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Hello,
This trip began when our couch surfing group posted a notice saying there would be a trip to Oman in the coming weekend. I had really wanted to go so I secured my spot in someone's 4X4 and gladly over packed my bags (yes...I will admit...I do it all the time). We met at the usual place, the big Carrefour on Airport road and once we piled all our stuff in we were off! We made it through the multiple stops you have to make at the border but thank god we were not searched. Everyone's trucks where piled high with stuff. I have to say that Oman was one of the most beautiful and interesting countries I have been to. The people are hard-working and very friendly. They actually are the waiters and store clerks and taxi drivers, etc... and have been untouched by commercialism unlike their neighbors inn the U.A.E. We began our long drive and stopped at village after village looking around and taking pictures. Everything here is still so natural, it is wonderful! I only wish I had had more time to travel around and look at the entire country. The people are unbelievably intelligent...People
we encountered in the mountains could actually speak english..and very well. I asked them how they learned it so well and they said the tourists taught them plus they learn from their children who go to school and take english. I was very impressed. At our camp site, we had a family come selling their bracelets and key chains. They asked us to buy bracelets for the whole family...I guess in their culture it is bizarre to go camping or travelling with friends. Some of the couch surfers from Dubai where making fun of them which I was not happy about. I respect them a lot for making things when they are evidently very poor instead of begging. The children were very skinny and one child in a village we stopped in looked on the verge of starving. I gave them some Nature Valley bars "Canadian Maple syrup" flavour which the kids really liked. We travelled through the mountain and it was so hot but we could not turn on the A.C. because the engines kept overheating. It was a loooong day! Someone actually broke down near the end of the dirt road and we had to tow it till
doors
The old doors in Oman were very stunning..I love pictures of doors! we got to a paved road otherwise the tow truck would not come. We were there pretty late so we got home around 1 am. I am very glad I got to see this beautiful country.
This is probably my last blog so I am going to post this joke that someone sent me which encapsulates my exact thoughts on living in the Middle East:
You know you've been in the Middle East too long when …….
You're not surprised to see a goat in the passenger seat
You think the uncut version of 'Little House on the Prairie' is provocative
You serve coffee in a thimble
You think everyone's first name is Ali
You need a sweater when it's 26°c
You expect everyone to own a mobile phone
Your idea of housework is leaving a list for the maid
You believe that speed limits are only advisory
You expect all police to drive BMWs or Merc's
You know whether you are within missile range of Iraq
You believe that the definition of a nanosecond is the time interval between the time the light turns green and the time that the guy behind you begins to blow
his horn
You can't buy anything without asking for a discount
You have more carpets than floor space
You expect all stores to stay open till midnight
You understand that 'wadi bashing' isn't a criminal act
You make left turns from the far right lane
You expect gold for every birthday
You send friends a map instead of your address
You understand why huge 4x4s must slow down to a snail's pace whilst crossing a speed bump yet hurtle through a wadi at 100kph
You think that 'howareyou' is one word
You think it perfectly normal to have a picnic in the middle of a roundabout at 11pm
You know exactly how much alcohol allowance you have left for the month
You have a moon phase predictor on your computer
You never say Saturday instead of Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday
You accept that there is no point in asking why you are not allowed to do something
When you expect queues to be 1 person deep and 40 people wide,
When you realize that the black and white stripes in the road are not a zebra crossing, just bait to get tourists into the firing line,
When you
know what night is ladies night at every bar in town,
When seeing guys welcome each other with a kiss no longer disgusts you,
When you carry 12 passport size photos around with you just in case,
When you can tell the time by listening to the local mosque,
When you think it's a good night if there are fewer than 10 men for every woman in a bar,
When phrases like 'potato peeler', 'dish washer', and 'fly swatter' are no longer household items but are actually Pakistani job titles
When you start to say 'Insha'allah' when you actually mean 'No f**king chance!'
When Habibi isn't just the ex-president of Indonesia
When you overtake a police car at 150KM/HR
When a problem with your car AC or horn is more serious to you than a problem with the brakes
When you can smoke a shisha in public without expecting to be arrested
When you think 10Dhs is expensive for the latest Playstation game
See you soon everyone.... 14 days away and it feels like a lifetime.
Sherry
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Jill
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Beautiful pics. You could be a professional photographer. Hope to see you soon.