Advertisement
Published: April 2nd 2009
Salalah Mosque
Not quite finished but opening soonOman, the land of Frankincense, or is that Yemen?! Well, the two countries probably share the moniker. We were happy just to be in a land of rugged coastlines, beautiful beaches and hot sunshine!
Salalah is located in the South of Oman, not too far from the Yemeni border. We stayed for a few days with Peta who we had met during summer school in Damascus last year. It was wonderful to catch up with her and her friends, and to learn all about life as an ex-pat teacher in Salalah. It's now high on our list of future possibilities!!!
Peta was an excellent host, leaving us to do our own thing (like sleep off the effects of the 16 hour bus journey from Dubai!) when necessary and showing us around the area when we felt more awake. She lives not far from the new mosque which is being built, gleaming white in the bright sunshine and about to dominate the centre of the town.
Our first port of call was the ruins of
Al Baleed, an ancient port currently being excavated. The area is superb, surrounded by tropical plantations of coconut, dates and papaya. The creek running
through the site has been cleaned up and is beautiful. The 12th century trading port is recognisable with the aid of signposts as you wander around its pathways. Unfortunately the museum was closed but we took note of the opening times and went back a couple of days later to learn all about the ancient boats and the frankincense trade. It was incredible to see how the sap is tapped from the tree (as seen in the panoramic photo above) in a similar fashion to rubber, and it then hardens into crystals which are burned on ornate pottery pieces, or even eaten to aid digestive problems!
From there we went to the Crowne Plaza hotel for lunch. The salad buffet was delicious and incredibly good value, so long as you don't have a beer!! The plush surroundings were to draw us back for a day by the pool before we moved on from Salalah. On our way back to Peta's apartment we stopped of to buy some fruit and to drink some refreshingly cold fresh coconut juice from one of the many stalls.
In the evening we met up with Peta's partner, Paul, and some of their colleagues
in a new Indian restaurant, imaginatively named "The Indian Restaurant"!! The food was fantastic and proof that vegetarian options are not always bland and boring. After dinner we went to the Al Husn Souk, home of the frankincense traders. It was incredible to see so many types but after a while the smell of the burning rocks can become a little too much. It was also intriguing to see the Omani hats on sale and also the walking sticks which are apparently used in a traditional dance.
Peta and Paul also took us out to the blow holes at Mughsail. Unfortunately the tide was at its ebb and we didn't see and water gushing out of the holes. Russ nearly lost his hat though as the wind rushed up and caught him unawares whilst he was looking at the water below!! On the main road we saw a herd of camels and realised how important the hazard warning signs really are!
We continued on to a deserted remote beach further South. The route took us down and back up the so-called
furious road which was an amazing feat of engineering carried out by the British in the 1970s.
The road twisted and turned many times at quite a gradient to the wadi below, and then we had to come back up a similar road on the other side.
Leaving the main road behind we descended on a track to the beach. It was gorgeous and rivalled many of those we had seen in Brazil last year. The sea was the perfect temperature and the waves not too big to scare us off. There were crabs scurrying everywhere too, but as soon as we got near, they all disappeared!! Russ and Paul passed some of the time with an intense game of frisbee. The photo is not for the faint of heart!!!
As you can see, we had a great time in Salalah and we must pay tribute to Peta and Paul for ensuring this was the case. A further highlight was the fish market where the sights and smells are a must for any traveller. On our last evening Peta and her colleague Andrew prepared a wonderful meal of fresh red snapper from the market served with potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice and salad, accompanied by some crisp white wine to make for a lovely evening.
Fruit Stalls
Fresh coconut to drink too! We have no doubt, we WILL be back!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.103s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 11; qc: 31; dbt: 0.0567s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
