- Mark Twain (stolen from Sayaka's blog) - http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/69478/Old-Muscat-4
Over the course of the past few years Joel's brother Chris has tried to schedule a time to visit but to no avail. We were always hopeful that this would happen but realized the difficulty in getting away from work and family. But when Joel's nephews put on the charm and convinced their Grandparents to watch them for a week both Chris and Sayaka could make the trip over. We couldn't have been happier to have them both with us.
Their visit was short and their energy was high, so we did our best to cram in as much as possible. After a 3am arrival they whisked themselves around Muscat dodging the erratic drivers and taking in the sights of our city. I believe they spent the first 45 minutes whizzing around the same roundabout Homer Simpson style. Off to a good start. We concluded the night at the market and enjoying an Arabian dinner under the stars.
The next day we took a day trip out to the forts and souks of the interior. Driving through mud bricked oasis towns while weaving through herds of goats we quickly caught up on lost time . We should have had these two folks with us here long ago as we saw camels in the most obscure locations. We climbed up and over the mountains and drove home via the beautiful Wadi Bani Awf.
When Chris and Sayaka first mentioned that they were coming we asked what they'd like to do. Sayaka answered, "turtles, all I want to see are turtles." Alright then, turtles it is. Down we went to Ras al Jinz on a search for nesting turtles. In an effort to protect the turtles the government has done a much stricter job of closing the beaches off. This is the slowest time of the year so we were hopeful that some Turtles could be found. If not, tina was prepared to throw on a fake shell and flap around in the sand while a yelled, "Look at the turtle" as I bumped over the flashlights. Anything for our guests. Lucky us there were turtles up on the beach and we even got to see the eggs being laid. Very cool.
Waiting till sunrise as the turtles went back into the ocean we strolled along the beach. The cliffs in this area are stunning and being the Eastern point of Arabia the sunrise is brilliant.
From the waters of the Indian Ocean we drive into the interior and hit the Wahiba Sands. This rolling orange-sand desert was filled with fun for us. Chris got to play older brother again and throw Joel down the dune while we all took turns in flying photos. A relaxing evening spent on the dunes was followed by a morning camel caravan. I think Chris' camel was a little jealous of the camel carrying Sayaka. Just kidding.
It was so great to have both Sayaka and Chris with us. They were always game for the next adventure and seemed to really enjoy themselves. We were so lucky to be able to share part of our final few months here with them both.
