Given that as I write this, the UK is being buffeted by high winds, I will make no mention of the weather in this month’s offering. Hopefully, by the time this is in print, the weather gods will have remembered that summer is supposed to be well underway.
So, the highlight of this month is a road trip to Muscat in Oman for a couple of days. It is a surprise for the Tribe – as Father of the Tribe has members of his team in India as well as the Middle East, he has recently been working during part of our weekends (Friday) so his weekend has been shrinking to one day. This trip is to make up for this (and more than likely placate me as well!). Our ‘truck’ is packed and we set off reasonably early for the border at Hatta – our first stop is within five minutes as the tyres must be checked as the roads can get incredibly hot at this time of year and this can lead to tyres overheating then exploding and then causing rather nasty accidents. Our tyres are good. They need to be, we have about 500 km to cover.
Once we are out of the metropolis of Dubai the drive is picturesque as we travel through the desert. The sands here are quite red in colour and later in the day, when shadows are longer, the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. In the distance we can see the Hajar Mountains and the terrain changes to rocky desert. At this point we know that we will soon be crossing the border into Oman. This is a relatively easy process but there are certain things that we learnt from our previous visit (on what’s known as the ‘visa run’ when we were getting our residencies). The checkpoint is little more than a prefab building with no signage to warn you to stop. If you do go past without getting the correct stamp, who knows how long you may be held up later on and you will eventually be sent back to get the all important ‘exit stamp’. The first time we ended up reversing along the road, parking local style (read ‘abandoning car’ rather than parking) and walking back to the ‘official hut’. This time we didn’t miss anything! First checkpoint covered. At the next checkpoint there is a large official Omani government building where we must get out and pay for our Omani tourist visas. Back in the car we then cross the border again, going back into the UAE and finally another border taking us back into Oman. Astonishingly, 155,000 people use this crossing every month and a new high tech, border crossing complex is in the process of being built. It will be quite different from the current ‘shack’.
Soon the road takes us a block or so away from the Sea of Oman and it runs alongside pretty much the entire way to Muscat. There are umpteen roundabouts, but the road is tree lined and beautifully manicured. Farms also run alongside the road and we notice what can only be banana plantations – I never knew that bananas were grown here! In fact I’m sure that you’ll be surprised to know that our cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, aubergines, French beans to name but a few all come from Oman. They are ridiculously cheap and remind me of true home grown vegetables – covered in sand, far from perfectly shaped and utterly delicious. Occasionally, we see stalls set up alongside the road selling various fruits and vegetables. What we also notice is that we see far more men and boys in traditional dress. This consists of the long white, collarless, khandora robe with a tassel (furakha) sewn into the neckline – this can be scented with perfume. Their headwear is different to that of the Emiratis. We see them wearing the kummar, an intricately embroidered cap that is less formal than the mussar that is a cloth wrapped around the head like a turban.
Finally we reach Muscat but our destination, the Shangri-La, is just the other side of the capital city of Oman. Leaving the city behind, the road suddenly changes and becomes more interesting. Winding
up through the mountains and back down towards sparkling turquoise ocean, with the impressive twists and turns, I’m surprised that the Top Gear presenters haven’t booked themselves on a trip here – or perhaps they have.
The hotel appears, nestled in the mountainside on a secluded bay. Two days feels like a week. It is deliciously wonderful and the Tribe are in seventh heaven. Their parents are pretty close too!
The beach, we discover, is also a turtle nesting site. The hotel have their own turtle ranger and we leave our details should any turtles appear during the night. Unfortunately for us, on this occasion there are no late night turtle manoeuvres. However, on the beach, there are already a number of nests where hundreds of eggs have already been laid. One of these spots has the estimated date of hatching as our son’s birthday in July. Perhaps next time we visit Oman, we will be able to witness
one of nature’s great miracles and see a turtle laying eggs or the hatching of those eggs. Despite the distance, it is a fabulous visit to Oman and next time, because I am sure there will be a next time, we will see more of Muscat itself.
‘a slightly more relaxed’ Mother of the Tribe
