Well my friends we meet again in the land of Frankincence and Sinbad. It is time for our first real vacation out of the Kingdom for a little R&R. An interesting & safe location, a place to relax, warm weather, and a short flight were the priorities. The city of Muscat in Oman was to be the destination. Oman is historically and geographically interesting, is peaceful with friendly people, has an agreeable winter climate (ie. warm), and is a direct nonstop three plus hour flight from Jeddah - and a very different world away. It is a country at the bottom of the Arabian peninsula bordered by Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the UAE (better known for Dubai), closer to the UAE in its outlook and development but with stronger ties to its own traditions and history. It is a country with a rich history as well as diverse geography with the country containing mountains, deserts, wadis, and bordered by the ocean.
Ah, although I am now viewing the scene from our hotel balcony, we are getting ahead of ourselves, as the title of this Blog has yet to be explained?
So why Frankincence?
This gummy aromatic substance was of great value to the ancient world, in biblical times and the times of the Pharoahs in Egypt. Oman was the centre of the Frankincence trade starting over 5000 years ago. Land routes were developed for trade up the Arabian peninsula, resulting in the development of cities such as Petra (in Jordan). And then of course there was the subsequent development of sea routes, hence the legends of Sinbad, as a result of the Omani sailors throughout history. There is now growing evidence of these ancient Omani sailors not only voyaging throughout the region but down the coast of Africa, to India, to southeast Asia and to China. Hence the voyages and legends of Sinbad, in the images of the Arab Dhows.
That's the background to this tale of a modern but restful "voyage" of the landlocked Admiral and Skipper.
Yes the view the other way from our hotel balcony, showing part of the Shangri La development, architecturally fitting a modern but historically inspired structure, showing the mountains coming down to the coast. This development complex, of three hotels in one, took in the whole bay on the coast just outside of Muscat.
The arid mountains posed for a stunning backdrop to this coastal region.
The sea was not always calm for Sinbad - a view of our hotel at the end of the bay when we beach walked after a weather front had come in, "stormy weather" to stay for a couple of days - "winter weather".
A remarkable number of birds seen in the area - this one seeing if the surf will produce dinner.
Yes there are camels in this part of the world - these for those who wish a ride down the beach. Not as elegant as horses but much more practical in the hot arid climate of the Arabian peninsula.
A picture of the friendly Omani people - we ran into a family gathering on our walk and through limited communication wished a picture. A very hospitable people, amongst the friendliest in the region.
A step back in time when as a young lad growing up by another ocean I loved "tide pooling"
A "small treasure" to add to our small collection. Beach-combing and Tide Pooling are somewhat of a zen like experience, particularly wading in warm water hearing the surf - a relaxing respite from the noise and distractions of modern life. "Walden like" - Thoreau might be proud??.
Around the point, but attached to the development, is this small marina and dive centre. Note again the rugged coastline with its many small bays.
Scuba Diving is one of the popular activities in this part of the world, where the ocean has spectacular coral reefs and sea life, as in the Red Sea - clearly a must.
Does the skipper look contented almost ready to take the plunge into the depths? The divemasters at the organization fit within the cultural mix of the country being Omani and expatriate ( in this case Philippino, English and Italian).
Whale and Dolphin watching tours are also readily available as they are part of the abundant sea life in the region. The sea was rough that day but a fun boat ride along the coast that Sinbad once saw. Swell and waves never seem as big in still photos, but do they look as if they are having fun?
As can be seen from the return ride along the coast it is extremely rugged - piloting in ancient times would clearly be a challenge.
Evidence that the ocean is a powerful force, over time creating this tunnel through the rocky peninsula.
Although "activity" is clearly part of our usual vacation mode, balance is an important key, being back at our "base" ready for some cool liquid refreshment.
And of course part of that "balance" is to finish the day with a nice meal and in this case some nice Italian wine. Yes Oman is a very civilized country.
Of course part of the adventure is to explore further afield. This picture from the car shows a "sports car" kind of road, with numerous curves, ups and downs, via the coastal mountains as we head into Muscat proper.
Modern Muscat is actually a series of three small towns that have grown together along the stretch of coast between the mountains and sea. This is one of the older smaller sections. Being part of crucial sea trade routes during history, apart from the native Omanis, the land has been occupied or controlled by the Portugese and subsequently the British before finally being totally independent again. On a hill top on the right can be seen an old Portugese watch tower, and off in the distance(on the left) on the waterfront is an old Portugese fort. There are many forts left over from colonial times throughout the country, both on the coast and further inland.
Although Oman is now a modern progressive country the ruling sultan has deemed that no building be taller than ten stories and that the architecture style must comply with "heritage" guidelines. This makes the urban part of the country so much more interesting than so many modern cities now with a hodge poge of glass, concrete, and steel. Dubai and Doha(see December Blog) for example are "modern cities" arising from the desert, while Muscat has evolved over time - architectural evolution rather than revolution. Both seem to have advantages and disadvantages, their pluses and minuses.
An old Portugese fort at the entrance to one of Muscat's many bays. It seems important in Oman to keep their heritage alive, not so in some other parts of the region.
These are amongst the "tallest" buildings you will find in Muscat. A "mountain - ocean" city: the mountains behind hemming in the city to the sea (see bay just behind the palm trees, pressing the city against the mountains).
At a part of the city where there is a larger plain (between mountains & sea) they built the Grand Mosque. Although built in modern times it would compete favorably with the great cathedrals of Europe with respect to splendor. Unfortunately pictures do not do it justice. Between 10 am and noon it is open for viewing by the public of all faiths (Note in Saudi Arabia only Muslims can enter a mosque). This view is leading up to it from the parking lot.
White marble walkways surrounding the central dome - a series of minarets surround the central building.
One of the minarets and surrounding gardens..
Some modern Arabic arches.
More arches and carved stone work.
The largest oriental rug in the world - that truly is a wall to wall carpet (remember that is all hand knotted)!.
Aside from the "rug" the white posts are Italian marble, the carved teak seen in part of the ceiling is imported from Malaysia, the inscriptions of the Koran on the enamel on the walls is pure gold.
The tiles and gold inscriptions. That's a lot of rings!
The dome - along with a "few"crystal chandeliers.
Yes it was spectacular. Let's not think of its cost - that's a lot of barrels of oil. After the viewing we are off to the corniche and souke of the old town.
We are now back to the harbor and corniche area - the harbor to our left and the old souk to the right.
Looking out at the corniche, we see two Dhows out in the harbor - a tribute to heritage.
The harbor from another direction. No that is not a cruise ship, that is the Sultan's private yacht - a "little" larger than our "Walden"- oh for a few more barrels of oil! The small boats in the fore ground are working fishing boats, that go out in the mornings and bring back the catch to the fish market (where I am standing).
What should we buy for dinner?
Back to the central part of the corniche - we will enter the old souk further up to the right. A definite heritage or post colonial feel. The city is very clean and the people friendly & respectful.
The old Souk - many alleyways of individual merchants and their wares - a fascinating area to wander around.
Yes an oriental rug establishment buried in the Souk. Joy is enjoying her cup of sweet tea provided by the merchant while we chat and look at rugs. He will bring out a few pieces, we look, chat, drink tea, then some more, etc - no rush. A very civilized way of doing business, whether just looking or buying.
After nearly getting lost in the maze of alleyways we find one of the street entrances. Clearly an adventure in shopping or just looking.The corniche can be seen off to the right.
Out on the street again - a street cafe in the background is just beginning to fill up, but again it's still early, by middle eastern standards, to get busy.
The evening has arrived, time to go. Being so far south it gets dark between 6 and 7 pm all year round, maybe after 7 in the summer, not like at home.
Waiting for the bus to pick us up and return to the hotel. Yes coffee in a small cup from the establishment behind. A point to be made - this is real coffee, but with evaporated milk. It is a curious thing that in this part of the world, that in many places, unless you ask for expresso, capuccino, or latte, you get instant. Interesting when you are reminded that not far from here coffee originated. The original coffee beans were grown and coffee made in Yemen, just over the border. The sapplings were stolen by the Portugese and planted in other parts of the world - the rest is history. In fact one of the famous coffee exporting ports on the coast of Yemen was named Mocha - sound familiar?
It will soon be time to go, but a few parting words. Much of the greenery you have seen, as well as the flowers seen here on the hotel grounds, are supported by artificial watering from water supplied by large desalination plants. These are scattered throughout the Arabian peninsula. Therefore ditto Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE. This is a very dry part of the world with rain only coming sporadically, usually during the winter, then measured in millimetres - remember what happened in Jeddah when there was a downpour no worse than one of our thunderstorms at home?
In this part of the world in particular there are increasing numbers of 6 star( and above) hotels appearing. The Shangri La Resort we stayed at incorporated the whole bay and we were more than satisfied with what it offered. However up on the bluff it had a branch, a six star site, that was not for the rest of us common riff raf. We managed to find an unlocked door in this "key only" area to take this photo. That is a cliff beyond the end of the infinity pool. Were we really missing anything? We don't think so. But I guess the rich and super rich need their privacy more and more.
So here we are at the end of our first real vacation since arriving, contemplating the next one. Oman is a keeper, a place to return to, someday.
But it is time to return to the Magic Kingdom.
Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment