travel theme: the four elements

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travel theme

Sunday, May 19: Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? challenges us this week to come up with “an homage to earth, air, water and fire.”

For earth, what else can I post but the mountains of Oman?  Because they’re usually vegetation-free, they’re considered a geologist’s heaven.  Here are the mountains that make up the sides of Wadi Ghul.

the rock-solid earth at Wadi Ghul

One evening, at Dana Nature Reserve in Jordan, the air looked quite unstable and threatening.

Air at Dana Nature Reserve in Jordan

Water filled Santorini’s caldera after the volcano erupted some 3600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization.  This was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history.   Now it is one of the most peaceful and serene places you can imagine, except for the tourists.

water ~ the Mediterranean at Santorini’s caldera

And fire has destructive power, but also provides much-needed warmth on a cold night in Kathmandu, Nepal.

fire at New Orleans Cafe in Kathmandu, Nepal

travel theme: beaches

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travel theme

Saturday, May 11: Ailsa’s Travel Theme for this week is Beaches. Here are some beaches I’ve encountered in my travels.

Let’s start at the beginning.  Here is the beach of my childhood, on the York River in Yorktown, Virginia.  I spent many of my teenage years hanging out with my friends on this beach.

Yorktown Beach with the York River Bridge in the background. This is my hometown.

In general, I prefer deserted, quiet, peaceful and unpopulated beaches, NOT beaches packed with people and umbrellas and chairs and tents and inner tubes like Guryongpo Beach near Pohang, South Korea or Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand.  Most beaches in South Korea are crowded, as Korea is a tiny country with a huge population of 48 million people.  Haeundae Beach in Busan is nice enough in early April, when this picture was taken, but it’s usually quite crowded.

the crowded Guryongpo Beach near Pohang, South Korea

another crowded beach in Phuket, Thailand

Haeundae Beach in Busan, South Korea

It’s not so bad if the beach is set up with mostly EMPTY beach chairs and umbrellas, like this beach in Plakias, Crete, Greece.  At least it’s on the Mediterranean, and what could be better than that?

Plakias Beach, Crete, Greece

Plakias Beach in Crete, Greece

Sometimes it’s nice to hang out at a hotel beach, like this beach at Shangri-La Resort near Muscat, Oman. It has a huge pool and a lazy river, so you can dip in the fresh water and wash off the salt and sand from time to time.

Beach at the Shangri-la Resort near Muscat, Oman

Beach at the Shangri-la Resort near Muscat, Oman

Some beaches in Oman are quite deserted or are used mainly by fishermen.  Every time I’ve been to these beaches, they’ve been so extremely hot, I don’t find them enjoyable.  Some of the beaches are so deserted they’re used only by campers.

As Sifah Beach near Muscat, Oman

Omani fisherman at Al Musanaah Beach, Oman

Seashells on the beach at Al Musanaah in Oman

a deserted beach where people camp on the east coast of Oman

This beach on the Dead Sea in Jordan is quite small, and it’s really impossible to swim in the water because of the high salt content.  No matter what you do, you end up in a position like you are sitting in an armchair, with your arms, legs and head floating on the water’s surface.  Only your rear end sinks in the water.

beach at the Dead Sea in Jordan

Some beaches are just little strips of sand situated on a lake shore, like this beach at Lake Langano, Ethiopia.

a small beach at Lake Langano, Ethiopia

Luckily, there are some picture-perfect beaches like Sangju “Silver Sand” Beach in South Korea.

Sangju “Silver Sand” Beach in South Korea

Sangju “Silver Sand” Beach, South Korea

To see more beaches, check out Where’s my backpack? Travel Theme: Beaches.

weekly photo challenge: from above

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Greece, Jebel Akhdar, Jordan, Nepal, Oman, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, May 4: This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is From Above: Change your perspective on something. Share a photo of a subject which you shot from directly above.

From above at the Monastery of St. Barbara, Meteora, Greece

Looking down at Kalambaka from the Monastery of St. Stephen at Meteora, Greece

from above: Nepalese Vegetarian food: basmati rice, black lentils, vegetable curry, spinach green curry, pickle, papad (some kind of mushroom curry?), salad and curd.

the view from above at the Hotel View Point in Nagarkot, Nepal

From above: flowers at Pokhara, Nepal

the view from above at the ancient Crusader castle at Karak, Jordan

from above: the curving staircase at Eikan-do, Kyoto, Japan

From above in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey

From above: the “fjords of Arabia” in Musandam, Oman

Omani children at Jebel Akhdar, from above

sunday post: bay

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Sunday Post

Sunday, March 17:  Jake’s Sunday Post for this week is bay.  A bay is defined as: A broad inlet of the sea where the land curves inward.

Here is the famous Halong Bay in Vietnam.

Halong Bay in Vietnam

Halong Bay in Vietnam

On the south coast of Crete, a beach town called Plakias sits within a small, glimmering bay.

a bay off the southern coast of Crete, in Plakias

Plakias, Crete

And in Oman, we can find a number of small bays as well.

a small bay on the coast of Oman

a bay at Shangri-La Resort in Oman

And finally, here is a harbor, which is sort of like a bay, but more so.  A harbor is a place on the coast where vessels may find shelter, esp. one protected from rough water by piers, jetties, and other artificial structures.   Here is the harbor at Mutrah in Oman.

the harbor at Mutrah in Oman

Mutrah Harbor

Sunday Post

 

weekly photo challenge: lunchtime

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Greece, Nepal, Oman, postaweek2013, South Korea, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, March 16:  The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is lunchtime.  Michelle of WordPress writes:

Time to show us your lunchtime. This might seem like a pretty narrow task, but if you think of “lunchtime” as a theme, there are lots of places you can take it:

• Show us what you actually had for lunch.
• Show us what went into your lunch — a stunningly saturated pile of red radishes at the farmer’s market, or the process by which you construct the Ultimate Turkey Sandwich.
• Show us what a mealtime is like at your house. Who’s there? What are they doing?
• Show us a photo of someone truly enraptured by what they’re eating and capture the deep satisfaction of an enjoyable meal.
• If you don’t have time for lunch or eat on the run, show us that.
• Show us your favorite place to sit while you eat lunch, or your favorite place to prepare food.
• Capture a candid photo of the guy behind the counter of your favorite greasy spoon.

This is meant to be another phoneography challenge, which I’m not at all keen on since I don’t have a camera phone.  Since I usually eat lunch at my desk at work, and since I didn’t feel like hauling my camera to work to take a boring picture of me eating lunch at my desk, I thought I would post some of my favorite lunchtimes I’ve experienced in my travels.

I’ll start with the smoked salmon, cream cheese and caper baguette I ate for lunch on Thursday at the Blue Marlin at Marina Bandar al Rowdha in Muscat.  I have to say I didn’t find the lunch all that exciting.  On the contrary, I found it totally uninspiring.  I probably wouldn’t go back to this place again to eat.

Smoked salmon baguette at the Blue Marlin

Only one time in the whole year and a half that I’ve been in Oman was I invited to an Omani’s house for lunch.  First they brought out this.

the snacks before an Omani lunch

Those beans on the left hand bottom corner of the large tray were delicious.  So were those French fry-like things.  I ate and ate, thinking this was our lunch.  After I was fully stuffed, they brought out this.

the main course, rice and chicken and salad

Needless to say, I tried to eat as much as I could, but it was hard because I wasn’t hungry at all after eating all those beans.  (nakhal fort, lunch with an omani family & a wild drive up wadi mistal)

Here’s a hole-in-the wall lunchtime place, similar to many such places in Oman, that Mario and I encountered when we went exploring wadis on a rare day of flooding in Oman.

a “restaurant” on the way to Wadi Damm

Here’s a “restaurant and coffee shop” (they don’t seem to believe in naming restaurants in the interior) in Ibra, where my family and I ate lunch while they were visiting Oman in January.

a typical Omani restaurant like most you will find outside of Muscat. This one is in Ibra.

My son Adam eats lunch with his hands, Omani style, in Al Hamra.

To be honest, I’m not all that crazy about Omani food or Oman’s Indian food, the only alternative outside of the capital.  I normally like Indian food, but in these types of restaurants, the menu is limited to Chicken Biriyani or Chicken Masala.  Both Omanis and Indians in this country are really fond of chicken.

Neither did I care much for Korean food when I lived in South Korea, but here is a typical Korean lunch of bibimbap I shared with my son Alex when he came to visit me in Korea.

Korean lunch of bibimbap

Koreans have to wash a lot of dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner

However, in most of my travels, I adore the local cuisine.  Turkish and Greek food were my favorites, but I also loved the food in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.  Here are some pictures of my Greek lunches.

Sardines and caper leaves in Fira, Santorini, Greece.

Eggplant rolls in Fira, Santorini, Greece

Greek salad for lunch in Akrotirion, Santorini, Greece

Bruschetta with feta cheese and olives & Greek beer in Fira, Santorini, Greece

the owner of the Meteora Restaurant, who serves her customers right from the huge pots as we bring our dishes around

My delicious meatballs at the Meteora Restaurant in Greece

Here is a lunch I enjoyed at a riverside restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  I love this kind of food.  It seems so healthy. 🙂

Cambodian lunch of steamed fish with dipping sauces 🙂 YUM!!

In Nepal, I ate a wonderful traditional Nepali lunch outdoors while enjoying a view of the Langtang range of the Himalayas.  This was my most recent special lunchtime break. 🙂

traditional Nepali food for lunch

my view of the Langtang Range of the Himalayas during lunchtime in Nagarkot, Nepal

I love taking lunchtime breaks while traveling, but if I make the mistake of having a beer or wine with my lunch, I get really lazy in the afternoon.  I try to save wine or beer for dinnertime, but I’m not always successful. 🙂

travel theme: mountains

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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: my 2012 in pictures

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postaweek2012, weekly photo challenge

Friday, December 28: Inspired by Robin at Life in the Bogs: Time in a bottle, and by the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, I put together a collage of my life during 2012.  All in all, it was an amazing year.  It started with getting a new flat in Nizwa, at the Abu Nooh Building, in January.  Soon after, my sons came to visit me in Oman for nearly a month.  We explored from Muscat to Nizwa, and even to far-flung Salalah.  It was a great experience for them and helped us establish a special bond of shared experience.

Developing a close friendship with Mario was one of the highlights of my year.  We both love photography and exploring Oman, so we have spent countless weekend days gallivanting around the country.  We have driven through flooded wadis to Wadi Dam, through Wadi Mistal to Wekan, across the Hajar Mountains through Balad Sayt, to Muscat and other places along the coast.  We went on a botched trip to Masirah Island, and ended up in Sur instead.  And we’ve taken too many walks to count on our favorite Jebel Akhdar, ending with a shared bottle of wine at the Sahab.

In August, I went back to the USA for a month, and had a fabulous time reconnecting with my family and home in Virginia.  I spent precious time in Richmond with my daughter Sarah, and our family spent a week at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. I loved this time together and resolved that I need to be back home with my family.

I returned home to Oman for one day, repacked, and then spent two amazing weeks in Greece, exploring Athens, Crete, Santorini, Meteora, Delphi and Epidaurus (greek wanderings).  On my birthday, October 25, I flew for the Eid holiday to Ethiopia, where I spent a week visiting my friend Ed.  We explored Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Lake Langano (african meanderings {and musings}).  For the Islamic holiday weekend, I took a short trip to Abu Dhabi, about a 5 1/2 hour drive from Nizwa.

Click on any image below for a full-sized slide show.

rock-hewn church at Lalibela, Ethiopia

my favorite “sport” ~ hiking anywhere scenic and gorgeous… 🙂 Juniper Tree, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

me at the Agora, Athens, Greece

a hand reprimanding a goat in the Hajar Mountains, Oman

Street scene in Athens, Greece

the rock-hewn masterpiece church of Bet Giyorgis in Lalibela, Ethiopia

Adam & Alex in the Empty Quarter, Oman

life vests and canoe paddles at our cabin at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland

Oia, Santorini, Greece

a rainbow of flowers and the Sultan’s palace, Muscat, Oman

pomegranate at Wekan, Oman

Oia, Santorini, Greece

plantations at Birkat al Mouz, Oman

Franciscan Monastery, Athens, Greece

to infinity and beyond! Al Bustan Hotel in Muscat, Oman

passageways through old Bahla, Oman

stylized palm trees on a hill in Oman

me on top of the ridge overlooking Khor an Najd in Musandam, Oman

FRUIT!!!! Salalah, Oman

Alex, Ahmed and Adam stand on the falaj going down to Wadi Tiwi in Oman

Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE

one boy’s grandfather and his sardine catch of the day in Al Musanah, Oman

a green garden at one of the Meteora monasteries in Greece

Mohammed, Mario and Atrium Torres Merlot at the Sahab Hotel, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

the entrance to the University of Nizwa, Oman

the incense burner on the hill at al riyam park in Muscat, Oman

part of the Door Series (?) by Abdul Majeed Karooh at Bait Muzna Gallery, Oman

Malcolm & Sandy at the Turkish restaurant in NIzwa, Oman

Bailey near Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA

an Omani boy at Nizwa souq

colorful fishing boats in Sur, Oman

Joanna Lumley and me at the Radisson Blu in Muscat, Oman

the Bahla Mosque with the gardens in front ~ Oman

Jebel Akhdar, Oman

Alex stands on the edge of a falaj in Wadi Shab

the village and the gardens of Balad Sayt in Oman

asleep at work ~ Nizwa souq, Oman

St. George & the Dragon: the patron saint of Ethiopia

the fisherman haul in the nets, Al Musanah, Oman

The village of Al Ayn on Jebel Akhdar

Sarah and me in Richmond, VA

more goodies at Mutrah souq in Muscat, Oman

Life is an enigma. Fira, Santorini, Greece

Me at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA

the Acroplis, Athens, Greece

“The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.” ~ Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (Oman)

the boys at the entrance to wadi bani khalid in oman

up & up the steps through the garden at Wekan, Oman

seashells by the seashore, Al Musanah, Oman

Royal Opera House Muscat

Entoto Raguel & Elias Church in Addis Ababa

the sheikh zayed bin sultan al-nahyan mosque in abu dhabi, uae

the Acropolis, Athens, Greece

my living room in the Abu Nooh Building, Nizwa, Oman

Santorini, Greece

near Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA (Alex, me and Adam)

Oia, Santorini, Greece

my sons chillin’ at Ziyara in Muscat, Oman

Alex and Adam the intrepid explorers

Oia, Santorini, Greece

some intrepid Omanis dare to cross the wadi of all wadis near Ibri, Oman

Kayaks at Deep Creek Lake, MD

Alx and Adam at Deep Creek Lake, MD

Mario and our bottle of wine, Sahab Hotel, Oman

Oia, Santorini, Greece

Street scene in Athens, Greece

drinking coconut juice at a Salalah fruit stand ~ Oman

“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”~ William Wordsworth (Wadi Muyadin, Oman)

swingin’ in the trees at wadi darba, Salalah, Omant

Franciscan Monastery, Washington, DC

My two “Omani” boys at Mutrah Souq, Oman

the young man from Balad Sayt, Adam & Alex in Oman.

I love the dramatic setting of this mosque in Salalah, Oman

my wanna-be “garden room” with its fake plants (the one on the left is real)… 🙂 Nizwa, Oman

a chess game by the sea in Sohar, Oman

a little ruined room in Birkat al Mouz, Oman

onions in Balad Sayt, Oman

Alex in front and Adam in back in the BIG boulder-strewn Wadi Tanuf, Oman

Me on the edge of Bet Giyogis, Lalibela, Ethiopia

Adam at Deep Creek Lake, MD

Thuraya, Shayma, me, Badr and Saud in January, University of Nizwa, Oman

fruits of labor in Birkat al Mouz, Oman

boarding the dhow in Musandam, Oman

Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, USA

my excellent student, Badr, on the left and his unknown friend driving near Birkat al Mouz, Oman

happy times at the Sahab Hotel, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

Omani men at Nizwa souq in Oman

a camel in Wadi Darbat, Salalah, Oman

the 21 Bronze Age tombs of Al Ayn with the jagged, comb-shaped Jebel Misht behind ~ Oman

painted walls in one of the ruined houses at Wadi Bani Habib, Jebel Akhdar, Oman

following the endless steps to the top of Wekan’s gardens in Oman

Time in a Bottle ~ Jim Croce

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with

Though I have no “you” that I can “go through time with,” no romance and no prospects of romance, there is still never enough time to do the things I want to do, once I find them.  I still like to save every day like a treasure, in my memory.  Though it’s been a solitary year, it hasn’t often been a lonely one.

I’ve learned to be content by myself, and though I want to reconcile with my husband, I don’t know if that will happen.  If not, I will keep my heart open for whatever the universe flings in my direction.  I know I will be returning home to Virginia in mid-summer of 2013.  So after this year, my living abroad days will be on hiatus, at least for some time.  What comes next in my life, I don’t know, but I’m ready for a new adventure.

weekly photo challenge: delicate

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postaweek2012, weekly photo challenge

Friday, December 14:  The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is delicate.

IN A NEW POST CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PICTURE THAT MEANS DELICATE TO YOU.

Delicate could be the tracings of frost on a window, a child’s tiny fingers and toes, the intricate pattern of a tree’s canopy, or something yet-to-be-discovered. So much of this challenge depends on your interpretation of “delicate,” and we look forward to seeing the range of images you capture.

delicate flowers in Wekan, Oman

delicate flowers in Wekan, Oman

delicate flower in Birkat al Mouz, Oman

delicate in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

delicate in Crete, Greece

delicate view in Crete, Greece

travel theme: liquid

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postaweek2012, Travel, travel theme

Friday, November 23:  Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? has given us a challenge for this week: Liquid.

Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.  ~ Langston Hughes

Sadly, I don’t have any rain pictures, as where I live, it never seems to rain.  However, here are some liquid photos for Ailsa’s challenge.

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

the Mediterranean off of Santorini, Greece

marsh at Lake Langano, Ethiopia

wadi floods in Oman

the reflecting pool at the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

a river in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

a pool at Wadi Damm near Ibri, Oman

a pool at the Franciscan Monastery, Washington, D.C.

weekly photo challenge: green

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postaweek2012, Travel, weekly photo challenge

Friday, November 16: The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Green. For some of you, in the northern hemisphere, you may not be seeing green for a while. Let’s celebrate all things green!

For a full-sized slide show, click on any image in the gallery below.

near Geoje-do, South Korea

a privately owned island covered in gardens near Geoje-do, South Korea

more greenery near Geoje-do, South Korea

green pomegranate at Wekan, Oman

Misfat Al Abriyyen, Oman

Misfat Al Abriyyen, Oman

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, USA

flowers in Wekan, Oman

a green niche at the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE

gardens near Geoje-do, South Korea

limes at BidBid, Oman

a green garden at one of the Meteora monasteries in Greece

green island near Geoje-do, South Korea

a green door in Misfat Al Abriyyen, Oman

the green lawn at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India

green bananas at Misfat al Abriyyen, Oman

topiary at Geoje-do, South Korea