Involuntary ending
March 25, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Now countries may reassess the value of expensively designed airports as nobody gets to see them.
I think the staff at Abu Dhabi airport, (all imports,) became a little confused about their viruses asRead more
Mainly air plane
March 23, 2020 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
1 Airbus 320, 3 flight crew, 4 cabin staff and 6 passengers.
I think Etihad got the ratios about right for my comfort. Pity it was only an hour flight.
The staff all came from places like LithuaniaRead more
Land that time forgot
March 23, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Ordered from my safe haven in the Omani desert by hysterical governments unprepared - again - for large scale virus attack (but we have airports full of mothballed military equipment in case of humanRead more
Farm workers
March 19, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Bernadette Bhacker stands proudly in front of the Bangladeshi workers.
Redah Bhacker patrols his domain.
The workaway stands inside his compost bin and beside the chicken swing he built. He is seenRead more
Reality check
March 19, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Over 150 million years ago the "Tethys Ocean" covered a huge part of the planet. Over time, the Atlantic separated and grew, while Tethys shrank ultimately becoming the Persian Gulf. During theRead more
The Holiday Camp
March 19, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
A peaceful getaway for relaxation on a working farm in the Omani desert, 2 hours inland from Muscat, 4 comfortably appointed cabins await you. Each one is tastefully insulated with palm fronds andRead more
Courtyards
March 17, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Evading the temple guards who were shooing us out before midday prayers, I managed to find empty spaces to capture the courtyards surrounding the main halls.
Grand mosque
March 17, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
The women’s prayer room (musalla) is a 'small' hall which can hold 750 worshippers at a time. It is smaller because most women pray at home. The decor includes handcarved wooden doors and a woodenRead more
Not a Mosquito a mas grande.
March 17, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After 30 years on the throne, Sultan Q presented this huge mosque to the people of Muscat.
Nobody is so vulgar as to ask the price, but it was built over 6 years by important professional mosqueRead more
Home again
March 15, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
The interior of an original Omani home has been preserved in a museum.
I like the date press whose function had me a bit concerned at first.
Omani Police augmented by Oboy Police
March 14, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
or is it a new Kiddie Cops?
ROHM ing around
March 13, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
The Royal Opera House was built in 2011 by the same chaps who built the mosque. Since I stopped here after visiting the mosque, I find it hard to get enthusiastic about a similar, well designedRead more
A taste of the vernacular
March 12, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After a while the buildings all seem much of a muchness.
Sindbad
March 12, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
In the mid-8th C Abdullah bin Gasm sailed across to Guangzhou in China, without encountering any quarantine problems.
In 1980 Tim Severin and an Omani crew relived the 6000 Nm / 8 month journey inRead more
Muscat Metropolitan
March 12, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Old Muscat was nicely protected and easy to walk about but a little too provincial for some, or maybe the lack of building space dictated the location for modern Muscat a few kilometres WestwardsRead more
Towering delights
March 11, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
The prophet Mohamed himself wrote a letter to the Omani people inviting them to follow Islam. They accepted, choosing to follow Abd Allah ibn Ibad; the Ibadi Muslim faith is one of the oldest, purestRead more
Guns and Goats
March 11, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
The hound is actually decorating the butt of an old, Omani matchlock musket, (called Abufathila / Fatiyalah or "Father of the Match). The teeth are real: perhaps Master wanted Fido to hunt with himRead more
Foot Pawn
March 11, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Platform shoes never really went out of fashion did they. From the 13C to the 1970's people wobbled around avoiding the ordure swirling around beneath them. So these are Qrhaf or Qubqab, JapaneseRead more
House by the Irrigation Ditch
March 10, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
40 years ago there was nothing here except the Bait al-Falaj fort, built by Sayyid Said bin Sultan in 1845 as a summer home and named for the pure waters of the falaj running nearby. (In English itRead more
Not Ruwing the day
March 10, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
I found a cheap hotel-apartment on booking .com which was very good value. Large double bed, bathroom with a bath + hot running water, and a kitchenette. Enough to make me forget Africa.
Another plusRead more
Inspired by Hendrix
March 9, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
All around: the watchtower. Every hill, every bump on the ground has one.
Quick draw - or not?
March 9, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
A prize for the first person who can figure out how to draw the knife from the J shaped sheath. Its worn stuffed down the front of the dishdash so I can imagine why the curve leads away from the vitalRead more
Souqued in
March 8, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Wanting a drink, I asked an old local fella where I could find a supermarket. He directed me thinking I had asked him where to find the "souq or market."
Plonked down at the opposite end of the bay,Read more
The real port, I hear you muttrah.
March 8, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
This is the home port of the Royal Yacht, al Said or something like that, that came in to berth after I took this picture. But it was a bit disappointing, smaller than the yacht of the Dubai Sultan'sRead more
Something corny?
March 8, 2020 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
From Muscat to Muttrah, where the Cruise Ships used to dock until Corona stopped being a beer, is a pleasant 3 km walk along the Corniche.
Nothing is open but then, there is very little that attractsRead more

































































































































Mona's MeanderingsWelcome Home 🏠 Roland Cheers 🍷
Keep safe, Roland. Sorry your trip had to end abruptly.
Tony HammondThree cheers for Nanders looking out for her dear (not-so-old) dad! https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/nature harve…
TravelerHi Roland - safe trip. Let us know if you need anything in return. Andrew