Dolphins of Oman

The mountains that form the backdrop of Muscat show little signs of life.  They are rocky and barren.  Behind them lie more mountains and then the desert plateau of the interior.  In the other direction, however, is the ocean and it is teaming with life.  Yesterday, we went on a boat trip to see some of what the Sea of Oman has to offer.  We were not disappointed.  Watch the following video and you will see why...

More Beach Action

It is probably clear by now that we are spending a lot of time at the beach.  On a recent trip to the stretch of shoreline closest to our house, I took a string of video clips of us playing in the sand and walking along the coast.  I put them together into the following video segment.  As you will see, the kids love the surf and it’s a very relaxing way for all of us to spend the day.   

Holiday at the Beach

 

We had a long weekend to observe the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr, which literally means "festivity of breaking the fast." It marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn until sundown.  It is the biggest holiday so there is lots of gatherings with family and friends and everything shuts down for a whole week.

We took advantage of our time off to return to the Barr Al Jissah resort on the coast 35 minutes from our house.   We really enjoyed playing with the boys in the pool, the "lazy river" that imitates a desert oasis, and the lovely beach of course.  We saw lots of fish and I am fairly confident I saw a sea otter. What else bobs up above the water and has whiskers?!  We also took some kayaks out and paddled around to admire the beautiful cove.  That was the highlight for me and I had one of my "foreign service moments" where I am thinking to myself, "this is so crazy cool,  am I really doing this?" You will see the pictures below and understand my reaction.  So enjoy the photos; they are meant to be for recruiting purposes - for you to come visit us!

My boys taking a stroll before dinner - note Muslim ladies in their swim attire - appropriate and functional.

Waiting for a camel ride and looking very cute

Two ladies with very different wardrobe choices

Under the special tent for Eid Al Fitr celebrations

Cruising down the "lazy river," despite capsizing ...

Short video of the lazy river.

Clear, sparkling water, just right for a swim!

Waiting for Mom to paddle home

Up Against the Waves

Since our arrival close to seven weeks ago, it has been sunny pretty much everyday.  Most days there is a haze that covers the sky due to high humidity and winds blowing dust into the air.  The haze traps heat from the Sun and as a result, temperatures get quite high.  In the cooler fall and winter months the humidity drops and there is less moisture in the air to trap dust.  The haze disappears, the sky turns blue and the temperatures drop into the 70's.  Recently, we had our first cloudy day.  The Sun was blocked and it didn't get higher than the upper 80's.  It was great!  It was our scheduled beach day and we had an extra long session to take advantage of the cooler weather.  The blocked Sun also let us tool around in the sand and water without needing hats and sunglasses.  This time we also did something else new - digging a deep sand pit.  When we started, the water line was about 15 feet away.  As we progressed, the tide kept coming in and the water got closer and closer.  Eventually, the pit was swallowed up by waves, adding extra excitement to the experience.      

Click play to see Eddy stretching his digging muscles.

The pit, with boys inside, being overwhelmed by the ocean.

Click play and watch Peter contemplate his sand play options.

Pit jumping.

Strolling down the beach.

As the tide came in, the pit filled with sand.  Eddy is kneeling in its last remnants.

Unpacking

 About a week ago we received all of our household goods.  Our things had already been in Oman for several weeks, but were delivered to us only after being cleared by customs.  We had been living out of our suitcases until everything arrived.  Now we have the monumental task of emptying the boxes and putting all of our things in place.  Of course after having done this five times over the past fifteen years, we have become pretty good at unpacking and putting our house together relatively fast.  The trick this time around is to keep paths clear throughout the house for our constantly roaming boys and to be sure that all the breakable items are stored away quickly.  As soon as the boxes entered the house, they started climbing them and creating their own indoor playground.   

Boxes being stacked in our driveway.

Climbing on the first few boxes.

Filling up.

Now the excitement of opening up each box and discovering the treasures inside.

Scooter Races

Right now, the main outdoor activity for us is swimming in the ocean.   Sometimes we go to the pool (usually after the beach to wash off the salt and sand) and there is a playground about a mile from our house.  But, after 20 minutes of climbing around the equipment, the boys are usually pretty sweaty.  Over the past few weeks, Eddy and Peter have found another outlet for their abundant energy...scooter racing.   Over the course of a day, they will head outside about half a dozen times and zip around our house on their scooters.  Our house and small yard space is surrounded by a wall on all sides - a typical design in this region.  We have very little grass and most of the yard is tiled over, which makes an excellent scooter course.     

Scooting along the side of our house.

Getting ready to turn from the front yard to the side strip.

The front includes a covered car park.  We park our car on the street to give the boys more room for scootering.

 

The back of the house at the starting point for the course.  Maybe one day scooter racing will become an Olympic sport.  For these boys, training has already begun.

At the Mall on Ramadan

It's Ramadan - so Seasons Greetings!  The common greeting "Blessed Ramadan," or "Ramadan is Generous"

 

Here we are doing a little shopping, but it's not like Christmas shopping at home!  All restaurants here are closed until sundown, and shops are open for  a few hours in the morning before closing at noon until sundown -- but then they stay open until midnight! Everyone one comes teaming out around 9 pm. Interesting to watch but not a good schedule for our family at least. So we are a bit housebound these days. The big grocery stores and "hypermarkets" like Carrefour and the Sultan Center are open all day, so we like to check  these out for things we need to get the house in order, window shop, and escape the heat!

You gotta move fast from the hot sunny parking lot to the AC

Just outside the Sultan Center  - they have everything, including a huge bakery where the boys like to watch the bakers doing their thing.  How appropriate that the night before we had read Maurice Sendak's "In The Night Kitchen."

Pancakes and Playground

To escape the chaos of the many boxes engulfing our house (following arrival of our household goods) we went out for breakfast and some playground time at "The Oasis" a little rec area and dining facility that embassy folk/expats like us can use.  The playground is so nice to have, and thankfully it is shaded.  The boys can last a bit longer in the 100 plus temps.  But I really need to discuss the pancakes.  Because what is more important on weekends than pancakes?  I don't know. I can't think of  a single thing.  Well, maybe coffee. Anyway, the  wonderful cooks at the Oasis make some amazing pancakes and these small things made the heat and the boxes seem not so bad ...

Taking on the playground

Inside the slide

    Some handsome men and some beautiful pancakes!

Children's Museum

Most of the residential and commercial buildings in Muscat are modern rectangular concrete or stone structures.  There are few high-rise areas and most buildings include some element that reflects Omani tradition in some way, such as a lattice wall or arabesque window.   In the middle of one popular neighborhood with several hotels, restaurants, and a large park lies an architectural outlier.  It is a domed building that could almost be mistaken for a spaceship.  This is the Children's Museum.  A better name would be "The Children's Science Museum" because most of the exhibits are designed to teach children scientific principles.  I recently took Eddy and Peter to this museum.  We went early in the morning and were the only ones there.  Well, there was also a 5 person staff.  They left us alone, for the most part.  Whenever Eddy or Peter wasn't able to figure out how an interactive exhibit worked, they would quickly rush over to help.  Overall, it was a great find and a place we will visit again, especially during these hot summer months.      

Standing in front of the entrance to the Museum.

If you petal fast enough, a light bulb inside the glass box will light up.

A play area for younger kids.  While Eddy cycled to create electricity, Peter and I were construction workers.

A view across the museum.  To the right is a pendulum.  Eddy is standing at a exhibit that examines pressure.

Leaving the museum.  To the right, the path is lined with banana trees.