Thursday, May 2: This week in Oman has been surreal. It’s been raining some part of every day for over a week now. In the entire 19 months I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen it rain this much or for this long a period of time. Many students didn’t show up for parts of last week. They were unable to get from their villages to Nizwa because of flooding wadis.
Inside Nizwa Fort
at Nizwa Fort
Nizwa Fort
a door at the fort
closeup of the door
entering the fort
Looking down on Nizwa mosque from the fort
looking over Nizwa souq area from the Fort
inside the fort looking up at the heavy clouds
On top of the rain, we have been given a 3-day weekend this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Oman, as of May 1, is shifting its weekends from Thursday-Friday to Friday-Saturday. I understand this shift is happening in order to line up Oman’s weekends with the weekends observed by the other Gulf countries. After this weekend, we will have Friday and Saturday off each week.
an outdoor room at Nizwa Fort
the minaret of Nizwa mosque
Finally, since the weather has been hot, humid and threatening rain, since traveling is dangerous (people are often killed in Oman trying to cross flooding wadis), and since I sold my GMC Terrain and am now driving a tiny Suzuki Celerio, I cannot go out exploring wadis on this three-day weekend. On top of that, I’m trying to save every penny for my month-long trip to Spain and Portugal on my way home to the USA at the end of June. I consider going to Muscat this weekend to spend the day at a pool or the beach, but as rain clouds are still darkening the skies and money is in short supply, I decide against it.
Nizwa souq
Nizwa souq
Nizwa souq
pottery at Nizwa souq
more pottery
arches hung with pottery
the souq
So, what to do?
I decide to do some experimenting with my camera at Nizwa Fort and Souq. To reflect the dreary day that it is, I take photos with the sepia setting. Surprisingly, I find I like the atmospheric photos, which make the souq look like it’s in the middle of ancient Arabia, except for the modern-day cars.
When I arrive at the souq, I find the parking lot is slightly flooded. The air is heavy and damp, unlike Nizwa’s usually dry air. Cars are barreling through the flooded parking lot, and Omanis, Indians, Pakistanis & Bangladeshis are riding their bicycles through the water or rolling up their pants legs or pulling up their dishdashas to cross the water. I go into Nizwa Fort and climb to the top to take some photos of Nizwa mosque and the town. I walk through the souq and stop for a cold Lipton Peach-flavored iced tea.
the outside wall of Nizwa souq
a Bangladeshi tries to ride across the flooded parking lot on his bicycle
the entrance to the nut souq
the door to the nut souq
in the nut souq
Nizwa mosque
Then, when I am thoroughly drenched in sweat, I return to my air-conditioned flat, where I put on my pajamas and hunker in for the day.
Yes, it’s a sepia kind of day in Nizwa.
looking from the bridge over the wadi to the souq
a nomad in the land of nizwa 
I must say, your pictures are great. They do capture the mood of the day.
You should contact PBS when you get home and see if you could work with them and put together a travel series using your insight and writings. Your blogs may be a usefull tool for them.
Thank you so much for your ultra-kind words, Ron, and for your wonderful suggestion. I don’t know if I have enough confidence in myself to do as you suggest, as I’m sure there are people who are much better photographers and travelers than I am who work with PBS. But, I guess it couldn’t hurt to try. 🙂
You’ve got a good gift, and it may fit one of their projects or give you some advise.
Thanks again, Ron. I guess we never know what the future holds. 🙂
I saw reports of flooding in Oman, and of course thought of you, Cathy. Love your sepia pics. They really capture the mood. Hope the rain clears soon.
Thanks so much, Sylvia. The Omanis are always happy to have rain, and I was too, for a couple of days. But as it’s around 100 degrees and very humid, it’s not at all comfortable. Plus it’s making me feel a little trapped!! 🙂
I didn’t know it could rain there!!! And a split personality weekend to boot. Great photos. The sepia does the weather a handsome justice. I particularly like the close ups.
I didn’t know it could rain here either, mrscarmichael. It has rarely rained, maybe 6 days total, in the whole 19 months I’ve been here!! So it was very strange. I’m glad you liked my sepia shots. That was the first time I’ve actually experimented with my camera! 🙂
yes I’ve been thinking about bursting into B and W but don’t know how to – how shameful.
Don’t feel bad; yesterday when I decided to do the sepia shots, I also FINALLY figured out how to do B&W. I also took some B&W pics that I didn’t post here. I want to try to experiment more. Let’s see, I’ve owned this camera for 2 1/2 years and I’m just now figuring this out??? Now that’s sad. 🙂
Don’t keep it to yourself, then. Is it a switch or a setting????
Well, mrscarmichael, I have an Olympus PEN EPL-1 so I’m sure each camera is different. For the sepia, I have a special group of settings called “Art” settings, and the sepia is one choice that’s already built in. For the black and white, I had to go to “P”: set the aperture and shutter speed automatically, then to Picture Mode: Monotone. That discovery came quite by accident, just from playing around. I guess it might help if I actually would read my manual. 🙂
manual spaniel….. I will give it a go. Mine’s a cannon but can’t be all that different. You’ll know Ive succeeded if you see a BandW pic on my blog:)
Ok, I’ll be on the lookout for it. 🙂
Amazing!
Love the photos! 🙂
Thanks so much, paranoiasnfm! 🙂
your stylish sepia decision makes your gallery to art – ready for an exhibition!
Thanks so much, Frizz, for your kind words! 🙂
The sepia photos are very atmospheric. I think we must have sent you our UK rain because we are having some dry weather now!
Now what’s happening, Elaine, in UK? Because today in Oman we have sunshine again. Hope we didn’t send the rain back your way!
Love your sepia gallery Cathy The roads look bad though. Hope the sun graces you with his presence tomorrow 🙂
Thanks for your good wishes, Madhu. Your wishes came true: sunshine and blue skies today. 🙂
Great sepia gallery! I guess they don’t normally get much rain…
Thanks, Amy. You’re right; we rarely get rain here in Oman. That’s why this week was so strange!! 🙂
I really like sepia and black and white, it makes you concentrate on form and detail rather than colours. I know you’ll be glad to leave but still these last few weeks are important to acknowledge the end of one stage and the beginining of the next.
I agree with you, Gilly. It is an important transition time, as I prepare to leave Oman and return home to the USA. I know it’s a time I should value, and I do to a point, but it’s hard to have to wait so long. No one should require you give 6 months notice when leaving any job!! Once you give notice, you are so ready to leave!!
Wonderful atmosphere to them, Cath. The weather gods are definitely unhappy. It was 28C in Krakow last week but I’ve been out hiking in grey, damp 15C today and the same’s forecast tomorrow. Still beautiful but I’m sure the photos won’t live up to yours. 🙂
Thanks so much, Jo. I’m sorry you’ve run into bad weather in Krakow too! I hope it gets nicer soon. I’m sure your photos will live up to mine just perfectly!! 🙂
Wonderful pictures, I realy like the sepia tones. Hope you enjoy your weekend.
Thanks so much, Suzanne!
thank you for this tour…the sepia look creates i think the feeling you were trying to convey in your words. ♥
Thanks so much, Sunshine! I’m glad you like them. 🙂
you’re welcome! ♥
What a good decision you made to use sepia for these photos. They are lovely and really change the mood. I really enjoyed visiting the souq in Nizwa, it was so interesting with all the different foods.
Thanks so much, Carol. I’m glad you enjoyed the Nizwa souq. It’s one of those things I now take for granted after having lived here for nearly 2 years. 🙂
Will you miss it when you go?
Oh yes, I’ll certainly miss Oman, though I won’t miss the “university.” I don’t think I will ever return to the Gulf, however. Too many other amazing places to go in the world.
This is so true. Lots of places and not enough holiday time…
Great photos. Oman is unknown to me, so very interesting to see it thru Your lovely photos.
Thank you so much, Sartenada. 🙂
I LOVE THIS POST!!! We have had cloudy days and lots (comparatively) of rain here too in Abu Dhabi, today is the first sunnny day. So fun to see the flood. Still want to get together before you leave inshallah, what date is your last day?
Thanks so much, Anne! Yes, I would love to get together before I leave! My last day at work is June 26 and I’m sure I will leave soon after that. Let’s plan something, either here or in Abu Dhabi. I guess I can drive my rental car to UAE???? Let me know. 🙂
That much rain, eh? I love what you did with the pictures, though. Makes me want to play with my camera…go on, push that little car, make it squirm…tackle those wadis, whow them who’s the masah, lol 😉
Haha, you’re so funny, Marco! 🙂
We aim to sleaze?
Love the sepia, and I also love the door to the nut souq. 😉 I really need a door with character like that on my house.
I found it fascinating that your weekends can be changed…just like that…what an uproar that would cause in the States.
Thanks so much, Ruth. Yes, I can’t imagine the weekends ever changing just like that in the USA!! Could you imagine? Well, it’s more understandable here as Oman is only a country of 2.7 million people, and all the other Arab countries have their weekends on Friday and Saturday, as far as I know. They may as well get in line with their neighbors. 🙂
I love your sepia tint photos. What a wonderful adventure you are having. The photos do look like ancient Arabia.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thanks so much, Francine!