Oman’s 42nd National Day! (Nov. 18th, 2012)

November 18th (today) is His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed’s birthday.  Born in 1940, he is now 72 years old and has been ruling Oman since 1970. 42 years of his wise leadership has brought Oman out of the dark ages and into prosperity and success.  His 42 years of rule make this Nov. 18th the 42nd National Day and it is most appropriate to celebrate on his birthday.  It is largely due to his leadership that Oman has been listed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the most-improved nation in the world over the past 40 years!  Read that last sentence one more time and let it sink in.  Here is a clip of a military parade done in his honor at The Sultan Qaboos Air Academy as aired on Oman TV.  Congratulations to all Omanis for the rapid development of your country.  May God continue to bless and protect Oman.  Above all, Happy Birthday and long life to His Majesty! 

“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.” (or in this case “the Sultan”! 🙂 ) (1 Peter 2:17)

Celebrate Thanksgiving in Salalah!

How did we spend our 3-day weekend? The Brown family packed up all our gear and headed down to Salalah to enjoy some great family time at the Hilton Salalah Resort!  I still can’t believe I drove 2,048 kms (1,024 kms each way) but it was well worth it!  While we were there, I noticed this incredible promo for this coming weekend and thought some readers may want to take advantage of it.  The manager mailed it to me today (Thank you Mr. Ali Malik!) and here are the details: 

 

45 rials for a night at the Hilton, breakfast buffet (which is awesome!) and entrance to their Thanksgiving party, taxes included!  The price is the same whether you are getting a room on your own or for a room for 2.  (That’s NOT 45 rials per person!)  If you’ve never been to Salalah, or if you have but have never experienced the Hilton Resort in Salalah, this could be the perfect opportunity. I wouldn’t hesitate too long though as I’m sure the rooms will be filled quickly.

During the next week, I’ll be blogging about our incredible stay in Salalah, my scuba diving experience there and also about our full-day tour to some of the most gorgeous beaches in Salalah.