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a nomad in the land of nizwa

~ an American English teacher in Oman

a nomad in the land of nizwa

Category Archives: Japan

travel theme: pathways

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Cappadocia, Gongju, Japan, Jordan, Kyoto, Little Petra, Middle East, Nepal, Oman, Pathways, Pokhara, Sharqiya Region, South Korea, Suncheon Bay, Travel Theme Photo Challenge, Turkey, Wadi Bani Khalid

≈ 25 Comments

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Japan, Nepal, Oman, South Korea, travel theme, Turkey

Sunday, May 26:  Ailsa’s Travel Theme this week is Pathways.  I’ve seen many beautiful pathways in my travels around the world.

Path of Bamboo in Arashiyama, near Kyoto, Japan

Path of Bamboo in Arashiyama, near Kyoto, Japan

path through Ihlara Canyon in Cappadocia, Turkey

path through Ihlara Canyon in Cappadocia, Turkey

path through Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

path through Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

snow-covered path through Gongju, South Korea

snow-covered path through Gongju, South Korea

Many people use the aflaf in Oman as pathways to walk on.  This one is at Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman.

Many people use the aflaj in Oman as pathways. This one is at Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman.

Pathway of enlightenment ~ leading to a Buddhist temple in Pokhara, Nepal

Pathway of enlightenment ~ leading to a Buddhist temple in Pokhara, Nepal

a pathway along a farmer's field in Pokhara, Nepal

a pathway along a farmer’s field in Pokhara, Nepal

pathway through Little Petra in Jordan

pathway through Little Petra in Jordan

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weekly photo challenge: color

06 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Istanbul, Japan, Kathmandu, Kyoto, Nepal, Phewa Lake, Photography Challenges, Pokhara, postaweek2013, Seoul, South Korea, Turkey, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 46 Comments

Tags

Japan, Nepal, Oman, postaweek2013, South Korea, Turkey, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, April 6: The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Color. Splashed on the walls of cities, in batches of flowers in gardens, in the doodles of students, and on the palettes of artists, color is everywhere: it may represent our mood, and it can affect our mood. In photography, you can use a spectrum of colors to bring a place to life, or focus on a single shade to make a bold statement. Conversely, you can shoot in black-and-white or remove color in editing mode for a different effect.

In a new post created specifically for this challenge, share a picture in which color takes center stage.

Click on any of the pictures below for a full-sized slide show.

a colorful carriage buggy in Kathmandu, Nepal
a colorful carriage buggy in Kathmandu, Nepal
delicate flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
delicate flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
the flower market in Istanbul, Turkey
the flower market in Istanbul, Turkey
Sweets in Istanbul, Turkey
Sweets in Istanbul, Turkey
Flowers in Crete, Greece
Flowers in Crete, Greece
More paintings by Oman
More paintings by Oman
more colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
more colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
colorful socks in Kyoto, Japan
colorful socks in Kyoto, Japan
Pokhara, Nepal
Pokhara, Nepal
Flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
Flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
lamps in Istanbul, Turkey
lamps in Istanbul, Turkey
colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
Gloves in Kathmandu, Nepal
Gloves in Kathmandu, Nepal
Paintings by Omani students
Paintings by Omani students
Yarn in Kathmandu, Nepal
Yarn in Kathmandu, Nepal
Paper lanterns in Kathmandu, Nepal
Paper lanterns in Kathmandu, Nepal
Colorful doors and bedding in Kathmandu, Nepal
Colorful doors and bedding in Kathmandu, Nepal
Street art in Rethymno, Crete
Street art in Rethymno, Crete
Paintings of Oman
Paintings of Oman

Finally, in honor of South Korea, which is having a few problems with its bellicose northern neighbor right now, here are some colorful lanterns from a lantern festival in Seoul.

colorful lanterns at a lantern festival in Seoul, South Korea

colorful lanterns at a lantern festival in Seoul, South Korea

Let's hope everyone takes a deep breath and tries to diplomatically solve the problems between North and South Korea.

Let’s hope everyone takes a deep breath and tries to diplomatically solve the problems between North and South Korea.

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friday meditation: enlightenment guaranteed

15 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Enlightenment Guaranteed, Friday Meditation, Japan, Life, Spirituality, Tokyo

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Life, Spirituality, WPLongform

Friday, March 15: This week I watched a 2002 German film called Enlightenment Guaranteed. The film is an amusing yet thought-provoking story about two German brothers who go to Tokyo in search of enlightenment amidst a series of mishaps and tribulations.  I loved this film not only because I could relate to the brothers’ experiences as foreigners in Japan (I recognized my own experiences in Korea!), but also because it gave me food for thought on my spiritual journey.

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Uwe is a kitchen designer with 4 screaming children and a wife, Petra, who he continually berates. At work, he tells a couple of his clients that arguments usually start in the kitchen because most kitchens are poorly designed and too small.  He tells them a kitchen has to make you happy, that you should be able to think clearly while chopping onions or cabbage.  The act of chopping, he says, can be aerobics for the soul.

In an argument in Uwe’s house that begins in the kitchen, Petra is busy cleaning up a puddle of cold milk that her child knocked to the floor because it wasn’t warmed. Uwe comes in and says, sarcastically, that he’s not surprised; after all, the child likes his milk warm: “Look, Mama made a mess.  People learn from experience.  That’s what makes us human. In theory, at least.”

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Later that evening, when Uwe returns home from work, he finds his wife and children are gone.  There’s a note on the kitchen floor from Petra: “I’m learning from experience that you will never change.”

Uwe calls his brother, Gustav, who studies Zen Buddhism and works as a Feng Shui consultant. He spends time in meditation each day and applies Zen principles in his daily life.  Gustav is packing for a trip to Tokyo; he plans to stay several weeks at the Sojij Monastery in Monzen.    Uwe begs Gustav to take him along to Tokyo: “Don’t leave me alone! I’ll kill myself,” he cries and pleads with his brother in a drunken stupor.  “I won’t bother you!  I’ll carry your bags!”  Earnest Gustav agrees reluctantly to take Uwe along, even though he wants to do the journey alone.

So begins the “enlightenment” of Gustav and Uwe. Throughout their travels, Gustav reads wise Buddhist truths from a book about Zen.  When the brothers arrive in Tokyo, every Japanese person on the streets is talking on a mobile phone. The city is an assault on the senses.

In the hotel, Gustav uses a compass to determine the optimal direction to lie in his bed, and Uwe measures his bed like he measures his kitchen cabinets.  As they leave their hotel to go out for dinner and drinks in Tokyo, Uwe says, “Can we leave our passports in the room?”  Gustav says, “Of course.  Nobody steals in Japan.”

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

After dinner, they head to a bar.  Gustav, who is worried about getting lost in Tokyo, warns Uwe that they should use neon flashing signs to remember their location: KAWASAKI and EPSOM.  At the bar, they order 3 drinks and the bill shockingly comes to $600. When they head back out to the street, they can’t find their landmark signs.  By this time, Uwe’s money is “finito” due to the outrageous bar bill, and Gustav has only 5,000 yen ($52).  They can’t remember the name of their hotel, but Gustav has a business card he picked up from the hotel desk.  He gives it to a woman taxi driver and they start driving for what seems like a long distance, further than they walked.  When the driver finally stops, they say, “This is the hotel??” The driver says “Otel??? Otel??” like she’s not sure she understands. They get out of the taxi, and they see a hospital across the street: “Maybe she thought we were saying “hospital.” By this time, they are down to 1,000 yen, and they decide to go to an ATM for more money.  The machine is flashing Japanese instructions and then eats Uwe’s card.  Gustav inserts his card, and the same thing happens.  Now they have no money, no means of getting any, and no idea where they are.

Now, with nothing left, Gustav reads from his Zen book: “Become homeless.  Feel good in your own skin.  In misery is bliss.”  With the small change they have left, they go to a casino, hoping to win the jackpot.  Of course they lose all their money in the slot machines.

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

As it turns into the wee morning hours, Gustav reads: “Have patience every day of your life.”  Exhausted, they stop in a small park lined with cardboard boxes, and they each crawl into one to sleep for the night.  As they prepare to sleep, Gustav says, “I don’t think it’s all that bad.”  Uwe says, “In the last hour I only thought of Petra and the kids 17 times.  What do you mean it’s not all that bad here?  Is this more of your Zen bull****?”

In the morning, they wake up and Gustav swears, “No more cardboard boxes!” They go to a department store where they find tents for sale, and Uwe steals a bright yellow tent by putting it under his jacket.  As they are crossing a huge and crowded crosswalk, they get separated.

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Uwe has been filming their experience on his video camera and as he wanders alone through the streets of Tokyo, he says to the camera, “I feel like I’m on some strange planet.”  While Gustav wanders alone, trying to reassure himself, he reads in his Zen book: “The melon knows not the cold wind of morning.  Alone on the ice, a cheerful cormorant.”  Gustav steals a meal from a sushi conveyor belt.  Uwe goes to a palm reader who reads his palm in Japanese; he films her reading.

Gustav ends up in a metro station singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I will survive!” in German.  While singing, a German girl approaches him to put money in his hat, and he latches on to her: “You speak German!!??”  As she takes him by train to her home, where she lives with a Japanese man, Gustav looks out the train window and sees the yellow tent beside the track.  The brothers are reunited and go to Anica’s house, where she gives them a place to sleep and the ability to work in a German Oktoberfest house to earn a little money.  As she speaks some Japanese, she translates Uwe’s palm reading from the video: “Clear lines, strong feelings.  Recently you’ve had problems in your love life.  I see a separation from your wife.”  Uwe says, “Separation or divorce??”  She says, “I see a hope line that points to the light.”  Uwe ponders the meaning of this.

gravel raked by monks into a pattern

gravel raked by monks into a pattern in Kyoto, Japan

Finally, they are on their way to the Buddhist monastery in Monzen.  On the train, Uwe reads: “Meditation is the way to enlightenment.”  Gustav says, “Yes, you just sit there and let your thoughts come and go.”

Uwe continues reading: “We must see through the illusion that there is a separate self.  We practice to remove this divide.  Not until the moment we and the object become one do we truly see our lives.  You don’t reach enlightenment.  It’s the absence of something.  You’re after something your entire life, some goal.  Enlightenment is giving it up.”

The Golden Temple, Kyoto, Japan

The Golden Temple, Kyoto, Japan

At the monastery, they get into the Zen Buddhist monks’ routine.  They wake every morning at 4.  They meditate and chant for hours.  They clean floors.  They clean windows. They sweep the ground outdoors.  They sit and contemplate nature.  Over and over, the routine is repeated day in and day out.  Finally, at the end of their stay, each of them goes to talk to a wise monk about their problems.

Uwe tells the monk about his hatred for his wife for leaving him.  The monk tells him: “See all other people as if they were you.  Just like you.  If you want to hate, then really hate.  Don’t eat.  Don’t sleep.  Hate, hate, hate.  The hate will go away by itself.  You will see that hate won’t get you anywhere.”

Gustav, who is continually messing up at the monastery, falling down while scrubbing floors or falling asleep during meditation, asks the monk about his fears of getting lost and of making mistakes.  The monk tells him: “Mistakes are a fact of life.  That can’t be changed.  Everyone makes them.  Your true nature is what counts.  Not the rest.  If you’re afraid of spilling a cup of tea, your fear keeps you from noticing how warm the cup feels in your hand and how good it smells.  Because you’re so busy trying not to spill it.”

****************

I love the messages in this movie. The movie is all about stripping down to the bare essentials, about learning what’s important.  I couldn’t help but think of myself when I went to Greece this summer and my suitcase was lost for 2 days.  At least I had money, my camera, and a place to sleep, but I was disappointed and irritated and worried.  I don’t know how I would have done had the suitcase never appeared, but I didn’t like the inconvenience one bit.  However, I didn’t sit in my hotel sulking; neither did I sit on the phone all day berating Egypt Air.  I went out to explore the streets of Athens and to see the Acropolis.  I enjoyed some heavenly meals accompanied by wine.  Neither did Gustav and Uwe like their situation, and many times one or the other of them threatened to give up, go the German embassy, and go home.  They continually reminded each other: “Never give up!”  And they didn’t.

Bamboo Forest, Kyoto, Japan

Bamboo Forest, Kyoto, Japan

In the year I lived in Korea, I lived in a small one room apartment, much like a dorm room with a small kitchen, after having lived in nice brick 2- or 3-story Colonials in Virgina for most of my life.  I had to pare down and lower my expectations considerably.  When I taught at the elementary school in Seongju, I had a 1 1/2 hour commute each way,which included walking for 20 minutes, riding two unheated buses and sitting in an unheated, filthy bus station for 20 minutes.  The school was not heated in winter or cooled in summer.  Many days in winter, I was cold all day, huddled in my winter coat next to a heat lamp I bought for my classroom.   As hard as it was, I kept telling myself, “This won’t last forever.  I just need to make it though.”  And I did.  However, it was difficult and I didn’t accept it easily.  Often I would have to remind myself to just let it go.  Sometimes I was successful; often I wasn’t.

I have other challenges in Oman, different from in Korea, but challenges nonetheless.  My dear friend Mario has told me in the past that he sees me as generally content.  My first year here, I WAS content, more so than this year, mainly because of the deterioration in my job.  But slowly, I have learned to be content when I’m outside of work, despite the heat, the lack of greenery, the ultra-traditional culture. I’m still working on the art of letting go.  Practice. Patience.

I have this strange recurring vision of myself, sometimes in dreams, sometimes in waking visions.  I see myself walking down a path, and when I look down at my feet, I see my feet moving steadily forward under a monk’s robes.  Strange.  Maybe I’m being called to spend some time in a monastery.   I know there is still a lot for me to learn.   I believe, if I keep practicing, I will find the way to let go.  Slowly.  Slowly.

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travel theme: circles

07 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in As Sifah Beach, Birkat Al Mouz, Cambodia, Circles, Daegu, Ethiopia, Japan, Kyoto, Love motels, Oman, Siem Reap, Sifawy Beach Hotel, South Korea, Suncheon Bay, Travel Theme Photo Challenge

≈ 26 Comments

Friday, December 7:  Our new travel theme challenge for this week from Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? is Circles.  She writes: Circles have a similar effect to leading lines in photos – the eye can’t help but follow the line of the circle, usually tracing around it several times, which draws attention to both the circle and whatever it encloses.

Here are some circles from my travels:

a dinner of circles in Siem Reap, Cambodia

a dinner of circles in Siem Reap, Cambodia

circular little thingies in a Japanese shop

circular little thingies in a Japanese shop

a date palm, everywhere in Oman

a date palm, ubiquitous in Oman

wallpapers full of crazy circle in a Korean "Love Motel"

wallpapers full of crazy circles in a Korean “Love Motel”

circular lanterns at a temple near Daegu, South Korea

circular lanterns at a temple near Daegu, South Korea

miniature little flower balls

miniature little flower balls

circular art from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

circular art from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Before I went to Korea, I ate my meals on one plate.  Maybe two.  But in Korea, they serve their meals on multiple plates and everyone eats off of them communally.  Every one of their meals is like this.  They do a LOT of dish washing in that country!

circles & circles (& ovals) of Korean food

circles & circles (& ovals) of Korean food

I’ve posted pictures of my favorite place in Korea, Suncheon Bay before, but the ones I’ve posted were taken in December, when all the grasses were brown.  On this trip, taken October 2, the circles of grasses were green.

Suncheon Bay in South Korea in the fall.

Suncheon Bay in South Korea in early October.

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story challenge: letter b (bicycles)

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Beijing, China, Houhai Lake, Japan, Kyoto, Nizwa, Nizwa souq, Oman, Story Challenge

≈ 4 Comments

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Story Challenge

Tuesday, July 10:  Now that FrizzText, who used to challenge us with the A-Z archive photo challenge, has gone through the entire alphabet, he is now challenging us to come up with a story or brief reflection about something from each letter of the alphabet.  Last week, for the letter “A,” I linked up to his challenge a story about Andong, South Korea, from my catbird in korea blog: andong and the hotel california.  To join in, see FrizzText’s Story Challenge: Letter B.

This week, I have just a few things to say about bicycles.

I like the old-fashioned kind, the kind with shiny metal fenders, a kickstand and a basket attached to the front handlebars. I have a memory of riding my bicycle with no hands and my eyes closed, trying to be a daredevil, and falling down, of course.  A rock lodged in my knee and, scraped and bloodied, I sat in the bathroom crying as my mother pried the rock out. I still have that scar.

shiny, old-fashioned bicycles at rest in Kyoto

As a child, I loved the feel of the wind in my hair, the recklessness of speeding downhill on my bicycle.

bicycling down the street in Varanasi, India

I rode an old-fashioned bicycle in Kyoto, Japan with a Korean girl baker. These are sturdy old-fashioned bicycles with baskets and no adjustable gears, the kind I rode when I was a girl.  Everyone seems to ride these kinds of bikes in Kyoto. Compact and well-dressed Japanese people pedal around on them, looking unhurried and day-dreamy, creating a simple Japanese-style Norman Rockwell-like ambiance that makes me feel a nostalgic fondness for the days when life was full of straightforward and uncomplicated pleasures.

Me with JiYoung, the Korean bakery girl, getting ready to ride our bicycles in Kyoto

Whenever I see a bicycle parked anywhere, I hesitate, struck by its utility and its romance. In China, there were bicycles aplenty, and I loved them all, as much as you can love something that can’t love you back.

bicycles at Houhai Lake, Beijing, China

And in Oman, I see the lone bicycle, parked alongside a struggling business, the sole means of transport for some poor Pakistani or Indian.

a lone bicycle brings this businessman to work near Nizwa souq

bicycles at Nizwa souq

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a-z archive: “j” photo challenge (japan)

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in A-Z Photo Challenge, Japan, Kyoto

≈ 10 Comments

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a-z photo challenge

Tuesday, March 6:  How can I sum up Japan in one picture?   I have chosen four that I hope will convey something about Japan, its colorful and quirky culture, its celebration of detail, and its love of beauty and order.  It’s appropriate that the A-Z Photo Challenge for this week is the letter “J” and that I came up with “Japan” as my theme.  Because just one year ago, on 11 March 2011, Japan was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that triggered a deadly 23-foot tsunami in the country’s north.  I had just visited Kyoto, well south of the tsunami, in February 2011, just one month prior.  At the time of the disaster, I had left Korea for good and was traveling in India.

I had fallen in love with the country and its people.  My heart went out to Japan, a culture that values order and cleanliness, as they had to recover from a disaster of such proportions.  A sad time for a lovely culture.

the infinite torii gates in kyoto

a little shop in kyoto selling fabulous little what-nots

an old-fashioned bike and house in kyoto

japanese girls decked out for the lunar new year

If you would like to read about my short trip to Japan, please visit my blog at  catbird in kyoto.

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karma’s february photo hunt

23 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Busan, Daegu, Hanoi, Japan, Jebel Akhdar, Karma's Photo Scavenger Hunt, Kyoto, South Korea, Vietnam, Wadi Bani Khalid

≈ 14 Comments

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karma's photography scavenger hunt

Thursday, February 23:  I am now officially hooked on the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge.  After looking through lots of entries in this ongoing challenge, I’ve happened upon some amazing blogs.  One of my favorites is called Life in the Bogs by a talented photographer in Ohio named Robin.  I am so mesmerized that now I read her blog every morning along with my coffee!  Today, I found through her blog a photo challenge by someone named Karma: Karma’s When I Feel Like it Blog: February Photo Hunt.  Since I have hundreds of photos from my travels, and I also went on a hike Thursday on Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) in Oman, I decided to try to find, or take, some pictures that match her prompts.  Karma’s challenge words and my photos follow.

1) flake(s)

a tree on jebel akhdar with its bark flaking off

Because Oman is a desert country, with little water, the few trees you see often look like they’re dying, or struggling to keep themselves together. I found this one Thursday on Jebel Akdar (Green Mountain), with its bark flaking off.

2) bow

at the Ho Chi Minh complex in Hanoi, Vietnam

For bow, I’m going with the definition of “a bend or curve.”  This is a pond at the Ho Chi Minh complex in Hanoi.  I love the bow of this large balcony over the pond.

3) mug

two crazy folks mugging it up in Busan, South Korea

For this one, I looked for the closest thing I could find to a mug shot, and this is the best I could do!

4) row

rows of fortunes (??) at a temple in Kyoto, Japan

I love how everything in Japan is so neat and orderly. I could have chosen so many pictures for row from Japan, I had a hard time deciding which one to use.  I love the colors and the Japanese characters on these wooden fortunes.  These are all over temples in Japan, but since I don’t read Japanese, I’m only assuming they’re either fortunes or wishes.  I really would love to know what they actually are!

5) bun

chicken & dumplings at a restaurant in richmond, virginia

Here’s the definition of bun I found: any of a wide variety of variously shaped bread rolls, usually leavened and slightly sweetened or plain, sometimes containing spices, dried currants, etc.  Ok, admittedly, dumplings are not exactly buns, but this is the closest thing I could find. They are a type of bread, right?  Anyway, I make mine with Bisquick, which one also uses to make buns.  A close cousin?

6) heart shapes (for the month of valentines)

a heart-shaped leaf at Daegu Confucian Academy in Daegu, South Korea

Beautiful heart-shaped leaves in Daegu, South Korea.  I love the color and texture of these.  I feel like they can’t decide whether they’re dead or alive, or whether it’s spring or fall.

Bonus word: leap (to celebrate leap year)

an Omani boy leaps into one of the many pools at Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman

This is at one of the many wadis in Oman, specifically Wadi Bani Khalid.  It’s always hot in Oman, so these pools are really refreshing.  This Omani boy leaps in for a swim at one of the many pools.  Ahhh, sweet relief.

Happy LEAP YEAR!!

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  • September 2011 (4)
  • August 2011 (1)

Catbird in Oman Menu

  • home
  • About me
    • New Year’s Resolutions
    • Bucket List
    • Share Your World
    • Friday Meditation
  • Oman
    • Al-Batinah Region
    • Al-Dhahirah Region
    • Al-Dakhiliyah Region
      • Nizwa
    • Al-Wusta Region
    • Dhofar Region
    • Musandam
    • Muscat
    • Sharqiya Region
  • University of Nizwa
  • Africa
    • african meanderings {& musings}
  • Americas
    • nomad, interrupted: catbird in the united states of america
    • notes from north america
    • United States of America
      • Virginia
  • Asia
    • catbird in china
    • catbird in korea
    • catbird in kyoto
    • catbird in south asia
    • catbird in turkey
    • ride paddies and papayas
  • Europe
    • greek wanderings
    • in search of a thousand cafés
  • Middle East
    • a jaunt to jordan
    • catbird in cairo
    • United Arab Emirates
      • Abu Dhabi
  • photography
    • Sunday Post
    • Travel Theme Photo Challenge
    • Weekly Photo Challenge
    • whatever a moon has always meant
  • Fiction
    • land of make-believe

what happens when…

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Blogs I Follow

Blog of the Year 2012

Kreativ Blogger Award

Genuine Blogger Award

Ligo Circle of Appreciation

Shine On Award

Oman Blogs

  • Adventures of an American ESL Instructor Teaching at an Omani University
  • Andy in Oman
  • Angry in Oman
  • Bethany Duffield
  • Desperate Housewife in Oman
  • Dhofari Gucci
  • English Girl in Oman
  • Hallucinations of a Kitten
  • How to live like an Omani Princess
  • Hunting the Lost Insurgency: Oman
  • Matthew Heines
  • Misadventures in HR
  • Mumoftheanimals's Blog
  • Muscat Confidential
  • Muscat Jet Driver
  • Muscat Mutterings
  • Oh Man…Oman is really nice!
  • Omani Book Mania
  • Omani Cuisine
  • Rural Route Runner
  • Samir's Home
  • Secret Salalah
  • Sleepless in Salalah
  • Sultanate Social
  • Susan Al Shahri
  • The Linoleum Surfer

Oman Information

  • Albahja Cinema
  • Background Note Oman: U.S. State Department
  • Bait Muzna Gallery
  • BBC News: Oman Country Profile
  • CIA World Factbook ~ Oman
  • City Cinema Shatti
  • Destination Oman
  • Embassy of the United States – Muscat, Oman
  • Lonely Planet Oman
  • Ministry of Information: Sultanate of Oman
  • Oman Daily Observer
  • Royal Opera House Muscat
  • Sultanate of Oman Tourism
  • Sultanate of Oman: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Travel Blogs

  • Dan & Jillian's International Teaching Adventures
  • Dude Travels to Go
  • The Cool Hunter: amazing places to experience around the globe
  • The Traveling Gypsy
  • Wildcard Travels

X-terraneous Stuff

  • CIA World Factbook ~ South Korea
  • Dawn King
  • Let me bite that.
  • Life in the Bogs
  • reinventing the event horizon

my photostream on flickr

Sunny but only 20 degrees today!uploaduploaduploadTaking a walk through the neighborhood#whpsentbymailNext door to port royal post officeNext store in port royalupload
More Photos

Goodreads

Top Posts & Pages

  • "ladies tailoring" ~ killing time at al bustan roundabout & a walk around al riyam park
  • bahla: the sultan qaboos mosque, bahla fort & old bahla
  • the nizwa cemetery
  • the dilemma of the feet in oman
  • the road to jebel harim: petroglyphs, mountain views & graveyards
  • abu dhabi heritage village, the marina mall and marina
  • a morning walk through al hamra & misfat al abriyyen

InterNations

Weekly Photo Challenge

PostaWeek2012

share your world

a-z photo challenge

52 Pick Up

Sunday Post

Six Word Saturday

No Comfort Zone Challenge

I pledge to read the Printed Word

things i write about

"Happiness" 52 Pick Up 2012 A-Z Photo Challenge Abu Dhabi Abu Nooh Building Africa Akrotírion Al-Areesh Camp Al-Batinah Region Al-Dakhiliyah Region Al-Dhahirah Region Al Aqr Al Ayn Al Hamra Al Musanaah Americas Asia As Sifah Beach Athens Bahla Balad Sayt Birkat Al Mouz Cambodia Cappadocia Crete Daegu Ethiopia Europe Falaj Daris Hotel Family Foundation Institute Friday Meditation Geoje-si GMC Terrain Greece India Intercontinental Hotel Jakesprinter Japan Jebel Akhdar Jebel Shams Jordan Kyoto Lake Langano Lalibela Life Matthieu Ricard Middle East misfat al abriyyin Musandam Muscat Muttrah Muttrah Souq Nakhal Fort Nepal Nizwa Nizwa souq Oia Oman Oman Dive Center Phnom Penh Photography Challenges Pokhara postaweek2012 postaweek2013 Rethymno Royal Opera House Sahab Hotel Saiq Plateau Salalah Santorini Seoul Share Your World Sharqiya Region Sharqiya Sands Six Word Saturday South Korea Spirituality Suncheon Bay Sunday Post Travel Travel Theme Photo Challenge Turkey United Arab Emirates United States of America University of Nizwa Virginia Wadi Bani Awf Wadi Bani Habib Wadi Bani Khalid Wadi Damm Wadi MIstal Wadi Muaydin Wadi Shab Wadi Tiwi Wednesday Song Title Interpretation Weekly Photo Challenge Wekan Western Hajar Mountains

oh say can you see?

Free counters!

Tag Cloud

#capturethecolour 7 Super Shots 52 Pick Up @travelsupermkt a-z photo challenge Abu Dhabi Al Amerat Architecture Art Balad Sayt Birthdays Blogging books Bucket List CBBH Photo Challenge Christmas Daydream Saturdays DPchallenge Egypt Empty Quarter Ethiopia GMC Terrain Greece Hyundai Sonata Ibri InterNations Japan Jebel Akhdar Jebel Shams karma's photography scavenger hunt Life middle east Misfat Al Abriyyin Muscat Nepal Nizwa Nizwa Souq No Comfort Zone Challenge Oman Omar Khairat Optimism Pessimism Phoneography Challenge Picture the World! postaweek2012 postaweek2013 Roses Royal Opera House Royal Opera House Muscat Saiq Plateau Salalah share your world Shine On Award Six Word Saturday South Korea Spain Spirituality Story Challenge Sunday Post Tibet Travel travel theme Turkey United Arab Emirates United States of America University of Nizwa Wadi Bani Awf Wadi Tiwi Wedding wednesday song title interpretation weekly photo challenge Western Hajar Mountains Wordpress WPLongform wwwp5k

Blogs I Follow

  • Fairfax County Emergency Information
  • ~ wander.essence ~
  • Living in Paradise...
  • SterVens' Tales
  • PIRAN CAFÉ
  • Word Wabbit
  • Cardinal Guzman
  • Pit's Fritztown News
  • Fumbling Through Italy
  • Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek
  • snowtoseas
  • Cornwall in Colours
  • Slovenian Girl Abroad
  • Let Me Bite That
  • Running Stories by Jerry Lewis
  • Finding NYC
  • The World according to Dina
  • Cornwall Photographic
  • snippetsandsnaps
  • SITTING PRETTY

Administrative Stuff…

  • Register
  • Log in
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  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Creative Commons Attribution

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Categories

Blog at WordPress.com.

Fairfax County Emergency Information

Official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Website

~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

SterVens' Tales

~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

Wrestless Word Wrestler

Cardinal Guzman

Encyclopedia Miscellaneous - 'quality' blogging since August 2011

Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

SITTING PRETTY

Fairfax County Emergency Information

Official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Website

~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

SterVens' Tales

~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

Wrestless Word Wrestler

Cardinal Guzman

Encyclopedia Miscellaneous - 'quality' blogging since August 2011

Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

SITTING PRETTY

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