Blogs from Oman, Middle East - page 15

Geo: 23.6065, 58.5881Since we have until March to make our way back for our audience with the boys at Revenue Canada, we've decided to take a less than direct route back. Since many of the flights from South Asia make connecting stops in the Gulf area, we decided it might be nice to get a small taste of Arabia. Since DH refused my suggestion of wearing a head-to-toe black burka and following 10 steps behind me, we had to eliminate the mystical state of Saudi Arabia. And the member states of the UAE are throwing something of a hissy fit since the Canadian Govt won't grant their national airlines extended landing rights in Canada (not sure who's in the wrong on this one but it is somewhat grating that this looks to be government protection for ... read more

RUBBISH A friend of mine who has spent a deal of time in this region described the Omani people to me as "the hippies of the gulf". I didn't notice any peace sign neck chains, dreadlocks or groups of locals sitting around eating bird seed and smoking numbers whilst discussing the kaleidoscope of colours on the domes of mosques. I do however see some merit in the simile with the general kick back nature of the populace. There's no wild antics, animated gesticulating or hints of aggressive behaviour, as if they have been inhaling a few of those less than licit substances. There's even a semblance of sanity in the traffic. Good news is no news. That's why you have probably never seen Oman occupying the headlines of international media. Flying under the radar is a ... read more

As things stand, the Middle East happened to have been one of the few areas of the globe with which I was only vaguely familiar, so a trip to Oman and Bahrain was destined to put paid to that branch of neglect and see exactly what constitutes the true spirit of Arabia. Oman was as indicative and illustrative a place to start as any other on that score, and 4 nights in Muscat was destined to enable me to gain a further insight into the various components which collectively make up the fabric of the Arabian tapestry. One key element to the success of Oman being preserved in its natural format is that, barring the numerous shopping malls and relative commercialism of the airport, for the most part, those western trappings, such as leisure parks / ... read more

It is a journey of four days time from Salalah, Oman to the port of Aqaba, Jordan our next destination. To some that may seem like much too long, but I enjoy it. I like to think of Nautica as an ocean liner, not a cruise ship. This is the way people traveled around the world until air travel came along and made us impatient to get to where we want and do it as quickly as possible. Much is lost in the process. It really is the journey, not the destination that is most important, at least I think so. I am spending much time reclining in a deck chair on the deck five promenade looking out at the sea and thinking. Most of the time there is only the sea, the sky and the ... read more

Friday 13th April 2012: Friday 13th certainly proved to be a day of good fortune with a lovely visit here in Oman. We docked in Muscat, the capital, and then drove over 125 kilometres to Nizwa – home to an ancient fort and collection of souks. The drive through the mountains was fascinating as the rocks are clearly borne of a turbulent time for the earth and are an amazing array of colours: brown, beige, red, green, blue, grey and white. There is very little traffic – try to imagine driving the M25 with a maximum of about 6 other vehicles in sight at any one time! It’s surprising when you learn that water is twice the price of petrol here but maybe the “Beware Camels” signs are enough to keep some people away! ... read more