I was lucky enough to visit some of the art exhibitions going on in Dubai from March 14th to 24th. Oman doesn’t have much of a modern art scene, so this exhibit felt like a bit of fresh air compared to most of the traditional works I have seen.
This is from the SIKKA exhibition.
This past weekend, I went on a wee climbing trip to Hadash. This is one of the few spots where we can keep climbing as the weather gets hot. It’s at a bit higher altitude, so one might dare to say that the weather here is “cool” and “comfortable”. At least for another few weeks. Then it’s all downhill…
The village of Hadash
This is a quick pic of lunch a few days ago-
From the top going clockwise:
Raw onions with vinegar
Eggplant stewed with tomatoes & spices
Fresh yogurt from the cows on our little farm
On the big plate: Warm chapati (indian flatbread), tangy mango pickles, fresh fruit salad with lettuce, cucumber, orange, grape & pomegranate, and some mango chutney.
Outside of the city there remains some incredibly colored water in the Wadis. Wadi is the arabic term for a valley, usually with a dried riverbed. Many of the Wadis have crystal clear pools of water that slowly dry up as the weather becomes scorchingly hot.
A few weeks ago a friend of mine took me out to Wadi Dayqah Dam. Of course, we burned some frankincense in the car before we left.
Burning frankincense in the car
This dam is the largest in Oman. It’s really something impressive due to the sudden transition from dry mountains and sand, to brilliant blue.
I spied on a few kids swimming in the well beneath the dam wall.
Last week I had the chance to mull around Sultan Qaboos palace at about 9:00 pm. He was out of town on a Tuesday evening, so the grounds were quiet.
The back of the palace
Muttrah Souq is an old and famous site in Muscat. It lays along the edge of one of the world’s largest natural harbors, Muscat Harbor.’Souq’ stands for open air marketplace. Shops line the alleys and streets in these Muslim bazaars.
Once the perfect port of call for trade with neighboring India and China, Muttrah now remains a busy tourist destination. And the whole place smells of frankincense burning over hot coals.
This man is surrounded by frankincense from the southern city of Salalah
A quick photo of the full moon rising at sunset.
After the Treasure Hunt, I had the pleasure of attending the Muscat Royal Opera House. The Paul Taylor Dance Company had a performance that evening. It turned out to be an interesting mix of ballet, avant garde, and modern performance.
Waiting to be let through the doors
Yesterday I participated in the inaugural Treasure Hunt: a day long event where six teams from different companies in Muscat frantically rushed around the city solving riddles. I was lucky enough to get to play.
Dar-Al-Atta, a charity organization in Muscat, organized the event which was based at the stunning Shangri-la Hotel. As always, it was a beautiful day.
Let the games begin!
Muscat Tell 