Tags
Friday, May 24: Today I go up to Jebel Akhdar with my oldest friends, Anna, Kathy and Mario, for a farewell gathering. Anna is leaving the university at the end of July, a month after me, and Kathy is going on vacation in a couple of weeks. Mario will still be here for a while, but, regrettably, we will be leaving him behind as we vacate the premises.

the view from Wadi Al Ayn of the escarpment above

Spina Christi

flowering bushes

lovely flowers

flowers

the path down into the wadi

delicate white flower

pomegranate flowers

baby pomegranate

pomegranate buds
I’m thinking it will be the same old stroll we always do, along the villages of rose garden fame. Anna, however, has other ideas. She wants to drive past Diana Point down into Wadi al Ayn, park the car and walk through the village of Al Qasha. Although I like the hikes we always do on the Green Mountain, I am surprised to find a new place to discover as I begin my last month in the Sultanate.

looking up the wadi to Al Qasha

terraces with pomegranate trees

the falaj to Al Qasha

flowering wild bushes

more flowering bushes

a little pool ~ possibly the source of the spring?
“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” ~ Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Kathy and Anna

me
You and I will meet again, When we’re least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won’t say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again. ~ Tom Petty

Kathy

little swimmer
We only intend to do an hour stroll, and that’s exactly what we do. We descend a rocky path down into the wadi, where we see terraces of pomegranate trees. We can look up to the escarpment above where the rose gardens and the three villages of Al Aqr, Al Ayn, and A’Sheragah are situated. It’s strange to see the escarpment from below when I’ve always been up at the top looking down. We see some beautiful wild flowering bushes, blooming pomegranate trees, and terraces fringed by fuzzy trees. Eventually we climb up on the falaj and walk along that until we reach a little pool where the spring seems to originate. Frogs are swimming in the pond. Other frogs are croaking out a symphony of sorts from a pool deeper in the wadi. A giant lizard lies placidly in the sun; Mario tells us he’s dead.

pomegranate flower
We make our way back to our car and drive up to the Sahab Hotel for their buffet dinner.

appetizers at the buffet

appetizers and a little donkey friend

our table setting

an Omani door made into a coffee table at the Sahab
During dinner, we share tales of dreams, premonitions and ghosts. Mario doesn’t believe in ghosts, but he’s dreamt of people with whom he’s fallen out of touch, only to find they die within the next week or so. Kathy feels there is a presence of some sort in her flat in Oman. Anna has dreamt of carpets, cars and strange evil men, all of which (or whom) have shown up on her doorstep matching the dream images. I can’t say I’ve had any of these types of encounters, but I’m open-minded enough to believe there very well might be a different reality than what most of us know.

Strawberry mousse desserts

chocolate mousse desserts

Mario’s plate

Mario, Anna and Kathy
“I’ll never see them again. I know that. And they know that. And knowing this, we say farewell.” ~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
My goodness I enjoyed that ! You are a great photographer in a great place. May all you journeys be so sensual!
Thanks so much, Kathryn. I’m glad you enjoyed coming along on our stroll. 🙂
I surely did!
PS: You look great!
Thanks so much, Kathryn. 🙂
A fun farewell gathering. I’m guessing you will always be together in your hearts.
Thanks Carol. I know you’re right; we’ll all be together in our hearts. Especially Mario. 🙂
Gosh that made me happy/sad. Everything comes into clear focus as we begin to leave it behind.
Yes, that’s for sure, mrs. carmichael. 🙂
What marvellous memories you will have of your time in Oman.
Thanks, Elaine. Yes, I’m so happy to carry these memories home with me. 🙂
Me, too!! Happy and sad!! I did not know Anna was leaving as well! I love Haruki Murakami but don’t want to think in terms of “never” when it comes to seeing you again one day. I would never have had the courage to come here had it not been for you and your photos of your apartment, and your lovely welcoming emails before I arrived, and the grace of the gods which placed you in the empty desk next to mine! The friendship you have shared with me has made this experience so much more than it could have ever been had you not been there and I adore you for that and will thank you forever. You are so loved Cathy by so many and will be missed much more than you can imagine. Not sure how Mario will cope, but I will do my best be there for him as a strong shoulder when you leave and we can cry into our Atrium wine drinking to your happiness as you traverse the next stage of your journey. I hope there is one more bottle of red in your schedule for us and one more foreign film, but I know there is a long line ahead of me of people who you need to see one more time, too and I accept that. Thank you for all the memories and the gorgeous photos and the laughter and the generous sharing of advice and materials and wine and juicy chats about the men in our lives, over the past eight months. The next few weeks will fly by for you, and while we will all be blubbering idiots when you leave, we all send you our love and happiness as you get ready to leave us, knowing how tough the last semester has been. We don’t want you to go, but we are all so very happy for you, because you are so happy you are leaving! God bless you with much love and affection always
xxxx (and as I am from Justin Bieberville in Canada, it is my duty to “Never Say Never”!!! xxxxx)
Thanks so much for your too kind words, KvK. I’m glad to have met you too! I really hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Oman.
We will definitely need to share another bottle of wine before I leave!
Lovely trip through the area. I looks so ‘tough’ – thorny, every bit of green battling for its own space.
As for the dreams. I’ve sadly had a few too many come true. (The lotto ticket win – complete with numbers – hasn’t materialized yet.) There’s definitely heightened sense of awareness in some. Case in point was my BFF who called her mom in Calgary from California at 2am and told her to go check on her brother. He was in the midst of an asthma attack that would have killed him had she not called – his bedroom was in the basement and nobody would have heard.
Yes, this area is very harsh and it’s always amazing to me that anything even survives, much less thrives!
That’s too bad about that lotto ticket win not coming true! That’s an amazing story about your BFF whose son was having an asthma attack. Lucky for him that she had that dream, or premonition.
Great post. You’re really good at sharing your walks and meals with us. Its so surprising – for me anyway – to see all those lush looking flowers and pomegranates growing in the desert among the thorn trees.
I’d love to join you at one of those buffet dinners. Mario’s food looks so tasty I hope he doesn’t mind if I take a little taste…
That’s a really lovely photo of you. 😀
Thanks so much, Rosie. I’m glad you enjoyed our walk and our buffet. I’m sure Mario wouldn’t mind giving you a bite!!
I’m always surprised to find these flowers and pomegranates and other fruits in the midst of such a harsh environment. I don’t know how they survive except with the help of the ingenious falaj systems everywhere.
Thanks too for your kind compliment. 🙂
The beauty of the internet, Facebook, mobile phones and WordPress is that we can keep in touch so easily these days. Your friends will only be a step away, digitally anyway!
You’re so right, Carol. They’ll be in touch, but I know, since I’ve lived abroad for 3 years, how difficult it is to keep close connections with people when you’re so far away. I look most forward to reconnecting with my family and old friends. But the people I’ve met here will always be dear to my heart and I’ll carry them with me always. 🙂
Enjoy those precious last days – you may never return to Oman.
Annette, I will enjoy my last days as much as I can in this heat. And yes, you’re so right; I know I will never return to Oman. 🙂
What special times you and your friends have had. Great quotes on friendships and farewells. Your life has been like an open book as you add a chapter to it…Oman is another chapter and there is still more to come.
Yes, we’ve had some really special times, Lynn. I’m glad you think my life has been an open book. I figure what’s the point of writing if you’re not going to share yourself as honestly as possible (considering we all have a somewhat warped view of ourselves). I’m sure some people may think it’s too much! 🙂
What a wonderful post!
Farewells are always sad – but it’s a joy to remember and to know that those very people will always have a special place in your heart.
Yes, I’m sad to leave my friends here, and I will always hold them near and dear to my heart. But. I’m so ready for a new chapter in my life. 🙂
Sad to be saying farewell – thank the interweb for Skype heh!
Yes, thank goodness for the internet! 🙂
I think these people are lucky to have you as a friend. And I realize that I will miss walking the wadis and sharing food and peering at flowers and interesting doors with you. Oh, I know I will follow you in the states, too, but I will miss your impressions of this part of the world, very much. Thank you for being so generous with your time here!
Thanks so much, Lynn. I will miss exploring these places too. But since I only started blogging in 2010 and wasn’t much of a photographer before then, I want to explore and take pictures all through America. I think it will be fun exploring it again through fresh eyes. I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed following me. 🙂
Absolutely! So I bet you can’t wait to put your skills to work in the US. That will be great.
Yes, Lynn, I really look forward to it. 🙂
Beautiful photos and what a great way to spend remaining time with friends.
Thanks so much, TBM. It was great fun, for sure. 🙂