
We passed a herd of camels on the road and were able to stop and take pictures-and cause general confusion amongst the camels. Our guide assured us that there were no "wild" camels-although these camels seemed to be roaming free. Apparently, camels (like the chickens in Bali, the water buffalo in Vietnam, and the cows and goats in India) are fed by their owners in the morning and then allowed to roam freely, foraging for food during the rest of the day. They know to return home in the evening. Camel milk is used for drinking (though not for butter and cheese) and camel meat is delicious, according to our guide. So, though keeping camels is expensive, there are some ways they may earn their keep.
We went into the Dhofar Mountains to visit Job's tomb (nabi ayoub), a destination for pilgrims from all over the world. 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 Abraham, Noah, and Job rolling off the tongue of an Omani was enlightening. Our guide was very knowledgeable about his religion and anxious for us to make the connections-with Job, the "patience" prophet, Noah of the "flooding", the sons of Abraham Isaac and Esau on separate branches of the tree, and David. He told us that the Job who lived in this area was in his second lifetime as he came to this area, after losing everything and developing leprosy, to pray and to live out his old age. He told the story well and it was easy to imagine the old man transformed again to his younger self being greeted by his wife-who left an old man sitting in the shade at the beginning of the day and came home to find a young man in his place. So, according to our guide, Job lived his "second life" in this area, started a new family, lived happily to a ripe old age, died, and was buried here in nabi ayoub. Mary's father, Joachim, was reputed to have been buried in this area as well. The land here truly does feel biblical; the mountains are dotted with caves (though these caves are filled with bees and yield wonderful honey, according to our guide), the sea is close at hand, and the desert stretches northward into Saudi Arabia.
Across from Job's tomb-on the next hill-we could see a small village with its mosque, school, health clinic, and government center-evidence of the progress made since 1975, when the current sultan came into power.
The Sultan took over from his father after his father had survived a revolution and, in a negotiated peace settlement,yielded power to his son. According to our guide, the son had gone to college in London, and had studied law in Paris and culture and religion in Saudi Arabia. The father had been criticized for not working for the good of the country, so when the son assumed power, he committed himself to modernizing the country-and, he seems to have done a good job. Until about 1975, Oman had no electricity or running water, very few roads, and no government services. Most of the population lived in the hills around Salalah, so government centers were established in each village, which included a school, health clinic, mosque, and government offices. Electricity and water are provided and the roads are good. Since 1997, there have been efforts to document the history of the region. There is an archeological dig in Salalah where stone inscriptions have been discovered showing a written form of the southern Arabic dialect-an oral form of this language is spoken in the "hill country" today, according to our guide, but the writing is not taught. The site has been linked to the Queen of Sheba, so it promises to yield more interesting evidence of ancient times.
The colors of the sea today were breathtaking-the blue to aqua colors of the clear waters of the Arabian sea stood in stark contrast to the mile-long stretch of white sandy beach in Salalah. In the port area, much deeper colors of blue and green were equally beautiful.
At 6 pm, we said farewell to Salalah-a place of biblical history and myth, and a desert that is transformed into an oasis in summer, where the Queen of Sheba may have lived and where the stories of the Arabian Nights could easily come alive. We watched the sun set behind the Dhofar Mountains and saw the full moon high in the sky, standing at the ready, as it were, to guide us through the night. The sunset was spectacular.
March 21, Good Friday
We are all having a quiet, restful day at sea today. It seems the day in the heat yesterday has exhausted everyone. It was an enjoyable day in the desert, but very few Arabs were out during the day-with good reason, I'm sure.
We are sailing along the southern coast of Yemen (and, yes, it does seem strange to be reporting that), in the Gulf of Adan. We are expected to pass through the Strait of Adan at midnight and will be in the Red Sea tomorrow.
It has been wonderful in the Indian Ocean-and all its related waters, especially the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The waters have been smooth and just as beautiful as the Pacific.
March 22, Holy Saturday
Happy Birthday, Tim! We have another quiet day at sea ahead of us. We are sailing in the Red Sea, with Eritrea on our left and Yemen on our right.
Security has been somewhat of a concern since about the time we left Perth. At that time, equipment was set up, and fire hoses were stretched out, to enable the crew to repel pirates from one of the lower decks, if such action ever became necessary. The equipment direct a sonic blast that is evidently quite punishing, It was not anticipated that such defense would be needed in Indonesian waters, since pirates in that area typically target cargo ships, but the equipment was ready just in case. We also had additional security on board while we were sailing in that region.
So, now we are moving into a similar situation-no actual danger identified, but no guarantees of security either. We will be in Safaga on Monday and then will sail north again in the Red Sea. During the day on Wednesday, we will go through the Suez Canal and will dock at Alexandria on Thursday. Again, we will have extra security on board and the crew will be on the alert.
Security issues aside, we have an exciting week ahead-two ports in Egypt and two days sailing along the coast of Egypt and transiting through the Suez Canal. In Safaga, I will take a day trip to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings-sort of like driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco (or more aptly, Phoenix!) and back in a day. So, I expect to get to know the desert pretty well. In Alexandria, both Mom and I will take a similar trip-down to El Giza for a look at the pyramids there and the inscrutable Sphinx. We'll spend a little time on the Nile and return to the ship before the sail-away at 10 pm.
More thumbnails ...
Salalah Hotels
13 votes 
