Day 120: Salalah, Oman

Saturday, 6 May 2017
At Sea — Arabian Sea … in the High Risk Area (HRA)

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:00p (GST) … UTC 5:00p (6 May)
Temp: 83.7F (28.7C)
Position: 15.55.14N / 53.39.39E

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.
~ Anatole France ~

Woke up at 5:30a and minutes later I was enjoying the big red orb breaking over the horizon.  The ship was scheduled to dock in Salalah — our second port in Oman — at 8:00a, so we had plenty of time to get ready for the day and have breakfast at the Terrace Café before disembarking to meet our guide.

I don’t remember if I had trouble getting tour operators to respond to me, or if I simply didn’t have time to research tours in Salalah before we embarked Insignia in Miami.  It was all so long ago.  Anyway, a few days ago, we booked an O highlights tour, but I wasn’t satisfied with it.  Then I had the bright idea of asking Mohammed, with whom I had arranged our tour in Muscat, if he could put me in touch with someone in Salalah.  He promptly responded with the phone number of a friend — Nasser.  A brief conversation with Nasser … and that’s how today’s private tour of the Dhofar Coast east of Salalah came about … half a day … including admissions and tea and lunch ... OMR 60 (~ USD $155).  What a great decision going with Nasser turned out to be.

We were ready to disembark the ship promptly at 8:00a.  But the authorities were nowhere to be found.  The security staff at the gangway looked on in frustration as the port agent placed call after call to find out what was going on.  We — meaning Mui and me — never did find out the reason for the delay, but finally around 8:30a, the officials showed up and were escorted upstairs.  Five minutes later the all clear was given.  We promptly made our way to the interport shuttle for the short ride to the gate … the strong taxi union has managed to bar other forms of transport from the port into the city … not that we needed it today.  I heard later that many of the passengers could not deal with the haggling and gave up to return to the ship.

The shuttle dropped us off at the taxi stand.  We called Nasser as previously arranged and he asked us to walk to the head of the road as he was not allowed to pick us up from the stand.  Did I already say the taxi union is very strong?  Anyway, it was a short walk … maybe a minute or two … could have been even shorter had we walked through the narrow opening in the wall behind the taxi stand instead of going around it.

Salalah is roughly midway on the Dhofar Coast of the country.  On one side is the Arabian Sea … on the other side are the Dhofar Mountains.  The city sits in a subtropical region where summer monsoons turn the otherwise dull colors of the desert and mountains to brilliant green.  We didn’t see that color today.  But we did have slightly lower temperatures, with a high of 87F (31C).  These numbers are all relative aren’t they?  Any other time, I’d be complaining about these temps, but after a series of days in the 100F range, today did feel cooler … but more humid too.  I think the hottest part of our day was in Sumhuram, but we put the heat behind us when Nasser took us into the mountains where a light, cooling breeze was our companion.

Our first stop was at the Sultan Qaboos Masjid — Oman’s second largest place of Islamic worship.   Located in the center of town, it was completed in 2009.  Landscaped grounds add a pop of color to the beige-white mosque with elegantly decorated domes topped with crescent finials.  With the green grass and the blue sky as the backdrop, the mosque provided a scenic feast for our eyes.

Nasser sent us in to explore the mosque on our own while he took a smoke-break … a habit he acknowledged as being bad, but shrugging it off with a smile.  The Oceania and Regent tours had already arrived, so we dallied a bit to let them get ahead of us before we went into the men’s prayer hall.  The pale green patterned carpet — hand-knotted and weighing 20 tons — invited us to sink our toes into it as we wandered around the comparatively simply decorated mosque … note I said comparatively as it is not fair to judge this smaller mosque against the two we’ve seen in recent days.  The light colored walls were broken up by tall doors, heavily carved, and in a uniform brown color.  Tall windows let it plenty of light, making the hall feel bright and airy.

Our next stop was a brief photo op at the palace, guarded by high walls with crenellated towers that reminded me of a fortress.  Indeed, Sultan Qaboos was born in a fortress that once stood on the same grounds.  A beautiful clock tower and the minaret of the palace mosque peeked above the walls and were a highlight of this stop.  As were the beautifully manicured parks on either side of the road .

While I was photographing the palace, Nasser had asked Mui if we would like to taste karak tea.  When I joined them, we headed to a nondescript café that we would have passed by without a second glance had we not been with Nasser — and we would have missed a delicious treat.  Made with sweetened condensed milk and spiced with cardamom, clove, cinnamon, and ginger, the tea was creamy and delightfully tasty.

We’d mentioned to Nasser that we were not interested in visiting any souks, so after our tea break we headed out of town.  Our first stop was to have been the Archaeological Park of Al Baleed to learn more about what was once a bustling frankincense trade — and for which the region has been designated a UNESCO WHS.  Turns out the park and visitor center were closed today until 3:00p, so we didn’t get to visit.

Instead we continued our drive, stopping when we came across some camels chilling roadside.  Actually, the correct term for this single-humped animal is the dromedary.  Also known as the Arabian camel, it is the smallest of the three species of camel … which might explain why I thought they were more elegant looking … for lack of a better word.  Most of them had a wooly coat covering the hump and their shoulders and throats.

Our drive took us through the coastal town of Taqah — 20 miles (33km) east of Salalah — the birthplace of the current sultan’s mother, and a fishing village known for its production of dried sardines.  We didn’t wander around town, which like other places we’ve seen in Oman, was pristine.  Instead, we reserved our energy to explore Taqah Castle — which was once the residence of the tribal leader, Sheikh Ali bin Taman Al Ma’shani … the grandfather of the current sultan’s mother.  The structure dates back to the 19th century and was expanded in the 1960s when the outer walls and the four towers were added.  Used as the office and residence of the Wali [governor] of Taqah until 1970, today the castle houses a museum.

After telling us the history of the castle, Nasser again left us to wander around on our own.  I know it was so he could smoke, but I actually liked that he wasn’t always hovering and we could set our own pace.  We visited each of the rooms to check out the traditional weapons and household goods and furnishings before joining Nasser again.

Next up on our loose itinerary was the blowhole.  Following a practically non-existent, bumpy, dirt road, we drove onto a promontory to reach the natural rock formation through which water is blasted when the tide is right.  It wasn’t the right time of the day to see the hole in action, but the detour was worth it for the beautiful scenery from this vantage point — the blue-green of the Arabian Sea charging ashore on a flat, white sand beach behind which were the buildings of Taqah.

Continuing along the road from here we finally arrived at the Sumhuram Archaeological Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Dating back to the period between 3rd century BC and 5th century AD, this was the most important pre-Islamic settlement in the Dhofar Region.  Located in the center of the frankincense production areas, the fortified town was the easternmost outpost of the Hadramawt Kingdom on the ancient incense route between the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, and India.  It is thought to have been founded in order to control the frankincense production and ship it around the world … by camel caravans and boats.  Legend has is that this was also the site of the palace of Queen of Sheba.

I enjoyed wandering around the ruins, imagining how life might have been back in the day in what was essentially a trading post.  But the highlight of the visit was when we followed the path around the perimeter of the ruins and saw camels streaming in from all across the land to water along a fresh water creek.  It was a quintessentially “Arabian” scene that truly made my day.  Also coming to the water for a drink were cows — free-roamers that Nasser said would return to the farm they belonged to at the end of the day.

Before leaving the site, we visited the small museum dedicated to the frankincense trade in the area, and also drove closer to the edge of the water to see the remnants of the last sailing sambuq in Oman — the al-dhi’b — and a replica of the same boat.  Sambuq is the general term for a boat in Arabic, but it also refers to a specific regional type of vessel used throughout the Arabian Peninsula.  It has a curved profile in the bow and a square transom aft.  Used prior to the advent of marine engines, the boats carried people and cargo to and from the Arabian Gulf and East Africa.  The name of this particular sambuq means wolf in Arabic.  It was built in 1953, and sailed for many years, calling on places on the coast rimming the western Indian Ocean.  After it was destroyed by a tsunami in 2004, it was rescued by the Office of the Advisor to His Majesty for Cultural Affairs, and the replica of the historic vessel was constructed.  The bonus for taking the time to go down to the water’s edge … I got a closer look at the greater flamingoes that were feeding in the lagoon … lighter color than the brilliantly plumaged flamingoes we’re used to seeing.

When we left Sumhuram, Nasser said he would take us to an overlook in the mountains of Wadi [valley] Dirbat for a bird’s eye view of the landscape.  He delivered.  From our table at a rustic eatery we had an expansive view of the beige-brown desert scenery below us.  Stark … but beautiful.  Neither Mui nor I were hungry — too hot to eat — so we had tea as we enjoyed the view.  Nasser told us how the area turns lush green during the monsoon season.  He even showed us pictures of the foliage and a video of a waterfall crashing down from the cliffs to the valley floor below — the change to the landscape was dramatic.

Driving back down the mountain, Nasser next took us into the wadi.  The change in scenery from stark, dull beige to green was sudden and dramatic.  On either side of the valley, fenced off parklands — with open gateways allowing passage — offered grazing and browsing for free-roaming dromedaries, cows, and donkeys.  A creek provided fresh water for animals and humans alike.  This was the same creek that we’d seen mixing with sea water at Sumhuram.  On a cooler day, we would have gone for a walk along the water, but we skipped that today.

At the end of the road, Nasser parked the car and we walked down to the creek bed.  Nasser said we could go for a short boat ride, but we decided to take a pass.  Instead, while he took a smoke break at the beverage stand, we walked up a short path to check out a cave.  Turns out one side of the cave was filled with cows that were resting.  On the other side were small huts, their doors closed.  When we joined him for a cup of tea, Nasser told us that’s where the family that owns the cows lives.

This was our last stop of the tour.  Nasser took us back to the port by way of downtown Salalah to give us a glimpse of the city.  It being Saturday, the shops were closed and there wasn’t much activity … I don’t recall seeing anyone in the streets.  Of course, it might have been the mid-afternoon siesta then, too.

Nasser tried to get permission from the guard at the port to take us to the ship, but he was told no can do.  No matter … contacting him late on a Thursday as we had, he had not had time to arrange for the necessary permit for port entry.  He dropped us off just outside the taxi stand and we took the short cut through the wall to sit on a bench in the shade to await the shuttle.  Some of the cab drivers were napping on benches … others engaged us in conversation about the ship and when we expected to leave.  By 3:30p we were on the shuttle.  What a satisfying day of sightseeing!  And certainly longer than the half-day we had arranged for at the outset … we tipped Nasser accordingly.

Now we begin a run of four days at sea.  Much as I’ve been enjoying our time in port, I am looking forward to some downtime … for body and brain.

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