Girls Only Road Trip!

My Texas friends won't believe I took this trip, driving, with a new visitor and friend from the states. Don was working, it was Sunday (first day of the work week here), and we wanted a little adventure. The only way to get it was to go by ourselves. I've blogged on this location here in Oman before, Wadi Shab, but just to get a better perspective, here is a map to show where we went. We drove along the highway shadowed by the red line to get from my house to the Wadi.

A wadi is an arroyo, or dry river bed which is filled by rain water coming down the mountains. Wadi Ash Shab actually has water in it most of the time. Back in the mountains there is a dam which helps keep it full of water. It is used by the farmers and locals year-round. Since you can't swim in it down close to the mouth of the river, we have to take a boat across to get to the hiking trail.

Our driver for the ride over. He was glad to pose, but doesn't appear to be much into smiling!

Jenn, my friend visiting from Alabama.

Going under the highway.

Closing in on the shore on the other side--these mountains are really tall!

Beginning our trek back into the wadi. You can barely see the water at
the base of the mountain on the left. It is very narrow right now.

We saw this herd of goats climbing up on the rocks of the mountain side while we were hiking.
Goats are allowed to roam free during the day, and belong to the local bedouins.

The rocks just dwarf these full-size palm trees! See the hose snaking along the front,
used for irrigation to water palms and banana trees planted along the sides of the wadi bed.

This is just about as far as we had time to go. Just around the bend is the first swimming area,
but no one was swimming there that day. The rain clouds were building overhead
and we were keeping a close eye on them. Wadis are NOT a good
place to hang out when it's getting ready to rain!

This is a close-up of the opposite side of the wadi. Once upon a time, a house had been built into the
rocks here to provide home and shelter. Another friend said that these holes in the rock reminded her of
where David (Old Testatment in the Bible) and his men hid when being hunted by Saul. I also think
of the old hymn, "He Hideth My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock, in a Dry and Weary Land."
Shelter in this harsh climate is invaluable, just like God's protection of me!

Last picture of the wadi before we turned back to meet the boat again.

I love flowers blooming in the desert--but if you know me at all, you know I love flowers period!

One last picture of both Jenn and me with the highway and the ocean

 in the background before we boarded the boat back to go to the other side.

Our driver for the ride back. If you ever wanted to know what they wear under their dishdashas....Both
drivers were friendly and helpful in getting us in and out of the boats!

We just had to stop and take a picture of the beautiful water of the Gulf of Oman.
You can see storm clouds encroaching to the left.

Jenn

I just had to take a selfie--not a very good one!--just
to prove I was there!

To quote my granddaughter, uh-oh! When we saw these storm clouds obscure the tops of the mountains,
we skedaddled outta there. To all y'all non-Texan speakers, that means we left really fast!

After we were back on the highway headed toward Muscat, we came across these camels by the side of the road, just enjoying eating the vegetation and hanging out. I just had to include these pictures because I really enjoy seeing camels on the side of the road!

Baby doesn't stray far from mama.

Up-close of baby, who wasn't really sure why our car was parked on the shoulder!

This is a really good picture of a camel. It is hobbled on its front legs, to keep it from running off.
All of the adults were hobbled. This is a really healthy looking animal that is well-cared for by its owner!

We made it home from our Wadi Ash Shab adventure just fine, obviously! I'm pretty proud that just us girls had the gumption and fortitude to give it a try! Who knows what my next adventure will be?

Tea Time!

Where do two friends go who are stressed out with impending moves, busy schedules, and just life in general? Why, they go to the Al Bustan, hotel to queens, presidents, diplomats, and VIP's, for high tea! This is a beautiful hotel right on the water just outside Mutrah, the original port, trading center and town of Muscat. Oman is very closely tied to the British culture through its history, so it's no wonder that the premiere hotel in town would offer a great high tea! And it did NOT disappoint!

Wanda enjoying the ambiance of the lounge/lobby.

Beautiful. large fountain in the middle of the lounge.

The lobby is very tall--at least 3 or 4 stories high, surrounded
by these beautiful columns and intricate woodwork.

The inside of the dome at the top.

We started our tea off with cups of hot chocolate--some of the best I've ever had!

Tea strainer for loose tea and the little plate to set it on. I must confess that
Wanda and I had to look at it closely to figure out what it was for at first!

Our tea setting. We each got our own little pot of hot tea.

Our tea consisted of scones, finger sandwiches and petite desserts.

I even tried the tuna sushi rolls! And they were surprisingly good!

Wanda and I enjoying our tea!

 Mission accomplished! This was a great place to relax, unwind, and forget about our cares for a few hours one afternoon! Too bad more of life isn't taken as leisurely and enjoyable as this!

The British Academy Ball

The British Academy here in Muscat holds a fundraiser ball every spring. They have a great reputation here in Muscat for educational excellence, and are qualified as an International Baccalaureate school in all three areas which this program offers. We were invited to attend by the architectural firm Don is using on the OXY building project he is here working on. Of course, our friends Monika and Ashwin were there, since they are his main contacts for the job, as well as Fred, their boss. We also made some new friends from Iran, Kamran and Sarvenaz, and from Australia, Leah and Vanessa. We really enjoyed getting to know them.

Our table

Ashwin, ever the comedian...

I actually won one of the door prizes!

We were entertained by some of the students before the dinner. The first group to dance was a group of high school girls called the Sweethearts. Reminded me of my teaching days at CHS! They just have a more international flair over here to the music!

The Sweethearts of the British Academy

Here are a few short video clips of the students' performances. I hope you enjoy them!

I'll close with this final clip. Monika and Ashwin took to the dance floor after our meal. I'll bet this kind of music isn't played at a ball in America!

Muscat Festival 2014 Part 2

To continue with a great experience of another culture's heritage, I am sharing a video of some Omani dancing, singing, and music.

Set up close to the dancing area was an area where some women were weaving, sewing, and doing other activities related to home life. I loved the brightly colored abiyahs and shaylas the women were wearing!

A unique version of the baby's cradle. Hung on a rope, it is easily pushed for rocking the baby!

A brightly decorated example of a bedroom--no chairs, just the cushions on the floor and straw mats for the floor.

This little boy was playing with technology while waiting around for his mom. Kids are the same the world over!

Utensils of everyday life.

These girls are wearing a bit more formal costume.

Making baskets

Another baby cradle, this one with a mobile.

  

Next on display was a display of ancient artifacts. Like the native American Indians who used all parts of the buffalo to support their everyday life, the Omanis used all parts of the camel as well. Of course, there is jewelry, pottery, khanjars (knives), swords, guns, and other relics.

Camel bladders?

Armor and shield--think the Crusades.

What do you write on when you have no paper? Camel bones, of course!

Of course, no festival would be complete without refreshments. They had both traditional Omani food booths as well as fast food booths. If you've ever been to a county or state fair before, you are familiar with the all the food booths. Here is what  it looks like in Oman:

Serving tea and refreshments, Omani style.

Fast food booths with seating out front.

You will recognize Pizza Hut and KFC. There is usually a McDonald's as well!

Cotton candy is a staple at all Omani gatherings, sen at the mall!

That pretty well sums up our evening at the festival. We picked up Don afterwards and went out for a quick dinner--Indian food, of course. What else when with Monika and Ashwin?

We started with a spiced Indian tea--

The bread is delicious. It's called nan. We ate every bit in our basket!

A sampling of our dinner on Monika's plate.

Another successful adventure for our time in Oman! I hope you enjoyed it as well!