Archives for July 2011

Opening night!

We were lucky that the last night of our trip was also the first night of the Khareef Festival. The Khareef Festival celebrates the monsoon rains that make Salalah such a desirable summer destination.

We were ready to celebrate and by celebrate, I mean, eat. Check out our carnival treats below. (Not pictured: the multiple schwarmas and falafels we consumed upon arrival.)

The highlights of the festival were for sure the firework shows (yep, more than one!)…

the traditional parade…

and the very amusing (free) circus. Can you spot Skylar?

Bright and early the next morning we made the drive back to Abu Dhabi. It only took 12 hours! (Definitely worth it.)

Sixth trip to Oman, hallas!*

xo, jill

*hallas = finished

There’s not much to say.

Our last stop for the day was in Taqah, the home of sandy beaches. Unfortunately, swimming is not recommended here due to strong currents and steep drop offs. We commandeered a little boat to serve as our picnic table, and hiked up to see the (closed) fort up close.

xo, jill

Spoiler Alert: We didn’t find them.

After visiting Mirbat we stopped by Khor Rori. Khor Rori is the site of an ancient city and also overlooks an estuary where camels, cows, and flamingos like to relax.

After checking out Khor Rori and a nearby “anti-gravity” hill (you can roll uphill in neutral), we drove on to Wadi Darbat. This is what we were most excited to see: a lush beautiful green wadi with waterfalls and wildlife!

It didn’t quite happen like that.

Our visit was too early in the season for waterfalls and most of the wildlife consisted of super skinny cows. But if the wadi is this beautiful now, I’ll bet August is over the top fantastic.

Wadi Darbat would be a perfect swimhole if it weren’t for one little thing: bilharziasis. Signs are posted warning visitors not to swim and to urge people to “refrain from defecating in the water” in order to help control the parasite issue. No problem.

We also took a few minutes to honor Canada Day. I was traveling with Canadians afterall! And what better way to celebrate than to have a sip of the Canadian flag! (See? I made the flag with sodas!)

and quickly.

After enjoying the lovely greenery and views, we headed north along the coast to Mirbat. The two highlights of the town are the fort and the rubble. The fort is closed to visitors on Fridays, so we explored the rubble instead. I’m not exactly sure what happened that caused the citizens to largely abandon this section of town, but it didn’t take too long for the buildings to come tumbling down.

I’m sure the goats helped.

xo, jill