The South of Oman: Dhofar & Salalah

Recently we had a long weekend and we decided to explore the South of Oman, which is the Dhofar Region, home to Salalah, Oman's second largest city. This is a completely different part of the country that also has a very different feel. For us it felt a bit like Zanzibar, which we visited some time ago. Perhaps the different feeling to the place comes from the very fact that in Dhofar you will find coconut palm trees, whereas in the North of Oman (where we live) you will only find date palm trees. And believe me, there is a whole lot of difference in the two! The sand is whiter, too in the South. Really, one could imagine oneself being on some bounty island.

 

Off we went! The girls enjoyed themselves

Coconut palms instead of date palms - what a different feel!

Once a year, for three months, this part of the country turns lush, wet, and green, thanks so the Monsoon that starts here in June. Temperatures drop to the mid-twenties, while everywhere else in the country and the Arabian Peninsula the heat becomes unbearable. There is a constant drizzle and fog and clouds.  As such, thousands and thousands of tourists, primarily Gulf Arabs flock the Dhofar region each year from June until September. We decided to stay ahead of the crowds and visit in May - to take advantage of the cooler weather compared to Muscat during this time of year while preventing the Khareef craze of the Monsoon.

Early signs of the Monsoon coming: the typical fog, and the trees starting to turn green

Not only the weather, but also the rich diversity of historical and natural sites make the Dhofar region so interesting to visit. On our first day, we traveled east of Salalah, and our first stop was Taqah castle, which was transformed into a nice museum. We then moved on to Khor Rori, an ancient city in ruins which was once one of the export hubs of the famous frankincense (incense) that has been found for centuries in this region. The Queen of Sheba is believed to have lived in this old port city. We moved on to see the small town of Mirbat with its cute little harbour and the tomb of an Islamic scholar, Mohamed bin Ali.
 

Taqah fort

 Khor Rori

In Dhofar, one will find more camels than human beings. In fact, they are turning somehwat into a plague, and overgrazing has become a big problem for the area.

Camels everywhere! 

On day 2, we traveled to the West of Salalah, getting closer to the Yemeni border and in particular enjoying the scenic drive. We took a little detour on a dirt track and drove down the cliffs to the beach - majestic views of the ocean and the cliffs!

 

The coastline west of Salalah

Enjoying the beach

On day 3 we visited North of Salalah and explored Wadi Daikah, which is one of the main areas in Dhofar where the frankincense trees grow. We also visited the tomb of Job (from the book of Job in the Old Testament and considered a Prophet in Islam), who is believed to be buried here.

Frankincense trees in Wadi Daikah

Job's tomb

In the meantime, with all this sightseeing, we had to take good care of ourselves and relax, for example with a nice dinner next to the rolling waves...it felt like paradise!

 

Good bye Salalah, we will certainly return!



Inside

During the summer months, we stay inside. It is simply too hot to undertake any activity outdoors, except for swimming maybe. We spend a lot of our time inside the house, and keep ourselves entertained with a range of activities, such as picknicking in the living room and making friends on the carpet.

Matilda having an indoor picknick with her friend Sylke in the living room

Madeleine making friends on the carpet

Birthday girls

It has already been a while, that both Madeleine and Matilda celebrated their birthdays. Our little girl turned 1 at the end of April and her big sister turned 4 just two weeks later.

Madeleine was overwhelmed by her own birthday party as you can see in the picture below. Luckily the birthday cake brought along a very comforting taste....sweet!!!!

Happy birthday Maddie Spaghetti!

She got a cool rabbit scooter which her big sister tested as being rapid and fun. Maddie is still a bit overwhelmed, though. We are sure she will enjoy in a short time as well!

Maddie on the rabbit scooter

Contrary to Madeleine, Matilda was more than aware of her birthday coming up, and as a real four-year old had specific ideas about what the cake should look like (pink and strawberries) and that she wanted to wear a pink dress. You will notice from the pics that she is a pink-'n-princess phase anyway!

Matilda blowing the candles of her strawberry cake

After the birthday cake it was time for some treasure hunting around the house and some games for the children.

Finally, she had another birthday celebration at school where her class mates sang happy birthday to her in 3 languages - as they learned to sing this song in English, Arabic and Dutch! Here, Matilda shared some birthday treats with them.



Cardozos & Crowns

With the abdication of our Queen Beatrix, and the inauguration of her son, the (now) King Willem-Alexander, this year’s national day was different than others for the Netherlands. In Oman, Queen’s/King’s day never goes unnoticed, especially this year. In addition to the annual flea market to celebrate Queen’s/King’s day, there was a ‘pimp your bike’ race for the children, in which Matilda proudly participated with her Queen Machine.

Matilda in her Queen Machine. Hou je veilig!

Children (and their parents!) worked hard to decorate their bikes, carts, tricycles and scooters. They circled around the parking lot of the PDO school, with police officer Gideon overseeing traffic and responsible road behaviour. Matilda even won a little prize with her Queen Machine.

The race

Police officer Gideon overseeing traffic

A little prize for Matilda

Definitely our girls got indulged into a little bit of patriotism this past month and wore their crowns with pride!

Cardozos & Crowns

Easter break in Kerala, India

During Easter we decided to explore Kerala, the southwestern state of India. Kerala is the origin of many of the middle class expats here in Oman. Travelling together with Joris, Marloon, and Coco we flew tyo the city of Cochin, the oldest colonial city of the state.

Breakfast on the court of our bed and breakfast in Cochin. The colonial house was filled with nice furniture, and charis big enough for two.



Kerala is also home to the famous Kerala Mustache (shown above). Joris' white legs drew the attention of the locals.

Joris doing his kindergarten duties.



A street in Cochin

 After Cochin, we travelled to the mountains to see the tea plantations, and wildlife reserve.

Sweet girls!

Hunting easter eggs in the jungle. Matilda found one under a huge jack fruit!

Ushi took us throuh the forest for half an hour, long enough to experience sitting on an elephant, and short enough not to get completely sore.



Coco, Joris, Marloon, Ushi, Madeleine, Gideon, Matilda, and Marike.

Coco and Matilda enjoying the colonial setting.

Matilda with some of the local boys in Alleppey.

Lush garden

At the end of winter, contradictory as it may sound, our garden is always at its best - in full blossom, green and lush! This picture was taken last March.

Lunch in Sifah

Going for lunch in the village of Sifah is a favourite pastime for many expatriates in Muscat. Sifah is a sleepy village which has recently witnessed a rapid tourism boom with the establishment of a large five-star resort. Although one can argue about the advantages and disadvantages such a development brings along (which we earlier reported on), one advantage - at least for us- is the fact that it is now one of the best places where you are served a whole fish on your plate that is absolutely delicious! A one hour scenic drive from home, we go there frequently, and often bring our visitors, too.

Recently, we took Kristin, a PhD student from California who works closely with Gideon in PDO and whom we have known for a few years now on such a trip. Matilda was thrilled with the additional company, and Madeleine seemed to be entertained, too. As for us, we thorougly enjoyed this lazy afternoon together, the beautiful setting and the food!

Good vibes at As Sammak fish restaurant

Kristin and Matilda playing on the beach. Kristin taking pictures...

...and this is the result!