Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Paje and Stone Town
Dec. 20, 2010
The tide was way out this morning so we walked out to see the ladies harvesting the sea weed and other activities taking place.
We saw 3 little boys looking under the big anchor rocks close to shore so we went over to see what they were catching. Would you believe they had 2 tiny dacillus fish and 1 tiny clown fish - perfect aquarium size! We spent several minutes discussing if we could/ should try and purchase them for our aquarium. While still under discussion, we watched 3 older boys working to catch small fish with a throw net.
If you read our marine aquarium entry you know David has researched various styles of fishing nets and associated collection methods. These boys had a long net only 1 meter tall and the floats at the top were all brightly colored pieces of flip flop sandals. They shaped the net into a "V" and then one boy was out in front facing the net and slapping the water to try and scare the fish into the net. They then closed the net into a circle and removed the fish they caught.
We saw a mark in the sand that looked like a potential cardium pseudolima so David starts rolling up his sleaves to pick it up with his hand. I advise him to kick it with his shoe first. Good thing as it was a huge blue crab! We pointed it out to the older boys and chased it into their net. It does not appear that they eat them here as they let him go.
We walked on to further investigate the sea weed collection activities that were occurring all around us. Wood stakes are put in the sand about knee high. Seaweed is collected and then tied on in small clumps along the string. Once the string is full of these seed clumps it is attached to the stakes. Daily the ladies come out at low tide to harvest the sea weed by gathering the lose bits around the strings. Once the seaweed is collected it is dried for five days and then sold for 300 shillings a kilo ($0.27). The sea weed is sold by the government abroad used for use as food and in cosmetics. The papasi advised that this "was a very slow way to make money" so I guess hounding tourists to take trips to spice farm, Stone Town, snorkling, fishing must pay off better.
Kite boarding was a tourist activity that was interesting to watch. We decided it was not for us as we never even got our wind surfer going to well.
Amin drove us back to Town with only a shake down by the traffic police. On all the roads around Zanzibar there are check points by the traffic police probably 4 for the 1 hour road trip. They said that Amin did not stop at a check point when signaled to do so. His license was taken and he has a ticket and notice to report on Wednesday. We asked what was happened and he just muttered corruption and pay-offs. We arranged for him to take us to the airport tomorrow.
We are now in the Tembo hotel with promised sea view room for $120. Had lunch at our favorite Archipeligo restaurant with excellent food, view and breeze. There was a short burst of rain while we ate and that dropped the temperature slightly for a brief time.
We toured the museum palace, found the old customs house and the Dispensary which are near the port and big tree. Leslie had black henna done by a lady at the old fort. The design is on a much smaller scale and she says more "Indian" influenced. We looked around at souvenir shops but made no purchases other than trading some books in for other novels for the flight home.
We went back to the Dhow Palace hotel to see if David's favorite Ex-officio brand shirt had been found at the Chumbe resort and returned. Bless them it was there so he was a happy camper and willing to continue the hunt for Richard's house 551. After looking around different corridors and asking various people we actually stumbled across it. Just as I sent a picture of the door and house number to Richard we had an email from him indicating that "we could look down on the back patio of the Zanzibar Hotel and watch guest dining and dancing". We would have found it for sure with that description.
The tide was way out this morning so we walked out to see the ladies harvesting the sea weed and other activities taking place.
We saw 3 little boys looking under the big anchor rocks close to shore so we went over to see what they were catching. Would you believe they had 2 tiny dacillus fish and 1 tiny clown fish - perfect aquarium size! We spent several minutes discussing if we could/ should try and purchase them for our aquarium. While still under discussion, we watched 3 older boys working to catch small fish with a throw net.
If you read our marine aquarium entry you know David has researched various styles of fishing nets and associated collection methods. These boys had a long net only 1 meter tall and the floats at the top were all brightly colored pieces of flip flop sandals. They shaped the net into a "V" and then one boy was out in front facing the net and slapping the water to try and scare the fish into the net. They then closed the net into a circle and removed the fish they caught.
We saw a mark in the sand that looked like a potential cardium pseudolima so David starts rolling up his sleaves to pick it up with his hand. I advise him to kick it with his shoe first. Good thing as it was a huge blue crab! We pointed it out to the older boys and chased it into their net. It does not appear that they eat them here as they let him go.
We walked on to further investigate the sea weed collection activities that were occurring all around us. Wood stakes are put in the sand about knee high. Seaweed is collected and then tied on in small clumps along the string. Once the string is full of these seed clumps it is attached to the stakes. Daily the ladies come out at low tide to harvest the sea weed by gathering the lose bits around the strings. Once the seaweed is collected it is dried for five days and then sold for 300 shillings a kilo ($0.27). The sea weed is sold by the government abroad used for use as food and in cosmetics. The papasi advised that this "was a very slow way to make money" so I guess hounding tourists to take trips to spice farm, Stone Town, snorkling, fishing must pay off better.
Kite boarding was a tourist activity that was interesting to watch. We decided it was not for us as we never even got our wind surfer going to well.
Amin drove us back to Town with only a shake down by the traffic police. On all the roads around Zanzibar there are check points by the traffic police probably 4 for the 1 hour road trip. They said that Amin did not stop at a check point when signaled to do so. His license was taken and he has a ticket and notice to report on Wednesday. We asked what was happened and he just muttered corruption and pay-offs. We arranged for him to take us to the airport tomorrow.
We are now in the Tembo hotel with promised sea view room for $120. Had lunch at our favorite Archipeligo restaurant with excellent food, view and breeze. There was a short burst of rain while we ate and that dropped the temperature slightly for a brief time.
We toured the museum palace, found the old customs house and the Dispensary which are near the port and big tree. Leslie had black henna done by a lady at the old fort. The design is on a much smaller scale and she says more "Indian" influenced. We looked around at souvenir shops but made no purchases other than trading some books in for other novels for the flight home.
We went back to the Dhow Palace hotel to see if David's favorite Ex-officio brand shirt had been found at the Chumbe resort and returned. Bless them it was there so he was a happy camper and willing to continue the hunt for Richard's house 551. After looking around different corridors and asking various people we actually stumbled across it. Just as I sent a picture of the door and house number to Richard we had an email from him indicating that "we could look down on the back patio of the Zanzibar Hotel and watch guest dining and dancing". We would have found it for sure with that description.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Paje, Zanzibar December 19, 2010
We asked around again this morning for house 551 near our hotel and did not come up with any new information. Need to find an old person to ask!
We checked out and headed with Amin, our driver, to Jozani Forest which was about 50 minutes away. We hired a park guide to take us to see Kirk's Red Colobus monkeys. These are an endangered species of which there are only 2,500 left of which 2,000 are in this forest. They are named after Sir John Kirk the same botanist and British Consul-Geneal that I have mentioned before. In our 1 hour walk we saw at least three large groups. They are extremely inquisitive and very photogenic because of this. Only exciting thing that happened in our walk was coming across army ants. We had to dash down the path and then madly try to brush off the ants as they were biting. They moved fast and got quite far up our pants legs before we got them all.
We proceeded on to Paje and chose the hotel Paje by Night which had a room with AC. Since taking the room the AC broke and we had a repair fellow in to get it fixed. We chose the hotel for free internet which has been spotty at best. The beach was not that enticing so perhaps we should have just gone back to Stone Town but then we would have wondered if we missed out on anything. The biggest group of tourists here are Italians. There is a kite boarding place here and that seems to be the biggest draw. It is not safe to walk on the beach or around after sunset. There is a guard patrolling the grounds of the hotel.
We checked out and headed with Amin, our driver, to Jozani Forest which was about 50 minutes away. We hired a park guide to take us to see Kirk's Red Colobus monkeys. These are an endangered species of which there are only 2,500 left of which 2,000 are in this forest. They are named after Sir John Kirk the same botanist and British Consul-Geneal that I have mentioned before. In our 1 hour walk we saw at least three large groups. They are extremely inquisitive and very photogenic because of this. Only exciting thing that happened in our walk was coming across army ants. We had to dash down the path and then madly try to brush off the ants as they were biting. They moved fast and got quite far up our pants legs before we got them all.
We proceeded on to Paje and chose the hotel Paje by Night which had a room with AC. Since taking the room the AC broke and we had a repair fellow in to get it fixed. We chose the hotel for free internet which has been spotty at best. The beach was not that enticing so perhaps we should have just gone back to Stone Town but then we would have wondered if we missed out on anything. The biggest group of tourists here are Italians. There is a kite boarding place here and that seems to be the biggest draw. It is not safe to walk on the beach or around after sunset. There is a guard patrolling the grounds of the hotel.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar
Dec. 18, 2011
Today we were up early and out the door to Mbweni 7 kilometers from Stone Town where we were to catch a boat to go to the Chumbe Island Coral Park. The boat left from the Mbweni Ruins Hotel which is set in the botanical gardens founded by a Scottish botanist and physician, Sir John Kirk, while he was Britain's Consul General for eighteen years beginning in 1866. Kirk accompanied Livingstone up the Zambezi river.
There are also the ruins of a nineteen-century Anglican mission that housed and schooled girls freed from captured slave dhows and daughters of freed slaves. Interesting place to look around before getting on the boat as all the plants are still pretty much labeled.
We traveled the 9 kilometers to the island in one hour using a small dhow with a 15 HP engine. Chumbe island has an old British light house built in 1904 and a small mosque built at the same time for the Indian light houseman. This island is reputed to have the finest coral gardens in the world. There is now an eco-lodge that provides a day room and lunch for day trippers like us. We were shown to bungalow 3 and instructed on the compost toilet, rain water shower, and lock box for your valuables. There was a Dutch family with 2 young boys who were there as well. We all went on a small motor boat with the guide and a big inflated truck inner tube so that you could hold on if you wanted and to make us more visible. The coral was amazing! Large variety in size, shape and colors. We were very impressed with the marine life too. The parrot fish were so inquisitive and come up to look at you giving one a chance to clearly see their beak mouths and fully appreciate their colors. We snorkeled for an hour and were actually quite tired as there was a good swell in the sea. We saw a couple of blue starfish, lobster with white legs, blue spotted sting ray and too many beautiful fish to name. This day trip was a little over $ 100 per person but worth it. After a nice lunch in the shade watching the waves, and some sun bathing we went on a walking tour of the coral rag forest and through the mangroves looking at the different flora and fauna. Our guide even found a huge coconut crab for us to photograph in a mangrove cave. These are the world's largest land crabs reaching 60 cm to 1 meter in length and weighing 3 to 4 kilos. They are called coconut crabs because they are reputed to climb trees and cut off coconuts which they eat. These crabs are nocturnal so we were lucky to have seen one.
We arrived back in Stone Town a little before 6PM tired but having enjoyed the day very much.
We made plans to spend the next night at Paje on the east coast and stop at the national park on the way. We decided to come see the 2 hotels we were considering in person as both on Trip Advisor had extreme ratings (good and bad). We also made a reservation at El Tempo hotel which is a sister hotel to our current Dhow Palace for our last night in Zanzibar. We arranged for a sea side room we think. Most of our meals have been at a restaurant called "Archipelago" as the food is excellent, the view is great as the restaurant is on the beach and the first floor of a corner so the breeze that comes through is very helpful. Very few places seem to have AC so looking for fans and good breezes is essential to survival.
Today we were up early and out the door to Mbweni 7 kilometers from Stone Town where we were to catch a boat to go to the Chumbe Island Coral Park. The boat left from the Mbweni Ruins Hotel which is set in the botanical gardens founded by a Scottish botanist and physician, Sir John Kirk, while he was Britain's Consul General for eighteen years beginning in 1866. Kirk accompanied Livingstone up the Zambezi river.
There are also the ruins of a nineteen-century Anglican mission that housed and schooled girls freed from captured slave dhows and daughters of freed slaves. Interesting place to look around before getting on the boat as all the plants are still pretty much labeled.
We traveled the 9 kilometers to the island in one hour using a small dhow with a 15 HP engine. Chumbe island has an old British light house built in 1904 and a small mosque built at the same time for the Indian light houseman. This island is reputed to have the finest coral gardens in the world. There is now an eco-lodge that provides a day room and lunch for day trippers like us. We were shown to bungalow 3 and instructed on the compost toilet, rain water shower, and lock box for your valuables. There was a Dutch family with 2 young boys who were there as well. We all went on a small motor boat with the guide and a big inflated truck inner tube so that you could hold on if you wanted and to make us more visible. The coral was amazing! Large variety in size, shape and colors. We were very impressed with the marine life too. The parrot fish were so inquisitive and come up to look at you giving one a chance to clearly see their beak mouths and fully appreciate their colors. We snorkeled for an hour and were actually quite tired as there was a good swell in the sea. We saw a couple of blue starfish, lobster with white legs, blue spotted sting ray and too many beautiful fish to name. This day trip was a little over $ 100 per person but worth it. After a nice lunch in the shade watching the waves, and some sun bathing we went on a walking tour of the coral rag forest and through the mangroves looking at the different flora and fauna. Our guide even found a huge coconut crab for us to photograph in a mangrove cave. These are the world's largest land crabs reaching 60 cm to 1 meter in length and weighing 3 to 4 kilos. They are called coconut crabs because they are reputed to climb trees and cut off coconuts which they eat. These crabs are nocturnal so we were lucky to have seen one.
We arrived back in Stone Town a little before 6PM tired but having enjoyed the day very much.
We made plans to spend the next night at Paje on the east coast and stop at the national park on the way. We decided to come see the 2 hotels we were considering in person as both on Trip Advisor had extreme ratings (good and bad). We also made a reservation at El Tempo hotel which is a sister hotel to our current Dhow Palace for our last night in Zanzibar. We arranged for a sea side room we think. Most of our meals have been at a restaurant called "Archipelago" as the food is excellent, the view is great as the restaurant is on the beach and the first floor of a corner so the breeze that comes through is very helpful. Very few places seem to have AC so looking for fans and good breezes is essential to survival.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Searching for the Past in Stone Town
Dec 17, 2010
On the hunt for our friend Richard Hann's four childhood homes in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Richard lived here as a child when his father was a British civil servant responsible for Education. In Oman the position would be Minister of Education. His mother worked in the Beit al-Ajaib (house of wonders) palace, which was the government headquarters. Richard used wikimapia to mark his old residences including his favorite right on the sea coast. We studied the maps on the hotel computer and then noted as best we could the houses on our tourist map.
Richard's last two houses were behind the High Court which is a building built by John Sinclair. Sinclair built many of the buildings in Stone Town and used a lot of Moorish features such as domes and arches. The High Court has the characteristic dome, clock and Moorish arches and was easy to find as it was just down the street. We managed to find his 3rd house to the right of the court right away as it had the right look - that being big veranda's to let in the sea breezes. To our emailed picture Richard responded, "This is the house !!!!!............not the one by the sea obviously....we had no A/C in those days so the verandas etc were open...my bedroom upstairs............ fantastic. .....built well it seems." His favorite house was right nearby on the sea. There were 3 abodes there in various states of disrepair. In Richard's front lawn is a big phone tower and perhaps that is why the house was left to run down. The second house over we could not get to as it's front yard had been turned into the Zantel phone customer service center and you could not get to the house. The last building in the row was St. Joseph's school. In talking to a phone company customer and one of teachers, perhaps the school had bought the house next door.
In moving on to find his first house on Vulga Road, we were looking for an apartment building and again had a general location and so were hunting something with balconies. We got confirmation from Richard a day later that yes that was the apartment block. In looking for house 551 near the Zanzibar Hotel we found the Hotel but all the houses had their numbers out of sync so we will keep looking for this one.
Later in the afternoon after a swim in the hotel pool we went out to see the Beit al-Ajaib (house of wonders) palace. In walking down Kenyata street we saw a old photo store and decided to go in and see what old pictures he had. The shop keeper, of Indian descent, said his father started the business in the 1930s. We asked him questions on the Zanzibar Hotel and its original location and the houses around it.
We thoroughly enjoyed Beit al-Ajaib as the museum displays are informative and it was interesting to see the beautiful carvings on the massive doors inside of which there were four on each floor. The top floor's verandas had lovely view from all sides. These had obviously been executive offices in their last use. We even found a old massive safe in one room that had carved walls painted white.
On the hunt for our friend Richard Hann's four childhood homes in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Richard lived here as a child when his father was a British civil servant responsible for Education. In Oman the position would be Minister of Education. His mother worked in the Beit al-Ajaib (house of wonders) palace, which was the government headquarters. Richard used wikimapia to mark his old residences including his favorite right on the sea coast. We studied the maps on the hotel computer and then noted as best we could the houses on our tourist map.
Richard's last two houses were behind the High Court which is a building built by John Sinclair. Sinclair built many of the buildings in Stone Town and used a lot of Moorish features such as domes and arches. The High Court has the characteristic dome, clock and Moorish arches and was easy to find as it was just down the street. We managed to find his 3rd house to the right of the court right away as it had the right look - that being big veranda's to let in the sea breezes. To our emailed picture Richard responded, "This is the house !!!!!............not the one by the sea obviously....we had no A/C in those days so the verandas etc were open...my bedroom upstairs............ fantastic. .....built well it seems." His favorite house was right nearby on the sea. There were 3 abodes there in various states of disrepair. In Richard's front lawn is a big phone tower and perhaps that is why the house was left to run down. The second house over we could not get to as it's front yard had been turned into the Zantel phone customer service center and you could not get to the house. The last building in the row was St. Joseph's school. In talking to a phone company customer and one of teachers, perhaps the school had bought the house next door.
In moving on to find his first house on Vulga Road, we were looking for an apartment building and again had a general location and so were hunting something with balconies. We got confirmation from Richard a day later that yes that was the apartment block. In looking for house 551 near the Zanzibar Hotel we found the Hotel but all the houses had their numbers out of sync so we will keep looking for this one.
Later in the afternoon after a swim in the hotel pool we went out to see the Beit al-Ajaib (house of wonders) palace. In walking down Kenyata street we saw a old photo store and decided to go in and see what old pictures he had. The shop keeper, of Indian descent, said his father started the business in the 1930s. We asked him questions on the Zanzibar Hotel and its original location and the houses around it.
We thoroughly enjoyed Beit al-Ajaib as the museum displays are informative and it was interesting to see the beautiful carvings on the massive doors inside of which there were four on each floor. The top floor's verandas had lovely view from all sides. These had obviously been executive offices in their last use. We even found a old massive safe in one room that had carved walls painted white.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
North of Stone Town Dec 16, 2010
Our guide from yesterday Mohamed brought his "brother" around with a car promptly at 9 am. However Mohamed was now not going to be our guide but Amin the driver was. Does this sound like the old bait and switch? The car was a 7 person mini van with just the 3 of us and the AC was good so we were happy. We travelled first to Myoni Palace where Princess Salem was born. Having read her book "Memoirs of an Arabian Princess" and the recently published book "The Sultan's Shadow" we were curious to see this site. The palace was built in the 1840s but destroyed by fire in 1914. Now only the main walls, roof and bathhouses remain. A lovely location! There were other remnants of palaces along the road but the only one still kept in good condition was the one in the naval area.
We drove on to the Kidichi Persian baths which were at the highest point on the islands. These baths were built in 1850 for the granddaughter of Shaherizad and see decorated the Persian style stucco depicting lotus flowers, cloves, coconut palms, peacocks and dates. The sultan brought in Persian Zoroastrians' to create the stucco as Moslem's under the Quran can not make this type of decorations. At the baths we saw the bathing area, toilets, massage room. The care taker does seem to be working hard to keep the mold off the white stucco. Following this quick tour we proceeded to an old clove farm that now has other spices as well. We have been on a spice tour in India but had never seen cloves and a few other spices as well. During the time the Omanis rulered Zanzibar the island was wealthy from the income from the clove plantations as well as the slave trade. The previous day in the market we had bought spices so today we only bought a lemon grass tea and more cloves. Now we know that everyone walking around with some green woven coconut hat has just come back from a spice farm visit!
We then drove up to the northern most tip of the island passing piles of coral stones that were being used in the construction of houses. It was this same construction that gives Stone Town its name. The reason we had come up here was to see the dhow builders. As in Qantab we watch the various boat being built and the fishing activity we wanted to compare it to Zanzibar. Here we have seen very few fiber glass boats and the fisherman use many either paddle with a dug out canoe,mtumbi, or sail with a larger boat called a ngalawa. The biggest boat here is called a jahazi. While we saw minimal actual construction as we had arrived close to 1 PM we did note the wood was being cut and shaped by hand, the use of the old square body nails.
There were many fishing nets hanging to dry and being repaired by the fisherman. We spotted the net dumping area and were delighted to see all the shells! Many cones, some mitra, tiger coweries and other members of the cowerie family. The most common in the discard piles we reviewed were spider conches. Of course we had to poke through the debris to see if their might be a Lyrialeslieboschai!
Lunch was at the sunset restaurant at Amaan Bungalows. This tip area is very much affected by the tides so not great for swimming and there is really no beach to walk on unless you walk by the local village and all the boatmen. There was one old man selling sea shells. The tiger coweries, helmet shells and spider conches were $1 and the large lambis like in Oman were $5.
We arrived back in Stone Town around 5 pm so went to check out some of the shops and sit by the beach at Livingston's Cafe which we had spotted earlier. As usual when walking around one is pestered by the local touts. They are know as "pappasi" which mean flea can be quiet irritating and many places have "bouncers" in a uniform to make sure they don't pester tourists on their property.
Tomorrow we are going to hunt for our friend Richard Hann's various houses in Stone Town while he was growing up. He has marked them on wikimaps so we take a closer look at them again before we head off on the hunt.
We drove on to the Kidichi Persian baths which were at the highest point on the islands. These baths were built in 1850 for the granddaughter of Shaherizad and see decorated the Persian style stucco depicting lotus flowers, cloves, coconut palms, peacocks and dates. The sultan brought in Persian Zoroastrians' to create the stucco as Moslem's under the Quran can not make this type of decorations. At the baths we saw the bathing area, toilets, massage room. The care taker does seem to be working hard to keep the mold off the white stucco. Following this quick tour we proceeded to an old clove farm that now has other spices as well. We have been on a spice tour in India but had never seen cloves and a few other spices as well. During the time the Omanis rulered Zanzibar the island was wealthy from the income from the clove plantations as well as the slave trade. The previous day in the market we had bought spices so today we only bought a lemon grass tea and more cloves. Now we know that everyone walking around with some green woven coconut hat has just come back from a spice farm visit!
We then drove up to the northern most tip of the island passing piles of coral stones that were being used in the construction of houses. It was this same construction that gives Stone Town its name. The reason we had come up here was to see the dhow builders. As in Qantab we watch the various boat being built and the fishing activity we wanted to compare it to Zanzibar. Here we have seen very few fiber glass boats and the fisherman use many either paddle with a dug out canoe,mtumbi, or sail with a larger boat called a ngalawa. The biggest boat here is called a jahazi. While we saw minimal actual construction as we had arrived close to 1 PM we did note the wood was being cut and shaped by hand, the use of the old square body nails.
There were many fishing nets hanging to dry and being repaired by the fisherman. We spotted the net dumping area and were delighted to see all the shells! Many cones, some mitra, tiger coweries and other members of the cowerie family. The most common in the discard piles we reviewed were spider conches. Of course we had to poke through the debris to see if their might be a Lyrialeslieboschai!
Lunch was at the sunset restaurant at Amaan Bungalows. This tip area is very much affected by the tides so not great for swimming and there is really no beach to walk on unless you walk by the local village and all the boatmen. There was one old man selling sea shells. The tiger coweries, helmet shells and spider conches were $1 and the large lambis like in Oman were $5.
We arrived back in Stone Town around 5 pm so went to check out some of the shops and sit by the beach at Livingston's Cafe which we had spotted earlier. As usual when walking around one is pestered by the local touts. They are know as "pappasi" which mean flea can be quiet irritating and many places have "bouncers" in a uniform to make sure they don't pester tourists on their property.
Tomorrow we are going to hunt for our friend Richard Hann's various houses in Stone Town while he was growing up. He has marked them on wikimaps so we take a closer look at them again before we head off on the hunt.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Stone Town Zanzibar Dec 15th
The fast ferry was interesting and we were happy that we chose to arrive by sea as coming into the old Stone Town Harbor was so reminiscent of the old Muttrah Cornish area. The ferry tickets showed up at 8:30 am but instead of being for the 10:30am ferry they were for the 9:30am ferry so we had to hustle our selves by 5 minute taxi ride down to the quay. We had sprung for the $40 first class tickets versus the $35 economy tickets. The ferry was full and this time a good mixture of local mainland Tanzanians, Zanzabaris, Omanis and westerners. After the ferry ride that was almost an hour late leaving we landed in Stone Town and had to queue to get a Zanzibar stamp in our passports as well as fill in an arrival form. Zanzibar has it's own President as does the mainland. No visa fees were charged this time though.
We had a guide walk us to the hotel as we were annoyed by being besieged by taxi drivers wanting to take us to the hotel which was an 8 minute walk. We are traveling light - not as light as on the Camino but still just small roller bags. We have booked at the Dhow Palace hotel which is a lovely old restored Omani home in the historical area just across the street from the Old British Club. We had an outstanding lunch at Archipelago Zanzibar which is on the first floor of an old building right on the beach. Lots of fishing action to watch while we ate. We then made arrangements for a walking tour of Stone Town which was very interesting and we will try and post some pictures of the wonderful carved Zanzibar wood doors. Our friend Dr. Richard Hann was raised here in Stone Town so we are excited to try and find the houses he lived in as a child.
Some of the men here wear the Omani disdasha and also the kummah. However the kummah is called a khaifer here and has an extra band around it so that is sits taller on the head than the Omani style. The ladies were the Kanga as their head covering like in the old days of Oman. The Kanaga, in their many bright printed colors also have different "sayings" printed on them. Our guide, Mohammed was very good at reading several to us once we had determined that they were not just the manufacturers label so to speak!
We saw the infamous slave market area, the various market places and wonderful old alleyways filled with beautifully carved doors. Basket weaving here at just a quick look is very similar in style to what we see in Oman and Saudi.
The weather is tropical - hot and humid. We had a short swim after we arrived at the hotel in their lovely small courtyard pool.
We had a guide walk us to the hotel as we were annoyed by being besieged by taxi drivers wanting to take us to the hotel which was an 8 minute walk. We are traveling light - not as light as on the Camino but still just small roller bags. We have booked at the Dhow Palace hotel which is a lovely old restored Omani home in the historical area just across the street from the Old British Club. We had an outstanding lunch at Archipelago Zanzibar which is on the first floor of an old building right on the beach. Lots of fishing action to watch while we ate. We then made arrangements for a walking tour of Stone Town which was very interesting and we will try and post some pictures of the wonderful carved Zanzibar wood doors. Our friend Dr. Richard Hann was raised here in Stone Town so we are excited to try and find the houses he lived in as a child.
Some of the men here wear the Omani disdasha and also the kummah. However the kummah is called a khaifer here and has an extra band around it so that is sits taller on the head than the Omani style. The ladies were the Kanga as their head covering like in the old days of Oman. The Kanaga, in their many bright printed colors also have different "sayings" printed on them. Our guide, Mohammed was very good at reading several to us once we had determined that they were not just the manufacturers label so to speak!
We saw the infamous slave market area, the various market places and wonderful old alleyways filled with beautifully carved doors. Basket weaving here at just a quick look is very similar in style to what we see in Oman and Saudi.
The weather is tropical - hot and humid. We had a short swim after we arrived at the hotel in their lovely small courtyard pool.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Zanzibar, Tanzania for our 35th Wedding Anniversary
Tuesday December 14th
We flew on Oman air from Muscat to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on a day time flight that took 5 hours. We were the only Western faces on the plane. On arrival we handed in $200 for visas and the forms we had completed earlier. We had stressed about photos, bank account info and not of it was requested. As we arrived at peak rush hour we had plenty of time to watch daily life as we crawled along. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Business District as we wanted to be close to the harbour for a ferry to Zanzibar the next morning. We made a reservation for the fast ferry with a estimated travel time of 1 1/2 hours versus 2 hours on the slower ferry. It is frustrating not having a guide book so we used the internet to do some reading.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bosch Marine Aquarium
One of the joys in having your own place is that you can make a mess with your own hobbies. We are going back the "old Muscat days" wherein one struggled daily with a marine aquarium. Back then it was carrying buckets of salt water from the beach every week replacing the aquarium water, but thank heavens technology has improved since then with live rock, protein skimmers and ultra violet lights. While one could now populate one's aquarium with store bought fish, this is not the "old Muscat days" tradition. Hence considerable time, effort and funds and been invested in relearning how to catch and keep marine fish of a very small size. In the technological advance noted above one should also include the advent of UTube as it was there that some hours were spent watching films on catching fish, the types of equipment and nets.
Khamis, our old fisherman friend, came over several times and discussions on the types of nets would continue with him making at least one version of a cast net for sardines but with smaller mesh. (This turned out to be too big to use for catching specimens among rocks, in coral, etc.) In addition to several types of nets, there are also various types of bottles or bags to put the fish in once caught plus the blow up little boat that is tied to someone's waist and loaded with all the gear as we snorkel around. Gloves are of course a must as are water shoes. Flippers are carried in the boat along with the hammers, and are used when it is deep and we need to dive to reach the fish, but it is surprising that many fish can be caught in a few feet of water, especially at low tide. Current supply of nets include at least 3 of various round shapes on varying lengths.
Khamis, our old fisherman friend, came over several times and discussions on the types of nets would continue with him making at least one version of a cast net for sardines but with smaller mesh. (This turned out to be too big to use for catching specimens among rocks, in coral, etc.) In addition to several types of nets, there are also various types of bottles or bags to put the fish in once caught plus the blow up little boat that is tied to someone's waist and loaded with all the gear as we snorkel around. Gloves are of course a must as are water shoes. Flippers are carried in the boat along with the hammers, and are used when it is deep and we need to dive to reach the fish, but it is surprising that many fish can be caught in a few feet of water, especially at low tide. Current supply of nets include at least 3 of various round shapes on varying lengths.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
27 November 2010 Bosch's meet Queen Elizabeth
Yesterday my mother and father were invited by the British Ambassador to a garden party in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband HRH the Duke. Since my father was not well enough to sit for a long outdoor wait and then stand for protocol, my mother asked me to take her, after checking with the Ambassador that this would be all right. So I got up, got into my best suit, and was taken from their home in Haramel a few hundred yards to the Ambassador's residence in my parent's Diwan car.
We arrived at about 9:15 AM, as we were given special VIP privileges, while most people arrived at 8AM and parked in a nearby Boat Marina and were shuttled up in buses. We were met by an Embassy staff lady and taken to the small shaded VIP pavilion, where there were about a dozen chairs and about twice that number of people milling around. The rest of the garden had about 300 guests, all of them British except for Ambassadors and their mates from other countries, including the US Ambassador. I found a seat for Mother and we were offered some cookies and soft drinks, which I declined as there was not any likelyhood of an opportunity to go to the men's room! Our VIP area was initially populated mainly by Ministers of the Omani Government, and a couple of high military officers. Our host Ambassador Gukian stopped by periodically, and at one point he suggested that it would be nice if we sent one of my parents' books, The Doctor and the Teacher, which was about life during the period from 1955 to 1970 in Oman, to the Queen and Prince Phillip. We agreed to do so as soon as we returned to the house. He also asked me to place my mother in the first chair toward the walkway when the Queen's arrival was imminent.
Several people joined the VIP group for discussions, and some paid their respects to Mother, always asking about my father as well. One was the commandant of the Air Force, who said his wife always asked about her old teacher, Eloise. Another was Mohammed Riyami, who was very friendly, a former official in the Ministry of Information and I think a businessman now. Others were ministers, including the Minister of Commerce, Maqbul Sultan, the two Omani women ministers who controlled Tourism and Higher Education, respectively, and who sat next to Mother. She was also kept company by Madam Virginia, the widow of one of the Royal Family of Oman, who was originally from England. I had a chance to greet several of them, and particularly to say "Hello" to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Yusif Alawi, who I had met with over 20 years before when obtaining his permission and support to form an American Business Council in Oman. He remembered the meeting, and said it was over twenty years before, which was correct. I also met Ahmed Makki, who is responsible for the finance function in the Government.
The British Foreign Minister's wife was brought over to chat, and then she sent over her husband to speak to my mother, who was the only non-Omani present who had been in Oman since 1955. Mom told them about some of the hardships of the old days, no air conditioning or public water supplies, endemic malaria, non-availability of many foods, etc. By about 10 am I moved my mother to the first chair on the Queen's route, and Madam Virginia sat on a small end table just behind her, while an older man, Brian Richey, sat on another end table. I was glad that neither table broke! They sat there because they could not be in the rear seating but needed to be up near where the Queen would pass.
At about this point everyone had been standing expectantly waiting for the Queen for about a half hour. After some bagpipe music, I finally spotted the Queen coming up the path to where we waited and alerted the VIP's waiting for her. The local American/British School band played "God Save the Queen" as people and the royal couple stood, and then we all clapped. The Queen and her husband walked up the path with the Ambassador, who led the Queen directly to Mom, introducing her as someone who had been here working since 1955, and had served the country well. Mom shook hands and the Queen asked what she did, and she explained that my father and she had been missionaries, he a surgeon and she a teacher, particularly of English. Mom mentioned some of the hardships, malaria, heat, etc. The Ambassador introduced me as well, and I shook hands with her, and said a few words supporting Mom's description of the early days. After a couple of minutes, the Queen passed down the line of other Ministerial VIP's, and Prince Phillip did the same, talking to those that the Queen just said "Hello" to. After greeting the 20 people in the VIP area, they then went through the line of Ambassadors and lower officials (another perhaps 40 people) and then wandered about in the garden with the Ambassador, greeting groups of ordinary British citizens who had been invited. The students kept their band and singers going. They toured some local handicraft makers, greeted the school kids, who gave them a synchnonized "Hip hip hooray", and then departed about an hour after arrival.
At this point some of the other Omani and British non-VIP's came up to greet Mom, and then the French Ambassador was brought over by Mohammed Riyami and said she wanted to see their sea shells. I told her that I would be doing a presentation on Omani shells on coming Tuesday at the Bustan Hotel, and that probably Dad would be there to answer any questions that I couldn't, and that she would be welcome then or at a private visit to the house. The US Ambassador and his wife then helped me take Mom to cross the uneven path out to where the car should come to pick us up. We had to wait a while as all the cars were trying to pick up their passengers. A British naval officer in full white dress uniform opened the door for Mom's car, which would have been a great picture. There were two warships standing just offshore and clearly visible, one British and one Omani, to provide protection. We finally left the Ambassador's residence after 11:30, having had an exciting opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth.
We arrived at about 9:15 AM, as we were given special VIP privileges, while most people arrived at 8AM and parked in a nearby Boat Marina and were shuttled up in buses. We were met by an Embassy staff lady and taken to the small shaded VIP pavilion, where there were about a dozen chairs and about twice that number of people milling around. The rest of the garden had about 300 guests, all of them British except for Ambassadors and their mates from other countries, including the US Ambassador. I found a seat for Mother and we were offered some cookies and soft drinks, which I declined as there was not any likelyhood of an opportunity to go to the men's room! Our VIP area was initially populated mainly by Ministers of the Omani Government, and a couple of high military officers. Our host Ambassador Gukian stopped by periodically, and at one point he suggested that it would be nice if we sent one of my parents' books, The Doctor and the Teacher, which was about life during the period from 1955 to 1970 in Oman, to the Queen and Prince Phillip. We agreed to do so as soon as we returned to the house. He also asked me to place my mother in the first chair toward the walkway when the Queen's arrival was imminent.
Several people joined the VIP group for discussions, and some paid their respects to Mother, always asking about my father as well. One was the commandant of the Air Force, who said his wife always asked about her old teacher, Eloise. Another was Mohammed Riyami, who was very friendly, a former official in the Ministry of Information and I think a businessman now. Others were ministers, including the Minister of Commerce, Maqbul Sultan, the two Omani women ministers who controlled Tourism and Higher Education, respectively, and who sat next to Mother. She was also kept company by Madam Virginia, the widow of one of the Royal Family of Oman, who was originally from England. I had a chance to greet several of them, and particularly to say "Hello" to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Yusif Alawi, who I had met with over 20 years before when obtaining his permission and support to form an American Business Council in Oman. He remembered the meeting, and said it was over twenty years before, which was correct. I also met Ahmed Makki, who is responsible for the finance function in the Government.
The British Foreign Minister's wife was brought over to chat, and then she sent over her husband to speak to my mother, who was the only non-Omani present who had been in Oman since 1955. Mom told them about some of the hardships of the old days, no air conditioning or public water supplies, endemic malaria, non-availability of many foods, etc. By about 10 am I moved my mother to the first chair on the Queen's route, and Madam Virginia sat on a small end table just behind her, while an older man, Brian Richey, sat on another end table. I was glad that neither table broke! They sat there because they could not be in the rear seating but needed to be up near where the Queen would pass.
At about this point everyone had been standing expectantly waiting for the Queen for about a half hour. After some bagpipe music, I finally spotted the Queen coming up the path to where we waited and alerted the VIP's waiting for her. The local American/British School band played "God Save the Queen" as people and the royal couple stood, and then we all clapped. The Queen and her husband walked up the path with the Ambassador, who led the Queen directly to Mom, introducing her as someone who had been here working since 1955, and had served the country well. Mom shook hands and the Queen asked what she did, and she explained that my father and she had been missionaries, he a surgeon and she a teacher, particularly of English. Mom mentioned some of the hardships, malaria, heat, etc. The Ambassador introduced me as well, and I shook hands with her, and said a few words supporting Mom's description of the early days. After a couple of minutes, the Queen passed down the line of other Ministerial VIP's, and Prince Phillip did the same, talking to those that the Queen just said "Hello" to. After greeting the 20 people in the VIP area, they then went through the line of Ambassadors and lower officials (another perhaps 40 people) and then wandered about in the garden with the Ambassador, greeting groups of ordinary British citizens who had been invited. The students kept their band and singers going. They toured some local handicraft makers, greeted the school kids, who gave them a synchnonized "Hip hip hooray", and then departed about an hour after arrival.
At this point some of the other Omani and British non-VIP's came up to greet Mom, and then the French Ambassador was brought over by Mohammed Riyami and said she wanted to see their sea shells. I told her that I would be doing a presentation on Omani shells on coming Tuesday at the Bustan Hotel, and that probably Dad would be there to answer any questions that I couldn't, and that she would be welcome then or at a private visit to the house. The US Ambassador and his wife then helped me take Mom to cross the uneven path out to where the car should come to pick us up. We had to wait a while as all the cars were trying to pick up their passengers. A British naval officer in full white dress uniform opened the door for Mom's car, which would have been a great picture. There were two warships standing just offshore and clearly visible, one British and one Omani, to provide protection. We finally left the Ambassador's residence after 11:30, having had an exciting opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Nov. 21 Dubai to Muscat
We decided not to try and get up early as we were told traffic was bad starting before 7 AM, so we had a late breakfast and did some shopping, including getting a better camera so that we will not miss so many great shots, like the fox by the roadside. We finally left our hotel at about 1 pm and crossed the border at Hatta, which took only a reasonable delay to get out of the UAE. Then we drove to Shinas on Oman's northern coast for a late lunch of Indian food at a roadside restaurant, and drove home reaching there after dark, tired but happy with our few days adventures and Leslie's Chinese purchases.
Nov. 20 Khasab to Dubai
Nov. 20 Khasab-Dubai
We rose for an early breakfast and drove up the wadi to return on the same road we had come to Khasab on, so that we could retrieve our passports from the checkpoint. The scenery was impressive the second time, and we saw a fox along the road close and in full daylight, something I had never seen in Oman. Musandam still has a few leopards, wolves, and hyenas. We reached the checkpoint and retrieved our passports without any problem, and the same border guard was very happy that we enjoyed our visit.
This time when we reached Ziggy Bay Resort, Leslie was able to talk her way in as a possible American Women’s Group tour project, and we were given a full tour by their PR staff. Impressive but truly expensive, more than $1,000 per night. We had an excellent light lunch there for $40 each. They were operating hang gliders and ultralight aircraft, which David would like to try sometime. There was a gas fire at the snack bar as we were leaving, but it was extinguished with little damage.
We left for Dibba, then took the highway inland first west, then south to Dubai, reaching Leslie’s target of the Chinese Dragon Mall at about 4:30 PM. We shopped there for about 4 hours, had Chinese for dinner, and then drove out looking for a hotel, which took over an hour. We finally found one (Arabian Courtyard) in Dubai opposite the Museum, and were able to get a room with breakfast for $130, which is very good for a 4-Star hotel.
We rose for an early breakfast and drove up the wadi to return on the same road we had come to Khasab on, so that we could retrieve our passports from the checkpoint. The scenery was impressive the second time, and we saw a fox along the road close and in full daylight, something I had never seen in Oman. Musandam still has a few leopards, wolves, and hyenas. We reached the checkpoint and retrieved our passports without any problem, and the same border guard was very happy that we enjoyed our visit.
This time when we reached Ziggy Bay Resort, Leslie was able to talk her way in as a possible American Women’s Group tour project, and we were given a full tour by their PR staff. Impressive but truly expensive, more than $1,000 per night. We had an excellent light lunch there for $40 each. They were operating hang gliders and ultralight aircraft, which David would like to try sometime. There was a gas fire at the snack bar as we were leaving, but it was extinguished with little damage.
We left for Dibba, then took the highway inland first west, then south to Dubai, reaching Leslie’s target of the Chinese Dragon Mall at about 4:30 PM. We shopped there for about 4 hours, had Chinese for dinner, and then drove out looking for a hotel, which took over an hour. We finally found one (Arabian Courtyard) in Dubai opposite the Museum, and were able to get a room with breakfast for $130, which is very good for a 4-Star hotel.
Nov. 19 Khasab Dhow Trip
Nov. 19 Khasab dhow trip
We rose early as we had paid for a full day on a dhow for snorkeling and seeing the picturesque fjord-like coastline east of Khasab, where the stark mountains rise vertically from the clear sea. We boarded our boat, which was the largest one there and even had a second deck, and found seats at the front. The boat even had some toilets and showers below, and a room that had air conditioning. Probably 50 passengers were on board, including an American family of four from Dubai, about ten Germans, a few other Europeans, and the rest mostly Indians working in the UAE.
On our way to the first stop we saw a fisherman pull out and gaff a 5-foot long Black Tipped Reef Shark, which made people a bit worried about getting in the water! We saw small coastal villages and stopped at Telegraph Island, where the British had an observation post for shipping passing through the Hormuz Straits, and where we now snorkeled. The water was a bit cloudy and had small jellyfish, so we were not too impressed with the diving. The next stop was more of a swimming place, with less fish life. But it was fun to also see many dolphins, which the boats would drive to and try to get them to ride the bow wave. It became a bit crowded, with sometimes up to 8 boats trying to get close to the same pod of dolphins. We returned by 4 PM, about an hour before sunset, had supper at a local Indian place, and went back to our hotel.
We rose early as we had paid for a full day on a dhow for snorkeling and seeing the picturesque fjord-like coastline east of Khasab, where the stark mountains rise vertically from the clear sea. We boarded our boat, which was the largest one there and even had a second deck, and found seats at the front. The boat even had some toilets and showers below, and a room that had air conditioning. Probably 50 passengers were on board, including an American family of four from Dubai, about ten Germans, a few other Europeans, and the rest mostly Indians working in the UAE.
On our way to the first stop we saw a fisherman pull out and gaff a 5-foot long Black Tipped Reef Shark, which made people a bit worried about getting in the water! We saw small coastal villages and stopped at Telegraph Island, where the British had an observation post for shipping passing through the Hormuz Straits, and where we now snorkeled. The water was a bit cloudy and had small jellyfish, so we were not too impressed with the diving. The next stop was more of a swimming place, with less fish life. But it was fun to also see many dolphins, which the boats would drive to and try to get them to ride the bow wave. It became a bit crowded, with sometimes up to 8 boats trying to get close to the same pod of dolphins. We returned by 4 PM, about an hour before sunset, had supper at a local Indian place, and went back to our hotel.
Nov. 18 Dibba to Khasab, Musandam - Oman
Nov. 18 Dibba to Khasab (Oman)
We rose at dawn and backtracked into Dibba to see what we had missed travelling through at night. Picked up gas and Indian breakfast of eggs and parotas, and some directions to Musandam, which were not the most precise. After seeing the local Golden Tulip Hotel, which was full, we found that we were in the Oman part of Dhiba, which is also shared by two other states, Fujairah and Sharja. We passed a checkpoint and headed to the north and started up a mountain trail which lead to the Zigy Bay Resort, quite an expensive place that would not let us in for a coffee and a look, saying they were too full due to the ‘Id. We drove up the start of a wadi track on graded rock with wadi walls sometimes covered with plants like “hanging gardens”. After half an hour of not seeing any other vehicle, but good scenery and birds, we met a hired tourist vehicle with a local driver coming the other way. When we asked how far to Khasab, they said a few hours, but that only Omanis could pass the check point about half an hour up the road, so we would have to return to Dibba and go on another roundabout road for several hours to Sharja and Ras al-Khaimah and then to Khasab from the west. They said the rules had changed in the last few years, as before foreigners could also travel on our proposed route forward.
We decided we were fairly close so might as well see if we could get through with David’s Arabic. We climbed to 1100 meters (about 3,500 feet) on a winding track, then came down to 350 meters altitude into a large wadi with a small police (Wadi Bih) checkpoint closing the road. David got out and talked to the young officer who had come out of the adjacent building, who explained that he would like to let us in but that we were entering Oman from the UAE and had not passed a border post to check out of the UAE officially, so he could not allow it. We explained we had Omani parents (the Bosch elders) and that we just wanted to go to see Khasab and come back. He said perhaps as a favor he could let us in, but we would have to come back through the same checkpoint. After some discussion with his superior, it was agreed we would leave our passports with him and return in two days to pick them up. We had spent about 20 minutes at the remote post, and not a single vehicle had come into sight during that time.
We drove a few miles down the wadi and came upon an Islamic graveyard with very tall narrow stone markers, unlike anything seen elsewhere in Oman, as well as a circular stone structure like the base of an 'Um an Nar tomb, and a rectangular building with very large stones. We also saw come large cairns, and made a side trip to the Rowdah Bowl, a flat fertile valley a few kilometers away.
Then we climbed up a steep track with switchbacks to get the ridge of the mountain, at 3,300 feet, and drove along the ridge for several miles with huge mountains and wadis on all sides. Climbing again up steep swithbacks to over 5,000 feet, we passed below the highest peak in Musandam, Jebel Harim at almost 7,000 feet. We passed walled cultivated villages, mostly deserted, in extremely isolated positions on the surrounding slopes.
We then descended to about 3,000 feet, to a fertile flat plateau called Sayh Plateau, about a mile long and half a mile wide. It looked to have roughly 100 inhabitants. Then we went down a steep section again to reach the wadi floor at about 1,000 feet altitude, and proceeded several miles till we ran into tarmac and a checkpoint for entry to Khasab. We went straight to the Khasab Hotel, which had a modest but sizable room for $130 including breakfast, and took it. There were many local families celebrating ‘Id there, and cooking outside their rooms, which worried us a bit, but the night turned out to be quiet. It was nice to sleep in a bed in an air conditioned room!
We drove down the coast, saw the Golden Tulip Hotel, which was full, but we decided to splurge and had their dinner buffet, which was quite good, $50 each with wine. A room with breakfast was available the following day, as many people were leaving to return to the Emirates to work, but we decided that the $300 per night cost was not worth moving from our modest quarters.
We rose at dawn and backtracked into Dibba to see what we had missed travelling through at night. Picked up gas and Indian breakfast of eggs and parotas, and some directions to Musandam, which were not the most precise. After seeing the local Golden Tulip Hotel, which was full, we found that we were in the Oman part of Dhiba, which is also shared by two other states, Fujairah and Sharja. We passed a checkpoint and headed to the north and started up a mountain trail which lead to the Zigy Bay Resort, quite an expensive place that would not let us in for a coffee and a look, saying they were too full due to the ‘Id. We drove up the start of a wadi track on graded rock with wadi walls sometimes covered with plants like “hanging gardens”. After half an hour of not seeing any other vehicle, but good scenery and birds, we met a hired tourist vehicle with a local driver coming the other way. When we asked how far to Khasab, they said a few hours, but that only Omanis could pass the check point about half an hour up the road, so we would have to return to Dibba and go on another roundabout road for several hours to Sharja and Ras al-Khaimah and then to Khasab from the west. They said the rules had changed in the last few years, as before foreigners could also travel on our proposed route forward.
We decided we were fairly close so might as well see if we could get through with David’s Arabic. We climbed to 1100 meters (about 3,500 feet) on a winding track, then came down to 350 meters altitude into a large wadi with a small police (Wadi Bih) checkpoint closing the road. David got out and talked to the young officer who had come out of the adjacent building, who explained that he would like to let us in but that we were entering Oman from the UAE and had not passed a border post to check out of the UAE officially, so he could not allow it. We explained we had Omani parents (the Bosch elders) and that we just wanted to go to see Khasab and come back. He said perhaps as a favor he could let us in, but we would have to come back through the same checkpoint. After some discussion with his superior, it was agreed we would leave our passports with him and return in two days to pick them up. We had spent about 20 minutes at the remote post, and not a single vehicle had come into sight during that time.
We drove a few miles down the wadi and came upon an Islamic graveyard with very tall narrow stone markers, unlike anything seen elsewhere in Oman, as well as a circular stone structure like the base of an 'Um an Nar tomb, and a rectangular building with very large stones. We also saw come large cairns, and made a side trip to the Rowdah Bowl, a flat fertile valley a few kilometers away.
Then we climbed up a steep track with switchbacks to get the ridge of the mountain, at 3,300 feet, and drove along the ridge for several miles with huge mountains and wadis on all sides. Climbing again up steep swithbacks to over 5,000 feet, we passed below the highest peak in Musandam, Jebel Harim at almost 7,000 feet. We passed walled cultivated villages, mostly deserted, in extremely isolated positions on the surrounding slopes.
We then descended to about 3,000 feet, to a fertile flat plateau called Sayh Plateau, about a mile long and half a mile wide. It looked to have roughly 100 inhabitants. Then we went down a steep section again to reach the wadi floor at about 1,000 feet altitude, and proceeded several miles till we ran into tarmac and a checkpoint for entry to Khasab. We went straight to the Khasab Hotel, which had a modest but sizable room for $130 including breakfast, and took it. There were many local families celebrating ‘Id there, and cooking outside their rooms, which worried us a bit, but the night turned out to be quiet. It was nice to sleep in a bed in an air conditioned room!
We drove down the coast, saw the Golden Tulip Hotel, which was full, but we decided to splurge and had their dinner buffet, which was quite good, $50 each with wine. A room with breakfast was available the following day, as many people were leaving to return to the Emirates to work, but we decided that the $300 per night cost was not worth moving from our modest quarters.
Nov. 17 Muscat to Dibba, UAE
Nov. 17 Muscat to Dibba, UEA
We hastily packed the 4-wheel drive Pajero and left for Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, where we had never been before. It being the ‘Id, there were no reservations available on line, but we decided to just go and look for a place to stay when we got there, and to sleep in the car if no better alternative appeared.
We headed up the coastal road past the airport, Sib, Burka, and Sohar, passing the turnoff to Dubai through Hatta about half an hour past Sohar. Just before the mountains blocked our passage north, we crossed into the UAE at Khatamat Malalah with relatively little wait or hassle. Others were coming the other way into Oman and had to pay $55 each for their Oman visa.
When we reached Fujaira on the coast, we recognized our old favorite Persian restaurant on the corner of the Cornish Road, but spent 20 minutes getting around to it due to ‘Id traffic. It was unfortunately a big disappointment, as the food had deteriorated a great deal. And it took about an hour to get out of the parking lot and heading North toward Musandam! The traffic was unreal, and we crawled along for a couple of hours as it got dark, looking for any hotel along the way. The hotel in Fujaira that we had stayed in 18years ago was full when we drove in, and they did not know any hotel not yet booked. A small apartment hotel we found was booked for the next two nights. We reached the outskirts of Dibba by 8:00 pm, but found all the hotels full except the Meridien, which offered me a special rate of $500 for the night, which I declined with regret. This area is a high-rent area for upscale tourists.
We noticed that people were all camping on both sides of the road, and that some areas were designated for “Families Camping Only”. No wonder everyone camps when the hotels were so expensive! We passed through Dibba and a large cement plant on the outskirts without finding either a hotel or a clear road marked to Musandam, and were getting quite tired. We were looking for a quiet place to park the car and sleep, where we would not be bothered all night by car headlights and noise. Finally we pulled onto a dirt track leading toward a small mountain where we could only see a few house lights, passed the houses, when two women and an old man came out to see who was in their neighborhood. We explained that we were looking for a quiet wadi to sleep in and they pointed out a track they said went to their own quiet wadi. Sure enough, it lead to a dead end, and there was no traffic, so we spent all night without any noise. Not the best sleep though as we had forgotten our Excedrin PM!
We hastily packed the 4-wheel drive Pajero and left for Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, where we had never been before. It being the ‘Id, there were no reservations available on line, but we decided to just go and look for a place to stay when we got there, and to sleep in the car if no better alternative appeared.
We headed up the coastal road past the airport, Sib, Burka, and Sohar, passing the turnoff to Dubai through Hatta about half an hour past Sohar. Just before the mountains blocked our passage north, we crossed into the UAE at Khatamat Malalah with relatively little wait or hassle. Others were coming the other way into Oman and had to pay $55 each for their Oman visa.
When we reached Fujaira on the coast, we recognized our old favorite Persian restaurant on the corner of the Cornish Road, but spent 20 minutes getting around to it due to ‘Id traffic. It was unfortunately a big disappointment, as the food had deteriorated a great deal. And it took about an hour to get out of the parking lot and heading North toward Musandam! The traffic was unreal, and we crawled along for a couple of hours as it got dark, looking for any hotel along the way. The hotel in Fujaira that we had stayed in 18years ago was full when we drove in, and they did not know any hotel not yet booked. A small apartment hotel we found was booked for the next two nights. We reached the outskirts of Dibba by 8:00 pm, but found all the hotels full except the Meridien, which offered me a special rate of $500 for the night, which I declined with regret. This area is a high-rent area for upscale tourists.
We noticed that people were all camping on both sides of the road, and that some areas were designated for “Families Camping Only”. No wonder everyone camps when the hotels were so expensive! We passed through Dibba and a large cement plant on the outskirts without finding either a hotel or a clear road marked to Musandam, and were getting quite tired. We were looking for a quiet place to park the car and sleep, where we would not be bothered all night by car headlights and noise. Finally we pulled onto a dirt track leading toward a small mountain where we could only see a few house lights, passed the houses, when two women and an old man came out to see who was in their neighborhood. We explained that we were looking for a quiet wadi to sleep in and they pointed out a track they said went to their own quiet wadi. Sure enough, it lead to a dead end, and there was no traffic, so we spent all night without any noise. Not the best sleep though as we had forgotten our Excedrin PM!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
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