OMAN

Salala and eastern region

Arrival to Salala (SLL) was during evening time, all went well so far. Got into a taxi with a young driver and as usual he wanted extra money because odf the two hotels beside each other, where i asked for the rpice for one night, Overall no problem, i took a good rest overnight and packed my things for the nice morning walk in the far southeast of the Arabian Penisnula, passed some fastfood stalls and the petrol station along the mostly very good and broad roads.

Before I asked teh guy at the hotel reception showing him my map in the guidebook, where the hotel locationb was. That was part of my usual procedures, orientation and a bid of actiuon during the morning. I got over the bridge by the viaduct and had my first nice walk (with packbag) into downtown Salala. Came along a big cemetery which was impressing by its size and its ageold graves which looked to me as some few hundred years old with the tower aside, all surrounded by an old wall. Next to it over teh street young and modern private houses.

Finally I got over the Sultan Quaboos street and took the way to the MODERN SOUQ near the beach. Two old men invired me to join them at their table which was nice. The smel of Frankincense in the air and some families near at the restaurants. Not far the big 4wheeldrive Jeeps on teh beach and the waves high and steady breaking on shore. A nice setting, the air moist and always a smooth brise from the see it was KHAREEF SEASON that is Southwest Monsoon which I knew from India. The total atmosphere remided my to Mumbai during monsoon season.

Goa is at 15 lat north, Salala at 17 latitude north and southwest Monsoon is covering the total Arabian Sea with the Indian Subcontinent and parts of the arabian coast from Yemen to the south of Oman.

I got very impressed by the big waves out there, and only some wild boys were plaieng here and then too close to them. They got the called back by the lifeguards whistle.

Later the day I got into the next hotel which was good with its nice restaurant hall with a big glassfront with view over the Souq, mostly quite busy over the day and night, but more durig weekends when poeople and families come from the city, mountains and the desert far in back. A guy called Jonny was often called (to hotel lobby) and lately he showed up at the reception, an experienced man from Nigeria with whom I had a nice talk later the night on



foreign settings
I explained to him some the Trump manouvers in teh US. First New York which he left, guess for evading problems with the court for tax fraud, for his club Mar Lago in the South at Florida, and then lately during his second term it got Washington DC, were he had started bulldozers for taking down the Eastwing of the White House.

So to say another destruction and construction zone in the US governments area itself and very close to the presidents seat in office (residency). I hated all that rumbel and dust.

I also explained to him that during Obamas time they made the bunker below the white house bigger, social and Obamacare was a Rotes Tuch to many there and he as Tump later had many enemies during their terms in office.

Finally Trump took seat in Washington which was set between NY in the north and Florida (where his large anwesesn was) in the south. The thing was that sametime in Israel daily destruction was far bigger and out of scale since quite a time. But not many seem to have got that facts.

As usual destruction was part part of many conflicts and none of these involved seemed to have obstacles against their will for destruction. The destructiuon scale was different in specific regions depending on its sources, powers and dimensions in back.

After first night I descided to leave Salala city for the outer regions to its east and left city hitch hiking along its main exit road to east.

Hitch hiking in Oman is absolute no problem you hardly wait more than 10 minutes along busy roads, People are mostly friendly and only occasionally some ask for money. I told them it would be too costly to get a rent car for myself, I did not drive cars the last years and it would make only sense with friends to rent one. Only the last days soem guy told me it would be only 15 or 20 Rials a day.

Only one of the last rides during the two weeks a lorry driver wanted some Rial, all others were rich men in big, mostly fourwheel drive cars, Jeeps or sportcars. We had nice talks on way and some of thenm took me even as part of their way to Work to Havanna a supernew huge Holiday area east of Salala, with an artifical port for 300 ships, sports and fiher, a creek along and in back with max threelevel high adequate and omani stile lodges houses, pensions and lofts set around teh harbour. All brandnew beside some small spots which were waiting for a beton filling and us on way.

The boss of the guy who took me with him was not in the fully equipped fishermens store at the time visiting, but that was all no problem, we got out of new Havanna and I got further out east at a bigger junction.

Havanna was not busy at all during that time and I only got to see one foreign women on way to her car what was amusing duirng that short time.

During the two weeks in the Salala region the US president also warned (it was on TV) that they could bomb Oman which was very annoing and all guys agreed with me that he was nuts. But really it was not a big topic, these nuts guys from the west and their bad, very bad show which was mostly far away if anyhow there.

Nature Observations

In the region in and around Salala you can often see Glossy Ibis which are comon in populated areas as long there are green zones, green stripes and areas near streets with palms and subtropic trees with moist areas.

Usually during mornings they fly in small groups to their feeding grounds mostly moist green stripes of grass, often not far from maior street lanes. These are imptressing birds which can also be seen in Goa, often they like to roost on swamp and field edges.

At south Dhabriz a Salala city district near Al Baleed (ressort) there was a small clear water location from the pipe system for palms and the grassstripes. it was impressing and amusing to watch Baya Weavers, Bulbuls and sunbirds at such locations.

Not far from the big Banana, Papaya, Coconut palm plantations. Salala has a big green area near the city which provides vegetables and fruits for total Oman as it is gatting wet and moist during teh Khareefs season. What means it is mostly cloudy and moist south of the mountain ranges in north.

At south Dhabriz you can get even close to the horse stables which got once brought on ships from the main city ports to India. It was old trade routs for ships which had loads of spices, frankincense (Weihrauch), also the Queen from Saba was visitig Oman during 9.th century.

Lately I decided for her even as I tried to get Cheney rumsfeld and powell during my last visit to Malaysia onway to Saba which is a provinvce in today Borneo. I am sure I did not mix her with other women there.

Some 30 km east of Salala I staied overnight at Sumhuram an old port city from teh bronze ages, so to say some 2 500 years old. It is set on a nice hill overlooking the bay and coastal areas with steep rising cliffs which is very impressing during evenings at th ruin city named Sumhuram. Often some one or two pikiniky cardrivers rest there with friends. It was quite magic and I thought when it starts raining for short I will take shelter in the very old doorways made of solid rock at Sumhuram. The bank and my mat was fitting, had no scorpions in sight and all was well.

From the gates to the ruin city it is some 1 km over the smooth hilltops which has gravel roads, at the gate you need to buy tickets for the ancient port city.

Hitch hiking onway you can often see small to medium sized falcons and hawks.

Sadly I did not see any Bonellis Eagles any more likje first time in Oman not far outside Muscat city leavuing it on sidewalks near the main exit highways. That was amazing as these eagles seem to see immediatly which prey is worth the hunt. At that time also vultures got seen at the big Vadi south of Rustak with Bonellsi sailing high over that desertland basin.

Purple Sunbbirds (kolibrilike) got seen at Vadi Darbat at the backside of the big main pikiniki hill facing the huge vadi Wall of about 1,5 km lenght and a hight of approx. 150 m which is impressing. I spent some two to three hours there and enjoied the birds as Baya Weavers (mails can not be mixed, Webervoegel) and Purple sunbirds. getting close to the pikinik hilltop. Also some Bulbuls around and on way up the hill some Wachtelkoeneige got seen crossing far away as they knew the danger. We were not anywere in Texas ! (cheney was a bad qualehunter !)

Wachtelkoenige got also seen once onway to Sharja from Dubai airport the usuall cross streetlanes fast from odd parking lots.

Falcons got usually seen from cars and thats often not enough time to specify the spezies. Big falcons are costly in these regions and finally we were not in Texas because even qualehunting is dangerouse there. (bad joke for falcons) Quales usually hide in highdry grasslands and even green carpets were they can hardly get out when a mat is on it. (there was not that many green zones east out of Salala as once lets say in Bagdad Iraq)

Unfortunatly qualhunters are often from Texas or governmentals there. Wachtelkoneige are faster and far bigger not let aside the poor exhausted Black Storks which were roostinga dn resting over days, and seemed to have had a hard journey from the north or northeast over desret lands.

Black Storks breed in mideuropean to russian regions with vast old woodlands. When the get on wrong route they have problems during Khareef to get west from Mirbat city which is about 35 km from Salala. Flieing against teh southwest Monsoon must be tireing, they are sleeping overnights on light masts and got often seen near Mirbat harbour which had many fishermen, fourwheel drive cars and fish on which the Black Storks fed. The same group got also seen at the resting place wall near the Mirbat port. Storks are long distance sailors who need termics to get over huge stretches of deserts.

There were also some medium sized herons (Reiher) at Mirbat in tidal waters. Biggest groups were of Glossy Ibis and Sooty Gulls (gr Moewen) which are black huge seaghulls what can be fascinating as usually Seagulls are white or grey colored, witrh some black. Seagulls and Terns are best fliers and can cover thousands of km in weeks. Two smaller sized terns (Seeschwalben) got seen at Mirbat.

And a huge flock of Plovers rested at south Dhabriz shores, lovely with huge waves in back.
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Tourism

In some tourist locations they told me eu tourist season starts when there is winter in Europe, that was ok for me. Further news I got from a huge TV screen which got then modified to me needs (without help) which was bbc news which got read by the manuals curser from a big bed. So if needed you can be mostly updated under such circumstances. Bad presidnets were far away but not all oiltankers. I knew these guys would not hesitate to take action.

During first time in Oman

While coming from airport by taxi with needs to cover a stretch of 30 km to Muscat city the driver offered me a coffee with puzzled me that much in happiness that I was smiling till today but I had to say no because the hours before on plane we had coffe and a meal some half an hour before landing. But the offer was far too nice in that situation late morning onway to Muscat.

It was somewhen duirng there was Winter in Europe and it was the days over xmas and new Year. I had nice walks the way out of the city to Kor Kalbu and the incenseburner looking like spase or coffe house on way to Kalbu which is some 3 km out of Muscat Muttra, so in walking distance. You can find soem quite quiet bays on way and here and then some families with kids on the small bays, which are good for shell collectings.

During that time I slept partly on beaches yet as it was mostly warm, it had also durnibg nights some 20 degrees celsius, which is quitze comfortable. During that tim in Muscat I staied usually in one of the two mian hotels the one near the Muscat bay with harbour and the nice sidewalk, pedestrian zone in red marble and red granite with granite huts. The other one was near the fish marcet, i lost its names but advertising was never my job anyway.



After some two days i left on foot the way direct to one of the main government buildings and the huge palace south east from Muscat and the governement headquarters. People had pikinickis there duirng it got dark and I ended up somwhere in a cave over the street not far from the 40 euro breakfast ressort which I quit immediatly after coming down form the cave over the bay with ressort.

It was warm enough to stay in that cave during that days, when it wsa winter in EU and before covid times with ample systems in soem lands, but it was MNovembro 2019, when they had first covid and corona cases in NY o19.

The cave over street was ok but the costly breakfast for bagpacker had to be quit. You always have to set the price first (under any circumlocations withtaxi or hotels, if there are soime left lets say in Lubljana SLO or Ceske Budjovica CS usw) Hotel and ressort stuff get mostly brought by small busses to the hotels and ressorts outside main ballungszentren.

Usually when the location was near beach with its nice dunes and grasslands with quales, fishermen, families and wachtelkonigs there was often a dark security vehicle not far, guess it was the palace security. Lately I got to know that Sultan Quaboos had some enemies from the times when he couped his old father. He was driving then an costly brits car with 3 cm security glass. But most people kept the Sultan in best thoughts and remembers, as also me. We never had bad thoughts on him.

Only one time when I crossed some odd walled property not far from the Iraq and german embassy, coming from beach by cycle some indian security stuff wanted to stop me which was impossible for sure. But these areas are some 10 km out of Muscat city. Better get a cycle soon there, it is possible.

Take precautions of heat and sun, creme and glasses. During nights teh smell can be amazhing when onway form airport on cycle during nights when streets are empty and silent. Then when you reach Muscat 4 the morning and a cruise ship is getting on peer after you did that stretch on cycle it can be fascinating in the sweest orange morning sun. Be on scedule for that (booking) when coconuts get put infront of shops the early mornings.
I am sure they don do that in Texas.



this is part of greater procedures .... following

Other Tims In Oman MUSCAT SUR / Mattra Bazar RUWI NIZWA RUSTAQ
under progress which will be great


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