Our time in Oman has come to an end so this is the last blog.
The photo is one that turned up today. It is taken in the Officer's Mess at RAFO Lansab the night that the BAE people had their farewell.
It is typical of the good times we have had and the cameraderie of the group we have been with.
Tomorrow we head to the airport for the 30+ hours of travel home so we will be back late on the 10th of March. Cheers from Oman, ma'a salama!

Burj Khalifa

This is the tallest building in the world.
And it is too!!
It appears to be a collection of glass and metal tubes, somehow lashed together with a spire on top. You can go up to the viewing area, 124 floors up, and take in the view. This is nowhere near the top. Problem is the visibility is usually crap so we haven't met anyone so far who has seen too far. The publicity for the view says that you can see over 90km on a clear day. Yeah right!






This is one of two glass/acetate models of the Burj Khalifa which are in the waiting area for the tour to the viewing area. If you book in advance it costs 100 dirhams (about $33AUD) to go up to see the view. If you don't book then you can pay 400 dirhams to go up on the next tour.

Meanwhile, back in the aquarium, Sandra gets up close to some lion fish.

There were slots at various heights in the windows for photography. There didn't appear to be any safety netting below so falling cameras could be a hazard.

Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall was interesting to see, as it had plenty of distractions to keep Sandra away from the shops.
There were plenty of fish to see in the aquarium at the mall.


As you can see, this waterfall was several stories high and had a bunch of high divers attached.


The wall of the aquarium which is open to all, is supposed to be the largest sheet of acetate in the world.

There was also an ice rink in the mall which can let the locals experience something cold. There were mostly ex pats using the rink.

Al Hazm Castle

We went to Ar Rustaq Castle but it was closed while restoration took place.
We then moved on to have a look at Al Hazm castle and along the way saw a few more ships of the desert.



When we arrived at Al Hazm, there was a notice on the door notifying more restoration works, so it too was closed. An Omani bloke was wandering by as we clearly looked puzzled by the notice. He stopped to help us and spoke to the blokes inside who decided it would be okay for us to take some pics in the front courtyard. Once inside he took our pic for us. There was an Omani inside dressed in traditional Bedu garb with a rifle on a sling over his shoulder. Tempted as we were, we didn't take his photo.

It looks as if it would be worth a return visit in twelve months time when the renos are complete.

Nakhal Castle

Yesterday we went to Nakhal Castle/Fort. It is one of the largest preseved castles in Oman and very impressive. The number of defensive measures built into the fort were many and varied. It included rifle slots, cannon positions and slots above doors where boiling oil or honey could be poured on attackers near the doors.

The views were also spectacular.

Check out the women's symbol on the door of the loo.

The blokes door had a similarly traditional pic of a bloke in a dish dash with a dagger (khanjar) on his belt.

The whole structure is built on and around the rock which gives it its strategic value.

Valentines day

As Terry and Debbie only had two days to go, we went out to dinner at the Crowne Plaza hotel. From the right are Rolf, Terry, Bob, Debbie and a famous person.

We dined on the upper terrace and below was the pool, decorated for all the people who actually observe Valentines day.

We went for a walk on the beach near where we were staying last time at Haay As Sarooj, otherwise known as Shatti (the word for beach). It is a much nicer beach than the one near where we are currently staying.

This is the roundabout ornament near Al Bustan Palace hotel. It is a replica of a boat reputedly sailed by Sinbad. It has actally been used to prove a voyage was possible.

And of course the palace of Sultan Qaboos, ruler of Oman.

Khasab in Musandam

Wednesday we caught this ferry to Khasab, a town in the Musandam district about four hundred kms by road from Muscat.
It took five hours but we had to be at the terminal at 1pm and we didn't leave until 3pm so the wait was the worst part of the trip. The ferry was made in Perth by Austal and travelled at almost fifty knots. The ride was smooth and we were served a meal similar to airline fare. Ali met us at the terminal and took us to the Officer's Mess at RAFO Khasab. We were given a VIP room which was like a hotel room but a little old. Then it was down to the bar for a few drinks and something to eat. We were treated extremely well as Ali's guests because it transpired that he was base commander. The mess was a small one due to the small size of the base but had everything we remembered from the old days including wait staff who stayed until we were ready to hit the sack.
Unfortunately photos weren't permitted on the base so we have none to show except the Hunter on a stick at the entrance to the base.
Ali drove us all around the area, including mountain and historical views. We had a fantastic time and would love to go back any time.
This was the highlight of the trip so far.

Aboard the small dive boat on the way to the "front door".

Below is a rock formation, known as the front door for obvious reasons.

We jumped into the water here to commence our dive to the left of picture. Sandra jumped in to snorkel and headed to the right of picture and the divemaster had to go and get her and take her to where we were going.

Los trios amigos.

Scenery around Musandam

These are some pictures of the area where we went to dive.
It is known as the Arabian Fjiords.
People come from Dubai and Abu Dhabi just to drive on roads with curves and to see a view other than sand.




The pic below is the view from the top of the hill looking back inland.
Look carefully and you can see the Defence Dept rifle range. The longest I have ever seen.


The view of the boat launching area from near the bottom of the hill.

Not sure how high this is but it sure makes the road to the boat ramp at Eildon look puny.

Just another bay with the obligatory dhow sitting on tranquil waters

Khasab

When the road was built along the coast to replace the steep and windy one over the mountains somebody decided that it would be nice to make a new beach. So they made this one which has become so popular that on fridays you need to grab your spot early or miss out.


Dhows like these are now made from fibreglass.




This marina was reclaimed from the bay when the new wharf was being constructed. In the background is Khasab castle.



Ali now has a dhow which is used to take scuba diving parties to remote bays in the Musandam area for camping and diving weekends. While it is basic it is spacious and carries quite a lot of divers. A carpet and cushions are laid out on the deck in the traditional Omani fashion.

Around Khasab

Ali drove us around Khasab to show us the sights and the more unusual things which the Omani people just take for granted.
Originally, the people of this area came from Persia where the houses were traditionally built in the drystone method. The Arabic/African way was to build in mud. There are several ruins around the area which show the stone construction.



Ali took us to a village outside Khasab which was located at the end of a narrow wadi. The picture below shows a goat house built into the space under a fallen boulder.

The boulders in this area were dislodged from the hill above where they were part of a cave system. The stone pictures, which we were told are ectographs, were carved approximately 3600 years ago. There were plenty to see and it made us wonder how many more were hidden underneath the boulders.

The Omanis are very easy going people and that is demonstrated quite well in this picture. The small boats you see are high speed smuggler's boats and the piles of goods on the wharf are the waterproof packages that they smuggle. This wharf is inside the protected customs area and is not a problem for the Omanis. The smugglers are Iranian who leave after dark to run to Iran, approximately 35km across the Straits of Hormuz. The Iranian coast guard shoot to kill if they discover them but the profit to be made means that there are plenty of smugglers. We were told about the smugglers when I asked why some of the boats were jet black with enormous twin outboard motors.

As it turned out, the smugglers go in daylight on fridays because it is the holy day and the coast guard are not there. In Oman they just shrug their shoulders and say "They are only smugglers".

Sur and Wahiba Sands

Yesterday we drove south to see the fishing and boat building town of Sur and on to Ras al Jinz to see the turtle sanctuary. From there we planned to continue on to see the Wahiba sands, a completely sandy desert. We left at 7.30am and arrived back at the hotel at 5pm after travelling 675km. It was a very long day, particularly when the last part of the drive was on single lane road, stuck behind trucks at 60-70kph. At times we were travelling at 130-140kph so we did get along at good speed where we could.

This picture shows the sand dunes in the distance.

The following posts have pictures of the things we saw.

Unfortunately we missed the turtle sanctuary so that will have to wait for another day. The Wahiba sands are really only accessible by 4wd so the corolla was not put to the test. We drove along the edge of the dunes without entering but in places there was sand blowing across the road as the wind got up. Reminded me of the beaches in WA after lunch when the Freo Dr. comes in.

There were donkeys, camels, goats and sheep roaming the sides of the road and sometimes we had to stop while they crossed. Along the coast we saw dolphins, turtles and people fishing so all in all it was a very varied day.

As you can see, there are some obstacles to avoid.

This was the coast road before cyclone Gonu hit the country in 2007.

A new four lane highway was built further up the hill and this road was left with a gap of about 200m. As a result we couldn't figure out how to access Wadi Tiwi which was signposted to be on this road. We did see it from the highway and we will try to get back there if we have time.

These fishermen didn't catch anything while we were watching. Reminded me of my own efforts at home.

We stumbled across these flamingos as we started the the drive into the Wahiba Sands area. I don't know what the big birds behind the flamingos are but they were quite large. You can see the beginning of the sand hills in the back ground.

Did I mention that we saw a lot of camels on the trip?

Not all of them had chauffer driven transport.

This is a bus stop. There are all types along the road and all are built in the arabic architectural style.

This is Sandra's new best friend. We stopped at a servo to get reassurance
that we were on the right road and her Dad jumped out of his car to help. He
came over and introduced himself then, in very good english, gave us directions.
Once he had done that he brought his daughter over because she wanted to meet
the white
lady and have her picture taken. The clothes she is wearing are typical of the
women's clothing along the coastal area. Black is mainly worn in the city and in
the desert.