Early morning walk on the beach

This morning, Friday 26 July, I decided to take an early morning walk along the beach to see how far I could get.  Big mistake ... I could get VERY far indeed!!  I walked for two hours, and then realised I had to get back again.  So my walk took me four hours.  I left at 07:00 in the morning and got home at 11:00.

The beach was reasonably deserted, but then it was 07:00 in the morning, and the first day of the weekend, as well as being Ramadan.  The buildings along the beach are really impressive, and most of the Arabian countries' embassies are situated along this part of the beach.  Notices all along the roads remind visitors "No Photography" in close proximity of the buildings.

So, sorry, no photographs of these luxurious diplomatic abodes!!

The furthest point I could go, and I had to turn around here.

Bimmah Sinkhole, Oman

On Thursday, 25 July, I was invited to visit this beautiful natural phenomenon, the Bimmah sinkhole.

It was quite easy navigating from Muscat to the Bimmah sinkhole, and we got there without a hitch.  It took us about two hours, driving from Muscat, and when we got there I realised that it was truly worth it!!

The photographs tell the whole story ... it is both haunting and mysterious indeed.  Geologists say this 40 meter wide, 20 meter deep water-hole was created when a limestone cavern collapsed, but the locals say a piece of the moon fell from the sky and made the hole and they call the sinkhole "Bait al Afreet" - "House of the Demon"... The water teems with small fish, no bigger than an adult Guppy, and while swimming in the water, the fish come and nibble on your toes and legs.

 

This is a definite "yes!!" for another visit in the near future.

My first weekend in Oman

On Wednesday night I was shown the city centre of Muscat by two of my colleagues, Nigel and Nick, and they really walked the extra mile to make my 2^nd night in Oman delightful.  I was shown the largest Supermarket in Muscat where anyone can virtually buy anything.  We ended the evening with some good coffee at Costas. 

My first weekend in Muscat was really uneventful, and I slept most of the time.  I felt extremely tired, and I reckon it could have been due to the body’s adjustment to the weather, the lack of sleep on the aeroplane and just the excitement of experiencing a new country and its people.  The weekends used to start on a Wednesday afternoon, and ended on a Friday night.  So, the first day of the week used to be Saturday.  Not very long ago it was changed, and now weekends start on Thursday afternoons, and end on a Saturday night.  The first day of the week is Sunday.

I have been told that this is not unusual, and decisions like this are taken and implemented with immediate effect.  Another example is the announcement of public holidays – I was told on Thursday that next week Tuesday, 23^rd July, will be a public holiday.  My first week at work is therefore a 4-day week!!

I decided that I needed to do a recce of my surroundings and thought it a good idea to start at my guest house, and walk in concentric circles to discover what shops and places of interest I could find.  The heat was unbearable, though, and I found myself meandering into the air conditioned shops more frequently.  I now know where the supermarket is, and where the bakery, barber shop, laundries and 6 hotels are.

I strolled down to the beach on Friday afternoon, and what a pleasant surprise!!  It was closer than I had anticipated, and very close to my apartment is the most beautiful green park.  Most of the trees are fruit-bearing date palms.  I could not help but notice how clean the streets are, and when I got to the beach, it also struck me how clean and beautiful it was.  The sea was calm, not a breeze and no waves.  A few skiffs lay beached along the shore, and apart from a lone Indian fisherman, that part of the beach was deserted.  Needless to say I was there again early Saturday morning.

 Date palms growing in the park

 

 My first glimpse of the sea

 

 An impressive new development (or hotel) on the beach

 

The lone fisherman on the beach

 

I went shopping for a mobile phone and sim card this afternoon and my landlady was kind enough to drive me to a very quaint shopping centre.  Once again the neatness and cleanliness of everything struck me.  I gingerly asked a security guard if it was OK to take pictures, and he agreed.  The shopkeeper was an Indian businessman and he very eagerly tried to sell me a second hand mobile phone.  I quickly recognised that his price was inflated, and went to a dealer who sold me the exact same model (brand new) for 5 Riyal less than the other one.

 Inside the shopping mall

 

 My own personal pedestrian bridge to the beach ...

 

 Impressive building on the way to the beach

 

 Traffic over the weekend

 

The road along the beach

We drove back along the beach and being a Saturday, and in the middle of Ramadan, the roads were reasonably quiet.  My landlady reminded me that the roads can get very busy at times, and that one has to be extremely careful when driving in Oman.  Traffic safety is one of the few things I have been told that can improve.

Well, lesson plans all worked out, powerpoint presentation prepared and checked, and I am ready for my first lesson tomorrow.  Roll on week two – I have decided to tick off every day, and eventually the weeks, until Riana and I are united again.  I miss her dearly, and our love for each other is more evident now that we are apart.  Some things are taken for granted so easily and it just makes one realise that you always have to appreciate all things in life.

My Arrival

Riana took me to the airport, and the farewell was extremely emotionally draining.  Both of us were very tearful, and the parting was dragged on to the last minute, and I watched with tearful eyes as her car drove down the long drive towards the exit of the airport car park. 

The flight was uneventful, and Etihad's service was impeccable.  Food (as far as aeroplane food goes) was reasonably good, and we could choose from a good menu.  I slept intermittently, and each time I woke I had another pain somewhere in my neck.  Breakfast was served and we landed at Abu Dhabi airport for a 2-hour stop-over.

Abu Dhabi Airport
 

My arrival at Muscat airport was very impressive - everybody knew about me, and my visa was issued, my passport stamped and I could collect my luggage - all intact!!

Muscat Airport

The Driver took me to a guest house where I will stay for a couple of weeks until all the admin and paperwork have been completed, and I can move into my apartment.

The view from the top ...



The guest house host and hostess will take me for dinner at a Muscat restaurant tonight, and I am so looking forward to it.

How did it all start?

Where did this all start??   This is an uncanny adventure which holds so much excitement, yet many anticipatory stressful emotions for me.  At 50+ it has been hard for me landing a good, well-paid job in South Africa, and having worked overseas for a few years probably made it slightly more difficult for me.  It was in Ramsgate, in the South-East of England while working for the Churchill House School of English Language where I first met and taught Arabian students from Libya.  Their eagerness to learn the English language, and their overall attitude to academic matters impressed me.

An attack at home by two robbers landed me in hospital with 36 stitches in my head, and the road to recovery was long and hard.  The wounds healed easily, but the emotional scars were set to haunt my dreams and thoughts for many months to come. 

I tried my hand at editing, translations and proofreading, and work started pouring in.  I found myself working long hours, trying to meet impossible deadlines, and the pay was excellent, but all of a sudden the projects started drying up, and I felt myself counting the months to the end of my last salary.  I started looking at internet sites advertising work overseas, and soon applied for a few high-salaried overseas positions.  I received a phone call from the UK, and the job offer came via email.  I accepted.

Here I am - with an e-ticket emailed to me, suitcases packed and ready to start a job in a country that I have never visited before.  The Polyglot Institute in Muscat, Oman.


Flight on schedule, upgraded at OR Tambo airport!!  Looking forward to the flight.