Day 100, Cruising the Arabian Sea

Lighthouse in Muscat harbor honoring the country's Frankincense trade.

Our one hundredth day was spent in the Arabian Sea cruising from Salalah, Oman to Muscat, Oman on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. As I have said before, I do love my sea days. Sea days are time for me to do as much or as little as I choose to do except for Trivia. To be on a team, one must make a commitment but that is not a sacrifice for me as Trivia is one of the reasons I look forward to sea days. This day is the last day for our team as half of them will be leaving the ship in Dubai. Cruise Director Ray who acts as our moderator will also be leaving in Dubai, so can't miss it.

I have begun to wonder just how much time I could spend sitting on my veranda watching the world go by. Whether its with a good book, knitting, sipping a Pisco Sour, studying the cloud formations, watching the sunrise/sunset, it doesn't matter. It is so serene, I can't seem to get enough of it. Sadly the Pisco Sours are about to come to an end as I am on my last bottle. Capel distillery was a long time ago on the far side of another continent.

Day 101 of this voyage brings us to Muscat, Oman where the above picture was taken as we were pulling into the harbor. Muscat is the capital of Oman and its most populated city. One of my goals for this voyage was to see and experience as many things as I could possibly fit into 180 days, so in keeping with that philosophy, my excursion of the day was an "Omani Dhow Cruise". One might think if I'm on a cruise ship, why on earth would I pay more good money for another cruise within a cruise, but remember - new experiences. Wasn't even sure exactly what a dhow was but it is a method of transportation in which I have never traveled so here goes. Still not certain of the official definition of a dhow, but what I and about thirty of my shipmates rode on was a VERY OLD large wooden boat much larger than the replica of Magellan's used in his around the world adventure. In Dubai where anything from the 1990s is thought to be too old to be of any use, they use dhows t0 transport used appliances to India for resale. In Muscat, they make very good use of the dhows in the tourist industry. The upper section of the boat where I was directed was appointed with cushions on the floor for sitting. I dutifully sat on the cushion and was really quite comfortable but most of the others gathered up three or four cushions so that they did not have to bend so low. But when in Rome. . . Once everyone was settled and we had cleared the harbor traffic, as is their custom to show their hospitality, they served their guests a very small albeit very strong cup of coffee and dates. Again, when in Rome. . .

The dhow on which we rode.

First we traveled westward along the coastline a couple of miles, then turned back to travel approximately the same distance beyond the harbor in the other direction. Due to the geological surface of this area, the entire city of Muscat is stretched for miles along the water. The structures of old were built using materials from the area so that they are almost invisible from any distance at all. Beautiful! Lesson learned from nature, best defense is to blend in with your surroundings. We passed centuries old forts, castles, yachts as big as castles, a centuries old cemetery, Sultans' compounds and many rock formation islands. A wonderful cruise within a wonderful cruise!

Our guide, Huesin, fancied himself to be a stand-up comedian but my advice to him would be to keep his day job. He seemed to really appreciate and enjoy his jokes and puns more than any of us, but so be it. He did impart some useful insight into Omani customs upon occasion. When asked about the varying dress of the women, he said that the Sultan does not decree what women must or must not wear. That, it seems, is dictated by the head of each family. Thus any restrictions on women are imposed by their father or grandfather, then after marriage by their father-in-law or his father but not by the Sultan. The average family size is five children. Men may have more than one wife IF the first wife agrees! Multiple wives is preferable in order to have more children. Lacking any kind of social security or retirement systems, one must depend on their children to care for them in their old age. Huesin is not yet married and probably will not marry for at least a couple more years. All our younger guides seem to be very level headed in regards to finances and being able to afford a family before entering into marriage. Smart.

This fort/castle was actually level. My camera was not.

From my cushion on the upper deck of the dhow.

Modern day palace along the shore.

The Arabian Sea along the coast of Muscat.

Oman is a very clean, well maintained, proud country, or at least that which I saw. They have no unemployment, no homeless, no slums, no liter. Again, that I saw and per Huesin.

It is very rich in tradition and traditional values but becoming more progressive as it is now permissible for women to drive and perhaps even work outside the home. Their Sultan is loved and respected as well as generous. Both my Omani guides spoke of him in glowing terms, very appreciative of what he is doing for their country. Their immense wealth is being invested back into their country to a large degree. Interesting people, interesting country. Well worth a visit.

Today Is Someday! Live It!