Oh Man! It's OMAN!!

Alright- we have major catching up to do.  I know it seems like I am just lazy, but honestly… after writing so much for the past 5 months and seeing so much everyday and talking about it and living it with passengers… the blog can get a little daunting.  I will make sure to get caught up in the next few days, though, as we will be at sea and I should have plenty of time to write. 

The next port on our journey was Salalah, Oman.  It’s pronounced just as you may think and yes- I did enjoy saying it each and every time it came out of my mouth.  This southern part of the country of Oman is famous for frankincense!  I was on tour and hopped in my bus where we headed to a frankincense tree.  The incense is basically just sap droplets that are scraped from the tree, dried for a few days, and sold for burning, creating perfumes, using to breathe for medicinal purposes, etc.  It’s a very strong smell (think Catholic mass), but the Arabs just SWEAR by the stuff.  I wasn’t impressed, but I found the tree and harvesting process to be very interesting. 

Then our bus headed to a very large, stretching beach and some cool rock formations that overhung like stalagmites (or tites… whichever comes down from the ceiling) and where we got to see some natural blowholes.  Unfortunately the tide was down, so we didn’t see them blowing L.  Following our beach visit we began to climb up mountains inland of the port of Salalah.  This land looks like the surface of the moon at some parts and then has huge canyons and cliffs covered in grass.  The variety of the landscape made this a very unique port.  We reached the top of the mountain (after dodging camels that were heading back home on their own like dogs…seriously) and visited the alleged tomb of the prophet, Job.  I was very skeptical of the whole thing, but when I asked my guide how we knew it was Job’s tomb he said, “It is!  It is! “  I inquired again and he said, “We know because a few years ago the government told us!”  Ha ha!  After the clear explanation I was truly a believer.  Driving back down the mountain we watched an AMAZING sunset and headed to the local souq.  The souq is a local market hear in the Middle East and they usually sell local handicrafts, frankincense, clothing, jewelry, etc. 

The next day I had an AMAZING tour in Muscat, Oman.  I was in a tiny van with 7 passengers, a driver, and our guide whose name has escaped me.  Ugh.  Anyway- it was amazing because it was like we were on a private VIP tour, able to ask our young guide anything and everything.  Of course being here we are always around women in black robes and men in their traditional white robes.  Our guide was able to explain all about his outfit and how it is illegal to not have fresh, clean, ironed robes because the Sultan wants his country to be viewed in a positive light.  OH!  The sultan!  He has been ruling Oman for over 40 years and the people here LLLLOOOOVVVVEEEE him.  Genuinely- he is doing an incredible job and is taking care of his country in a big way.  These are proud, happy, beautiful, smart people.  Muscat was one of the cleanest places I have visited.  It looked like the whole city was a private country club.  The Sultan makes sure of this and you can get fined for not having fresh paint on your house, having a dirty car, etc.  It’s amazing. 

Our first stop in the van was to the local fish market.  Now, I have been to fish markets before, but we were the ONLY non-locals and we went right down to the sea where small boats were still coming in with young men on them delivering their catch.  We next went up to a large concrete slab where there were GIGANTIC fish everywhere being scaled, shopped, chopped, and bled.  It was disgusting…and awesome.  Next we went to an old fort that has been restored and there, again, were no other guests there.  We went through different rooms and our guide showed us what each room was used for like the guest rooms, where court was held, the ladies sitting room, etc.  He got into the different customs of his people including how men have to sit a certain way at all times, but women can sit how they like.  He explained the marriage process and how a boy must ask for the hand of a girl and there is a 3-week period where the family of the girl goes around asking EVERYTHING about the boy’s habits, responsibilities, family, education, money, aspirations, and then if approved the boy must present a dowry to the girl, who will give it to her sisters and family.  It was incredible to hear him talking about this not in a storybook, but as part of his own life coming up. 

The next stop was a natural spring further inland.  We saw many local families having fun here, some dressed traditionally, but others not.  It was strange every once in a while to see a man with 2 or 3 wives, but besides that it was all quite normal, including the teenagers banging on trash lids and coolers and singing to the rhythm!  Ha ha!  It was really fun.  Next we went to the 5-star Hyatt Hotel in town for lunch.  This place was INCREDIBLE.  I can’t even describe it, but to say it was huge and opulent and fantastic.  We had a GREAT meal with the guide where we got to ask more questions.  He showed us his hand-embroidered hat that the women of the family make, told us about his education, and joked about the joys of having a Sultan.  He said, “You all think democracy is so great, but every 4 years you have people lie to you over and over to get into office.  You pick them and then you usually HATE them.  We don’t get to pick our Sultan, but we LOVE him and are SO happy with what he’s doing!”  It was just interesting to see this young man explaining a benevolent dictator as the greatest ruling power.  It was very interesting to see that point of view.

To finish up our time we headed to the beautiful palace and Grand Mosque, one of the largest in the world.  It was so amazing of these guys to be so open and genuine with us as we traveled.  I felt like I was really learning so much through the whole experience and I’m so grateful for my guide.  Now if I could only remember his name… OH MY WORD!!! That makes me so frustrated!!! 

Tripp