Tuesday 14 April 2015

Outstanding Oman

After a tangle of flights and immigration queues and liquids in plastic bags, I finally made it to Muscat.

At 9.30am it was already 34 degrees; by lunchtime, the heat was solid enough to lean on.

My lovely guide/driver Suliman was at the airport to meet me: in his crisp white dishdasha (traditional robe) he looked cool, calm and collected. I, on the other hand, felt like a homeless person turning up to a Royal Wedding.

As if four flights and 25+ hours weren't enough, as soon as Suliman collected me, we drove two hours into the mountains. The scenery here is astonishing: 82 % desert, 15% mountains and buggar all of anything else,

As the landscape became more and more remote - and we climbed 2900m into the Al Hajar mountain range - I wondered what the hell I had let myself in for. We even encountered a herd of mountain goats, hanging out in the middle of the road (as you do). But then out of nowhere appeared the most gorgeous hotel I have ever stayed at - the five star Alila Jebel Akhdar (click here to check it out). It hasn't even been open a year and has the most stunning view of the mountains - it's not for nothing these chiselled peaks are often referred to as Oman's Grand Canyon.

Apologies for the random selection of pics - my eyes are shutting and I'm hoping I can make it through dinner without falling face first into my meal.

      











2 comments:

  1. Great pics, that new cameras working a treat

    ReplyDelete
  2. It sure is! Let's just see how many are print-worthy when I get home, given that my favourite photographer isn't with me?!
    SSx

    ReplyDelete

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