From a Camel's Point of View......

Where else in the world would you see a camel traveling down the highway in the back of a Toyota pick-up? (except maybe another desert country!) Don and I were traveling to Nizwa, an old city about an hour and a half into the interior of Oman. There is an old fort from the Ottoman times that they have restored and it displays many artifacts and information about Oman's history and culture. On the way there, we just happened upon this sight:

Makes you wonder what the camel is thinking!

He was a bit camera-shy when we got close enough to get a really good picture, and of course, the battery on my camera died just as it finally turned around to look at us. Just to give you an idea of how we took these pictures, I had to roll down the window (ate a lot of sand that day), Don drove alongside of him as much as we could, the wind was coming in so hard the car started to vibrate, and we were calling to the camel to get it to look towards us! I'm sure we made a pretty funny picture ourselves--at least that's what our children said when they saw these pictures!

He tried to ignore us, but finally started turning around (shot 4) after we called out at him!

Well, we did see more camels on Thursday, but didn't have the camera out! I'll know better next time we go back. On the to rest of the trip......


The mountains we drove through are stark, hard rock, yet as you live with them every day, you begin to see nuances of color, light, and life. The views as we drove through the mountain range were so amazing that no description is really necessary. What continues to astound us is that the mountains change color all day long. The slant of the sun, the haze, the number of clouds, the amount of sand in the air, and how low the clouds are make these mountains change their color. We have also noticed a great variance in the color of the rock as well. They are truly a monument of God's creation! So, without further ado, here are some of the sights out of our car window as we made our way to Nizwa:

House and grounds for a date plantation on the side of the road

More palm trees in a date plantation. I'm learning that
not all palm trees are created equal!

See how the rock is turning darker now?

When we first arrived, the small green plants you see like the one in this picture reminded me of the dried up, old dead tumbleweeds I remember from days as a child in Kansas. The cooler weather combined with rainfall has brought life back to the desert.

Hope you enjoyed this trip down the Nizwa highway! More on the fort in another post!

Celebrating National Day

In November the Omani's celebrate National Day/National Week in honor of HM the Sultan's day of ascension to the throne. They decorate with lots of lights and congratulatory notices.Don and I went shopping at the Muttrah souk last week, preparing for our trip home next week. It was the end of the Omani celebration of National Week, so the lights were up everywhere. 

The souk is located on the water and it gave us the opportunity to take some really neat pictures of the street along the water as well as the boats on the water and the coastline as it curves around. I had to get out of the car to take the pictures then run to catch up with Don as he drove off because there wasn't a place for us to pull over. I guess I'm lucky he didn't just drive off without me! I did get lots of strange looks as I literally ran to catch up to Don because women here don't do that!

You may not be able to tell, but the roadway is completely full of cars. Omani's love to come out in the cool of the evening and enjoy the sea, the company, the sights. Stores here in Muscat typically stay open till about 11 p.m. to take advantage of the nocturnal habits of its citizens. (My mother-in-law would be in shopping heaven here as she has always insisted that retailers should keep the shoppers' hours!)

The weather now is gorgeous! We are still swimming during the day, although they do run a heater for the water now. The walks along the beach are still warm enough and humid enough to keep you warm! Sitting out on a patio at the beach to eat dinner is a pleasure since the breeze off the ocean is usually cool; I actually enjoyed wearing layers outside for the first time since getting here! We're going to try and hit the souk one more time before coming home for Christmas; I'll try to remember my camera to take some nighttime pics inside the souk for you!

On the right is the seawall; the left is the street
(same one the Starbucks is on--see earlier post)
with festive lights strung along the roads.

Dhow outlined with lights; cruise ship in background

Coastline. You can see the red, green and white lights better from this view. (Omani's national colors!)

Close to the souk; you may not be able to tell from the picture, but this is a happening place!

A Dress-Up Evening

Don and I visited the Royal Opera House Muscat in November to hear the BBC Symphony Orchestra perform a selection of three different classic composers. We really enjoyed the evening. However, I can't share the music with you, but I can share the pictures that we took of the magnificent building. We dressed up, of course, long dress and suit, which is very appropriate for the magnificence of the building.

There is a magnificent pipe organ installed in the Opera House; pictures are not allowed inside the actual concert hall. I know I'm using superlatives a lot, but it truly is a beautiful building and a mark of pride for the Omani's. We really enjoyed the evening!

Courtyard in front of Opera House; note the marble flooring covering the entire area.

Entry Foyer

Attendants in traditional dress--they were beautiful!

The woodwork, tile mosaics and ceiling are spectacular.

A better view of the ceiling and entrance to the theatre itself

Orchids were placed in tables around the base
of all the marble columns

Entrance

Balcony entrance to concert hall

Don in front of doors to one of the many service rooms off the
entrance with access to another patio courtyard area

Snorkeling in the Gulf of Oman

Another fun excursion we have had in the last week was a boat ride out on the Gulf of Oman/Arabian Sea. Some friends (same ones we spent Thanksgiving with!) had rented a boat for a few hours while friends of theirs were visiting from another Middle East country and they invited us along for the ride. And what a ride it was! We pulled out of the harbor--see below--and then the spectacular scenery along the coastline just made the trip!

Don, enjoying the ride

Friends that we went with

The goal for the afternoon was to enjoy the coastal scenery and then go to a cove for some snorkeling. Here are some fantastic coastal views.

Traditional dhow boat off the shore

Old fortresses mixed in with newer construction

We were at low tide; you can see how far up the mountain the water would come underneath the fort.

This is a park area nestled into some flat land in
front of the striking rocky coastline

The water is a beautiful clear blue, and again--what can I say? The pictures speak for themselves in all their majesty and beauty! On to snorkeling.....

We arrived at the cove, found a quiet spot and put down the anchor only to find it full of jelly fish. Here's a good picture of just one of the many that surrounded our boat:

Yes, the water was really this color in spots around the cove!
The jellyfish were a bright blue to purple while in the water.

We were questioning our guide as to whether they were dangerous or not. He said no, they weren't poisonous, and to prove his point, he picked one up! We took a quick picture then released it back into the water, where it swam away. They aren't as vibrant-colored out of the water as in.

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Up-close jelly fish. Must not be the same kind we have in the Gulf of Mexico!

And now, for the pics you have been waiting for: Don snorkeling and swimming in the cove!

If you can see his face, you will know that the water was a little bit on the cold side!
See how the water changes color? There was varying depth as well as a
small coral reef in the area. We observed lots of zebra fish in this location.

After getting over the initial shock of cold, Don took off to view the sights.

While we were anchored in the cove, a dhow (type of traditional Omani boat) was also anchored there, with passengers who were also enjoying the snorkeling.

Dhow

As we were leaving the cove area, we came upon this beautiful
arch in the rock formation surrounding the area.

This is the royal palace in Muscat. The Sultan does not live here, but receives
foreign dignitaries in this complex. I believe the building in the middle that is
turquoise and yellow is the actual reception building.

I'll leave you with this one last look at the cove. The rocks you see behind the beach area actually form an island. The mainland coast is behind us in this picture. Because of the island, there is a nice peaceful feel to this cove, as well as natural beauty.

Hope you enjoyed the boat trip!

Thanksgiving!

I've been asked a lot about what we did for Thanksgiving. For my non-American readers (yes, guys, I do have some of those!), Thanksgiving is a holiday in America that we celebrate as a time to give thanks to God for all the blessings of the previous year. It commemorates the early settlers in America who were thankful to have survived a summer with a good harvest, shelter, and provisions to help them through what was sure to be a harsh winter ahead. They had a big feast, invited their friends the Indians who had helped them, celebrated, and thanked God for His provision.

Anyway, we got together with some fellow Americans for a big family feast. They couple who invited us over have 2 teenagers, who wanted to invite their friends to show them what Thanksgiving was like. So there were 12 teenagers and 6 adults. Quite a crowd! And I had pictured us having a quite celebration here at home, just the two of us!

We had a pretty traditional meal: turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin/pecan/apple/chocolate pies, cranberry salad, carrots and a cucumber salad. I think that was all! The American Club (club sponsored by the American Embassy) here sold cooked turkeys (roasted, fried, and one other way) and pies, so our meat and two of the pies came from there. The rest we made ourselves. All in all, it was a delicious meal, and we all ate ourselves silly!

Thursday and Friday are our weekend days here, so we were fortunate that we had the day off to eat, relax, and recover from the feast. We went to church, of course, on Friday. I am always in awe of the God we serve every time I worship with others from around the world. A great weekend all around!

The other Thanksgiving weekend tradition is Black Friday shopping. Never fear, if you were worried that I would miss out on that tradition, I did participate online. Julieanne was the sole benefit of my shopping--I guess Taylor and Anne know now to expect a package in the mail soon! Enjoy the last day of your holiday weekend, my fellow Americans!

Does the view from your Starbucks look like this?

Well, ours does! Or, at least the Starbucks we went to over the weekend does! The ocean is overlooking the front and the mountains are out back. Here is the Starbucks from down on the beach. We enjoyed a leisurely brunch up on the roof of the restaurant and took in all the views before heading down for a walk along the beach.

The view from up high on the top of the building was nice, but so was the view from down on the beach. This is going to be mostly pictorial today (I'm giving you a break from the history lessons!)

No, I didn't take a poor shot of the giant rock in the distance. It is always very hazy in Muscat; this was actually a pretty good day in that regards. And yes, the water is that blue!

Don walking on the beach.

This appears to be an old fortress ruin that has been swallowed up by the sea. It is low tide, so this is not probably very noticeable during high tide. I'll have to research and see what happened there!

Looking back towards the mountains under the bridge of the road that runs in front of Starbucks. This wetlands area is actually a flood plain.

 As we were driving around that morning, we stumbled upon this hilltop restaurant. It is very common for Omanis to decorate their green space  with floral designs. I thought this was unusually large and well-done and depicted a very nice design.

This is just one view from the top of the restaurant. They were closed, but we are definitely planning a return trip!

That's all I have today! Not much of a story, just a lot of exploring!

Well, ours does!