Mid July and things are moving

I guess calling the 26th Mid July is strictly speaking not all that accurate.

But things are moving on at work and home now only needs furniture in the spare bed room!  I have a study desk, we finally found a lounge suite - although that cost more than we really wanted to pay, but after months of looking when we found on we were both comfortable with the decision was made. And we have a day bed in Katrina's study, which folds out into a queen size bed. 

Things at work are starting to heat up - in the sense that the project I came over for should really start to hit top gear in the next couple of months.  Yay!

The walls of Sohar Fort - under re-construction as you can see.

In the mean time I have been looking at organisational arrangements and making recommendations for improvement. Hopefully some of these will be picked up and I will be able to start feeling that I am making a real difference. 

The week before last I spent up country in and around Sohar looking at operational locations, with an eye to process and looking for possible improvements. Sohar is north of Muscat in the direction of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.  

Unfortunately on the week away I didn't really get to look at much of the scenery. The days tended to be rather long with 7am starts and on one occasion a 1am finish - that was a long day. Having said that we did get a break in the afternoon that day and avoided the worst of the heat. How outside workers do it I don't know. 

We did get to have a short walk around Sohar town. This is a seaside town, not really developed at all for tourism and well on the way to becoming the industrial heart of Oman.  

According to some Sohar is one of the places that Sinbad the Sailor is reputed to have originated from. Could be the basis for some pretty good tourist attractions I would have thought. 

Exercising the Bull

Sohar also practices Omani bull fighting and has a bull ring somewhere in the town. Now don't get carried away, it's not like Spanish/Mexican bull fighting at all. Essentially two bulls are led up to each other, they lock horns and then spend about two minutes pushing each other around the ring. On a pre arranged signal the handlers grab a rope tied around the left fore foot and pull the bulls apart, ending the pushing contest.  Could be worth having a look as it would seem that little to no damage is done to the bulls. Apparently the guy "walking" his bull in the sea would have been training it for the ring.  

About a week ago the holy month of Ramadan commenced. For Muslims it is a period of fasting, prayer and giving. Fasting commences each morning at dawn (which is around 0430 here) and ends around 7pm. Fasting is complete - no water, no tobacco and definitely no food. Although there are exceptions made for the sick, elderly, young, pregnant and sports-people. Even so the Islamic Olympians will have to make up their fast when they return home after the games. 

It is illegal to eat or drink in public, including in your car and you can be fined for doing so. Most of the food outlets are closed throughout the day, opening in mid to late afternoon so that people can buy food to take home and break the fast (istfar). Some have been given dispensation to remain open to service non muslims, but these are places where people eating and drinking cannot be seen from outside. 

I have been asked at work a few times if I am fasting and the answer to that is yes during the work hours.  Although I could close my office door and eat or drink, and I am told that would be accepted, I do not think that would be fair on the people around me. And it is no great hardship in any case.  You see as they have no formal meal break in the office I have often worked through with nothing more than a drink of water and a cup of tea, and during Ramadan office hours are shortened. Work starts at 0830 (instead of 0730) and ends at 1 (instead of 2).  Although I always start earlier and end later than most, an extra hour or half hour at each end, partly because that lets me avoid traffic and not having had a desk at home, until this week............

It is pretty quiet, people wise, at work at the moment. Many people take leave through Ramadan and some have gone on pilgrimage to Mecca. This isn't the Hajj, which falls in September this year and is a holy obligation that Muslims must (if they are able) make at least once in their lifetime.

Once the office closes everyone goes home and the place pretty much shuts down as people take their rest through the heat of the afternoon. And then come dark everybody is out and about. Friends and families coming together to break the fast and continuing until well into the late late hours. Followed by bed and a really early start for that breakfast.

In about three weeks Ramadan ends and the Islamic World then moves into a celebration called Eid Al Fitr. A time of feasting and hospitality. The public sector closes down for Eid. But Katrina and I will be off to Europe for two weeks then, to go to a wedding in Switzerland and catch up with some people.

For Zanzibar food

Pretty much everyday since we moved into our house one or both of us have driven past the African food and coffee shop, for Zanzibar food. But why Zanzibar I hear you ask? Well for some centuries Oman was a maritime trading empire that included Zanzibar. For a time there were two Sultans one in Oman and the other in Africa. That all ended with an episode of fratricide and the Sultanate was re-united. There are many Omani's who can trace their ancestry and cultural heritage back to Africa. There are I understand people who live in parts of Africa that are or consider themselves to be Omani. Our suburb Al Hail North has strong ties in that direction.

Having seen how busy Zanzibar food is in the evenings we finally decided to go last night.  And boy are we glad we did, really nice and well cooked food that fed us to a standstill and cost, well not a lot! Even though the waiter talked us into some of the more expensive menu items.

Oh yum shrimp in coconut sauce a whole grilled and spicy herb encrusted fish, salad, muttabel dip, flat bread fresh from the making and a fabulous fruit cocktail. All for less than $20 Au.  We wobbled away from the table and had to go for a long beach walk afterwards.  Ahhh Mr Zanzibar food we will be back!!!!

Our Zanzibar food.

And drink

Of course we didn't help ourselves having dined at the club the night before.  I ordered an English mixed grill. No problem they said only to come back a while later and say, it's been so long since anyone ordered this that we don' have any lamb cutlets and veal kidney, do you mind if we replace the lamb with more beef and the kidney with chicken liver.  Hmm no problem said I (not really a lamb or kidney fan) so a bit of a win. Mind you I wilted when the plate arrived with more meat than a David can eat in a sitting.  But needs must.... Although the chips were left untouched.

My English mixed grill! Backed up by Katrina's Steak.

But that's enough of my most common sin - Gluttony!

All in all this last week has been pretty good.  I got lots of positive reinforcement and feel much better about life the universe and everything! So yay me, and tomorrow I head off for a week long tour of a number of the work places up towards the UAE.  Should be fun and just in time, because Ramadan is scheduled to start just after I get back. Methinks outdoor in the sun without the ability to drink may be a bit hard on this soft Westerner.

There's a certain buzz building about Ramadan.  A number of the guys have told me they look forward to it and feel better after the month of daytime fasting.  The radio has ads about Ramadan and the charities to help the needy that are a part of Ramadan.  Most of the food and drink places close during the day through Ramadan and I understand that includes malls in their entirety.  Although they will open for the evening and late into the night.

Eating and drinking in public is forbidden and transgressors can be fined.  Your motor vehicle is included as a public place.  So that is essentially anywhere where you may be seen breaking the fast between dawn and dusk.  Some food outlets are given permits to open during daylight hours through Ramadan, to service non-Muslims, but those permissions are few and far between and subject to licensing controls.

This will be an interesting experience for me, never having fasted. Not eating and drinking at work or anywhere in public through daylight hours, yet another new experience.

In the past week the weather has improved, its fallen down into the mid to low thirties and one night the high twenties.  A lovely relief which we and most of the locals grabbed with both hands. Off to the beach for walks up and down the sea shore for us. Dodging the joggers and fishing boats coming and going along the shoreline.  We walked at and in the waters edge, which also kept us clear of the numerous soccer games in progress.  The pitches had scraped out boundaries and in some cases looked to share goal mouths, so many and closely packed the games were.

Mid thirties, beach - ahhh that would mean humidity - you betcha! I tried to take some pictures of the thronging beach, but after about five minutes this was still the view through the camera lens..

Honest there is a beach, people and soccer games in there!

One of the things I find quite bizarre here is the dust haze.  It is omnipresent and means that most evenings you can look directly at the sun.  The blue sky is somewhat muted, but it also means that I don't need sunglasses very often and while you tan, sunburn is pretty hard to achieve.  So swings and roundabouts.

The sun at dusk

And this weekend we went to another museum, this time the Museum of Natural History. A very nice little museum that tells the natural history and development stages of Oman. There are a series of display rooms and display cases focusing on the geology and animal life of the country.  In a separate hall there is a sperm whale skeleton along with some dolphin and other aquatic animal bits and pieces.  We enjoyed the museum, but were bemused by the lack of people there.

In one corner there was a couple of sheets of paper showing attendance figures at the museum since its opening. I was very disappointed to see that each year since opening attendance figures have dropped.  While it is nice to have a museum almost to yourself, it is such a shame as Oman has so much to tell of its history.

A false killer whale - actually a dolphin species

It's July already?

Wow time has flown!

Almost 4 months down now and we continue to settle in.  The last few weeks have  been fairly quiet as the weather has really hit its stride now and most days top 40! Although the last few have been a cool change - around 35 or so.

It's funny the things you miss from home - the greens and the ability to roam around outside without really having to worry about the heat.  I am at a total loss to understand how the frantic building and outdoor work continues in this constant heat.  I really miss the ability to cycle to and from work - apart from the heat there's no such thing as a bike path and while I'm willing to drive on the roads I can't say the same for a bike.

That relaxed Australian attitude to life would be nice. Not that people here aren't relaxed, it's just a different type of relaxed.  I still don't feel right walking around in shorts for example, although Katrina now goes most places without a head scarf.

Traditional Islamic helmet - check the decorative work!

Work has been reasonably intense, so quiet weekends at home have been a good thing. Couple intense work with my innate ability to question myself and my worth and David has had a self inflicted interesting time.  Hopefully that's all behind me now!

One of the little joys is being able to wander around in sandals rather than shoes. Shoes are just too hot, apart from at work and even then sometimes its touch n go. But sandals, of yeah rather comfy!

Traditional Omani shield (Buckler) made of HEAVY, HEAVY leather.

We had Katrina's birthday last week and that was fun, a dinner party followed by a late lie in the following morning.  In Katrina's case it was a well deserved birthday lie in. In my case, well in my defence the morning after a dinner party - I ask you? And I did give Katrina the keys to a perfume shop to select a perfume as her birthday present.  She chose well, rose and musk oil, made her happy, so me happy and the shop keeper was well satisfied with the purchase too.

And then last weekend I took off to the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum. It's located in a functional army base and the museum itself is housed in a rather old fort, which was used by the Sultan at the beginning of his reign. Naturally enough the museum focusses on the history of the Sultanate with much of it given over to the last 40 odd years.

Walking into the outdoor display area with my serving military guide.

Quite the weapons collection, gun nuts would love display. Not least because many of the larger weapons are left out and can be touched and photographed from all angles.  Outside there are static displays of retired aircraft, patrol boats and a field command centre and hospital.  On arrival you are met by a serving officer and guided through the outside displays.  My guide was called Bader and through a misunderstanding introduced me to a Dutchman whose guide had decided the Dutchman was Australian too. Turned out said Dutchman will shortly be touring through Australia.

One for the gun nuts!

Last Wednesday night we went to the club for dinned and ran into a recently arrived English bandmaster who has been employed to work with the Police bands.  Goody we thought let's find out when and where the camel pipers are going to play next. Not so, apparently they only do a few gigs a year and there is no formal schedule as such and their primary concert is National day for which the location is a closely guarded secret until the last minute.... Sigh! We will find in concert one day........................

And now Katrina has kidnapped the sole remaining kitten from the litter our local feral had just after we got Button the Kitten.  So now we have a not so little girl cat and a little boy (visit to the vet soon).

Camels, goats, farms, forts and Socceroos

Wow  what a weekend we had a week ago now.  Thankfully it was announced a couple of days ago that this weekend is a long one - four days, yay we can relax!

Last Wednesday night we went to our Arabic lessons and then set out for the wilds of the interior - in this case a village called Adam, around 230 kilometers from Muscat.  So after stopping for dinner, a map and well a GPS (hey going out of town gave gadget guy an opportunity) a couple of very tired people arrived an Adam, to be met by Sultan (who you may remember as the guy that shepherded us through our first days here).

Adam is his home town and on the weekends he lives in a house across the road from his parents and sister (one of many siblings) with his wife, son and youngest brother.  The house is quite large and we were escorted upstairs to the guest room where we quickly unpacked and after saying the obligatory greetings collapsed into bed and sleep.

Sultan's house has two front doors one for men and the other for women.  The men's door opens directly into a rather large Majlis - that's entertainment room to you.  The walls are fully lined with sofa's and they have one of the biggest flat screen tv's on offer.  The women's room is off to the side of the entrance and is a bit smaller (a fraction of the size) and has a smaller tv and lacks the gigantic sofa.

Over the weekend I met the male half of Sultan's family and Katrina met some of the male side and the women.

Katrina inspecting the waters

Anyway on Thursday the three of us set out for a tour of Adam. It is a farming village, village being a misnomer really, but there are date farms everywhere. A large part of the reason for this is the long established Fallaj - or aqueduct system.  The system is fed from acquifers and has been in use in one form or another for around 4000 years I am told.

On our journey through Adam we stopped at the clock that controls the Fallaj.  Well sundial really, the day is broken up into half hour blocks and each farm is allocated a watering time, which lasts for 2 hours. As the sun approaches the correct mark a little man jumps on his bicycle and pedals off to start the water flowing. He knows when to leave because the men stand around discussing just where to put the palm strand so that he can get to the farm at the same time as the sundial says go.

Fallaj control system

Funnily enough the men standing around the sundial were related to Sultan.  So after a bit of a chat we all went back to their place for Omani coffee, fresh season dates and fruit.  Then after that it was lunch and funnily enough yet more fresh dates.  It's the beginning of the season and the dates are rather nice.

Harvesting dates, about 20metres up

Sultan's family owns 4 farms and I got to go to two of them.  Katrina unfortunately gave up the ghost with a continuation of a bug that laid her low the week before.

One of the sights of Adam is the walled village that the current Sultan of Oman's grandfather was born in.  It is an impressive sight rising out of the surrounding date palms. Unfortunately it is showing severe signs of wear, but is under repair by the Heritage department and will I presume be open to the public when finished. It will be well worth the visit then, but as it was under renovation and the signs said no entry..........

I also went to the mosque that built itself - but you can read about that in a separate post.

And then we collected Katrina and headed out to the largest of the family farms. At which time Katrina saw her first wild camels.  I had seen another couple walking down the street earlier in the day when Katrina was collapsing.

Makes roos seem like less of a road hazard

The farm was interesting it had a bit of everything - more dates, goats, sheep, cattle, bees....  Katrina really likes Omani honey.  But boy is honey expensive in this part of the world.

Katrina and farm friends

Anyway after that we had the obligatory night view of Adam from a nearby hillside.  And then dinner and a grateful collapse into bed.

Only to get up at 6 so we could be on the road to Nizwa by 7 for the goat and cattle market.  That was great, bustling, noisy, colourful and well busy.  The grins on peoples faces as they left with their purchases was just great.  From the goat market we headed off into the souk, where Katrina bought a traditional woven basket, the obligatory camel (our collection is building now!) and some local Halwa.

Nizwa goat market

And then somehow or another we ended up at the entrance to Nizwa Fort, which was the centre of government a couple of centuries ago.  Don't know why they insist on calling them forts, somehow castle seems more appropriate.  So we went on in and spent some time roaming around checking out the exhibits. Cannon to the left of us, cannon to the right,  lots of stairs to climb and things to see.

Katrina was not happy going up and down the stairs to the central keep, because they'd removed the wooden coverings over the numerous pitfalls and replaced them with perspex covers and underfloor lighting. I was none too concerned and thought the soundtracks with splintering noises loud crashing and so on was just great.

Nizwa from atop the fort

And then it was time to leave the fort and head for home.  I had work to do and still the Socceroos match to go.  And yes Brooke we did wear the hats and scarfs.  We waved the little flags and I tied the big flag to the side of the big stadium stand.  I was told by one of the locals that the flag got some air time on the telecast!

Sadly the Socceroos couldn't get the business done, but then fortunately neither could the Omani's. A nil all score was the result and probably fair.  At kick off it was around 41 degrees and by games end still in the high thirties.  Not so bad for us in the stands, but playing international soccer?

 And just because you didn't ask the GPS has maps for the entire Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco.  

(with apologies to AC DC) For those about to shop Dubai salutes you!

Our first out of country jaunt! We flitted off to Dubai for the weekend.  Love the concept that in a few hours of driving, or one of flying you can be in another country. Bit of a change from good old Australia.  Set off with good intentions of being cultural and throwing in some shopping, but we accidentally bought some stuff on arrival at the Mall of the Emirates - which was to have been the jump off point for our touristy stuff.

Daytime from the hotel balcony

So instead of seing Dubai we saw the inside of one of the biggest malls in the world.  Despite spending close to eight hours in the mall there were whole areas that we just did not get to!  Scary stuff. And we did spend up a bit, came with one half empty suitcase betwen us went home with two full suitcases. Mostly my stuff, a new suit, shirts......... all at 80% off the ticketed price and at that price the good quality natural fabric clothes were more than competetive with the not so nice chain store stuff. 

Winter fun in the Mall of the Emirates

Pure cotton shirts, wool/cashmere suit.. and Katrina bought yards and yards of fabric for future sewing.  And that folks was pretty much the extent of our shopping.  The men at the shop sewed up the trouser cuffs for me and the suit was ready to go two hours after purchase - not too shabby.

Although the following day (Friday to you) I went to the 1200+store Dubai Mall to visit a rather large book store.  My, my Emirates has a ski slope (which we ate dinner looking out over), Dubai has a waterfall, an aquarium and a thoroughly modernised (and sanitised) Souk precinct. Much prefer a real Souk, but it seemed to be a hit with the tourists. And the water wall seemed to be a hit with everyone.

Fishiness at Dubai Mall

While I was visiting a second mall Katrina went to a meeting of the Dubai knitters group. Can't keep a good craftie down! Although what you'd knit to wear in the desert is beyond me. 

The nearest analog I can think of for Dubai is Singapore. Both thoroughly modern cities, trying to milk remaiming vestiges of their culture for tourism, but in a race to claim the tourists shopping dollar. 

What happens when architects are let out to play unsupervised!

The cityscape is amazing. Someone let the architects loose and said I want my building to look different to any other.  That is apart from the ones where the instruction was clearly "I want my building to look like the empire state, or the Chrysler building, or, or, or.

The worlds tallest building lives in Dubai, more than 800 metres.  I briefly thought about trying to go to the observation deck, but it was booked out til 10pm and that's after my bedtime your honour. Another visit perhaps.

Night from the balcony - what's wrong with the building on the right?

So I just had to make do with our 35th floor hotel balcony, with views of the marina and back towards town. Very pleasant it was sitting out there sipping vastly overpriced wine. Stuff we'd not pay $20 for at home at twice (and a bit) the price. But then as westernised as Dubai is, it is still a Muslim country.  

Unlike Oman Dubai has cast off much of what uniquely identifies it as an Arabic country. Sure there are still people in traditional dress, but they are more than vastly outnumbered by those in Western clothing. Mosques dot the city scape, with their minarets climbing above the surrounding houses. That is in the housing precincts, but in the huge swathes of commercial tower buildings everything around them is obscured. Like Muscat the call to prayer is broadcast in the streets and malls and there are prayer rooms readily accessible for use by shoppers.

The only bad point to our visit involved (as ever it seems) our new bank.  Because we don't have a credit card and the Visa Debit card can't be used online - or it seems as a real credit card substitute we had to pay for our room up front and room service as we went.  That would not have been a problem if the card had worked in ATM's! So while we could EFTPOS and shop we could not replenish our cash which quickly ran out and we would have been in strife if Katrina hadn't brought an Australian debit card with her. See if you can riddle who our bank is - How Sad when Banks Crash.

Where were you when the cash ran dry in Dubai?

And then all too soon we were at the airport and on our way home again. To be met the following day by the arrival of our Socceroo supporter pack for Friday night. Kindly put together and mailed by Brooke.  Revenge is in the offing I say! For those of you who know our quirks the Smurfette and Leek confetti was amusing, but revenge worthy! 

An unexpected event

Katrina and I had settled down for a lazy weekend with a plan to go and see a museum, our first since arrival. But it was not to be.  As we finished the dishes I got a phone call from the boss saying "have you got anything planned for today?

The long and the short of it was that the Police Clubs cabin cruiser and crew had been booked for the day, did I want to go along for the ride?  Hmm lets see around 40 degrees onshore with a reasonable amount of humidity, no brainer really. We'd be at sea for about two hours he said.  (Turned out to be six).

It turns out that the Police Club maintains the boat and on weekends it is available for use by any of the Directorates. It comes stocked with crew, food and drinks.

So we jump in the car and drive the 50 or so K's to the Mina Sultan Qaboos (Sultan Qaboos Port) in old town Muscat. When we got there the guys said, well did Katrina want to come too, a one second consideration later - yes!  There were around 15 adults plus four young lads coming along for a bit of an adventure with dad.

Dress casual I was told, so I went along thinking they'd be in the dishdasha traditional hat.  Not a bit of it shorts and t shirts all the way. And a very merry crew they were at that.  So we set sail for our three hour cruise - Hmm that didn't end well for the Minnow!.

We skirted the coast passing the hill forts that guard the entrance to the original Muscat Harbour. They were built by the Portuguese when they invaded and tried to take Oman over.  Ultimately they failed, but as a result there are now coastal fortifications in differing states of repair. The three along old Muscat are all still in use, and although one is a museum it is not open to the public.  Used to entertain dignitaries and the like.

Further down the coast we passed the Al Bustan Palace hotel - a truly stunning hotel - and the Shangri La resort, which is well named.

We entered an inlet that was dotted with small islands and pulled into a small cove. Anchors aweigh and into the water. Almost everybody got wet. But unfortunately I hadn't brought my bathers! It duly got too much and so trouser clad David joined in the fun. Despite the heat in the desert and their history as a seafaring nation I was surprised by how many of these guys were not particularly confident in the water.

While we were all splashing about Katrina spotted a turtle passing by....  The crew told me this area has turtles everyday and that we were unlucky to only see one.

 Katrina was feted by the crew and the guys. The crew took to calling her Madam and made sure she had whatever she wanted. Katrina also got first go at the food, when lunch came out after we'd finished fooling about in the water.   And then all too soon it was time to up anchor and head back. The trip back was a bit rough as we went much further out to sea and there was a decent swell running.  Cheers and laughs all round as people lost their footing or in one case gave himself a hot tea shower!

 We made a slight detour on the way back, pulling into the old central harbour. I had said it would be nice to get some seaside photo's of the forts and Palace, so they turned the boat into the harbour and I shot up to the fly bridge with my camera.  Katrina told me today that the whole time we were in the Harbour the boat crew were in radio contact, presumably allaying the fears of the guys with the big guns in the forts. You can see one of the forts on the right here and that white building with the blue and gold highlights is the Sultan's ceremonial palace.  Lots of the guys wanted their photo's taken with the Palace and forts in the background, as I guess this was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity. And then it was back to sea and shortly thereafter into the Port - And yes the two boats in the bottom photo are operating coastal trading ships.   All in all a great day out, which we than finished off with dinner at a Mexican restaurant, but that's another story!

Location? Location? Location?

Why the title.  Well this is something that's been floating around the back of my mind since we arrived.  What with all the excitement of the move and so on. At first it was really difficult to work out what was a nice area or not. All the visual cues we have built in as to what makes a nice area in Australia are gone.  Everything has a dusty overtone and instead of lawn there are rocks and dust.

So when you drive around an area there is a patina that covers the houses and much of the streetscape.  Of course when you hit the high end suburbs, or the real low end you can tell immediately.  But it's that mid range where it becomes hard to tell. The clues really are the cars on the street Toyota vs Lexus. The fact that there is a rubble strew block next door means nothing.

Omani houses tend to the large size and they all have sizeable walls around the outside. So as you walk around you see walls mostly at head height or above and then cars parked along the street.  Houses themselves tend to flat roofs, with very thick walls and vertical walls.  A bit boxlike, but then jazzed up with entrances and the like and in some cases use of colour, which to our eyes can be a little jarring. The colour can be used as accents around windows for example, or over the whole house.  I've seen a few pink houses, lemon and other colours that I would call unexpected.

Today is Friday, the second day of the weekend. So back to work tomorrow. After a weekend of two parts. A rather hectic Thursday running around and today we have the Curtain men around installing our curtains. Finally the house will be that much more private!

Muscat is an interesting town. It's in a very narrow band of coastal plain before the beginning of the hills.  As a result it is  Looooong! For example we live in Al-Hail and our language lessons are in Wuttayah, that's a 40k+ one way trip. Fortunately there is a main route through the centre and an expressway out the back.  So getting there is relatively quick.

Coming back however is another story! By the time our lessons are over it's Omani driving time. Apparenty one of the things Omani's do to socialise is go for a drive in the evening. And the standard of driving here is not high.  But we all seem to get by...

The streetscape is interesting. It's quite busy when I leave for work around 0630.  That's roughly the morning peak and there are people everywhere. Indians and Pakistani's walking and on pushbikes, or queuing to be picked up by the work bus. Omani kids clustered on corners or outfront of their houses waiting for the school bus to come get them.  And lots of private buses scurrying around on their appointed tasks. School, construction.......

Then in the afternoon when I come home from work the road is busy with cars but the shops lining the roads are closed and deserted.  Many things shut down here to escape the afternoon heat and as it heats up here fewer and fewer of the small shops remain open through the afternoon.

And around four everything starts to open up again. Until at nightfall and on into the late hours the streets and shopping areas are packed with people going about their business.  Especially on Thursday and Friday evenings.  The coffee shops become packed and here and there Omani men cluster to talk or play cards on a blanket someone has laid out.

The shops and restuarants light up. Bright colours festoon them, lots of Green, pink, red and blue. Strip lights are very popular. One of the major supermarkets (Lu Lu) has about the most garish in green and violet lighting across their facade. Very distinctive and gives the place a festive air.

Katrina and I have both joined gym's now and I had my first workout in months yesterday.  Hmmm there's a bit to do! My waist was deciding to head south and the two flights of stairs up to my office causing the odd pant. Katrina was rather unimpressed with her weight, while I was bemused by mine.  She had put on weight, while I had put on girth and lost weight.  Spose I'd better never be in line for a slot on biggest loser!

Why join a gym? Well it's the end of spring here and we are heading into summer. Things are starting to warm up, in the past week the temperature has started to hit forty. They tell me that in the next months the temperature will continue to climb until most days are in the high forties and the overnight low not a whole bunch lower. The summer peaks will be in the low fifties!  From here on in exercise will be strictly indoors! Although the  socccer season here is still ongoing and the Socceroos come over in a month to play Oman in a world cup qualifier.

All in all we are still enjoying ourselves and the first Australian expat do we went to was an ANZAC day slap up meal at the Grand Hyatt.  Chef flown out from Australia, Australian themed food, lots of fun was had by all and a very late night that wrecked last weekend for us! This was the rather nice Australian lamb, with Omani dates.......

Fortunately so far the heat feels quite different to an Australian summer. At work on Wednesday I was reasonably comfortable outside in a suit, at 37 to 39 degrees. Add ten or so to that and there will be a re-assessment of my work dress!  I may even move to short sleeve shirts.

A couple of weeks ago we took off down the coast to Sawadi Beach and had a fabulous few hours, much of the time spent exploring a little island with a rebuilt 16c Portuguese fort ontop. A pic of the view from atop the fort follows! The fort itself has fabulous 360 degree views over the bay area and little islets that dot around it.  Seems you can't go far in Oman without running across a fortification of some kind.  Guess that really highlights the age of the country and their past as a maritime empire that the Portuguese sought to control. Any way there's a fair bit on our day out in Katrina's blog  - Mathilde's Marvelous Meanderings.

Cheers

David