Salalah is on the south coast of Oman, towards Yemen. It only has 200,000 people, but that still makes it the second largest city in the country. I am sure we have explained this in previous blogs, but Oman is small in population, 3 million, has lots of money from oil, and takes very good care of its citizens; free everything that you need except food and no income tax.
Most of Oman is desert; either rocky desert or sandy desert. However, Salalah is slightly better. There is some vegetation, although not much, along the coast and the coastal mountain range. Inland it first becomes rocky desert and then sand dunes desert. The sand dunes desert is very large, covering large parts of three countries, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. This large desert used to be called the "Empty Quarter" because it had nothing; no wildlife, no oases, and no people. It is so large it used to take a month or more to cross by camel caravan, and this trek was like climbing Mount Everest. It was only done by a few crazies (probably Englishmen), who would then write a book about it.
But, guess where they found the oil. Right in the middle of the Empty Zone. So, now it's not so empty.
Salalah is camel country. The people love their camels, and there are too many of them. Seventy thousand to be exact. The government is trying to get people to give up their camels, because the overgrazing is killing what little vegetation exists. But, it's not working. The camels are everywhere, even wandering the highways, the streets, and the parking lots. It's like the cows in India.
Camels are perfectly adapted for desert life. They can go for 20 days without water, and 30 days without food. They live off the fat they carry in their hump. And they are very placid animals. Of course, the camels are no longer used for desert caravans, but they are still used for milk and meat, like cows.
Camels are not the only ones destroying the vegetation here. Termites! See these termite mounds right beside the road.
We visited Job's tomb here. Job was a prophet who lived 1600 years BC, and is mentioned in both the Bible, in Genesis, and in the Qur'an, the Muslim bible. Job, a believer in one God, was very sick for a long time. People asked him why he could believe in a God who treated him so badly. But he did believe. He had patience (the patience of Job), kept praying to God, and was rewarded with a miraculous cure such that he and his wife lived for over 200 years. The tomb is quite small but is a sacred religious site for Christians, Jews and Muslims. Interesting that these three religions all started out the same. Too bad they didn't stay that way.
Salalah has beautiful beaches and is increasingly becoming a vacation destination for both Arabs and Europeans. They are building resorts and laying on direct flights from major European cities. Here are some beach shots.
And here is a tourist at the limstone cliff at one of the beaches.
This is the land where the three wise men came from. Accordingly, we have bought some frankincense and myrrh, although Peggy keeps reminding me that we have not yet bought any gold. Both frankincense and myrrh are resins from trees. Here is a frankincense tree, over 200 years old. Our guide cut into it to show us how the sap then oozes out and hardens up becoming the frankincense that they use for incense, perfume and medicine.
And finally, of course, like all the bus tours organized by the ship, we had the mandatory shopping stop at the local Souk. However, some people never get tired of shopping.
Now we are heading off for 4 days at sea, in the high risk of piracy zone. We have taken on extra guards. The rumour is they are Isrealis. I hope they are, as those guys don't mess around. The Captain has asked us to keep our blackout drapes closed at night and to keep lights to a minimum. They will do the same with the deck lighting. Hopefully, we can sneak through without being seen. Seriously, though, the risk is very small. This is a large, fast ship with high shear walls difficult to scale, with extra security personnel and anti-piracy weapons. Moreover, the waters we are sailing through are patrolled by UN and US warships, with whom we will be in constant contact. Pirates would have to be nuts to take us on.
Cheers, P&G.
Most of Oman is desert; either rocky desert or sandy desert. However, Salalah is slightly better. There is some vegetation, although not much, along the coast and the coastal mountain range. Inland it first becomes rocky desert and then sand dunes desert. The sand dunes desert is very large, covering large parts of three countries, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. This large desert used to be called the "Empty Quarter" because it had nothing; no wildlife, no oases, and no people. It is so large it used to take a month or more to cross by camel caravan, and this trek was like climbing Mount Everest. It was only done by a few crazies (probably Englishmen), who would then write a book about it.
But, guess where they found the oil. Right in the middle of the Empty Zone. So, now it's not so empty.
Salalah is camel country. The people love their camels, and there are too many of them. Seventy thousand to be exact. The government is trying to get people to give up their camels, because the overgrazing is killing what little vegetation exists. But, it's not working. The camels are everywhere, even wandering the highways, the streets, and the parking lots. It's like the cows in India.
Camels are perfectly adapted for desert life. They can go for 20 days without water, and 30 days without food. They live off the fat they carry in their hump. And they are very placid animals. Of course, the camels are no longer used for desert caravans, but they are still used for milk and meat, like cows.
Camels are not the only ones destroying the vegetation here. Termites! See these termite mounds right beside the road.
We visited Job's tomb here. Job was a prophet who lived 1600 years BC, and is mentioned in both the Bible, in Genesis, and in the Qur'an, the Muslim bible. Job, a believer in one God, was very sick for a long time. People asked him why he could believe in a God who treated him so badly. But he did believe. He had patience (the patience of Job), kept praying to God, and was rewarded with a miraculous cure such that he and his wife lived for over 200 years. The tomb is quite small but is a sacred religious site for Christians, Jews and Muslims. Interesting that these three religions all started out the same. Too bad they didn't stay that way.
Salalah has beautiful beaches and is increasingly becoming a vacation destination for both Arabs and Europeans. They are building resorts and laying on direct flights from major European cities. Here are some beach shots.
And here is a tourist at the limstone cliff at one of the beaches.
This is the land where the three wise men came from. Accordingly, we have bought some frankincense and myrrh, although Peggy keeps reminding me that we have not yet bought any gold. Both frankincense and myrrh are resins from trees. Here is a frankincense tree, over 200 years old. Our guide cut into it to show us how the sap then oozes out and hardens up becoming the frankincense that they use for incense, perfume and medicine.
And finally, of course, like all the bus tours organized by the ship, we had the mandatory shopping stop at the local Souk. However, some people never get tired of shopping.
Now we are heading off for 4 days at sea, in the high risk of piracy zone. We have taken on extra guards. The rumour is they are Isrealis. I hope they are, as those guys don't mess around. The Captain has asked us to keep our blackout drapes closed at night and to keep lights to a minimum. They will do the same with the deck lighting. Hopefully, we can sneak through without being seen. Seriously, though, the risk is very small. This is a large, fast ship with high shear walls difficult to scale, with extra security personnel and anti-piracy weapons. Moreover, the waters we are sailing through are patrolled by UN and US warships, with whom we will be in constant contact. Pirates would have to be nuts to take us on.
Cheers, P&G.
great pics and stories! Time to come home and open the pool!
ReplyDeleteMaybe one of the pirates will be Johnny Depp!!! Say "hi" for me!!!!!
ReplyDeleteStay safe!
Jan xo