Back to Yitti

This past weekend we went back to Yitti, the beach we visited two weekends ago (see previous blog entry).  The beach was empty, the weather great, and we had a great time swimming and playing in the sand.  This time, however, we brought our hiking boots.  We scrambled up the nearby hillside for some fantastic views of the seaside mountains and cliffs that hug Oman's eastern coast.

Yitti

Presently, the Muslim world is participating in the holy month of Ramadan.  For the next 4 weeks, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.  In our part of the world, this occurs from about 6am to 7pm.  It is a long time to go without water.  For the most part, people only work from 9am to 1pm during this month.  The rest of the day is spent at home, mainly sleeping.  As a result, shops, grocery stores, and other businesses are open only during the early part of the day. Then, at 7pm, people have big feasts and all the restaurants are full.  They eat, go to shops (which open again after 7), pray and generally celebrate for much of the rest of the evening and often into the early morning hours.  As non-Muslims, we are allowed to eat and drink during the day.  However, it is supposed to be done in private or very discretely if in a public place.

Yesterday, we decided to spend the day at Yitti, one of our favorite beaches.  It is a sandy cove nestled between the mountains, about a half hour from our house.  As we expected, we had the beach to ourselves.  The locals were home, resting and preparing for that evening's feast.

Making sand "burgers."  Laura lounging in the distance.

Strolling around the beach. Our Jeep and pop-up shade tent can be see in the distance.

The air outside is a little warm, but the ocean temperature is perfect.  It was easy for us to spend several hours swimming and playing in the waves.

We left the beach at around 6:30pm and hit town just as restaurants were opening.  We decided to have dinner at Bollywood, a local Indian restaurant specializing in vegetarian dishes.

Summer Evening

It is the middle of summer.  For the most part, it is too hot outside to do much.  There are, however, small windows of relatively cooler weather in the mornings and evenings.  Here we are at the beach for an evening stroll in our favorite grassy area just before sunset. 

Our Budding Violin Player

This summer, Eddy will reach the end of his second year of playing violin.  He plays most days for about 30 minutes at a time.  We are proud of his progress and look forward to seeing him perform in June at the Levine School.  The following video has been sent to a team of music instructors who will give him feedback on his playing.  Enjoy!

Bid Bid Castle

A rare cloudy day. Ah perfect.  An opportunity to go into the interior.  Peter and I drove to Bid Bid castle, about 30 minutes from Muscat.  It is an old fort situated in a quaint village.  Like most Omani villages, houses and buildings are interspersed among date palms.  The fort, originally built centuries ago, has been restored.  Except for a few Omani children running through its corridors and rooms, we had the place to ourselves. 

On top of one of the towers looking out into the countryside.

Peter is learning to use the camera and took this photo.

Click on the image above to start a video of us in the castle.

Beach and Pool

Over the past few weeks the weather has changed quite a bit.  Days are hot and humidity is high.  During the winter months we didn't go to the beach or pool much.  It was t-shirt weather, but the water was too cold for swimming.  It may be hot outside now, but the ocean and pool water are the perfect temperature.  We've gone to our pool a number of times already and probably will continue to go regularly over the summer months and into the fall.   The other day, we started off at the beach which borders our swim club.  After an hour of "trucks in the sand" games, we headed to the pool.  As long as your head, eyes, and skin are covered, it's an easy way to spend the day.

Canyon Around the Corner

Due to Oman's mountainous terrain, there are lots of possibilities for hiking.  Some are more treacherous than others.  There is one canyon that is about 10 minutes from our house and perfect for our two young boys.  Lots of rocks to climb, but no high ledges.  Lots of open space, but in the late afternoon, shaded by cliffs.  And, best of all, if it's too hot or we are feeling too tired, we can quickly abort and head home for some ice cream.