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[Oman] [Salalah]
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| Oman - The Country
Oman was a real surprise - a first-world infrastructure wrapped in a Middle Eastern culture! The country has oil, people are well clothed and fed, new cars are plentiful (not flashy Mercedes, just good quality autos), streets are well-maintained, all water is clean and potable, and most essentials are available. But the culture is definitely Arab: most men wear, turbans and white robes, women cover themselves in black, some with slits for their eyes, some even cover the slits with black gauze. Life slows to a crawl during the hot mid-day, but around 6 PM life returns, and shopping picks up in the 'souks', often until mid-night in a logical acceptance of the 100�+ temperatures in this desert country. |
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We were greeted by Mohammed 
(naturally),
a tall handsome Arab dressed in flowing white robes and red turban. This set the
tone for Salalah, a commercial port that has allowed itself to accommodate
cruising yachts on their annual migration across the Indian Ocean. He handled
all official matters politely and effortlessly, and made it easy to rent a car,
shop downtown, and see the countryside. We are quite thankful for his
help.
The Port, built approximately 1996, 
is
a major Maersk container port that shuffles containers between ships 24 hours per
day. They have included a small-boat harbor, shared by Navy cutters,
fishing boats, and yachts. We were one of 4 yachts at the time, but at the
peak of the migration period 20-30 were jammed into the small spot, and 10 more
anchored outside in a turning basin. A short distance from the front gate
is the Oasis, a restaurant with western food that serves liquor (a rarity
in this country) and has CNN on a big screen.
Downtown
Salalah had several good supermarkets, many laundries (someone has to keep those
robes white!) and lots of shopping. In a rich Islamic country like Oman,
the family women cannot work or mingle with men, while the men work, cook and
meet at tea houses. So, at night, women go shopping and Salalah has
streets lined with gold shops to cater to every need for finery. Under
their veils, the women often are covered with gold jewelry, henna drawings, and
dressed in Western clothes - think of a butterfly in moth's clothing! The
Bible mentions gold, frankincense, and myrrh and Salalah has it
all. Frankincense is a small shrub, that grows wild in Oman where the sap
is collected, dried, and sold in many of the markets. All in all, Salalah
was an interesting, if not exciting, city.
the roads and power lines are the main reminders of the 21st Century. We
drove inland about 30 miles and East and West along the coast. The hills
are bare and rocky, camels and goats wander looking for the scarce grass or
bushes. 
Higher in the hills, a little vegetation appeared, and the small farms had
drinking troughs for cattle so they must get some rain. Along the coast
were small towns, one with a 'fort' that we never found, but a good overlook to
view a typical Middle Eastern town with the blue Gulf of Aden in the
background. The town had a row of houses along the waterfront, but they
looked like they did not get much use. Elsewhere we encountered complexes
of townhouses near the beach, with the typical Arab high walls enclosing each
unit - needed to protect the women from prying eyes of non-family members.
Overall, we liked Oman, the people were nice to us and it was clean and safe. It would take some time to become accustomed to the culture, but it was a good introduction to the Middle East. The tone of the local officials changed a little the week that the United States invaded Iraq - no on was overtly hostile to us, but they became less friendly and outgoing. We are not sure whether it was our connection with the US, or a general watchfulness in case there was trouble from the locals.
Our next passage was to be through the Gulf of Aden with several recent piracy incidents on our way to Yemen.
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