Muscat, Oman

Muscat is my favorite place in the Middle East, even on a very hot day like the one where I snapped this photo from my hotel room. The air was a bit smoggy-looking but not from pollution. Instead, it was dusty sand drifting in from the desert region. I only got to spend about 48 hours in town on this visit, but it was enough to visit my good friends and make some plans for future meetings.

Dammam / Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

This is a photo I snapped in the housing compound I stayed in during my short visit to Saudi Arabia. It was a quiet neighborhood for expats, surrounded by a fortified wall and guarded by military troops in concrete pillboxes. Shades of "The Kingdom",

Dammam, Saudi Arabia in June was hot (125 F / 51.5 C) during the day and the sky was filled with sand and soot, smelling of oil. The traffic was not too bad at the moment I took this shot, but there are some very unsafe drivers who speed recklessly. I saw three serious looking accidents in three days, probably caused by someone speeding.

In case you were wondering, they do sell hamburgers in Saudi Arabia. This is the sign for Burger King.

As far as I can tell from a wikisearch, this little bird is the White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis). I snapped this photo one morning in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

This is the tv monitor on the jet that took me into the Middle East from Amsterdam. As you can see, we were somewhere to the east of Baghdad, Iraq and just a bit to the west of the Iranian border, descending for a landing in Kuwait.

Manama, Bahrain

I didn't see too much of Bahrain except for the airport and the road in from Saudi Arabia. Here are a few shots I took from the car. There are quite a few interesting-looking buildings in Manama, the capital of this tiny island country.

Muscat, Oman

My most recent trip took me to Muscat, Oman. It is a wonderful place...quiet, very clean, with friendly people and much to see and do. The weather in January is a mix of sunny days and comfortable temperatures (by Western standards), along with some rain and cloudy days as well. Some of the people said I must have brought the rain with me as a gift to their very dry land.

The photo above is one of the many (hundreds?) of defensive towers that dot the landscape around Muscat. The banner on the rocks below contains the colors of the Omani flag.

I rented a car at the airport for one week and the rate was about $20 USD per day. Driving is safe and the roads around Muscat are well-maintained and modern. There are many roundabouts instead of intersections; this setup seems to work well.

The food was delicious. Rice, bread, fruit juices, chicken, lamb, fish and seafood. I did not go hungry.

Muscat has, in my opinion, lots to offer. The souks are as good as the ones in Cairo and Dubai, the character of the people is honest and friendly, and there is always something else to do or see that makes you glad to be there.

My visit coincided with the playing of the Arabian Gulf Cup, a soccer tournament featuring the national teams from every country around the region, including the host country Oman. Oman ended up winning the cup in a stunning upset match against Saudi Arabia. It was apparently Oman's first cup championship title in 40 years. I felt fortunate to be there when it happened.

A piscine sculpture located along the corniche in Muscat.

Me, along the corniche in Muscat.

There are many dhows plying the waters of Oman. Their hulls are made of teakwood and the construction design has remained the same for centuries. Of course, most modern dhows are driven by modern engines rather than sails.

This old fortress stands high on a hill above the Port of Muscat. Someone told me it was a jail at one time.

This mosque is situated along the corniche in Muscat. I snapped the photo just as a wave crashed ashore. Pedestrians along the seawall need to be watchful or they can get soaked.

The mountains come right down to the sea just to the east of Muscat. This is the headlands area, where the coastline turns to the southeast. The Gulf of Oman is the water in the far distance and the Arabian Sea is off to the right.

I took this photo in the Omani-French Museum in Old Muscat. It is a diorama depicting ships entering the harbor sometime in the early 19th-century. The museum is housed in the old French Consul's residence and has a lot of interesting artifacts on display. Well worth the 1 rial admission.

This is one of the old fortresses at the entrance to the harbor in Old Muscat. The crews of visiting ships have a long-standing tradition of writing on the rocks. Some of the grafitti is two centuries old.

This mosque is adjacent to the Sultan's palace in Muscat.

This ship (the big white one, not the dhow in the foreground), is apparently the royal yacht of the Sultan of Oman.

This structure is a huge replica of an incense burner.

This was the only camel I saw during my short one-week visit to Oman. There are many more of them, but Muscat is not a place where camels, horses and mules share the roadways with the cars, buses and trucks.

Here are some photos of the Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman. Early morning is the best time to visit if you want to take pictures. Entry is forbidden after 11am in order to prepare for the midday prayers.

Me at the entrance to the Grand Mosque in Muscat.

London, England

I spent the latter part of November and early December in London. Here are some of the photos from my visit.

Of course I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. This photo is of one of the royal carriages arriving at the palace during the ceremony, which occurs every other day at around 10:30am during the winter months (instead of every day as it does in the warmer months).

During the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth left on an errand.

Royal flag atop Buckingham Palace. That's a film crew recording the changing of the guard.

This is the Natural Science Museum in London.

Another view of the Natural Science Museum.

Here's a close-up of Big Ben. I photoshopped out the security camera that is mounted on the tower in the foreground.

The Houses of Parliament are on the right, Big Ben is in the tower, and the Millenium Eye is in the distance.

You know you are in England when...

Westminster Abbey.

Harrods, or as it is sometimes referred to by the locals: "Horrids".

This is a view looking eastward down the Thames. The Millenium Eye is on the south side of the river and off in the distance, tied up to the north bank next to the first bridge, is the HMS Cutty Sark.

This guy "Churchill" was apparently someone of note to the English.