Ma'asalama Oman

"You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way again."

~ Azar Nafisi (Author of Reading Lolita in Tehran)

Sadly for us this is our final post from The Sultanate of Oman. The last three years here have been a very special time in our lives and will be cherished. It has been a busy month or so as we have put the final touches on our time here.

Recently the last of a great string of friends and family came to visit - our good friends Serey and Marcus from Canada. Sitting at our wedding a few months ago they made plans to visit and we were really glad that they were able to.

These two were taking a break from their busy lives in Calgary to venture through Turkey, Oman and Dubai. They visited in the hottest time of the year and with only a few days here they made the most of it! They saw Muscat, the local forts, drove into the desert, saw the nesting turtles and completed one of the best hikes in the country - Wadi Shab. Its was great to have them with us!

Additionally while Marcus and Serey were here I decided to go on a drastic weight loss program. Here is how it works:

1. Great pain in the abdominal area
2. Go to Hospital
3. Appendix about to rupture
4. Perform surgery
5. Wallow in self pity during recovery

It's a tad expensive but I look good for bathing suit season now.

While I have been spending all our hard earned money on surgeries Tina has been taking a few art classes. She completed a pottery class and a soft sculpture class as well. In the soft sculpture class Tina created an Omani scene that will find its way into our home in Canada.

In early June Oman recieved news that a cyclone (hurricane) was coming our way. It had been 3 years since cyclone Gonu had devastated these shores so the memory was very much alive. The country ordered two days off of work and people busily stockpiled food, water, sandbags, ice, etc.

The cyclone hit at Sur on the coast. Here in Muscat there were high winds, heavy rains and flooding but nothing compared to the effects of Gonu. The people of the coast are still recovering but Muscat is now almost back to normal. As a side note, my brother Matt informed me that the best defence against a cyclone was to run really fast in the opposite direction. This proved inneffective.

Amidst the visits, storms, surgeries and art classes we have been busily packing up our lives and memories from this great place. Goodbyes are never easy but we are sure we will run into many friends again in the future.

On June 23rd we leave Oman and head through Egypt, Jordan, The Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Turkey and London before touching down in Vancouver on August 6th. We will do our best to post updates as we travel.

Oman has left us with such a vibrant experience with which to look back on. As the above quote alludes to, we are happy to be moving on but sad that the people we are right now won't be coming with us. It is definately time for us to be home but we will fondly remember this place and it's people.

Ma'asalama Oman.

Mexican Wedding

" Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one."
- Japanese proverb

When both Tina and her brother became over the age of 25 and started moving in with their significant others and even moving to the Middle East, I think Tina's mom had given up hope that she would ever see them get married. Well, Tina and her brother somehow decided that in 2010 they would pack in both of their weddings within six months of each other! Cory and his new wife Hayley threw her an extra curve ball announcing their wedding would take place in Cancun, Mexico!
Joel was unable to attend as the wedding would be in May and being a very important PE teacher he would be irreplaceable at work. So Tina set out for a Mexican fiesta on her own. After a major delay in London due to volcanic ash being spewed from the Icelandic volcano and a night sleep on the Miami International Airport floor - Tina said 'hola' to the heat and humidity of Cancun! (Leaving 45 degrees in Muscat she was confident she could handle any heat - but the humidity surprised her and she was soon partaking in afternoon siestas! (As was Kyra on Grandpa's lap!)


Tina was soon joined by her parents, the bride and groom, Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Ed, along with Cory's good friends Ryan, Aubry and the Stearn family. Hayley's parents, aunt and uncle, good friend Theresa, her brother's family and her sister's family and her cute nieces and nephews! There was about 28 guests visiting for either one or two weeks. We quickly made our way out to one of the many pools at the resort in Tulum and began soaking up some rays and enjoying ChiChi's and Mojitos!


One of the days before the wedding, Tina and her mom and aunt and uncle set out for a tour of Coba (Mayan) ruins. Coba was located about a 40 minute drive from the resort and Tina and Carolyn climbed to the top of the ruins for a view of the jungle and ocean. We also stopped for lunch at a traditional Mayan village where we made tortillas with the daughter of the local shaman.

On May 12th, we got all gussied up for Cory and Hayley's wedding. I had the honor of walking Kyra down the aisle and helped her throw out flower petals. The ceremony was held in an outdoor gazebo overlooking the white sand beach and turquoise waters! Breath taking!!


The groom was smiling!

And the bride was looking beautiful!

The flower girl very happy to be with daddy after the ceremony!!


The dinner took place immediately after the ceremony in the resort's restaurant 'Tequila' and we then enjoyed some dancing and drink by the pool! Kyra got to sleep over in Aunty Tina's room; we had a great night but I think Tina jumped up every time time Kyra snored!




I was very happy and proud to see my big brother get married and see him so happy with his new family. It was nice getting to spend more time getting to know Kyra and Hayley as well as Hayley's family.

Bogans, Kangaroos and a Wedding

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today it's already tomorrow in Australia."

- Charles Schulz cartoonist (1922 - 2000)



This past springbreak Tina and I had the opportunity to attend our good friends Lucas and Tennielle's wedding. Seems like an easy call right? Except that the wedding was in Melbourne, Australia. Turns out it was an easy call. We packed our bags, boarded a plane and prepared ourselves to set our feet on the dry soil of the lucky land.





We initially met Lucas and Tennielle when we arrived in Muscat three years ago. We quickly became friends spending time exploring Oman, travelling through India and complaining about our daily lives while polishing off mediocre cans of beer. It had been almost a year since we'd last seen them.

We arrived Down Under late at night and were whisked back to chez Craig/Tripp on the wrong side of the road amidst strange perversions of the english language. Catching up with them took us well into the early morning and well into their stash of grog. It was ace seeing them again.

Melbourne is long reported to be among the most liveable cities in the world. We were looking forward to judging for ourselves. A day spent walkng around the city, along the Yarra, watching street comedy in Federation square and a pub lunch had us thinking the rumours might be right. Then an evening at the world famous Melbourne Cricket Ground watching Aussie Rules Football complete with a few pregame beers and a meat pie had us won over.

I had grown up watching the occassional game on TV at early morning hours and spent the entire time totally confused but loving every minute of the knuckle-chucking action. Nowadays, the mullets are gone, the labcoat clad officials are no longer present but the action is fast, the crowd is wildly entertaining and the experience is very unique. Such a completely Aussie event was a perfect to start our entirely too short stay in Oz.

There are certain stuffed animals that I spent my childhood believing were created by stuffed animal companies just for us young kids to enjoy. But my Aussie friends assured me that these things really existed and insisted they could prove it. Off they took us to prove it. Congratulations Australia your animals - kangaroos, platapuses (platapi?), koalas, etc - are incredible.

Tennielle and Lucas are incredibly generous people and they took a week before their wedding and swept us around the stunning coastline of Victoria. The trip took in the world famous Great Ocean road. The road is filled with brilliant coastal views, small colourful towns and monstorous rock formations plunging into the bright blue waters.

We stayed in Apollo Bay, waited for the 50 year storm at Bell's beach, and soaked up the beauty of this area of the world. As a side note we happened upon Bell's during the Rip Curl World Championships. In the few minutes we were there the woman's world champion was changing into her wetsuit right beside our car. As the cool guy that I am I filmed it. What a total loser.

We continued the roadtrip taking a ferry across the mouth of Port Phillip bay, enjoying a meal at what has to be the most stunning pub view around (Portsea pub) and staying at Tennielle's beach house. Finally, we headed to Phillip island to march with the Penguins - appearantely not as many as usual but a pretty impressive sight regardless.

Arriving back in Victoria's capital city it was time for the whole reason we made this trip. A beer at the Young & Jackson. Just kidding. Lucas and Tennielle got married in a garden that they used to walk in when they were first together. It was a really nice afternoon and the service was perfectly fitting.

The reception was held in a nearby pub and was complete with nice speeches, plenty of laughs and aussie classics. Lucas and Tennielle's family and friends are all incredibly welcoming and full of fun. It couldn't have been a better evening to celebrate these two people.

Australia has always struck me as such a strange place on the map. What is this vaguely British influenced culture doing way down there? And what language are they all speaking anyways? In way too short a stay I know that we are glad we made these friends and sure that we will be back again and some point in our lives.

Bloody oath.

Special Visit

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness"

- 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.

Muscat Moments

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. "

- Siddhartha Gautama

Four days after Tina and I got married in the cool winter air of Vancouver we headed back to life in Arabia. Having this time with our friends and family in Canada was a special time for both of us. But it was time to head back to the land of frankinsence, camels and khanjars for our final few months here.

As we returned to Oman we were treated to a reception thrown by our friends here in Muscat. Catching up with friends, getting roasted in a toast and sharing a very creative cake (Joel's likeness is uncanny!) made it feel like we got married a second time. But with a much better price tag!










In the weeks after our reception Tina and I acted like responsible adults and allowed work to get the better of us. Very disapointing. We spent countless hours planning a program that sent all of the kids camping for a 'Discover Oman' week to destinations all over the country. Just our luck - it poured. Winds, rain and floods helped make this week one to remember. Not our finest time. Finding ourselves looking to the future we started to take the time to enjoy our daily lives again.

Soon after we got back into exploring the area and took a few days around the capital. We took a hike from the Sultans palace to Sidab, a small fishing inlet . With a quick climb over a wall we were on a path leading from watchtower to watchtower along the jagged hills seperating the crystal clear ocean waters from the traditional buildings of Old Muscat.

Having explored this area by foot we decided to take our kayaks out on the water again. We launched from Muttrah and paddled in the morning sun along the coast until we pulled in next to the Palace. A quick visit from a police boat quickly reminded us that being here can be a "big problem" and we should leave. Its an awkward paddle struggling your way through head winds as a police boat motors right next to you the whole way. In classic Omani style the police chatted with us about where we are from and welcomed us to Oman at the same time as kicking us out of the water. I love this place.

As our time winds down here Tina and I are trying to get to some favourite spots before the weather gets too hot for camping. One of these spots is Bar Al Hickman. The drive is half the fun as you leave the tarmac and drive along little sand dunes, salt flats and into deeper coastal sand for an hour before pulling up a spot at any piece of the beach you fancy. Our friend Pat joined us on this trip and we enjoyed showing her this place. Along the beach Pat found a whale bone and off we went to check it out. It was huge. Of course, this needed to accompany us back on the 5 hour journey to Muscat. We folded the back seat down and the bone reached from back window all the way to the front windshield. The smell was only a slight factor on the drive.

We arrived back in Muscat excited because Joel's brother Chris and our sister-in law Sayaka were due to arrive in Muscat in a week. It will be great having them with us here.

Winter wedding

"The real act of marriage takes place in the heart - not in a ballroom, or church, or synagouge. It's the choice you make - not just on your wedding day, but over and over again - and that choice is reflected in the way you treat your husband or wife."

- Barbara De Angelis

This past winter Tina and I returned to Canada to get married. We were extremely moved to be able to share this event with so many of those that are close to us. Our writing cannot do justice to how wonderful it was to have these people with us.

Instead, we will post a few pictures of a day that was very special to both of us. As well, we have included a few pictures that we took ourselves in the desert here in Oman.

Thanks to all of those that attended and to those who's pictures we have stolen for this blog.

Many apologies for being so late getting this post up.