A parental visit

In the first week of October, Gideon’s parents came over for a first visit. Despite the still ongoing summer heat and the fact that we could not really provide them with a decent bed (we are still in transit accommodation), there was nothing that could stop them from getting a much needed shot of ‘Vitamin M’, as Grandpa put it. And with Matilda around, it indeed didn’t matter too much that some of the attractions and areas of Muscat were closed for a couple of days because the President of Kazachstan was visiting the country. We had a good time in the swimming pool of the hotel in which Oscar and Liesbeth stayed, at the Club on the beach, and at home.

 

At the same time, our car was finally delivered and it came at the right moment for a visit to the mountains. Seeing that the car could easily transport four adults, a baby and the necessary luggage related to such a party, it can be concluded that our new vehicle is pretty BIG. It is a real joy to drive, too.

We spent two days at Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain). It is a large plateau at 2000m above sea level. Because of the cooler temperatures (it was 24 degrees instead of 38 in Muscat) and more annual rainfall, the area has some green vegetation, and fruit is grown throughout the year. Our visit was in the season of the pomegranates, and during our hikes we encountered many beautiful small-scale, terraced orchards with trees full of pomegranates.

 

We made a short hike through these terraced areas, hopping from village to village. The terraces are irrigated through the traditional falaj system, a system of water channels and mini aqueducts that are connected to natural springs.

 The views were magnificent!

We also paid a visit to Nizwa, the largest town in the ‘interior’ of Oman. It is home to Nizwa Fort, dating from the 17th century. It has a large tower which in former days was used to catch an eye on ‘the enemy’ (that could be any neighbouring clan or other invaders). Hot date syrup (!), canons and traps in the staircase were used to keep unwanted visitors out. To us, the fort tower just provided beautiful views of the oases surrounding the city, and the fort was an interesting labyrinth to discover.

Thanks Oscar and Liesbeth, for spending such a nice week together!

In the Mountains

The Sultan decided that the whole country has a week of holidays for the end of the holy month of Ramadan. An excellent occasion to explore the country and exchange the heat of Muscat for some cool mountain air! We rented a big 4X4 (our own car first needs to be paid before we can drive it...), and set off for Jabel Shams (mountain of the sun). All this with our friendly and loyal guides to Oman, Maartje and Ronald (a.k.a. The Ronnies).

On the way, we stopped to see the old village of Al Hamra. The mud brick houses were mostly in ruins, but some seemed to be inhabited. Hopefully, one day the village gets restored.

There is something about doors...

...and hats!

Some dramatic scenery on the climb up to Jabel Shams

Gideon sets up a tent, which is large enough to house a soccer team, while Matilda waits patiently.

 Matilda in her tent

The next day, we hiked up towards a ridge from where you can overlook Wadi an Nakhur or the 'Grand Canyon' of Oman. Thanks to Maartje and Ronald for looking after Matilda!

The canyon is 1000m deep, and the views are just astonishing. Hopefully, these pictures will inspire future visitors.....

On the way back, we saw a goat climbing a tree...Bizarre!

Father and daughter taking a nap.

After another nice evening with campfire under a starlit sky, we returned home the next day. We hope to make many more trips like this. Thanks to The Ronnies for the great company!

Matilda: Liquids and Solids

The swimming pool at PDO club was closed for Ramadan, fortunately, there is a second PDO pool close to the office. Gideon tries to go three times a week for a lunchtime swim with colleagues. It is wonderful to have these facilities so close to work and so easily accessible.

Matilda also likes the pool, in the weekends when it’s nice and quiet. A whole baby pool to herself!

Some things one is not supposed to do in a pool!

Which brings us to the second part of the title of this entry: Matilda and the Solids!
Today, we tried to feed Matilda some rice porridge and it did go down really well.

Of course she wanted to take the spoon, and quickly managed to ‘eat’ by herself!

Settling in

As the days go by quickly, we are slowly settling in. In these first three weeks we have learned how to get to work, where to do our groceries, and what to do to stay active despite the heat.

Commuting to work is worth an observation because it is exceedingly different from our habitual bike and train rides in the Netherlands. Gideon needs a five-minute drive along the coast to get to work, as the Camp where we live is adjacent to the offices and refinery area of PDO. Each morning he enjoys spectacular views of the ocean, the cliffs and the beach – what a way to start your day at the office! Marike needs 20 minutes by car to get to the university campus. Omani traffic is quite chaotic – you need five additional sets of eyes to watch in front, in the back and on the sides - as cars seem to pop up everywhere!

Grocery shopping is also an interesting observation, especially to study the origin of the products. As Oman’s climate is not very suitable for agriculture and other food production, most of what you find in the supermarket is imported from abroad. We will soon dedicate a special blog posting on our globalised kitchen cupboards!

We are very happy with our temporary accommodation. Our apartment is located opposite the golf course. In many countries this is considered a prime location, but here the ‘greens’ are ‘browns’, so you could easily confuse the golf course with wasteland. Here is a picture:

Looking to the left, we can see the PDO school (primary school) with behind it the recreational club:

And here is a picture of our apartment, on the first floor (with the balcony).

Due to a combination of heat and Ramadan, the options to explore our new home town are limited. Shops and restaurants are closed during the day. Drinking and eating in public is considered an offense, even a sip of water in the car is a no-go. Exploring the surroundings of Muscat is therefore not really much fun at the moment. The beach? Too hot. Instead, we enjoy going to the gym (Marike) and to the swimming pool during lunch break (Gideon) to stay active. The average daily temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius, but it’s mainly the high humidity which makes being outside pretty uncomfortable.

As for Matilda, she is doing great. We found a patient and responsible nanny for her, who even managed to finally get Matilda used to bottle feeding! After several weeks of refusing drinking from the bottle, this came right on time, as mommy has gone back to work! It seems that Nida, our nanny, and Matilda get along well, and Matilda is happy as always.

Time to explore Muscat!

Muscat is not really a city, it is one of the many villages that together are known as 'Muscat'. Actually, we live in Qurm, Marike works in Azaiba, you get your car fixed in Ruwi, and for a nice coffee you go to Madinat al Sultan Qaboos (MQ in short). All this is quite confusing if you do not know how the city works.

Exploring the city is useful for the following reasons:

• We still have to decide where we will live
• You can buy everything you want, and more, if you know where to find it
• Marike will have to teach about the development of 'Muscat' next month
• It is a nice way of getting used to the traffic frenzy (and get youself killed...)
  

Sofar we have been to the following places:
We had breakfast in ‘The Chedi’, one of the most luxurious hotels in Muscat.

We visited Marike’s new workplace, conveniently located on the beach!

We went to the PDO recreational club

We went car hunting

And finally, today, our airfreight arrived!

Matilda now has a new place to play

Traveling to Oman

On the 16th of August, we travelled to Oman. The journey was easy, and Matilda was her charming self, attracting lots of attention from the flight staff.

Matilda attracted lots of attention

At our arrival, Gideon saw someone with the same PDO documents; it turned out to be Hervé, a Frenchmen who started in the same team at the same time! In the arrival hall, Gideon’s new boss, Aly, was already waiting for us. Leaving the terminal building, we got a warm and humid welcome to Oman, 37 degrees!

Marike and Matilda, Aly (with the Maxicosivantutinogblasi), and Hervé

We were swiftly driven to our transfer apartment, which is really not too bad. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a reasonably sized living. We bought some nice things to make it a bit more homely. And for Matilda; many places can feel like home as long as there is someone to lift her up.

Footloose in eigen stad

Vreemd gevoel om wakker te worden in een hotelkamer op 500 meter afstand van je eigen huis. Onze verhuizing naar Oman staat voor de deur, en met vijf koffers hebben we onze intrek genomen in het Parkhotel in Den Haag. Ons appartement in de Boekhorststraat is onbewoonbaar nadat ons bed is ingepakt en onze spullen in verhuisdozen staan opgestapeld. Verhuizers zijn anderhalve dag bezig met het inpakken, stapelen en labelen van de dozen. Alle meubels worden omhuld met beschermplastic, zelfs de krakkemikkigste kastjes. In onze smalle, drukke straat wordt een vrachtwagen geparkeerd met de grootste zeecontainer die zo’n beetje bestaat – hij neemt zeker zes parkeerplaatsen in! Maar onze spullen blijken uiteindelijk de container maar voor de helft te vullen. Na twee dagen hard werken door de verhuizers, begint onze inboedel - ons huis & haard, zo ongeveer ons hele materiele bezit op wat gevulde koffers na - aan een lange reis. Met het schip Berlin Express naar Muscat.

Nu wij nog! Een paar dagen zijn we footloose in eigen stad – we wonen in een hotel en eten buiten de deur. We nemen het er nog maar even van. Een laatste avond met Marikes familie, een laatste avond met Gideons familie, nog één keer sushi eten in de stad, een laatste bezoekje aan de kapper, laatste keer een latte met sojamelk bij de Coffee Company, een laatste bezoek aan het consultatiebureau met Matilda...Dag Boekhorststraat met je winkeltjes, aardige buren, beste haring van de stad, obscure gasten, hondedrollen, uitslovers & dronkelappen, straatvegers en levendigheid! Dag huis, we hebben er vijf heerlijke jaren gehad maar het is tijd om door te gaan!

Hebben wij ook eens een auto die respect afdwingt in de Boekhorststraat

Onze spullen verdwijnen door het raam van de erker

Matilda merkt niks van de verhuizing en geniet van het hotelleven

Smullen in c'est ca ter afscheid

Mooi contrast, onze kampeerbus voor het hotel. Op naar Soest, waar we de laatste twee nachten doorbrengen

Matilda oefent, speelt en leert ondertussen rustig door, onder toeziend oog van Oma Liesbeth

In de tuin van Gideon's ouders, wat een gezellig afscheid!