Nakhal Fort

The day after Christmas we drove about one hour outside of Muscat to visit a 200+ year old fort  (Al Nakhal means palm tree) in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains.  It is very beautiful out there, especially when you can see the whole valley from the top of the fort.  The boys had a great time running around exploring all the rooms and climbing wherever they could, and since it's made of stone, no worry they could break anything.  The weather here has taken a dramatic turn and it is only in the low to mid 70's during the day - absolutely beautiful for outdoor adventures!

Entering the fort ...

The little one is not waiting around  - he's off to explore!

Eddy admiring the fort's architectural features...

At the front door

Checking out the view from one of the windows.

The view from the fort overlooks the village, lush with date palms; the Hajar Mountains are in the background

Taking a break in the "majlis" room, where much consultation and tea drinking occurred centuries ago.

Attempting to invade the fort by scaling the walls...

The Chedi

The Chedi is one of the most exclusive hotels in Oman - very luxurious in the most understated way.  We were over there one afternoon to check it out and took some photos to tempt you into a visit....

Who are those gorgeous people?!

A walk through the Zen-like gardens.

Christmas 2012

It can be easy to forget it's Christmas out here in the Arabian Peninsula.  Despite the fact that we are in the land of the Magi, the usual signs of Christmas are not around, and thankfully, the commercial hype is also absent!  So, our Christmas was low key and focused on the important things, like being together, sharing time with new friends, and devouring as many sweets as the pancreas will allow.  Hope you enjoy the photos we took to remember this holiday and share with you.

Outside of our church before the candlelight Christmas Eve service.

Our little Christmas angels in front of the church tree.

We have the A/C on, but we needed a "fireplace" for the proper mood!

Santa was very good to all this year.

Look at the awesome paint by numbers Grandma sent me!

Our guys with their friends on Christmas Day, wondering if perhaps they left some candy in their stocking...?

And for the finale ..."A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Village Walk

The other day, I took the boys to a very cool place; a 300-year-old fort.  It lies in a village about 15 minutes from our house.  It is in an area that is definitely on the road less traveled.  The fort was restored several years ago and had been occupied up until about 40 years ago.  It is empty and open to the public to explore.  There are about a dozen rooms connected by circuitous passageways and stairways.  The fort was built at the base of several connected mountains that form part of the Hajar Mountain range that runs along the east coast of Oman.  We walked around the fort and village for awhile and then climbed partially up one of the nearby ridges.  The scenery was spectacular, especially with the dense growth of palm trees. 

Eddy and Peter outside the front of the fort.  The main door is behind the two canons.

View of palm tree grove and old village wall.

Ancient mud house disintegrating.  There were many of these between the newer more modern houses.

Water being channeled from the mountains and into the village.

Palm grove and Omani houses in background.

Village children.

Hike up the ridge.  Giant sand dunes in the distance (see earlier blog).

Gingerbread House

Wow! After six days of effort, a dozen eggs and two bags of confectioners sugar - we created our gingerbread house!  The boys were very proud, and I was exhausted!  This was our first attempt and we had some bumps along the way, including some warped walls (lending a Salvador Dali affect) and the "mortar"  (royal icing) that was so thick it broke the pastry bag. The last 15 minutes of decorating with peppermint candy, malt balls, and cotton candy made it all worth it, as the guys got to unwrap the candy and stick it on the house wherever there was icing,

The pastry chefs celebrate!

An architectural wonder - how does it stay standing?!

Admiring the confectionery creation ...

Publishing Party

This past week, the first grade class hosted parents for a "Publishing Party."  Parents had the opportunity to hear our newly minted authors read their books to us, and we asked questions and provided comments.  All the kids received a special writing pen to celebrate the completion of their literary works.  Below are some pictures of the event held in the classroom; we had a great time and were very proud parents!