Archives for 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

Through the mist.

On our first and only full day in Salalah, we headed back up into the hills to catch the incredible views from Job’s Tomb. The mist blocked out most of the scenery, but the area around the tomb was worth the drive. The tomb sits in a garden full of flowers and fruit trees. It felt pretty special.

After visiting the tomb we stopped at an overlook park on the way down.

photo by Sarah

Can you believe that in August it will look even greener?

xo, jill

North of the border.

Freshly damp from the blowholes at Mughsayl, we continued down the road toward Yemen*. We didn’t want to invite danger, but we did want to check out the engineering marvel that is Sarfayt Road. The road is full of zigzags and u-turns… and just happens to be a mere hour from the Oman-Yemen border. This is when we were glad our mommas didn’t know what we were up to (hehe)!

It takes some close observation, but can you see the road zigzagging through the mountains?

We were all pretty proud of the Yaris for making it around those curves and up the steep incline.

After our little almost-but-not-quite-to-Yemem sojourn, we picked out a traditional restaurant for dinner. Despite the giant sign declaring it “Omani Food”… it was pretty much the Arabic same-ol’.

Still, it’s always fun to eat on the ground in a private room. Shailas optional unnecessary.

xo, jill

*I really really really want to visit Yemen. But… since it’s for sure on the embassy’s list of countries to avoid, I suppose it will have to wait.