Prayer Room Toilets?

  I think those are separate rooms, right?!  There is a “/” in Arabic but without one in English it makes it look like everything happens in the same room.

The Sky’s The Limit With Oman Air!

  Zapporah and Sheila are 2 of the new Filipina stewardesses (“flight attendants” for you more politically correct types!) hired by Oman Air.  Here they are on a sunday service in Ruwi Church.  They recently hired 60 new Filipinos as well as a number of others of other nationalities.  We got to know Sheila after answering a few of her questions about Oman when she found my blog on a google search about life in Oman.  They are currently undergoing training.  Welcome to Oman, ladies!   May God bless you as you continue trusting Him during your stay here!

Flowers for the Sultan

  Cyril, Soonali (Cyril’s daughter who came to Oman to assist her father in returning to Sri Lanka), Che and Pastor Peppin in the Good Shepherd Chapel, Ghala Church

  You might not read anything about the departure of Cyril Amarasekera in the local papers but I find his experience here in Oman at least worthy of a blog post!    Cyril arrived in Oman back in 1981 and has served the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Qaboos, for the past 29 years!  He has been one of the sultan’s florists serving in several of his palaces  including Salalah.  Cyril has provided many extremely interesting stories which probably can’t be repeated here.  His majesty met with Cyril in person this week to thank him personally for his faithful service.  The sultan was extremely generous with Cyril as he left the sultan of Oman.  It has been a real pleasure getting to know Cyril and praying/worshipping with him at the Ruwi Church compound on Sundays and the church in Oman sends him off with the blessings of God, wishing him all the best as he heads home to his family in Sri Lanka.  You’ll be missed, brother!

Time for “Time Out”

  The new autumn edition of Time Out magazine is now available! (1.5 RO)  I always enjoy reading this magazine to find out what’s new in Muscat, Oman and I find this edition especially informative.  Well done, “Time Out”!

The Passionate Tourguides of Ras Al Jinz Turtle Nature Reserve

  Abdullah Aziz was one of our informative tourguides at the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve near Sur.  He graduated from Sultan Qaboos University (as had many of the guides there) about a year and a half ago and loves telling people all about the nature reserve and the turtles found there.  Here’s a short clip of our tourguide explaining the reserve.  The people here are taking conservation more seriously.  Anyone who visited the reserve earlier than 7 months ago might have been sad to see the lack of effort (see here for an example of how it used to be: Pity the Poor Turtles of Oman).  They no longer allow photography of the turtles (except after sunrise) and people can no longer camp right on the beach (which I can’t believe they allowed before!!!).  If you do go, make sure to make a reservation.  They have night tours and morning (4am!!) tours.  If you are a photography maniac, such as myself, I would recommend taking the morning tour.  Photography is not allowed in the late-night tour.  Of course if you are willing and able, I highly recommend doing both as I did.  Here are some of the friendly Ras Al Jinz tourguides at the center.  Check out their website at www.rasaljinz.org  If you like maps, it’s located here. (and then click the “-” symbol about 8 times to see more of the area.)  My honey at the nice giftshop they have at the centre.

If you live in Oman and have never been to Ras Al Jinz to see the turtles, you really should get out there and see them.  You won’t be disappointed!

The Beauty of the Green Turtle

  An exhausted female green turtle dragging her approximately 100 kilo body back to the sea just after sunrise after laying about 100 eggs  About 20,000 green turtles come to Oman beaches each year to lay up to 60,000 egg clutches. (at around 100 eggs per “clutch”)  Here is an almost 6 minute video of one of the turtles I was blessed with the opportunity of observing while visiting the Oman Turtle Reserve at Ras Al Jinz:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btbkq40QdlI

Green Turtle Hatchlings in Oman & Their Struggle to Survive

  One of the hatchlings we saw headed for the sea.  They say that out of 1000 eggs hatched, 1 might survive to adulthood.  One of our tour-guides pointed out these fox prints.  Foxes lay in wait to eat eggs (if they can find them) or hatchlings as they try to make it to sea.  Crabs also wait along the water’s edge to feast on the baby turtles.  Shells of one of the eggs.  Did this one make it or are these the remains of a fox’s breakfast?!  The only male turtle on the beach was this dead one that washed up on shore.  This beach cliff separates the 2 beaches at Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve which are set apart for tourists to observe the laying/covering/hatching of turtle eggs.  One of the green turtle hatchlings which a couple of kids in our tour-group found and were permitted to carry to the sea.

Green Turtles Laying Eggs

  These turtles lay about 100 eggs when they come to nest.  The eggs look like perfectly rounded golf balls.  The guides wait till the turtles start laying their eggs (which can take 10-15 minutes) and then they allow the tourists to come one at a time to get a closer look.  Once the eggs are laid, the mother leaves the babies to fend for themselves.  There is no longer any connection between the mother and her babies.  Once the turtle has finished laying her eggs, she throws dirt around and makes quite a mess in the general area to disguise the whereabouts of the eggs to potential predators.

Surely Surreal Sea Scenes Surrounding Sur

  A zoomed in shot of hard working Omani fishermen off the coast of Sur.  Fishing boats, birds in the air and children on the beach-That’s Sur!

I don’t think you can ever have enough pictures of fishing boats, fishermen and the ocean in general.  I think my fascination with fishing and fishermen comes from the Holy Bible.  Some of Jesus’ first discples were fishermen.  These were not high-class, intelligent theologians but “people of the earth” who worked hard with their hands and no doubt had “mouths like sailors” before Christ did a work in their lives.  Here is one of my favorite “fishing passages from the Bible”; where Jesus calls 4 of his first disciples to follow Him:  “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  And Jesus said unto them, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” And straightwaythey forsook their nets, and followed him.  And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.  And straightway He called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him.” (Mark 1:16-20)

Forts of Sur

“Sur” in Arabic means “a walled fortified area“.  It’s pretty easy to see why they chose that name for this town after even a short ride around this city of about 70,000 which is located about 300 km SE of Muscat.   Sunaysila Fort is the main fort in Sur 

Bilad Sur Castle is a much more impressive fort.  “Bilad Fort was built in around 1800 AD to defend Sur from attacks staged by tribes from the interior, and is based around a large central courtyard with watchtowers at each corner.  The two main towers have small extensions, built to enable the defenders to get a higher vantage point from which to spot the enemy.  The fort is surrounded by lush date palm plantations, and makes a pleasant day out.” (from “Oman: The Complete Residents Guide”)

A Few Things in Oman that Make Me Go “Hmm….” (AKA “Signs and Wonders”)

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)  I wonder if this sign is referring to a “praying area“, a “prayer area” or if there is a new dynamic activity in Oman known as “prayering“?!  Hmm…  Wow! Those must be some fast camels! If the speed limit is 100 km/h for camels, I wonder what it must be for cars and trucks!!!  Hmm…  I wonder how many channels this satellite gets.  More importantly, I wonder why this tent in the middle of nowhere (“Khawr Grama”  to be exact) feels the need to have a satellite.  Bizarre, no?!  Has the global financial crisis come to this?!  Pirates are now forced to size down to “pirate bicycles”?!  What is the world coming to?!   Finally, I want to know who “Educe” is, why he is peeing in the beautiful outdoors of Oman when there are plenty of public toilets available and why, oh why did he or his friend feel the need to announce his private matters for every car going by to know?!?  I simply cannot understand some people!!!  Hmm…

The Tranquility of Ayjah Bay, Sur, Oman

  Although not a bustling seaport that is was centuries ago, Sur is still famous for making these ancient looking wooden Arabian ships known as the “dhow”.  “How now, brown cow dhow?!”   Okay, now I’m just being silly!  Fishing weights in one of the boats at Ayjah Bay

The Ayjah Lighthouse in Sur, Oman

  The Ayjah Lighthouse in Sur is quite impressive.  There is something captivating about the architecture of this 3-story tower and its domed roof, especially in the backdrop of Ayjah Bay with the new bridge being constructed beside it and all the boats surrounding it.  This charming lighthouse is located on Ras Ayqah, the high point on the east side of the Sur harbor entrance.  To get a better idea of its location, here’s a nice satellite shot. (Click on “here” in the last sentence! )   I love this shot of the “three watch towers of Sur” through one of the fort like windows of Ayjah Lighthouse.  View of Ayjah Bay from the lighthouse

Many people rush to see the turtle nesting site outside of Sur and fail to spend some quality time in the town itself.  If you ever make it to the lovely town of Sur, make sure to enjoy the serene beauty of Ayjah Bay!!!

Ras Al-Hadd Castle

  Some people ask me whether it’s easy for foreigners with little or no Arabic knowledge to get around Oman.  It is extremely easy as English signs are everywhere to guide the curious traveller.  I, for example, didn’t even know there was a castle at Ras Al-Hadd until I saw this sign while exploring the area!  The castle of Ras Al Hadd marks the easternmost corner of the Arabian Peninsula; the first area of Oman (and the entire Arabian peninsula, for that matter) to be greeted with the sun’s rays!   This restored fort, which is more than 450 years old, was an important site for ancient seafarers.   You don’t see many of these “hazardous to visitors” types of warnings around!    It must not be forgotten that the chief end of such forts was not tourism but defense.  This castle has three towers and a large courtyard and took ten years to build.  I read that the courtyard was big enough to provide shelter for the villagers, who would come inside for protection whenever the town was threatened with invasion.  There is an underground escape tunnel that extends from the largest tower and comes out 200 m away outside the fort into what was then the local village.  The main door (or “gate”) to the castle.  Notice the “door-within-a-door” which is a cool feature on many of the forts of Oman I’ve visited.

Some Friendly Omani Rovers

  These 3 gentlemen are members of a group known as “Rovers“.  The only “Rovers” I had heard about before meeting them were “LandRovers” (the vehicle) and “The Irish Rovers” (an OLD band from ages past-if you know who they are, you must be pretty old yourself, ha!ha!)  Anyway, I was somewhat suprised to learn that there are cubs, brownies, boy scouts and girl guides in Oman!  These guys set me straight and informed me that “Oman Rovers” are like boy scouts but they go to college or university.  His Majesty the Sultan has done a lot to encourage young people in such activities to build the nation and develop human resources for the future.  Here’s something fascinating I read on-line, “In 1983, in recognition of the keen interest he has shown in the scouting movement, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos was installed as Chief Scout and under his patronage the movement has expanded in all areas of the Sultanate.”  The sultan is the Chief Scout?! You learn something new everyday!  Here is more on the scouts in Oman: http://omanscouts.gov.om/EN1introduction.htm

The 1st Tiger I’ve Seen in Oman!! Well…kind of!

  I quickly saw this sign on the drive from Sur to “Turtle Beach” (Ras al Hadd).  The sign appeared so suddenly that the only thing I had time to read was the word “tiger”.  On the way back, I stopped to take a closer look…  There’s the “tiger figurine” in the distance on the drive from Ras Al Hadd to Sur.  It seems that a few locals painted the side of the roadside cliff as they felt it was shaped like a tiger.  It has become a small landmark now and hence the warning sign which asks drivers to be careful not to hit people who may have stopped their vehicles to take a pic or two.  By the way, as far as I know, there are no tigers in Oman.  I have heard, however, that there are a very small number of leopards here.  Read up on it here, if you are interested:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/oman-nepal-leopards.html#cr

These pics are just a small example of why I try to bring my camera wherever I go as you never know what you’re going to see here in Oman! 

A Date Merchant from Bediah, Oman

  This poor farmer was out in the killer heat near the Sur Clock Tower selling dates for 500 baisas (1/2 an Omani Rial) for 1 kg!  I bought 2 kilos; not that I like dates, but in order to support this man and his family.

The Sur Clock Tower

Overwhelmed by the Blessings of God!

  This was the cake waiting for me when I got home today!  My wife, Che,  and my sister-in-law, Marites, cooked me up an incredible meal with all my favorite dishes.  Here is my wife at The “Scientific Polyclinic” in Qurum.  Dr. Nardine Al-Manaseer has been a great help to us.  By the way, what are the chances that this doctor would make an appointment for our 3rd check-up on September 1st, which just happens to be my birthday?! The so-called coincidences that let us know God is guiding and blessing.  What better gift than knowing that my wife and baby are healthy.  The doctor said, “I don’t normally make comments this early in the pregnancy about the gender, but I think it’s a boy!” Please, God, let it be!!!

  This new banner at Ruwi church expresses my gratitude to God.  It comes from Nehemiah 8:10 and Psalm 21:1, “The king shall joy in Thy strength, O LORD; and in Thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” AMEN!