camping on the beach near fins

Friday, September 28:  Fins is a small village north of Wadi Shab, and between this village and Wadi Shab are numerous small & hidden coves with beaches, or wider expanses of sand, or cliffs dropping precipitously into the sea.  Only dirt tracks lead to these beaches and it’s not clear at all when you enter a track from the highway whether it will lead you to a decent beach or not.

We take numerous tracks to the edge of the ocean, and finally we find this one beautiful little secluded cove which entices us to either stop and take a swim or set up camp.

one beautiful little slice of paradise

However, we see the track down to the beach is on the opposite side of the wadi, and there seems to be no way to get there from where we are.  We head back toward the highway, but the only entrance to the highway leads north, and we need to get south to the other side of that wadi.

So we move on.  After driving to various dead ends and unimpressive beaches, we finally find a little stretch of fine white sand that doesn’t seem too crowded.  We decide we will set up camp here.

Anna and I head directly into the ocean to swim.  The Sea of Oman is quite salty and sometimes it feels like it approaches the Dead Sea in its salt level.  We swim and float for a while until we notice that Kathy, who has left her car parked on the other side of the road, has been missing for quite some time.

I go to check out what’s happening, and I find two young French guys trying to help Kathy out of a predicament.  She recently purchased her 2006 4WD Kia Sportage, but it came without a manual, and she hasn’t quite figured out how to engage the four-wheel drive.  Today, she has tried to drive across the sand and has gotten the SUV stuck on three large rocks, which the French guys are trying to dig out.  After they’ve dug out what they can, she still seems to be stuck on top of one huge rock right at the center underside of her car.  One of the French guys offers to drive, and Kathy, the other guy, and I push the car to try to free it from the rock.  Success! Kathy is able to drive her car over the sand and land near our campfire spot.

Anna and the little rock circle used for a previous campfire

Kathy is an industrious young lady, so immediately she begins to collect sticks and twigs to start the fire. Anna goes off and helps.  I get busy trying to set up my tent because I don’t want to do it after dark.  Plus, I’ve never set it up by myself so I’m a little nervous that I won’t be able to do it!  Anna, in all her kindness, helps me to put it together.  Then I help her.  Hers is a lot easier to set up than mine is.

Kathy gathers firewood for cooking

Finally, we sit down, but it is still sweltering even as the sun is going down.  Hot and humid.  Even though I’ve been swimming in the ocean, I feel sweaty and sticky and salty.  And I know this is how I will feel all night because it’s not cooling down and there are no showers.  I don’t want to jump back in the ocean, because that is a temporary reprieve; it would leave a new film of salt and sand all over me.

the north end of the beach

the south end of the beach

looking inland as the sun goes down

Smooth stones in the sand

Kathy gets the fire going and puts on a pot of water to boil some pasta.  We realize we have left in Anna’s Muscat apartment the eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers for the pasta, so we’ll just have to throw in some grated cheese and olive oil that we have on hand.

industrious Kathy holds the bowl of pasta while putting the meat on the fire

After the pasta is cooked, Kathy puts the skewers of garlic mint chicken and kefta on the fire.  I eat so much of the pasta that I’m hardly hungry for any of the meat.

our tents set up for a night of sweating

Later we sit outside by the fire.  I am still so uncomfortable, I just want to go to sleep to forget my misery.  Kathy and Anna are very content to be covered in sweat and sand and to sit listening to the waves and watching the sun go down.  I would be fine with that too, if I had a bed and a hot shower in a hotel room to look forward to.

These two love camping.  On the other hand, I’ve decided this will be my last camping trip. I love these friends: I admire Kathy’s patience and industrious nature and Anna’s inner peace, tranquility and kindness.  I need to learn more of all these things, especially patience.  But I don’t think I’ll learn them by camping.  This “extreme” activity just causes me to be more irritable and impatient.  Kathy says I’m a “princess.”  Maybe so, though I certainly have never lived a royal life!

Anna tends the fire

I climb in my tent, closing the door to keep out mosquitoes.  In my private little oven,  I lie on top of my sleeping bag and toss fitfully to and fro, wondering when this interminable night will end.

In the morning when I wake up, I’m surprised to find it is quite cool.  The sun is just rising and hasn’t yet had the opportunity to beam down its misery on the land.  I get up and sit out by the fire that Kathy has already made to heat water for coffee. Since we’ve forgotten our veggies for the omelet she planned, she makes sunny side up eggs. She’s very kind to do this, for I see sweat pouring off of her as she sits by the fire.  I’m grateful that she enjoys this.  Immediately after eating my egg, I start dismantling my tent.  I know it won’t be long before the sun refuses to have mercy on us.  I sweat and dismantle, dismantle and sweat.

Thank goodness it’s not much longer before this misery ends.  We finally pack up and begin our drive back to Nizwa.  We’re taking a new route back, and it turns out to be shorter than my normal route.  Of course, none of the shortcut roads are marked, but we somehow figure it out by following our slightly inaccurate map.  Around 3:00, we roll into Nizwa, and I’m ecstatic to be back in my air-conditioned flat with a shower and my cozy bed awaiting me.

I think I will sell my tent, so I never make the mistake of camping again.

an InterNations convoy & the cliff diving world series 2012 at wadi shab

Thursday, September 27: This morning Neziha, who works with me at the university, and her friend Andreas, have organized a convoy of people from InterNations who will go together to the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012 at Wadi Shab.  This competition is the last leg in the series, with Colombian Orlando Duque as the current leader based on overall points.

Neziha & Bert, another InterNations member

Kathy. And Anna, peeking through the open door…

We are all supposed to meet at the Al Amerat Roundabout outside of Muscat at 7 a.m.  Of course, as always when people are waiting for a group to congregate, there are a few people who are late and hold up the whole show.  In this case, though we arrive right at 7 a.m., several people are as late as 7:40.  Finally, we give up on the few who still haven’t shown up and we head down the highway toward Wadi Shab.

Bert, Andreas, Neziha & Othman

me, myself and i 🙂

It is great to meet some new people outside of the university.  We meet a Dutch man, Bert, who takes on the role of family man by offering to carry two women and their three children in his big vehicle.  We meet a Palestinian guy named Othman and an Omani sea-captain who has taken Neziha to the Damaniyat Islands. When we stop for coffee and petrol in Qurayat, we meet another group from Rustaq, Brits and Pakistanis, who were late for the 7:00 meeting, but have still managed to catch up with us here.

the whole group when the late arrivals catch up with us at Qurayat

Our happy caravan cruises down the road. As we’re driving, Kathy says she feels uncomfortable in large crowds and so feels nervous about this event.  I also feel nervous in large crowds, but Anna and I say that it’s good sometimes to push ourselves and step out of our comfort zone.

me and Kathy with the event poster

For me, this weekend is really out of my comfort zone.  For one, I don’t do well in heat and humidity.  Second, I, like Kathy, don’t like large crowds.  Somehow having our smaller crowd of InterNations people feels cozy to me, so we’ll at least have a little crowd within a crowd to hang out with.  Finally, we are planning to camp after the event.  Most people know by now that I am not a camping kind of girl.  I prefer the comfort of a hotel.  Even when I do camp, which is rare, I’m the kind of person who will set up a tent and sleeping bag, and then run to the nearest restaurant to eat.  I hate the hassle of carrying all the cooking gear and food, collecting firewood, setting up a campfire, cooking over a flame, and then washing the dishes in less than ideal circumstances.  I don’t like it that I don’t have a private bathroom or running water or a shower to wash off the sand and salt.  So, between all of these things, I am really out of my comfort zone.

Red Bull: the sponsor of our show

Anna and I agree however, that it is good to sometimes push ourselves out of our comfort zone.  Maybe we will make some new friends or our lives will head off in some new trajectory as a result of this out-of-our-normal-pattern action.   Kathy is not convinced.  She just doesn’t like crowds. Little do I know how much I will be totally out of my comfort zone today, and how much I will dislike the crowds, the heat, and camping.

a close-up of the bridge

We reach the exit for Wadi Tiwi, next door to Wadi Shab, and head into the tangle of cars trying to find parking as close as possible to the entrance to Wadi Shab.  Already at 10:30, it is sweltering and, as usual in Oman, as there is little foliage anywhere, there is nowhere to escape the sun.  We trudge a long distance on the road to the opening of Wadi Shab.  By the time we arrive at the entrance to the wadi, sweat is pouring off of all of us.

already drenched and we haven’t even reached the competition point!

Usually there is a little boat to take people across the wadi, so I wonder how this will be handled with the lines of people traipsing along like ants on an anthill.  When we come to the wadi, we see the event managers (co-sponsors Red Bull and Oman’s Ministry of Tourism) have built a footbridge across the wadi.  We cross it.

the footbridge built over the wadi for this event

looking into Wadi Shab

Next, we must walk quite a distance over a sandy path underneath some brown date palms; after this, there is a long patch on the wadi bed of smooth rocks, bigger than pebbles but smaller than boulders, that roll about under our feet as we walk. It’s not easy going.  I’m surprised by the constant stream of people and we realize that this crowd is going to be a lot bigger than any of us imagined.

walking under the dried up date palms

the crowds entering the event area

By the time we arrive to where the event is to take place, the space between the canyon walls is filled with people.  People have climbed up on every available ledge.  People are overflowing from the rocky beach area into the water.  Some people are floating on inner tubes in the water.  Some people are huddled under slices of shade offered by overhanging rock ledges, while others are squeezed under a big Red Bull tarp.  Everyone is searching for shade as well as a decent vantage point to see the divers.

crowds of people

Almost immediately, when we join the crowd at cliff-diving central, Anna and I realize we have lost not only most of our InterNations group, but Kathy as well.  Kathy, who made it very clear to us that she does not like crowds.  We look and look for her, and send text messages and try to call, but there is not a good signal in the wadi. When the signal finally catches, the message is sent, but she is not checking her messages.

An announcer tells the crowd to please be quiet for the warm-up dives, as the divers need silence to concentrate.  It’s hard to keep the crowd quiet, as hoots and hollers come from all quarters.  Despite that, the divers must have great powers of concentration, because they do their dives with seeming perfection.

the dive platform and a diver

Anna and I try to climb toward the VIP area.  Anna is so funny; she always thinks any barrier can be overcome and she will be able to talk her way in.  This is not the case here.  We are turned away at the steps that lead to the VIP area.  If you are looking to read a great account of the actual cliff-diving competition from the VIP area, you should visit the following posts by Andy in Oman.  HE was in the VIP area, as was his friend, who also posted a great blog and excellent pictures.  You can see those blogs here: 1) Red Bull Cliff Diving at Wadi Shab (Part 1) – Welcome & Warmup, 2) 2 Awesome Dives at Red Bull Cliff Diving Series 2012 at Wadi Shab, Oman, 3) Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012 Final at Wadi Shab, Oman (Awesome Dives Clip 2), and 4) Awesome Dives Video Clip #3 – Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012 Final.  Here’s another account by Andy’s friend, but I’m sorry I don’t know his name!! THE ROGUE AND PEASANT SLAVE: Red Bull Cliff Diving Championships in Oman.  And for the real, official version of what happened, please see: RED BULL CLIFF DIVING WORLD SERIES FINAL.

the dive platform above the heads of the crowd

setting the scene

Some of the facts of the cliff-diving competition, from the event brochure, are as follows: The dive platform maximum height is 28 meters (~ 92 feet) and the minimum is 26.5 meters (~ 87 feet).  Olympic diving is 10 meters (~32 feet)!  The free fall takes about 3 seconds, with physical forces of 2-3G.  The divers enter the water at speeds of 85-90km per hour (53-56 miles/hour), nine times harder than from a 10 meter (Olympic height) platform.

we might be filmed!

The highest risk of injury occurs during the plunge, when parts of the body are already exposed to absolute deceleration and others, above the surface, are still at full speed. At this point, absolute physical tension is absolutely necessary. Immediately after hitting the water, the athlete has to actively dive away to avoid compression or contortion of parts of the body due to the hardness of the water. However, major mistakes can be ruled out because of the divers’ technical training and experience. A pancake landing from such heights can be compared with a hard landing from 13 meters (~43 feet) on concrete.  That is why only about three or four dozen athletes worldwide pursue this exclusive and extreme sport.  Generally speaking, high diving over 28 meters is not justifiable. Due to the rapid acceleration, almost no time benefit occurs from higher dives, but the risk of injuries increases disproportionately.

yet another view of an empty dive platform… 🙂

Five international jurors judge each dive on the following criteria: 1) Take off, 2) Position in the air, and 3) Entry in the water, with scores from 0-10.

Sadly, this version of the story is simply my personal experience.  If you want to know what it was like to be in the masses, read on.  If you want the official, real details of the CLIFF DIVING COMPETITION, you should stop here and check the links above!

Anna ahead of me walking along the ledges

So, to continue with my saga: Anna and I clamber around on the rock ledges, trying to catch a decent glimpse of the cliff divers, to locate our InterNations friends, and to find Kathy. We are unsuccessful on all fronts.  We can only see the top halves of the dives; we can never see the divers hit the water because of all the people in the way.  I try to take some pictures of the divers, or at least I think I am doing so, but the divers disappear from the frame before the camera snaps.  I have no pictures of the divers! The only photos I get are of crowds and crowds of people, an empty dive platform, and the Red Bull tents.  Mostly I am too busy sweating to even bother to take pictures.  And then to top it off, as Anna and I are clambering through some bushes on the ledges, I get stung on my left hand by a very angry bee.

Anna shielding herself from the sun with a towel

I have had many bee stings in my life, and usually they barely bother me.  I don’t know what kind of bee this was, but I know he must have had some nasty venom in him.  It feels like I’ve been shot.  My hand immediately swells to nearly twice its normal size.  I am hot, thirsty and tired of fighting for a decent view and some shade.

hordes of people

While my hand is burning and stinging, down below us, Anna spots Kathy.  We fight our way down and sit beside her on the opposite side of the wadi from the crowds, under a few little shade trees.  We are all tired, hot and irritable.  We’ve totally lost interest in the dives because we can barely see them anyway.  Kathy is hungry and so am I, so Anna and I go to the Left Bank restaurant’s tent to get some chicken wraps.  A guy who is serving people in the hot sun looks drenched.  Anna says, “Wow, you’re lucky.  It looks like someone poured a bucket of water on you!”  He looks at us like we’re crazy.  “This is SWEAT!” he says.

check out the people on the ledges!

Finally we vote to leave the island. I mean the wadi. We have had enough.  So we trudge back out of the wadi, where luckily we catch a shuttle car to the bridge.  We cross the bridge, and slog up a hill until we finally catch another car for 1 rial each back to the parking lot.  I have never been so happy to jump into an air-conditioned car.

I’m sure the cliff-diving competition was a pretty fabulous thing.  What little I saw of the dives were amazing.  I read about it and saw great pictures from Andy’s and Rogue’s blogs.  But as for it being a truly enjoyable event…not in my book!

Later, when speaking about the event, I make a guess that thousands of people attended this event.  I don’t know the actual figure, but Neziha says she heard it was 6,000!  I don’t doubt it one bit!

a night in muscat: first leg of a road trip to the cliff-diving competition

Wednesday, September 26:  The weekend ahead promises to be a good one.  Kathy, Anna and I pack a bunch of camping gear and food and head to Muscat this evening. We are on the first leg of a road trip to see the Red Bull Diving Competition at Wadi Shab, which has been advertised quite heavily here in Oman.  We have plans to get up early and meet a group of people from InterNations to head to Wadi Shab in a caravan at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning.

entering La Mer Seafood Restaurant

La Mer Restaurant dining area

When we arrive in Muscat, we have a lovely dinner at La Mer Seafood Restaurant at Shatti Al Qurum. Before sitting in the dining room, we walk up to the rooftop, most of which is enclosed with heavy plastic and air-conditioned.  We walk outside through the plastic panels where we can see the Crowne Plaza at one end of the beach and cars driving by along the beach.  On the back side of La Mer, we can see the Royal Opera House all lit up.  It’s quite beautiful.  But we opt to sit indoors because it’s too hot and humid even at night to sit outdoors.

cars in motion along Shatti al Qurum with the Crowne Plaza at the far end

Royal Opera House Muscat

inside plastic panels at the rooftop bar

beautiful lantern

I have never been to La Mer before, so I’m happy to sample this restaurant.  I order a fish labeled “kofer,” fresh off the ice.  We can have the fish prepared any way we like, so I order it grilled and filleted.  Anna orders the same fish prepared as a Turkish grill, and Kathy orders the Escalope de Poulet ~ chicken breast  rolled with thyme and sun-dried tomatoes, served with garlic spinach, mashed potato and thyme sauce.

scampi and prawns on ice

kofer on ice

giant fish

They bring us warm bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce, but we add plenty of butter first.  Then we dip.  We order fruit drinks, Anna a pink watermelon and me an “Azart” ~ pomegranate and orange. Kathy’s Pepsi takes longer to get to her than our specially prepared fruit drinks.

pomegranate and orange juice mocktail

Kathy and Anna

Kathy and me

Our meals are delicious, but my meal doesn’t seem to be enough.  I am quite hungry.  I keep wanting to sample Kathy’s mashed potatoes, and then her garlic spinach, then pieces of her chicken wrapped around the sun-dried tomatoes with that delicious thyme sauce.  I think I know what I will order next time!

my grilled kofer

Kathy’s yummy chicken meal…I ate about 1/3 of it… 🙂

After dinner, we head to Anna’s Muscat apartment, where we try to get a good night’s sleep for an early morning tomorrow.  More to follow on our road trip….

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another evening on jebel akhdar

Monday, September 24:  Tonight, my friend  Mario and I go up to Jebel Akhdar to see the pomegranates, now at their prime, and to have dinner at the Sahab Hotel.  The last time we were here was in mid-June, in the heat of the summer, at which time the Green Mountain was a cool reprieve.  Tonight is no different.  The weather is breezy and perfect.  The waning light of sunset makes for some lovely views.

the Green Mountain terraces in the waning light

We take a little walk through the village and the plantations, but we get shooed away by a lady when we try to wander into the pomegranate garden.  This is the time when the pomegranates are ripe for picking, and Mario is especially excited about getting some good photos of ripe and juicy pomegranates.  So, we are disappointed we can’t get up close.  Later, as we wander closer to a pomegranate farm, we find someone is hurtling rocks in our direction.  We’re afraid to proceed any further, but then we realize they are boys trying to knock something out of a tree, possibly a walnut tree.  They are not really aiming at us (we don’t think!), but it just so happens the rocks are flying in our direction.

the terraced plantations on Jebel Akhdar

Oh well, the sun is going down anyway.  So we wander back and drive to the Sahab Hotel.  Once again, we have the entire place to ourselves and we pick a seat between the pool and the cliff overlooking the terraces.  It’s cool and the sky is dramatic with clouds and sunrays and beautiful light.

pomegranate tree in a field

the dramatic sky on the mountain

Sahab Hotel

We share some of a bottle of wine we brought ourselves (no wine is served as Sahab, but they do allow you to bring your own).  We order some Arabic foul soup (delicious), some smoked salmon bruschetta and chicken skewer appetizers.   We share an Italian salad.  The soup is definitely the highlight of the meal.

the Sahab all lit up at night ~ lovely… 🙂

dinner and wine under a dramatic sky!

Later, as we are driving down the mountain, we come to the police checkpoint.  They wave me down and ask to see my license and mokia (registration).  In all the times I have gone up Jebel Akhdar, I have NEVER been stopped on the way down, night or day.  They ask me to park the car and get out.  A very nice Omani man, not in uniform, tells me that when you approach a police or military checkpoint, you are supposed to dim your lights!! I had no idea of this.  Now that I know this rule, I will certainly be more careful next time around!

To see more photos of our evening on Jebel Akhdar, I invite you to check out the slideshow.

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a day in paradise at shangri-la’s barr al jissah resort & spa

Thursday, September 20:  Today, to get over the fact that my vacation is over and that I’m back for another year of work, I treat myself to a “day of paradise” at Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa. The offer is valid until October 31, 2012, so I figure I better hurry and take advantage of it.

the special offer for “A Day in Paradise” on the back of the Spring 2012 edition of Muscat Time Out

Entering Al Bandar Hotel ~ part of the Sangri-La Barr al Jissah complex

the lobby at Al Bandar Hotel

the beach view from my lounge chair to the south

the view to the north

I arrive later than I want to because of horrible traffic in Ruwi and just a late start in general, so I don’t really get to take advantage of the “full day.”  When I arrive at around 11:30 a.m., I scope out a lounge chair overlooking the beach, and immediately a guy from the hotel comes to set up a beach blanket that is made to fit the chair, along with some beach towels.  He then runs off and comes back with a miniature cooler full of ice and 3 bottles of water.  It’s so lovely to be treated as a princess!

the lawn area where I pick a chair for lounging and sunning

view toward the Sea of Oman

I sit and enjoy the views and read a bit and then I go for a little ride on the lazy river.  The water takes me quite a long distance all the way from Al Bandar Hotel, where I am sitting, to Al Waha Hotel at the far end of the beach, and then back again.

the lazy river

Later I sit and dry off so I won’t be soaking wet when I go for the lunch buffet at Al Tanoor restaurant.  The lunch is included in the price of 22 rials ($57), which is pretty good considering that if you go to the Chedi for the day, it’s 20 rials just to use the pool.  The buffet lunch is AMAZING!! It’s a huge spread of every kind of food you can imagine: cold salads, breads and cheeses, smoked salmon and meats, mixed grills, Indian food, and a colorful & enticing array of desserts.  I am still of course in a Greek frame of mind, so I order a glass of wine, which is about 4.40 rials including taxes (~ $11.43!!), much more expensive than the Greek counterparts which were around 3 euros ($3.90).  I guess I’m back in Muscat, with its high-priced food & drinks!

At the entrance to Al Tanoor Restaurant

the cheese and bread bar at Al Tanoor’s fabulous lunch buffet

one of the chefs in Al Tanoor

my first plate

dessert, anyone?

After my very leisurely lunch, I take a dip in the ocean with its salty and rolling waves. It’s cooler than I expect it to be and I float about in the water for a while.  Then I stroll around by the pool and take a dip in the crystal blue, and much cooler, water.  In Muscat’s heat and humidity, it is highly refreshing to float around in nice cool water.  Later I move my stuff and lounge on a pool bed that is situated poolside.  At that time, another man comes to bring me a fresh cooler full of ice and water bottles, along with a cool moist towel I can use to wipe my face.

the pools at Al Bandar ~ the sand-tinted part is like a concrete beach

crystal blue pools ~ so inviting

blue, blue, blue

At that time I read awhile and take a nice little nap.   Finally, when I’ve had enough of sun and heat, I take a shower in the Health Club, borrowing the hair dryer they have at the front desk, and take off to do other, not so relaxing things, in Muscat before driving back home to Nizwa.

A very lovely day back in Oman…. 🙂

chess by the sea, anyone?

nine jewels of india present panchtatva at the royal opera house

Monday, September 17:  Tonight I go to the Royal Opera House to see a concert of classical Indian music: Nine Jewels of India present Panchtatva.

the Royal Opera House Muscat

I drive directly from work because the university is about a half-hour closer to Muscat than my house is.  I am wearing a dress I bought this summer in the U.S.  It’s nothing special, not at all formal, just a casual summer dress.  It has short bell sleeves and the hem hits right at the top of my knee.  I have seen people dressed in all kinds of things at the Opera House before, including jeans, so I figure this dress will be okay.  For work, since we cannot wear skirts above the knee, I have on a pair of leggings, but for the Opera House, I plan to remove the leggings.  However, when I tell one of my colleagues I’m heading to the Opera House this evening, he says, “You can’t wear that!! You know there is a dress code now at the Opera House!”

I don’t know anything about this, so he grabs the September 12 edition of Muscat Daily. According to the Muscat Daily article, “The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) has asked all its patrons, both nationals and expatriates, attending events during the season to arrive on time and in formal dress.”  Apparently ROHM reserves to the right to refuse entry to those who don’t meet the dress code.  No refunds or exchanges would be granted if patrons are prevented from entering.

“Our dress code is formal or business.  For Omanis, this means dishdasha and mussar for men and formal attire for women.  For non-Omanis, this means suits or dinner jackets for men and conservative dresses for women.  We have a strict no jeans, no tennis shoes and no t-shirt policy.  Please note that local culture requires conservative dress, which means no exposed shoulders or short dresses above the knee.”

Me with my goofy casual summer dress, slightly above the knees, and an Indian woman dressed properly in Indian costume  ~ I NEVER have the right thing to wear to the Opera House!! 😦

Uh-oh.  I am not about to drive in the opposite direction back to my house to change my clothes.  I figure I will try to go into the Opera House, and if they won’t allow me in, I’ll run out to my car and put on my leggings.  That should solve the issue.

Before I go to the Opera House, I drop by the Left Bank, which is nearby, for a light dinner.  I order their Chili Fried Prawns, Goat Cheese en Croute with Cranberries, and a glass of red wine.  I decide to sit outdoors despite the air being heavy with moisture, much like a steam room.  Thinking briefly that it is too miserable outside, I go inside to find I’m the only person inside and the air conditioning is icy cold!  I go back outside to sit, thinking it will be more like Greece, where I just visited for two weeks on my vacation.

Feeling soggy and eaten alive by mosquitoes at the Left Bank

Every night while I was in Greece, I ate on outdoor terraces in perfectly dry, breezy and cool weather.  I ate delicious Greek food and drank Greek wine.  Frankly, I am hoping to recapture that experience.  However, sitting on the porch at the Left Bank is absolute misery.  Not only is it steamy, making me feel like a damp rag, but mosquitoes are feasting away on my ankles.  I am scratching and sweating, sweating and scratching.  I gobble my food down and get the heck out of there fast.  At least I can get some relief at the Opera House.  That is, IF they allow me entry in my knee-length dress.

I find easy parking at the Opera House, pick up my tickets at the Will Call window, and go inside.  No one says anything to me, nor do they look at me askance as if I’m inappropriately dressed.   As most of tonight’s patrons are Indians, most women are dressed in typical Indian kurtas with leggings.  I do see one woman with a sleeveless dress that’s quite above her knee, so I figure if they let her in, they can’t throw me out.  Maybe they are not yet enforcing the dress code.

inside the beautiful Royal Opera House

Of course, since I never spend much money on tickets to performances, except for my favorite musicians, I am sitting on the highest tier, though a little more to the center than when I went to see the opera Carmen.  About 10 minutes before the show is due to begin at 7:30, the Omani ushers tell us we can all move to the first floor as there are many vacant seats.  We all move happily down to the bottom level, where there are still seats to spare even after we are all seated.

ROHM lobby

The live concert is called Panchtatva which, according to the program, combines Indian classical music, both Hindustani and Carnatic classical styles, with original Sanskrit verses from the Vedas to create an enchanting and exquisite musical experience.  The music depicts the five elements of nature: space, wind, fire, water and earth, while the Verses link these different elements and highlight their eternal qualities.

one of the ushers at the Opera House, dressed in traditional costume

Indian legends come together to create this music:  Pandit Jasraj, the divine voice; Pandit Hariiprasad Chaurasia, master of the bansuri, or bamboo flute; and T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, the master of the percussion instrument, the ghatam.  In addition are maestros such as Niladri Kumar, the maverick sitar player of his generation; V. Selvaganesh, a khangira (hand-held drum) player; Yogesh Samsi, the powerful tabla player; Ramkumar Mishra, another wonderful tabla player; and Sridhar Parthasarrathy, a master of the mridangam (the oldest Carnatic classical percussion instrument).

Inside from my top-level seat. The performers sat on cushions on the stage with the big screen behind them, just as seen here before the performance.

I’m afraid I never quite figure out who or what the “Nine Jewels” are.  As seen in the paragraph above, only 8 names are listed.  On the stage are over 11 artists.  Possibly the 9th “jewel” is Durga Jasraj, the woman who conceived, developed, directed, as well as narrated, the event.  The other 2 people on the stage were probably Ankita Joshi and Debopriya Ranadive, accompanying artists for vocals and flute, respectively.

Each artist is introduced in turn by Durga Jasraj, and each one comes on stage wearing a white kurta and white pants.  They all sit spread across the stage on white cushions.  Behind the artists is a huge movie screen.  During the presentation of each element, the screen shows the element moving in nature.

In SPACE, we see a lovely film of galaxies and stars in slow motion.  During WIND, yellow and brown leaves drift in a breeze, green leaves dance on trees in a forest.  During FIRE, volcanoes explode, flames lick a black sky.  During WATER, we see bubbles, slow motion waves, rain, waves crashing.  During EARTH, we see giant blades of emerald-green grass, a canopy overhead of green leaves, huge flowers, oversized slow-motion butterflies and hummingbirds, seagulls soaring over the ocean.

The music matches the elements.  SPACE sounds ethereal, WIND moving and ephemeral, FIRE crackling and energetic, WATER soothing and fluid, and EARTH grounded and elemental.  Percussion instruments are primarily used during the FIRE section, while the “divine voice” of Pandit Jasraj is the primary “instrument” in the EARTH performance.

Apparently Pandit Jasraj originated a unique concept called Jasrangi, a sensuous fusion of the Yin and the Yang, the male and female principles. It’s a harmonious blend, wherein a male and female singer, each with individual accompaniments, sing different ragas in their own respective scales, interweaving them.  During the EARTH performance, Pandit Jasraj does this alternating duet with another man, as far as I can tell.  Pandit’s voice is soulful and sonorous, highly spiritual.  His voice travels easily over all four and a half octaves.  I’m quite impressed by what he can do with his voice.

the view from above

The music is very mellow and trance-like; as a matter of fact, listening to the music and watching the hypnotic film of the elements almost puts me in a trance!  I find myself dozing off a number of times.  The music is repetitive and soothing, much like a meditative state.

I have heard Indian classical music before, probably in famous movies that try to depict India as a place of spirituality.  It matches my experience of the atmosphere I encountered in the yoga capital of Rishikesh in India when I visited there in March 2011.  I believe I’ve also heard this type of Indian Classical music in movies such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, and too many other Indian films to count.

Overall, it is a lovely performance, and as entranced as I have always been by the spiritual practices in India, I find myself transported into a kind of dream world.

the ceiling of the Royal Opera House

travel theme: texture

Saturday, September 15:  Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? has challenged us to a new travel theme this week: texture.  She writes: Texture adds something wonderful to a photo, drawing you into the image and creating impact. Texture can highlight details on the surface of an object; macro photography often works with texture in such detail that it is not immediately apparent and not necessary to recognize what the object is. The beauty is in the detail.  Texture in relationship with other  elements in a photograph can create drama, and it can also provide information about the object being photographed.

Here is the texture of frankincense trees in Salalah, Oman.  The stuff that oozes out of the tree is what harvesters scrape off to create frankincense.

the texture of a frankincense tree in Salalah

From Oman Off-Road:  Frankincense is the hardened aromatic resin of the Boswellia tree, and is burned for its medicinal, aromatic and insect-repelling qualities.  The resin is produced by careful shaving of the bark of the tree.  A good tree may produce 10 kg of frankincense in a season, which runs from April to the beginning of the monsoon.  The trees grow wild and are located where the southern mountains of Oman meet the desert plateau.

frankincense ~ the whitish ooze on the tree

back to work ~ booted from office!

Tags

Life, Nizwa, Oman, University of Nizwa

Saturday, September 15:  Today is Six Word Saturday, and here are my six words:

BACK TO WORK ~ BOOTED FROM OFFICE!

I didn’t open my university email even one time in the six weeks I was on vacation for this very reason.  I didn’t want to be upset by anything that had to do with work.  No one wants to find out while they are on vacation that they’ve been sacked, that their house has burned down, that they’ve been demoted, or WHATEVER!!  I didn’t want my peace of mind ruined, or even threatened, during my time of relaxation and leisure.

my new office

I found upon my return that the office I shared with two other people (it was bad enough we didn’t have our own private offices!) has now been confiscated by the university administration (for what use I’m not clear).  I was told upon my return to pack up my stuff and move to a newer building across the campus with a lot of other Foundation Institute teachers into a bullpen area full of cubicles.  It’s not that bad really, but the worst thing is that I’m separated from my closest friends all the way across the campus.

my special new desk

Welcome back to the real world.

back in oman after a sweet escape :-)

Friday, September 14:  Hello everyone! I returned early this morning from Greece and have spent my first day home unpacking, doing laundry, tallying my finances from my trip (ouch!) and straightening my house.  I have to return to work tomorrow… 😦  I’m so sorry I have been neglecting all the blogs I follow, as well as my own blog, and I will get to them in time!  Please be patient; I haven’t deserted you…

one of many beautiful scenes from Santorini

It will take me some time to post all my pictures and stories from Greece.  You can follow them if you like on greek wanderings.  Once I write a post, I will reblog it on here. I’m trying to keep each post short and sweet.  I hope you’ll enjoy living vicariously through my photos and musings.  I am still in the Greek frame of mind this evening, sipping a glass of wine and dreaming of the impossibly blue Mediterranean, the whitewashed villages along the caldera of Santorini, the charming villages and beaches of Crete, and the ancient world of Athens, Thira, Delphi and Mycenae.  And the food, the glorious food… 🙂  (Of which about 5 pounds has attached to my body…)

a little tavern in the neighborhood of Plaka near my hotel in Athens

As soon as I can get back into the swing of things, I’ll continue exploring Oman on weekends.  I have missed my blogging world, but now I’m back and look forward to sharing with anyone who is interested.

Stay tuned!  And don’t get impatient…. 🙂  Remember, I’m back to the slowest internet in the world.  I’m going to lose patience myself, I know!