Blogs from Sharqiya, Oman, Middle East
November 14th 2010
The water in the Gulf of Oman is jewel colored. Intense blues and greens that seem unnatural. I had noticed this that first morning, walking along the corniche in Mutrah. Yet I was still awed by it as I walked along the beach in Sur, watching dhows bob in that color. It was easy to imagine jumping on one of those wooden boats and setting sail into the Indian Ocean. (I seem always to be fantasizing about venturing out to sea, whether it be following the Vikings or now Omani traders…) The sea* defined most of my second day in Oman, which is perhaps fitting. Much of the fortune of the country was built by its seafaring coastal people; it is the coast that most people probably think of when they think of Oman (though to ... read more
January 15th 2009
...and yes, I simply love sand dunes After we left Sur and the coast our first stop was Wadi Bani Khaled. Oman is a dry land. One of the few places where fresh water can be found is in the valleys, the so called Wadis. Since there is water in the wadis that is also a place where you can find some vegetation and where you can have a swim. A swim in fresh water is a rare thing in a country where well over 90% of the land is desert so it is quite understandable that the wadis are popular to visit. Wadi Bani Khaled is one of the most popular and most easily accessible wadis in Oman. There is a big parking lot at the entrance to the wadi and walking paths leads to ... read more
January 11th 2009
Doors en masse When Jordi and I were in Sur we walked through the streets of the Old Town. Maybe the name Old Town is a bit misleading because I don't know if this part of the city is any older than any other part. But to me it looks like and old town so I call it Old Town. In the Old Town I especially liked the doors of the houses. The houses themselves were mostly quite dull to be honest, but the doors were nice. Almost every house had an interesting door. The doors came in many different colours and were skilfully crafted. When Emma and I started this blog in 2006 the main purpose was to make it possible for us to upload photos and make them available to our friends and relatives. ... read more
January 3rd 2009
Five days on the road or how to crash a car in Oman In this blog entry I would like to start by writing a little about Oman as a country and how it is to travel there. Oman is situated on the edge of the Arabic Peninsula. The neighboring countries are Yemen, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The people here are very friendly. In the days I have been here I have not seen a single trace of anyone disliking me or having a grudge against westerners or tourists. I have for instance been invited to private homes and had a very good time drinking coffee and chatting about life, football and culture. We had such a good time that at one time we even joked about suicide bombers. I felt very safe all ... read more
