Blogs from Oman, Middle East - page 14

Currently in transit waiting for our connecting flight to Kathmandu. Oman airline is the best airline I have ever flown with. Staff are so friendly plane was comfy (helped it was empty) loads of freebies and the food was good too. Currently in the Plaza lounge at Muscat airport it's 10am here (7am back home) we've had a nice hot shower have a free buffet and as many drinks as we like. Was able to have a 3 hour sleep on plane and an hour snooze here in the lounge. I'm managed to get a towel as I forgot to pack one! Drip! Flight for Kathmandu leaves at 12:35. Xxxx... read more

"Do you hear that?" "Hear what?" "Exactly! Silence! No beeping!" One of the things we noticed about Salalah, and one that speaks volumes of the people there, was the complete lack of beeps. No cars honking, nobody tailgating you and flashing their lights trying to run you off the road. People were very content to wait and to let you find your way. I tell you, if you have not experienced a daily commute in the Middle East, you don't know how touching this small token of hospitality is. We commented constantly about it, like when we would go around a roundabout three or four times trying to find the right road. Or when there was some kind of procession on the major freeway at night, there were no beeps - people waited their turn to ... read more

Temp: 94F 32C Distance travelled: 498 nautical miles We are still a few days away from pirate/bandit country. The badlands lie around the horn of Africa along the Somalian, Eritrean and Djibouti coastline. We followed a small tanker out of the Khor al Fakkan port. I noticed that the tanker had rolls of barbed wire coiled around the hull of the vessel. This seemed to be for no other reason than a deterrent to would be hijackers. Ships will go to any length no matter how basic to slow down a potential attack just to allow enough time for the security services patrolling the area to come to assistance. As soon as we cleared the coast of Khor Fakkan and entered the Gulf of Oman, we counted 22 ships of varying sizes all trying to go ... read more

After working for way too long without a vacation, I was in need of three things... Adventure, photography and exploration in a new country. When I heard of Oman, I was thinking... What in the world is there to do there? Camels treks, hiking, and Nomads in tents? There has to be more, and it sounds like an adventure waiting to happen, so I'm in, and a road trip it is, so even better! After taking a look at the map, with a friend that has been before that wants to guide, I was told about some nice rock climbing areas, and this amazing canyon with a "suprise at the end". Now who could say no to that? So we picked up two friends from Europe, packed and off we go! Dubai is sensory overload, no ... read more

After all the glitz of the United Arab Emirates it is such a contrast to arrive in the sleepy Sultanate of Oman. This fairytale kingdom is ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said who has done a good job of preserving the unique essence of the country while slowly moving it into the 21stCentury. Oman was a closed country until the mid-1990s. Now education is encouraged and Oman has one of the few Arabian female ministers in its government. The Sultan maintains good relations with both the United States and Great Britain. Omanis are in a dither though because their 72 year old monarch has no heirs to the throne. So it is uncertain who will carry on the Said dynasty. We arrived on Friday which is a holy day for Moslems so we had to make ... read more