Tony Walsh – author on Oman & Arabia
on Friday
Rain is welcome in Salalah Oman , it keeps the mountains green and these are a great source of pride to the local population; and helps all the fruit farmers in the town with better water supply.
But even better than rain – is Continue reading “Rain in Salalah”
Oman’s southern town
Weddings in Oman’s southern town of Salalah used to take place during the Monsoon – a time of great celebration.
Now fashion has changed and Continue reading “Wedding in Salalah”
after a nice Horse Ride under the Coconut Palms of Salalah
Underneath the coconut trees of Salalah with parakeets squawking overhead , it hardly seems like Arabia – but thats what I got during a break in Oman. The cool weather of summer in Salalah is so un-Arabian that taking an Arab Horse ride gives an authentic part of Arabia and is a great opportunity to take some leisurely exercise.
Afterwards Continue reading “Coconuts from Arabia”
is being prepared for in Salalah
Though it’s a few months away the preparations for Oman 40th National Day on 18th November 2010 are under way.
Here, in Salalah, new street lighting is being put up – the main road to Thumrait & Muscat has been done up to the foothills and it looks as though all arterial routes in town will soon have their own striking light system.
looks as if it will be a nice hotel for Oman
Having just opened, it was nice to be able to visit the new Marriott Resort near Mirbat Oman. Set on a very interesting beach with some areas of white sand and others of rock it will be a good hotel to relax in, especially as its isolated at almost 80kms from Salalah.
On the drive back I made a visit into Shuwaymiyah, whose pale cliffs drop into the Arabian Sea , as I was staying in a small village nearby.
bustling in the build up to Eid
Starting off in Al Sawadi we made a stop in Nizwa to enjoy the Friday market . Though our guests have visited Oman with us every year for the last six years the market is still a must see . This years was especially busy as it was in the build up to Eid.
Then on through the Wahiba Sands and down the coast to arrive in Salalah several days later . The summer Monsoon’s green had largely disappeared – but a very enjoyable walk along the coast still took us through areas of vegetation – while in the water Turtles and Sharks swam in surprisingly close proximity .
in the Historical Association of Oman’s 2010 Calender
The Historical Association of Oman publishes a Calender each year . Most images are usually of northern Oman, as thats where the Association is based . This year as a bit of balancing I was happy that a couple of my pictures of the Salalah area could be used.
Here is one, a Frankincense Tree, appropriately the month is December, being cut for its Gum, by a friend of mine.
and gaining the letter ‘Y’
A client who had travelled with us previously was in a ‘competition’ to visit a country starting with each letter of the alphabet. There is only one with the letter ‘Y’, Yemen, and we organised a Yemen Visit for her. Continue reading “Picnic in Yemen to gain the letter Y as a Passport Stamp. “
Crossing paths through Oman
I arrived at Aiyun around Sunset. The mountains were cracking as they cooled down after the day’s intense heat and, in answer, birds called .
Wilfred Thesiger first arrived here in the Autumn of 1946, Continue reading “Wilfred Thesiger and Oman’s Desert”
A chilly night in the Empty Quarter of Oman
The Empty Quarter / Rub al Khali offers a great chance to sleep under the stars . On my way to Salalah in Oman , I drove through the Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali ) to spend the night there . The coldest I have ever been in a desert was a couple of years ago when the thermometer dropped to 2c . Fortunately, though cold, at about 10c, my night this time wasn’t so bad. However, perhaps because of the chill or because the Moon had set – I woke at about 2pm. Above was a black sky set with diamonds of stars – wonderful.
Needless to say a dawn climb up an Omani Desert Dune was called for and though not as extraordinary as the night sky – the view at dawn from the top is also breathtaking .
The next day I arrived in Salalah and amongst other things came face to face with a friend’s Omani Bees . He had moved his hives from the mountains because of the cold and wind – I could understand why.
tradition and Arab Horses
On my way down to Salalah I had a wonderful visit to a local farm and an afternoons racing.
After lunch in the farm, where 3 of the horses who participated were stabled, we arrived for the days events.
Various local dignitaries were present and we were treated to traditional Omani entertainment. It made an enjoyable break on my Oman trip between Muscat and Salalah and helped speed me on my way.
The storks spread through the hills feeding on insects; they also congregate in an area next to hundreds of eagles.
the Arabian Leopard leaves it’s mark
Grabbing a couple of bottles of water, we set off at a good walking pace under the cloud cover of the early Khareef (Monsoon) season in Salalah Oman .
I enjoy trekking in Oman with Hadi al Hikmani, enthusiasm is always a good companion and Hadi packages his in friendliness and knowledge. On this walk, his knowledge identified fresh ‘scat’ (excrement) on our pathway – in fact Leopard scat . Fresh, in fact, very fresh – probably less than half an hour old. In the day that followed, we walked along Leopard tracks and with all our stops and starts, examining the tracks and collecting scat we didn’t catch up with our invisible walking companion.
We returned along the same path and astoundingly found more scat; the Leopard had returned to the path after we passed .
Over a year before, on another walk with Hadi, I said to him that I would write about Oman’s Leopards; as he believes that awareness is a key to its survival. So, shamed that no article had been produced in over a year, I returned to Muscat and somehow produced a piece. Wonderfully ‘ Oman Today ’ has used it in their August edition – I’m delighted of course.
Oman is a key territory of Panthera pardus nimr, the Arabian Leopard, and, with possibly less than 200 individuals in the world, awareness may well help its survival.
Throughout much of Oman the annual weather can be described as hot or scorching ; however on the southern coasts the summer monsoon, called locally the “Khareef”, brings changes.
As I drove down to Salalah from Muscat in early July the first hint of a change comes with what on the face of it might be a snowstorm Continue reading “Sand blasted arrival into Salalah”
Driving south to Salalah from Muscat I enjoyed seeing some of the Birds of Dhofar.
Several pairs of Red Billed Tropic Birds and a flock of Continue reading “Birds of Dhofar Oman”
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