We had a wonderful time in Oman. Bob loved the Musandam experiences, especially the dhow ride. I really enjoyed the goat souq in Nizwa and getting out on the sand dunes in the Empty Quarter.
Lito, our guide in Khasab, was quite knowledgeable about the area and found things to show us, working around the facility closures because of the Sultan’s death and the rains that made mountain driving prohibitive. He had been in Oman a long time and was able to share some history about Oman and his experiences living there as a guest worker.
Ibriham was great. He shared a lot of information about Oman, how people lived, social and cultural customs and also about family life in Oman. He also shared some of his home grown dates and made us the best Omani Coffee we had when we were there. We kept trying more coffee after we tasted his and none could compare. He was really good about taking photos and didn’t mind if I took photos of him. He really took care of us, given some of our limitations and he was quite thoughtful and we had a really nice time with him.
Mahad was also really great. He was laid back, flexible and easy to work with. He took us to some really great restaurants. We especially enjoyed a Turkish restaurant in Salalah the first afternoon we were there. We decided we preferred lunch out that day instead of dinner and it worked out great. I told him I had really been into bird watching and loved finding animals and birds. After that he started pointing out all sorts of creatures. He brought out his bird books and we started calling him Eagle Eye. He told us in Oman they usually use the term Falcon Eye so that became his nickname. He would see things I would completely miss. It was wonderful to have a guide with this expertise. He spotted a desert fox in the Empty Quarter, apparently a rare sight. He also saw a flock of storks on our way back from the Empty Quarter.
The accommodations were really nice. I especially enjoyed being on the beach in Salalah. The added bonus was that I could walk on the beach and take some really great photos at sunset. There were some men riding horses late afternoon and I got some really nice shots of them as the sun was setting. I’ll send you one of those too.
I have already recommended your tour company to a friend who saw my photos on Facebook. Thanks for the great experiences and the very good communication. We have nothing but good things to say about our trip.
Laura and Bob.
(January of 2020)