First of all happy new year, I hope 2014 looks set to be an adventure for all of you! Its two weeks to the day since my last post and we've been out and about all over the place!
We were fortunate enough to be invited out for an evening with a work-mate of some very close friends. However, this wouldn't be a trip to the local pub. The entertainment on offer was a popular local past-time, Bull-Fighting. About an hour away from home a pit had been scraped out of the ground opposite the beach for the evening. With no barriers to protect the crowd from any stampeding bulls it all seemed a bit unorganised. Quite the opposite, this was a serious competition with local bull owners out to prove that theirs was the one to beat. Me and dad left the others up on the high-ground for some ring-side seats. Being this close was quite intimidating but the view was great. We also got our own adrenaline rush when the bulls got particularly close, needless to say we were up and out of range in under a second (I don't think I've ever moved so fast!). Whilst a few people would see this as cruel we were assured by our host, Saif, that the bulls were looked after very well by their owners and that vets are widely available if ever there is a problem after a fight.
From the high-ground over-looking the ring, the bulls tied to the
posts are waiting their turn
Up-close and personal!
Me overlooking the ring
Meeting one of the bulls at the end of the evening
After the fights were over, Saif invited us all to his house for dinner and a chat. This was an amazing opportunity that most tourists never get to experience. After Mum and the other girls were led into the main house (segregation between men and women is traditional in Oman) Dad, Neil, Jack (our close friends) and I joined Saif in an adjoining room. Whilst we had dinner we were joined by other members of Saif's extended family who came in to say hello and have a chat. All in all this was a great experience, we all felt truly privileged to spend time with a local family and find out more about the local culture.
Enjoying dinner with Saif and some of his family (on the left), along with Neil, Jack
and me on the right
The lead up to Christmas was strangely quiet, whilst in the UK we'd have been busy with Christmas preparations this year we've been relaxing at home. On Christmas eve however we did something a bit different, even if it involved a 6am wake up! We headed down to the Muscat Fish Market opposite Mutrah Souk to see the day's catch being landed. You could find a huge variety of sea-food here, from Yellow-fin tuna all the way to Prawns and crabs plus everything in-between. The market itself is self-contained, you can purchase your fish and have it filleted by hand before your eyes. We had a good hour soaking it all in and making new friends with some of the workers.
The morning catch of Mackerel
The local cats love to help clean up the scraps!
Me and the "catch of the day", a HUGE Yellow-Fin Tuna
Filleting a fresh Tuna, doesn't get better than that!
Me and mum share a joke with one of the workers
Christmas was a very quiet day and it was nice to have Matthew home with us to enjoy it. The days leading up to New Year were fairly relaxed, but prep for our New Year camp-out soon began in full swing. With 14 people coming with us we needed a fair bit of stuff. After a day of shopping and packing up the cars it was time for a two hour drive down the coast to our chosen camp, an isolated beach with incredible views! After setting up camp and scavenging some more firewood Dad set to work on the food. The plan was to have a Shuwa. This involves laying two marinated legs of lamb wrapped on foil on top of a layer of hot coals before burying it in sand. After five hours of slow cooking it should have been perfectly cooked. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint! It tasted incredible! Matthew joined us around 8pm and the whole group waited to welcome in the New Year on our little patch of Omani paradise.
A quick route check, on the road down to the beach
Enjoying the view !
Dad preps the Shuwa,
Our camp, the Shuwa is buried under the shovel in the middle of the picture
New Year's eve with family and friends, what could be better!!
So, with 2014 now upon us its time to look forward to this year. In only 12 days time I'm off to Nepal for another adventure, this time for four months! I can't wait to get going although I will be a bit sad to leave Oman and all of our new friends after an amazing couple of months.
That's it for this entry, happy new year everyone!
Chris
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