the rustaq loop: nakhal fort & ain a’thawwarah hot springs. {1st stop}

Tags

Oman, Travel

Thursday, February 28:  Today, Mario and I embark on another road trip, this time to Al Batinah.  Since we pass the outskirts of Muscat, we make a stop to stock up on some wine, and then head west along the north coast to Barka.  Driving inland from Barka, on the Rustaq Loop, we end up at Nakhal Fort by about 10:30 a.m.

Nakhal Fort

Nakhal Fort

Archway into Nakhal Fort

Nakhal Fort is by far my favorite fort in Oman.  This is the third time I’ve been here, and each time I love it as much as I did on my previous visits.  Nakhal means palm, and once you climb to the top of the fort, you can see date palms stretching out in every direction.  The fort sits atop a small natural rock outcrop, surrounded by these date palm plantations, with Jebel Nakhal, a spur of the Western Hajar Mountains, as a backdrop (Rough Guide Oman).  It’s picture-perfect.

majlis with jewel-colored cushions

Nakhal Fort is built on a solid rock foundation

Looking up at Nakhal from inside

The view of the Nakhal mosque from the fort

watchtower at Nakhal Fort

According to Rough Guide Oman, the fort probably dates back to pre-Islamic times.  It has been remodeled throughout the centuries, including a substantial rebuilding in the 17th century.  During the reign of imam Said bin Sultan, in 1834, the present gateway and towers were added, and in 1990, the fort was totally restored.

Nakhal Fort

Canon at Nakhal Fort

Date palm plantations and Jebel Nakhal

the fort

crenelations

the fort

I like this fort because of its crazy angles and because the rock outcrop is incorporated into the fort’s foundation.  There are multiple sitting rooms, or majlis, throughout, decked out with colorful pottery, beautiful carpets, and jewel-colored cushions.  A couple of the children’s rooms have beds in them.  Mario thinks he wants to lie down on one because his back has been giving him trouble, but he doesn’t, of course.

fort

more of the fort

me in the majlis

a child’s bedroom

ceiling in one of the rooms

Some of the small watchtowers have small loopholes just big enough for a rifle barrel, plus wider openings where, in typical Omani fashion, boiling date juice or honey could be poured over attackers below.

the imposing Nakhal Fort

views from the fort

from the gardens below: Nakhal Fort

another view

in the gardens below the fort

We walk into the jail, where the smells are not pleasant and we can only imagine the horrible conditions the prisoners endured.  After making the rounds, we go outside to the gardens below the fort and take some pictures from there.

a peek through the flowers

pretty blossom

After we leave the fort, we venture further into the town of Nakhal to Ain a’Thawwarah hot springs.  This place reminds me of Wadi Bani Khalid; it’s crammed with locals.  It’s a popular spot for practically everyone, including groups of Omanis of Zanzibar origin pounding on drums, chanting and dancing.  The sounds are quite cacophonous, as two groups are playing their own brand of loud music right across the stream from each other.  The hot spring itself is just a small rectangular concrete pool fed by warm natural spring water and filled with local Omani boys.  Not my kind of place at all.

Ain a’Thawwarah hot springs, full of Omani boys

hamming it up

the Zanzibari-Omanis dance and play drums and music

the stream leading to the hot springs

After leaving this spot, we have a nice little lunch in a restaurant in Nakhal before we head to Wadi Bani Awf to visit Little Snake Canyon.

a restaurant in Nakhal where we have some lunch

a variety of fruits to make fresh fruit juices

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travel theme: bridges

Tags

Oman, Travel, travel theme

Saturday, February 23:  Ailsa’s travel theme for this week (Where’s my backpack?) is BRIDGES.

This weekend in our Thursday explorations of Oman, we came upon this bridge over some wetlands in Al Amerat.

A new bridge over the wetlands near Al Amerat

reflections of the bridge from the underside

wetlands and the other side of the bridge

friday meditation: the destructive power of anger

Tags

Life, Spirituality, WPLongform

Friday, February 22:  I always find it serendipitous when the universe hands you exactly what you need at just the moment you need it.  This week (and last week as well), basically ever since the semester began at the university, I have been dealing with the destructive emotion of anger.  During these two weeks, as I’ve been carrying all this anger, I’ve been simultaneously reading Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard.  Oddly, the chapters I happened upon this week discuss the destructive power of anger.

Ricard asks: “When a powerful emotion or thought arises — anger, for instance — what normally occurs?  We are very easily overwhelmed by this thought, which multiplies into numerous new thoughts that disturb and blind us…”

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” ~ Buddha

anger is like a dark cloud that disturbs your peace of mind

Yes, for the last two weeks, I’ve been overwhelmed by anger.  Why?  I’ve been seething because of the extreme micromanagement from the university administration, unreasonable demands on our time, constant emails telling us we have to attend a COMPULSORY workshop here or a MANDATORY meeting there or an exam invigilation that is “part of our administrative duties,” even though our contract already requires from us 20 contact hours and 6 hours devoted to student support.   Because we have DAILY QUIZZES that we must administer and mark and because I need time to PLAN for my 20 hours of classroom time, I feel like I’m being pushed up against a wall.  Frankly, I feel that I’m being treated like a robot or, worse, a slave, getting no respect or appreciation for all the good work I do.  And there is no use in complaining or arguing about anything, because the administration doesn’t care about what any of us think or feel, so there is no point in bringing up these complaints.  I love my students and I love being in the classroom; I feel that if people would just back off and leave me alone to do my job, I could actually enjoy my work.

In my meditations, I’ve been trying to observe this anger that is simmering inside me. One of the meditations asked me to just sit quietly and observe my emotions, and of course, because I’ve been in such turmoil for two weeks, the anger kept rising to the surface.  Instead of simply observing the emotion, as the guided meditation prompted, I found myself grabbing on to it and obsessing about it, thinking about what I could do.  How could I fight back?  What are my options?  Do I have to put up with this?

anger eats away at us and makes us puppets of the very people to whom our anger is directed

I found my heart racing, my shoulders and back tensing up.  I felt the anxiety one might feel if faced with great danger, like coming face to face with a ravenous tiger.  Every time I tried to let go of the anger, it reared its ugly head again.  I tried to focus on my breathing.  When I did, I realized my breathing was rapid, as if I was running away from something, and then I started obsessing about things again.  Every time I tried to let go of it, it kept coming back, and I kept grabbing on to it again.  I began to wonder why I couldn’t just let it go.

I focused on my breathing, trying to slow it down.  I focused on birds chirping outside.  I focused on my mantra: “Maranatha.”  And then, I found myself falling asleep in my sitting position!

Ricard’s words hit me hard: “Systematically blaming others and holding them responsible for our suffering is the surest way to lead an unhappy life.  It is by transforming our minds that we can transform the world.”

Ricard tells of an experience he had.  His blood was boiling over an incident where he felt he was perfectly justified to be angry.  He writes: “It was only hours later that I came to see how destructive an emotion anger really is, reducing our clarity and inner peace and turning us into veritable puppets.”

I realized that by letting myself be ruled by anger, I’m letting these people, the very people to whom my anger is directed, determine my state of mind, my level of happiness.  I’m letting them control me.  I’m becoming their puppet.

By holding on to anger, I make myself a puppet of those to whom my anger is directed…

I have been giving thought as to how I can deal with this situation.  This is my job and I have given my notice to leave at the end of June.  So I know the situation will not last forever.  I’m grateful that I have other options and am able to leave eventually.  In the meantime, I have to surrender myself to the university’s whims as long as I choose to stay, but only during work hours and when I am physically on campus.  I will go through the motions and do their bidding during the hours I am at the university, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I will try to do it without anger, but with simple resignation and acceptance.  I will continue to do as good a job as I can in the classroom, because I love my students and want them to benefit from what I can teach them.  Other than that, I CANNOT CHANGE THE SITUATION. This I must accept.

Once I leave the university, I will continue my personal policy of not taking work home with me and not opening work emails.  I will try to calm my emotions while at work.  I will try hard to leave behind any simmering anger as soon as I get in my car and drive off the campus.   And I will continue to meditate to achieve peace of mind.  I will do the things I enjoy when I am away from work.  I always love exploring Oman, taking walks and photos and writing my blog.  I will focus on these things and count down the days.

“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ricard says something else that gives me food for thought: “If an emotion strengthens our inner peace and seeks the good of others, it is positive, or constructive; if it shatters our serenity, deeply disturbs our mind, and is intended to harm others, it is negative, or afflictive.  As for the outcome, the only criterion is the good or the suffering that we create by our acts, words, and thoughts, for ourselves as well as for others.”

I care about my colleagues and my students, so I will try to be there for them, to understand and to care for them.  Somehow, I hope I can create good, rather than suffering, in the coming months.

And then, when all is said and done, I can go home, carrying my peace of mind along in my suitcase.  I hope I will ultimately feel that I created some kind of positive legacy, even if only a small one.

“There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.”  ~ Plato

wadi arbiyyin >> quriyat >> sushi in muscat. {the road trip: part 3}

Tags

Oman, Travel

Thursday, February 21: After visiting Bimmah Sinkhole, we decide to drive to Wadi Arbiyyin.  Mario has heard this is a particularly pretty wadi, so we’re keen to venture in and explore it.  We drive and drive and drive through a steep canyon, but nothing looks particularly striking.  Suddenly we come to a small pool where some people are picnicking and swimming and we pull off to take a couple of pictures.  However, to walk further from this spot would require climbing over a lot of big boulders, so we give up and head back to the car.

our first stop in Wadi Arbiyyin

a family picnic in the wadi

pretty little plant

an artistic endeavor

Mario suggests that we drive just 10 more minutes into the wadi.  If in that time we don’t see anything interesting, we will turn around.  After about 10 minutes, the wadi starts to widen a bit.  We see an interesting angled falaj.

the wadi widens

an angled falaj in both directions

a little goat friend hams it up on the mountainside

We see some pools and beautiful grasses.  We decide to drive further than the 10 minutes we agreed on, and we pledge to stop on our way back for photos.  By now the wadi is so stunning, with its golden cliffs and emerald and turquoise pools, that we end up driving 25 minutes deeper into the wadi.

views further back in the wadi

pretty little wadi

We come to a drop in the road that looks so steep that we figure we might not be able to make it back up.  This is the end of the line for us.  We park and get out to take some pictures.  At this point, we are loving what we see, emerald-green pools, white limestone cliffs, a winding falaj, date palms, ornamental grasses and a couple of goats or two.  We wander about taking pictures, then we start backtracking in the car.

the end of the line for us: pretty pools and limestone cliffs

beautiful emerald pools along a small village and date palms

an inviting little pool

another little goat friend

Mario at Wadi Arbiyyin

We return to the area of glowing emerald grasses and deeper pools and pull over to explore.  We find the most beautiful spot at the end of a wide pool to sit and contemplate the scene.  It’s around 4:00 at this time and a cool breeze has whipped up.  We sit and soak up the peaceful scene for quite some time until we decide we better head out, planning to make a few more stops along the way.

the loveliest spot

heavenly pool

the falaj along the pool

view through the grasses

paradise!

I love the rocks under the blue-green water

our parting view of this serene spot

Next, we stop beside some golden grasses and a rocky area with gray lumpy rocks.  As we walk around we hear a loud gunshot.  I jump because the shot is so loud, I could swear that someone is shooting at us.  We wait a few more seconds, then we’re startled out of our skin again by several more gunshots.  I look at Mario and then around in a panic, thinking that in a second either Mario or I will have a big bloody hole in the stomach or in the head!!  I panic and say, “I don’t feel comfortable with this!” and then I run for the car.    Mario is close behind me.  We jump in the car and drive out of there as fast as we can!

GUNSHOTS!!!

a gray rocky area near the grasses where we hear loud gunshots…

I don’t know if someone is shooting at some birds, shooting at us, or just having some fun at our expense, but my heart is pounding and I am in flight mode.

After leaving the wadi, we drive up the coast highway to Quriyat, where we cruise through the town. Mario wants me to see the fishing boats along the corniche.  We find some boats and fishermen sorting out their nets.

boats along the corniche in Quriyat

colorful boat

more boats

smaller fishing boats and a little watchtower on a peninsula

fishermen and their nets

After this, we head to Muscat to Qurum Resort for the sushi buffet.  We enjoy a banquet full of sushi and fancy desserts, topped off with a bottle of Chianti.

outside at Qurum Resort

a banquet of sushi

more sushi

pretty little setup at the dessert table

the appetizer table

strawberry desserts

my first helping 🙂

Sadly, our wonderful day comes to an end, and we drive all the way back to Nizwa.  By the time I arrive home at midnight, we have been on the go for 15 1/2 hours and we’ve driven 600 km.

I LOVE a road trip!!

the east coast road trip: wadi dayqah dam & bimmah sinkhole. {part 2}

Tags

Oman, Travel

Thursday, February 21: After leaving the wetlands and driving quite some distance to Quriyat, we look for the brown rectangular sign to Wadi Dayqah Dam.  We easily spot the sign at one of the exits to Quriyat, and then continue inland for about 20 km to see the biggest dam in Oman, inaugurated less than a year ago, in late March, 2012.

Wadi Dayqah dam from the bottom

The dam can store 100 million cubic meters of water and the storage lake covers an area of 350 hectares and extends about 6km from the main body of the dam, according to MuscatDaily.com: WADI DAYQAH DAM TO BE OPENED TODAY.

vertical view of the dam from the bottom

looking down the wadi from the dam

The project includes a tunnel inside the main structure of the dam for control, injection and discharge of the leaked water.  According to Muscat Daily, water is provided free of cost to the residents of Quriyat for agricultural purposes. The project is also economically feasible for providing potable water to the residents of Quriyat and Muscat.

the lake created by Wadi Dayqah Dam

looking straight back from the visitors’ platform

the storage lake

The project was conceived beginning in 1978 to increase the volume of water resources in the Sultanate because of water shortages in some areas of the country, especially Muscat and Quriyat.

Wadi Dayqah Dam

view of the bottom of the dam from the top

looking down into the wadi from the top of the dam

Wadi Dayqah full of date palms

the pool at the bottom of the dam, as seen from above

It also includes a visitors’ center that offers a panorama view of the whole site.  This grassy area includes shaded seating, water fountains, paved roads, car parks, and a helipad.  We look for tourist information, but the police on site tell us there is none available.

the visitors’ center

this must be the administrative offices because there is no tourist information here…

We walk around the site, admiring the size and scope of the dam.  We wish there was a tourist information so we could ask questions.  What we really want to know is where all this water comes from.  We both think there must be a constant flow from somewhere in order to justify the cost of such a massive undertaking.

Since it’s lunchtime, we take out our omelet sandwiches and enjoy our lunch at one of the shaded seating areas.

Mario peeks out from behind our picnic table

Then we head down the coast 38km south of Quriyat to our next brief stop, the Bimmah Sinkhole, enclosed within Hawiyat Najm Park.

Bimmah Sinkhole

The park surrounding is not bad; here Mario and I are thrilled to discover some cool-looking trees with interesting seed pods.

a tree with interesting seed pods

seed pods

seed pods

Mario with the long skinny seed pods on another tree

beanpole seed pods

The sinkhole itself, which apparently used to be a thing of beauty, has now been reduced to a tourist trap, with ugly stone walls around its rim and concrete steps with royal blue handrails running down to the inside. In the middle of the concrete steps, a tree is growing, as if the builders didn’t want to bother cutting down the tree in the path.  At least they saved a tree, a good thing, as trees are rare in Oman.

a tree grows in the middle of the stairway

Inside the sinkhole, if we ignore all of this, is a beautiful aquamarine pool that reflects in dappled patterns off the limestone cliffs above.

Bimmah Sinkhole and its reflections

the pool of Bimmah Sinkhole

Bimmah Sinkhole

On the rocky landing near the pool, we find a smattering of pretty green & purple what-nots.

pretty little green things

delicate purple flowers

I love the green leaves on these purple vines

After hanging around this park briefly, we head to our next stop, Wadi Arbiyyin, which Mario and I both believe may be the most beautiful wadi in Oman.  To be continued in Part 3….

a 600 km road trip to & from Oman’s east coast. {part 1: muscat & al amerat}

Tags

Al Amerat, Muscat, Oman, Travel

Thursday, February 21:  This morning at 8:30, Mario and I begin a road trip to explore Oman’s east coast.  We only have a plan to do two things, visit Wadi Dayqah Dam and have the Thursday night sushi buffet at Qurum Resort in Muscat.  However, our journey branches off into a myriad of unexpected, and pleasantly surprising, detours.  By the time all is said and done, we drive 600 km, explore six different areas, eat sushi accompanied by a bottle of Chianti, and return home at midnight.  Whew!  What a day!

a view of Muscat from the Al Amerat switchbacks

We start out on the Muscat-Nizwa highway, driving all the way to the bypass road and taking the exit off of that to “Al Amerat, Quriyat, and Sur.”  This exit road is full of switchbacks up a steep mountain.  At the top, we stop to take some pictures of Muscat down below.

one of the big mosques in Muscat

a new mosque under construction that looks like it’s being built on a sand dune ???

We continue on, not planning to stop again until we reach Wadi Dayqah Dam.  However, when I decide I to stop for coffee at a certain petrol station in Al Amerat that is inconveniently lacking a convenience store, this stop slows us down enough to notice some wetlands full of ornamental grasses under a long, relatively new bridge.  We both say, almost simultaneously (as everyone does when they see green in Oman): “Look at those grasses!”  We pull off at the next exit, park the car, and get out to explore.

ornamental grasses in the Al Amerat wetlands

pretty grasses all in a row

and more glowing grasses

grasses and blue (read HOT) sky

We see pretty feather-topped grasses, Indian rollers, the bridge over an algae-filled wetland area, and some interesting plants and wildflowers.

A new bridge over the wetlands near Al Amerat

some fuzzy little numbers

It’s pretty darn hot and humid out in this wetland, and it’s only about 10:30 a.m.  I whine to Mario, “Oh no!!! It’s already starting to get hot!”  Here it is, only the end of February, and it feels like “winter” is already coming to an end.  Of course, Oman doesn’t really have a “winter” as I know it, or as most people in the world know it, but it has been cool enough since late November to actually take walks outside during daylight hours.  It feels today like that might soon be coming to an end.

a lovely Indian roller

After leaving the wetlands, we make a stop at a “Restaurant,” and grab some omelet sandwiches to take with us to the dam.   We don’t know if we will find a place to eat at lunch time, so we prepare ourselves.  Then we head down the road quite some distance toward Quriyat.

The trip continues at Wadi Dayqah Dam….

our very accommodating Indian roller

travel theme: mountains

Tags

Greece, Nepal, Oman, travel theme

Saturday, February 16: Ailsa’s Travel Theme for this week is Mountains:  She writes: It’s hard to beat the soaring majesty of mountains. It’s also apparently hard to define exactly what a mountain is. Countries around the globe use factors such as height, elevation, relief and volume in a vain attempt to define them. The Oxford English Dictionary settles for something suitably vague: “a natural elevation of the earth surface rising more or less abruptly from the surrounding level and attaining an altitude which, relatively to the adjacent elevation, is impressive or notable.” Merriam-Webster doesn’t do any better: “a landmass that projects conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill.” Look up ‘hill’ in the same dictionary and you will find that it is described, helpfully, as “lower than a mountain.”

Some of the world’s tallest mountains are the Himalayas in Nepal.  Here is a view of the Annapurna Range taken from Pokhara.

the Annapurna Range seen from Pokhara, Nepal

Machhapuchhre, or “Fish-Tailed” at sunrise

Here are mountains, with monasteries built on top, in Meteora, Greece.

Meteora, Greece

And finally, in Oman, where I have never seen snow-cover, are the mountains of Jebel Akhdar.

the view of Al Ayn and the gorge on top of Jebel Akhdar

For more takes on the theme, see Where’s My Backpack? Travel theme: Mountains.

To see more of my trip to Nepal: catbird in south asia

To see more of my trip to Greece: greek wanderings

weekly photo challenge: kiss

Tags

Oman, postaweek2013, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, February 16: The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Kiss.  There are a lot of ways to capture a kiss, between two people – lovers, family, friends; two animals, or even just the sending or receiving of a kiss.

In a new post specifically created for this challenge, share a picture which means KISS to you!

the kiss of the camel

friday meditation: the elusive “self”

Tags

Life, Spirituality, WPLongform

Friday, February 15:  This week I’ve been reading about the self and its ever-changing nature. In Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill, author Matthieu Ricard says about Buddhism: “the self has no autonomy or permanence, … it is like a mirage.  Seen from afar, the mirage of a lake seems real, but we would have a hard time wringing any water out of it.”

the self is as elusive as clouds

This, he says, is how the Buddha taught it:

Like a shooting star, a mirage, a flame,
A magic trick, a dewdrop, a water bubble,
Like a dream, lightning, or a cloud —
Consider all things thus.

the ever-changing nature of clouds is like our identity that is always in flux

Ricard goes on to say that we believe the self is associated with consciousness, but “in terms of living experience, the past moment of consciousness is dead (only its impact remains), the future is not yet, and the present doesn’t last.” Thus, he says, “Buddhism concludes that the self is just a name we give to a continuum, just as we name a river the Ganges or the Mississippi.”

“Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think often about the elusive and ever-changing nature of the self and these thoughts came up in my meditations this week.  We all like to think we have a unique self, different from anyone else’s self, a self that makes us feel important or special. We feel intensely that things that happen to US are heavy with weight. This sense of self as unique separates us from each other, makes me the “I” and you the “other.”

Admittedly, I like to think of myself as smart, capable, organized, fun and adventurous.  I also know I am easily angered, impatient, often intolerant, and easily distracted.  I’m afraid of commitment and intimacy.  But are any of these things permanently true? Aren’t they sometimes false and sometimes true, always in flux? Isn’t it true that sometimes I forget things, sometimes I do stupid things, sometimes I am not capable or organized?  Sometimes I am not at all adventurous and like nothing better than to be safe and comfortable in my house, removed from the rest of the world.  In the company of some people, sure, I am fun, but in the company of others, I can be deadly boring and disinterested.  As far as the negatives I list above, aren’t I sometimes calm, patient, tolerant and focused?  Aren’t I sometimes able to be intimate with people, and aren’t I sometimes able to commit?

“Happiness is like a cloud. If you stare at it long enough, it evaporates.” ~ Sarah McLachlan

I consider my identity, questions that can only be answered by stories in my life. As I ponder this, I probe about in too many dark alleys & dusty corners.  I think, for example, about my physical identity.  For one thing, how can I really see myself?  I can never see myself, not really.  I can look in a mirror, but the instant I find myself in a mirror, I immediately put on my best face; I correct my slouch, I smile to bring my hangdog face to life.  So am I really the person I see in the mirror, this 2-dimensional person with the fake smile and upright posture?  Or am I the uncorrected version of myself who goes about my daily routines looking neither happy nor sad, neither here nor there?  I can see myself in a camera, but once I know I’m in front of a camera, I immediately smile, or put on my best face, showcase my best angle.  In front of the camera, I become a star; I can step out of my own under-dazzling skin.  Heaven forbid the photo turns out badly, showing me at an unflattering angle or with an ugly expression.  I always delete these pictures, which no human eye will ever see.  Of course I am fooling only myself, as everyone else in my world sees me all the time in these unflattering poses.

elusive and beautiful clouds

I think about how difficult it is to truly be myself.  Who am I anyway?  Am I the person who, when I am in the company of my best friend Rosie or my crazy friend Lisa, becomes a suddenly hilarious person?  These friends and I play off each other and I am brought to life as a comedian.  To these people, my self is crazy and fun.  Or am I the person who, in other people’s company, becomes quiet and boring?  Am I the person who, in yet different people’s company, becomes defensive and irritable?  How can I really even be myself when myself varies with each person I encounter?  Sometimes I like myself a lot, enjoy my own company, but other times, I hate who I am.  Which one am I?  The one I love or the one I hate?

Who am I?

What is the upshot?  About identity, I don’t know the answer.  I only believe that my self is in flux, constantly evolving, ever-changing.  Just as Buddhism teaches.  My self is a composite of all the books I have ever read, all the interactions I have ever had, all the people I have ever loved and hated, all the places I have ever been, all the hobbies I have ever pursued, all the aches and pains and heartbreak I have ever felt, all the happiness and sadness and anger…. as well as that blob of gray matter that is in my rather large head.  It is all my hopes and dreams and goals, which are always evolving. Plus.  Many more things known and unknown, things remembered and forgotten, things experienced and only dreamed about.

“Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light. Above all things reverence thyself.” ~ Pythagoras

Who am I?  I don’t know.  But, whatever my identity, I cannot become attached to any erroneous or self-important idea about it.  It is always in flux and cannot be contained: it is a stream running down a stream bed, a snake slithering through grass, lava flowing from a volcano.  I can only catch glimpses of it as it passes by.  It’s not mine to keep, so I should simply let all notions of it go.

a valentine’s day adventure on jebel akhdar

Tags

Jebel Akhdar, Oman, Travel

Thursday, February 14:  Today is Valentine’s Day, but I don’t give it a thought since I don’t have a Valentine.  As if it’s any other day, I invite two of my colleagues to come with me for a hike on Jebel Akhdar; we’ll have wine and dinner afterwards at the Sahab Hotel.  These colleagues arrived in Oman this past fall and were both readers of my blog before they came here.  They don’t have cars of their own and so haven’t had much chance to explore the country.

the view of the village of the roses

Mona Lisa is from Canada and has traveled all over the world.  She used to work a long time for the United Nations and spent 5 months in Nepal some years back, even trekking to Everest Base Camp.  She inspired me to go to Kathmandu, which she loved, for our semester break.  Beg is from Turkmenistan but has also lived and worked in Turkey; he speaks both Turkish and Turkmen, as well as English, Russian and other languages, fluently.  He’s planning to get married in March and bring his new bride to Oman.

Mona Lisa and Beg

This is a good thing for me and, I think, for them.  For me, it’s a great accomplishment, and really stepping outside of my comfort zone, when I get up the nerve to invite someone other than the regular characters to go on an outing.  I’m always afraid of being rejected, so I usually only plan things with the old standbys.  Or I just do things alone.   Under my social category of 2013 resolutions, I resolved this:

Cultivate new friendships with great discernment. Cultivate at least one new friendship in Oman and one in Virginia. Make more of an effort to talk to my close friends regularly.  Invite someone somewhere once a month, either to come by for dinner or a movie, or to go on an outing.

So, yay!  I do something on my resolution list for February. 🙂

Al Ayn on Jebel Akhdar ~ the village of the roses

After parking at the cul-de-sac near the trail head of the path that meanders through the rose villages, I point out our destination.  Mona Lisa is a little worried that we will be hiking down into the canyon.  I point along the ridge line and tell her the hike is basically level, that we will be walking only along the top of the canyon.

a little pool in the wadi

In the first village of Al Aqr, we come upon 3 lively Omani girls playing with some mud in a bowl; they take great pleasure in holding up their muddy hands for us and begging: “Sura, sura!” (Picture! Picture!)

Sura, Sura!!

hamming it up with hands in the bowl of mud

playing in mud

This little girl speaks to us in some English

We enjoy our walk and stupendous views on the relatively flat hike through the first village of Al Aqr, through a boulder-filled wadi, and through the second village of Al Ayn. It’s only when we get past the second village that I remember that in fact we have to climb down quite some distance to walk along the falaj to the third village of A’Sheragah.  From there, we have to walk further down to the terraces, doing a loop back UP to the trail leading down.  Then we have to backtrack further UP that trail to the second village.  It turns out a lot of climbing is involved, leaving us all winded and sore.

fields of onions in Al Ayn

a falaj along the edge of a terrace

we hike some of the way down here…

terraces

little plots of wheat or onions

more terraces

beautiful green terraces and mountains

me and the terraces

Mona Lisa and terraces

the walls of the terraces up close

Thank goodness they are both good sports. I keep pointing to the Sahab on the top of the plateau, reminding them that we will have a reward at the end: dinner and wine.  They’re too busy breathing heavily to think about this.  Actually, I’m breathing quite heavily myself.  We are all exhausted when we finish our loop, about 2 hours after starting, and head to the Sahab.  We sit by the pool and share a bottle of wine.

the fabulous Sahab Hotel

Beg

Mona Lisa

At 6:30, we go inside the hotel for the buffet dinner.  The place is packed with tourists!  I keep exclaiming that I’ve never seen so many people here; Mario and I have been many times and had the whole place to ourselves.  When the staff brings out the buffet, we are surprised at its sumptuousness.  Many of the dishes served have a heart-shaped motif.  The dessert selection consists of a huge variety of confections, including heart-shaped chocolate and pink-iced cakes.  Watermelons are carved with the words “Happy Valentine’s Day.” The meal is delicious, especially accompanied by the two bottles of wine brought by Mona Lisa.

inside the Sahab’s dining room

Valentine candles on our table

colorful dishes from the buffet

vegetables

heart-shaped chicken with mushroom sauce

Only at the end, when it’s time to pay the bill, do we find that this buffet is 12 rials ($31) as opposed to the normal 8 rials ($21).  Ouch.  It’s wonderful despite the price, and we have a great time talking and laughing and enjoying each others’ company.   And at the end, it turns out Beg insists on treating both of us to dinner!  And I feel happy that I extended the invitation and provided the car, without which none of us would be here.

What a lovely afternoon and evening. I feel happy to have spent time with two new friends. 🙂