Santa in Dubai

Our last day in Dubai we visited Santa with our friends. It was our first Christmas where the girls actually wanted to be photographed and I wasn't sitting on Santa's lap myself or trying to coax screaming and terrified girls. They loved it and especially sharing the experience with their friends.

Beach at Dubai

We just returned from a week in Dubai visiting old friends from Melbourne. It was a busy house with 6 little girls 6 and under but they all loved playing with each other. It was lovely to see these girls whose dads are childhood friends playing together. Here we are at the public beach where it is a lot less conservative than Doha.

The Shangri La, Oman

We loved our time at this luxurious resort. When we moved on to our very humble abode in neighbouring Nizwa, G asked to go back to Oman. I tried to explain to her that we were still in Oman and she qualified her request with “not this Oman....the other Oman”. It reminded me of a friend taking her children to Thailand and teaching them about resortland and Thailand. Andrew and I were glad that they experienced and enjoyed both. Here, are some of the highlights from resortland. (P.S. - the foggy pictures are not reflective of our photography skills but the humidity!)

The faces of Oman

Just a few snapshots to highlight some of the faces of Oman. (Okay, so more like the backs of Oman - but I am annoyingly culturally sensitive and way too polite to take too many photos up close). This was my introduction to the real Middle East. I think life in Doha or the Emirates gives you a false sense of "arabia" with its glitz and glamour - Italian designers and American franchises stamped across the landscape. Once I recovered from the shock realisation that there was no cappaccino in sight and I was only going to have access to yellowy cardoman infused arabic coffee or overly sweet syrupy tea when the sun set, I savoured being somewhere that was free from fast food and franchising (along with most other conveniences of the modern world). The first thing you will hear expats say about Oman when they return is "wow, the Omani people actually do all the work themselves". They are considered the poorer cousins as although they have a little bit of oil they rely on other industries (such as dates :) and cannot afford to import people to do everything for them. This refreshingly means that the place has soul...and a rich heritage with pride in their traditional artisans - like beduoin basket weavers (from date palms), silver coffee pots, and jewellery using silver and the coral and pearls of the region, pashminas, earthenware... (As an aside: The photo of the girls and I was taken when we were waiting for Andrew exploring 1000 year old ruins. It was too steep for the girls and so these kind men, resting during the fast, offered us some space on their mat in the shade. We tried to talk using hand signals, broken English and Arabic and markings in the sand. In the heat I adjusted my hat and was politely told by the elder there to keep it on.)

Dates, Dates, Dates

You cannot imagine how much dates are revered here. Perhaps my perspective is influenced by the month of Ramadan where they are endowed with almost spirtual significance. Muslims since the 7th century have used dates - consuming 3 to be precise, to break the fast to begin the Iftar meal. Dates are sold everywhere in every way imaginable. Every mall here has luxurious gourmet date shops like our chocolate shops. I must admit I am growing quite fond of them myself. As we were landing after our flight from Dubai a charming Omani man offered fresh dates to all the passengers, as the sun set as we were in the sky. This was much to the dismay of the poor flight attendants who were desperately trying to push this man back to his seat. Nothing is more imporant than eating dates though! It is a wistful scene to see men seated on the roadside beside their cars with a plate of dried dates waiting for the prayers to begin to signify it is Iftar and the day long fast can be broken. They are one of the oldest cultivated trees dating back thousands of years and are used for food, shelter, fuel and clothing. To sum up, it was bascially the only plant to be growing anywhere. I even read that a blight or death of a date palm tree can trigger grief to a farmer like that of a death in the family as his father and grandfather would have nurtured this tree. It did make me wonder though as we drove through the desert of Oman where date palms abound in small family plantations near every wadi and village - about the balance between tradition and innovation. Had it ever occured to anyone in thousands of years to try another kind of fruit tree? I am learning a lot about the value of tradition here and I regret the lack of respect it is often given in my own Australian culture. But I cannot help but celebrate the spirit of innovation which is also evident in my culture.

Animals of Arabia

Well, there isn't many apparently. And it seems not many can survive the brutality of the desert sun. I don't want to seem too biased but they are not particularly attractive or interesting animals here. We do our best to evoke excitement for them for the girls. These animals are so precious that they still even have shepherds guarding them day and night. But they are useful - It seems they all produce or are consumed for their food - goats and camels are both prized for their milk and meat. One restaurant I went to had "half billy goat" on the menu. Not really an enticing translation.

Dining Omani style

Here are pictures of a restuarant we loved in Nizwa with traditional Omani food and customs. We all loved it so much we went back the next night. We were all very, very hungry waiting for the sun to set in time for Iftar (the first meal after the fast). Okay, so I hadn't really fasted the entire day but with only snacks for the entire day it almost felt like it. So you can imagine G's disappointment when she walked into our own private dining room (they are all private so that the women can eat with their families) and she exclaimed loudly, and with a rather annoyed tone "there's no table in here!". However, they qickly embraced this new custom and loved the space for its new stage so we patiently waited for our dinner whilst the girls took turns to perform their dances. The menu was a fusion of Indian and Middle Eastern with their own twist on the spices to give it a unique flavour. They also felt very "adult" being served as part of the after dinner tea ceremony. Of course this sugar laden syrupy substance was too sweet even for them.

The Rocky Cliffs of Oman

Oman's scenery is unique. Here, along the coast the cliffs are beautiful and reminiscent of other dramatic coasts around the world. Inland, it is unusual to me, as the mountain ranges are pure rock with little greenery. Apparently in the right season and the right conditions the wadis (valley or dry riverbeds) fill up and around these oasis were built the towns of the modern and the ancient worlds. We were not quite so lucky - despite even witnessing rain. Our first and possibly last time for months. This desert land was beautiful to us, especially in comparison with Qatar as it had depth and shade and hints of colour.

Swimming and Snorkelling

With great delight we watched E overcome significant fear to snorkel and see the fish and underworld along the rocks in the Arabian Gulf along the coast of Oman. It was great to see her wonder in exploring such hidden treasure. Much of our joy came from watching someone conquer a task even though it required several attempts and increasing frustration.

Earthenware, treasure chests, jewellery, guns...??

Shopping at Nizwa souq, a few hours trek from the main city of Muscat proved to be an interesting venture. So many fascinating things - some ancient, some crafted, some authentic and some dangerous. This is just a very small insight into the fascinating collection of trinkets.

Headwear - Omani style

I am always fascinated by the style, fashion and dress of the Middle East. So far, my favourite for men is definitely Omani headwear. The "kuma" is a small round cap which delicately rests on the head, the other is of a turban style where a scarf is wrapped around the kuma. The men here all wear these for every occasion and they vary slighly in shade or design. They are worn with thobes, mainly in white but unlike Doha, here an occasional daring rogue seemed to boldy venture into other muted shades of browns and greys. It is safe to say, and myself included, that Australians know very little about Qatar. Before I came to the only country in the world which begins with a Q, the most asked question I had was whether I had to cover my hair. Definitely not in Doha as it is such a cosmopolitan city with over half the population from somwhere else. However, in the smaller, less explored areas of Nizwa, Oman it seemed like a good idea - especially during this holy month of Ramadan when we are encouraged to dress more conservatively. As you can see Ella loves any excuse for sparkle or dress ups and adopted this scarf for a skirt and later a headscarf. The locals seem to adore her attempts to dress more like them. (Just slightly more colourful!)