Road Trip

1 man, 1 idea, 1 car, 1 ipod, 1 bottle of bourbon, 873.4 km's

The idea hit me between 05-0600 Wednesday morning! I was aimlessly googling while waiting for my last hair raising, butt-clenching stint of ATC Oman style.

I was on http://www.surfersofdubai.com/ wasting time, when one of the local controllers asked me what I had planned for my 3+ days off? "Nothing much" I said. He told me I should relax, take it easy and refresh before my next work cycle! My next work cycle??

I kept flicking through the website and came across this....
Asilah May 2003
Or is that Asyliah? Asilah? Asylah? Aslyah? Asylyah? Any other variations? Anyway, another great surfing weekend. Again, small swell but proper waves so lots of fun. Long RH rides off Joe's Point - one american on the jaunt compared it to Rincon(?) - I haven't been there so don't know. But at least 100-200 m rides and potential for longer. Nice peeling beachbreak on the inside for beginners.
Found a couple of other spots worth checking out for bigger swell days. Not much more to report but photos here (obviously we were so busy surfing we didn't have time to take many surf photos)

It was then I decided, "screw ATC, screw relaxing and waiting for work next week, I'm going to Joes Point. Today!

Day 1.
After 4 or 5 hours sleep I woke and considered my options for the day? Against my bodies better judgement I got out of bed! I showered, threw a change of clothes in my backpack, the remainder of my homemade veggie pie and my half bottle of bourbon in my car cooler, grabbed my ipod, Oman off road explorer and Oman residents guide, and jumped in the car.

First stop was the service station to fill the tank and grab a couple of bottles of water. Next the bottle shop to fill up the cooler. Unfortunately it was now 1257 and my friendly local 'bottle-o-man' had taken an early lunch, therefore half a bottle of bourbon would be my lot for the next 2 days.

I have wanted to drive down the Northern coast of Oman for a while, however I decided to drive Southeast and inland to Al Ashkhara, to the Al Ashkhara Youth hostel, which is on the Eastern coast (Go East young man!).

If you want to see a map go to http://maps.google.com/ type in Oman, then zoom to the East coast and surrounds.

I chose the inland route due to the fact it was early afternoon, I was tired, and I had driven half the same way before when I went to the Al Raha desert camp for New Years and could therefore sleep half the way there!

After Al Mintirib everything was new and exciting so I woke up, cranked up the tunes, and started paying attention to what was around me. Although the landscape seems harsh and inhospitable, and often is, there is definately a lot of different shades of yellow, brown, red, orange, and some green, to keep things interesting.
On the Dubai surfers website they say you can't miss the hostel and they're right. It is only a small way out of town, however it seems a long way from anywhere.

When I checked in at about 1830, after about 350k's, there was my car and the Hostels van in the carpark. It was at this stage I renamed the Al Ashkhara Youth Hostel the 'Bates Motel'. Thankfully the staff didn't appear to be physcopathic crossdressers, and I was escorted to my 25 Rial a night 'hotel-not-hostel' room by a friendly Indian staffmember.
Now a lesser man, after only 7 or 8 hours sleep in 48, may have settled into his luxury digs with a couple of bourbons, 2 English pay tv channels, and ease the night away, but not 'Craig-Road-Tripper!'.

Since there obviously wasn't an abundance of young, nubile female backpackers at the edge of Oman I decided to check out the East Coast of the Arabian Peninsula by Kia car.

From Al Ashkhara I drove South along the coast for about 70km to Khuwaina.
For 50 k's there was only a couple of small villages, maybe 1 or 2 opposite direction cars, and me at 1000km's an hour, sun roof open, stereo blaring and not a care in the world!

The first 'major' village on the coast is Qurun. My first sight was of about 20 Omani kids sitting in front of a tv outside of the first 'store' in town. I turned down the stereo, closed the sunroof, slowed down, and tried to look inconspicuous in a brand new car in the middle of nowhere. If the world held a staring contest the first people I would put my money on would be the Indians, however the Omanis would be a close second. In saying that though, you wouldn't expect a young Aussie fella to be driving willy nilly down the East coast of Oman every day would you...?

After Qurun I drove into Bandur Qurun, a little offshoot of the main town. It didn't take long for the asphalt to run out, the goats to come out, and the sea to spread out, so I headed back to the coast road to explore some more.

Khuwaina was only 10k's south from Qurun and much the same except bigger. I saw 2 groups of kids gathered round watching 2 tv's, I guess that's the difference between big town and small town in these parts. The next southerly part of the road was newly asphalted but pretty rough still, so i turned around, cranked the music up again and headed back to the hostel.

(n.b In 1970 Oman had 10km of paved roads - think about that over your cornflakes)

Opposite the Bates Motel is the Arabian Sea. There are about 10 concrete huts spread evenly from the town down the coast for about a kilometer.

At about 2300, after watching a bad B-grade movie while finishing my bottle of bourbon, I decided I should go do something. I met my neighbours on the walk down to the beach, an extended family from Brunei, Grandparents, Uncles, In-laws etc......
After a quick chat, I went to check out the waves, and did a bit of bourbon induced philosophising while gazing at the stars. After watching my neighbours pull in fish 'hand over fist' for about an hour, I finally roused myself from my reverie and headed back to my room for a well earned rest.

Day 2.
My Mission, and I chose to accept it - Find Joe's Point!

When i was on the beach last evening I promised myself I would wake early and go for an early morning beach run. You know, get the juices flowing, start the day refreshed and energised. The hostel breakfast is 07-10, I woke at 1100, after several hits of the snooze button! Nevertheless, after a big, and the last, helping of the Iapozzuto veggie pie I was ready to rock and roll.

I drove through Al Ashkhara yesterday and took a quick look at the town and the fishing side of things, which must be their main industry. This morning I cruised back through and stopped to take a few photos and exchange a few late morning greetings with the locals.

Although I knew how to get to Arzilah, and Joe's point, I made a point of asking the local lads for directions. After a fair few laughs, due to our miscommunication, and a lot of pointing and gesturing, I was on my way again.
The road to Arzela cuts inland for a few k's, through half sand/half rock dunes, before it hits the main town. After my Southern exploring the evening before I thought it would be small, however Asilyaa turned out to be a 7 Mosque town! After a quick spin through town I headed North and about 10 k's later turned off to Joes point.

Joes Point, above, has all the attributes of a surf beach, albeit without waves or surfers! It did have a lot of fishermen and a lot of small wooden fishing boats however. It is out of season for surfing, and there was a strong onshore wind blowing, so no surprises that there was no surf action.

Apart from the local fisherman, I met an old scavenger fella while I was walking along the beach. We tried to communicate for a while. He didn't know Australia, or kangaroos, and I didn't understand what he was trying to say. However after I gave him an Arabic greeting, and some other pleasantries I've been learning, we became instant friends!

Moving on from Joes point, my next step was to be the Easternmost person on the Arabian Peninsula! I went to Byron bay last year with my good friends Greg and Colin, although unfortunately due to Colins' and my pending flight home to Melbourne, I was unable to be the Easternmost person on the Australian landmass.

Nothing would stop me today though!!

I left Joes point and drove to Ras Al Khaba, which according to my map is the Easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula.
I drove as far as I could to the edge of the cliff, parked, and got out to enjoy the momment....... 'edge of the world Ma!'

I knew my momment wouldn't last though, as I had spotted a white sedan parked next to one of the 5 or 6 concrete huts that dot the cliff. They are much like the huts on the beaches of Ashkhara except smaller and squarer, and strangely painted bright orange! They seem totally out of place in a Richie Benaud "beige, white, bone, ivory and cream" colored Oman. (I'll get a photo of them next time)

It turned out that the car was owned by Mahommed, a young engineering student. He was having lunch with his two non-English speaking local buddies. Mahommed was genuinely interested in me, his dickhead mate was interested in being a dickhead and trying to make me feel stupid, while his other friend just kept aside saying nothing. Mahommed and I spoke for quite a while, both ignoring dickhead friend. I explained how I wanted to go to the Easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula.

I guess it was a strange thing for these guys to see me stand on the edge of a cliff and Wooohoo and Yahoooo as loud as I could? It's a strange concept to me that these blokes wash hands, face and feet 5 times a day before turning West towards Mecca to kneel and pray though.

I sadly declined Mahommed's offer of a visit to his house as I still had a long way to go, jumped back in the car and headed off towards Ras Al hadd, the Northeastern point of the peninsula.

Ras Al Hadd was a bit of a dissapointment. I found it to be quite a sparse, ugly little town. It is a popular tourist spot however as there is a large population of turtles that breed here during the year, as well as several other places along the east coast.

After Ras Al Hadd I continued up the coast towards Sur, the second largest port in Oman and quite a big town. With a bit of work this could be a really attractive place, as the town has numerous little bays and inlets. I decided to drive round for a while and subsequently got lost! I'm glad I did though as I came across a local camel trading meeting. About 20-30 of these wonderful beasts stood at one end of a long track, which was lined with locals ready to check out their quality. 2 camels at a time were first walked, then run along the line of people. After watching this strange spectacle for a while I hit the road again.

I basically headed back towards the ocean and eventually found the main coast road back to Muscat. Cyclone Gonu in June caused quite a bit of damage along this strectch of road and therefore there was quite a few off-road diversions which were actually quite fun, and a good little test for the little Kia.

They are building a 2-lane highway all along the coastal stretch from Sur back to Muscat. Although a 120k/h highway would be quick and easy, it would be a shame not to visit some of the little towns along the way as they each have their own special character.

(Bridge construction, mountain pass, and a broken bridge after cyclone gonu)

I took my time driving back to along the coast. Although I would prefer the Great Ocean Road any day of the week, the scenery of the rocky Hajar mountains on my left, and the ocean on the right was picturesque enough to keep me awake and make for an enjoyable ride home.

It was a shame to get back into Muscat. I kind of wished I had stayed at Ashkara for another night. I figured I should tick one last task off my wish list though, so I headed to the Safari bar for a cleansing pint before heading home. I downed my pint of Heniekin while watching the West Indies capitulate to South Africa in the third test. I could have stayed for another couple except I was tired, and the bar had 1 elderly English lady and about 30 other English blokes watching football and screaming so it was definately time to move on.

I finished my adventure with a quick trip to the bottle shop and the local take-away for dinner.

All in all a fun couple of days out, and still 2 more days left to relax before work!!

Merry Christmas and Happy 'Eid'

Hi all,

I'll try and stay away from any religious ramblings or work bashing in this blog! I wrote the last entry after finishing my training and subsequently a fair few drinks with Dale, Cath and Franklin for a 'validation celebration'...(try saying that 5 times fast)

My Oman stress release valve, that had been tightening for 6 months, finally popped in blog form. The last push was when Franklin told me that when/if I go to Panama I have to give thanks to the Saint he has been praying to, on my behalf, throughout our training? Apparently I am indebted, although I made it clear to Frank from the begining I am not religious. I found this particularly annoying as Frank has been known on occasions to break one of God's big 10 while he's been here....hmmm

*n.b last blog entry hidden for O,H+S issues, i.e so I don't get fired, lashed or thrown in jail.

GOLF. Dale and I headed out for 9 holes last week on one of Muscats 3 sand courses. You start out by buying a disc of artificial turf, which is the only turf on the course.

Next a couple of Indian blokes offer to carry your bags, and your turf, for 2.5 Rials, or about $7.50. It's probably one of the 'better' labouring jobs around here for the many Indians, Bangladeshi's etc, however still not much for 2+ hours work. I'd prefer be a caddy though than one of the thousands of construction workers here who labour around the clock in intense heat for minimum wage.

As shown above, you tee off on a concrete slab, with a rubber disc in the middle studded with tee holes. Pack a lot of tees as they invariably snap on contact! Firstly, however, you have to work out where the sand ends and the fairway starts.
Can you spot the fairway on the first hole? To the left of the sand bank on the right, you can just see the yellow gravel path, which runs down the middle of each fairway, starting on the other side of the road

The fairway is bounded by black pegs. If you land within the fairway you get to play off your disc, if not....well, you are essentially in a bunker! All the proper marker pegs are displayed, i.e, 200 metres, 150 metres etc, although often this is no comfort when hitting from a 'sand rough'.

The 'Greens' are black. They are covered with a layer of some kind of oil, which when mixed into the sand create quite a level surface, and are really quite good. After your ball hits the green you mark a big V indicating the spot, then use a carpet broom and sweep your line to the hole. You replace your ball at where you judge the now swept away tip end of the V to be and putt. The good thing is all the greens are the same pace, and lines are fairly easy to see.

Here's a few more pictures to get an idea of the layout.

I have wanted to go on a boys night out for a while, so the day after golf Dale and I headed out on the town for a few drinks. First stop was the Rock Bottom Cafe, a sports themed bar in the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Most bars are located in the major hotels, and each hotel has at least 2 or 3.

We had a couple of beers at the Rock Bottom while chatting to Peter, an English bloke who has been working in the gulf for a while. It was going along fine until his whinging pom side came out, and he started haranging the Russian barmaid for not filling up my pint to the top. My drink i remind you, not even his! This was the point where we left him and sat down for a feed of steak for me, and lamb chops for Dale. A good meal for a 'blokes' night out.

Next stop was Left Bank. A new, modernish bar/restaurant situated on a small hill which provides a good view over part of Muscat and the ocean. There we met a fair few of the other ATC ex-pats who were out for Brendans 'validation celebration'. (My new favorite phrase)

After enjoying numerous beers there, and a couple of celebratory cigars, we headed towards the Safari Bar at the Intercontinental Hotel. This is a safari themed bar, funnily enough, and said to be one of the better bars in town, and a noted pick-up joint.

Unfortunately when Peter, Dale and I arrived it was closed, however Copocabana, the hotels other club was open, so we paid the 10 Rials, got our 2 complimentary drink cards and went in. When i returned from the bar Pete was talking to a couple of Tanzanian girls who work in Oman. I joined in the conversation and thought everything was going smoothly when at 0300, blind drunk, I left with one of them in a taxi towards home. 5 minutes into the ride I understood what line of work they were in and was asked to pay 100 Rials for my new friends 'company' for the night. Thankfully I wasn't drunk enough, or hard enough up, so to speak, to part with $300 of my hard earned wages. Plus, as one expat reliably assures me, you can get 2 Russians for that price! (Hi Mum :)

Christmas came early for me this year. For a vaidation present I bought myself a new 2.7L, V6 Kia Sportage. Just for interests sake, it cost 8000 Rials, including insurance for both Oman and the UAE. What you may not be intersted to know is that fuel here is currently about 35 cents a litre!

I know you are curious as to what 'Kia' actually means though? Ki means 'to arise from the world' or 'to come up out of the world'. a means 'Asia'. Therefore Kia means 'to arise from' or 'to come up out of Asia'.....you can all go to bed happy now.

Franklin advised me that I should bless my new car. I told him I would buy a bottle of Champagne and crack it over the bumper. I don't think that is what he had in mind!

Christmas here is co-inciding with the second Eid celebrations. Essentially the Omanis gather together with family, lots and lots of family, and eat lots and lots of food. I guess the only major difference is the lack of decorated trees, presents and alcohol. I'm sure there is the standard practice of an uncle or grandfather asleep on the couch later on in the afternoon though.

I swapped out of my shift xmas morning with a local controller who wanted to celebrate Eid with his family, therefore it worked out quite well both ways. Dale and Cath have been kind enough to have me over to celebrate with their family, Caths' sisters family, and a couple of other friends, so that will be nice. For New Years we are going to a desert camp in the Wahiba Sands. I like the sound of camel riding and dune boarding to bring in the New Year!

I hope you guys have a safe and happy holidays.......(Be careful who you go home with!)

:) Craig

Driving in Oman, where the unexpected is expected!

Hi all. In my last blog I touched on some of the aspects of the roads and driving practices over here. Since we last spoke I have managed to get my hands on a copy of the official 'Road Guide of Oman' which makes for interesting reading.

Rather than downloading the link I have decided to share with you a few of the more interesting rules and regulations:

1. Buying a Car

1.3 - Purchase of a Car may include such incentives as free portable DVD players, insurance or servicing (Patrons are advised not to give the showroom dealer their phone number unless they want to be inundated by phone calls)


1.5 - Customers are advised to leave the plastic wrapping on their seats to ensure that their upholstery will remain spotless for the lifetime of the vehicle. This is considered an sensible idea for a hot environment.

2. Licensing and Registration

2.1 - Officials employed in the traffic department shall utilise the 'run-around' procedure. If this fails, selective ignoring or pleading ignorance should suffice.

3. Intial Operating Procedures

3.1 - All drivers shall fill their shoes with lead before leaving the house.

3.2 - Before entering the vehicle leave common sense on footpath.

3.4 - As many passengers as possible shall enter the vehicle at all times. (n.b passengers are encouraged not to wear seatbelts while the vehicle is in motion)

3.5(a) - Kids are invited to sit anywhere in the vehicle. Preferred seating is on the drivers knee, or on the dashboard if small enough.

3.5(b) - Baby seats are prohibited.

4. Driving Procedures
4.1 - Speed is of the essence! Consider everyday driving as a racing 'game'.

4.3 - Indicators serve no useful purpose and should not be used.

4.4(a) - Tailgating is recommended to arrive at your destination both safely and securely.

4.4(b) - Tailgating is best done at high speeds.

4.4(c) - Tailgating in the form of an American football game, an SUV or Pick-up, a portable grill and a keg, is illegal and will be considered infidelic.

4.6 - Drivers shall take the shortest line around corners, especially if there is oncomming traffic.

4.7 - Drivers shall overtake whenever possible, or impossible, especially if there is oncomming traffic. Blind corners are just one example of an appropriate location for such overtaking.

4.9 - Honking, or 'flipping the bird', are considered culturaly offensive. Offenders should be chased and marched directly to jail. Do not pass GO, do not collect 200 Omani Rials.

4.11 - Roundabouts should be approached at break-neck speed to enable the driver to utilise any possible gap.

4.13 - Stop signs are a recommendation only.

4.14 - Mobile phone use by the driver is encouraged. Passengers should only use their mobile phones if it will not cause a distraction to the drivers conversation.

4.16 - Parking is legal, anywhere, anytime. (n.b this rule is especially applicable to Cab drivers)

(n.b. the above rules apply for heavy vehicles and school buses also)

5. Pedestrians

5.1 - Pedestrians shall consider all roads to be footpaths at all times. There is no need to hurry your pace or to even look for traffic.

5.3 - Kids shall play on roads, especially after dark, preferably without parental supervision.


*As you can imagine driving here is a real pleasure. It is nice to know that you can relax every time you go out for a drive!

**Who says sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?

Ramadan

What is Ramadan I hear you say?....I'm glad you asked!

Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramadān) is an Islamic religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when the Qur'an was revealed. The name "Ramadan" is taken from the name of this month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month.
Ramadan is divided into three ten-day parts, or ashra (Arabic for ten). They are named Rahmah (mercy of God), Maghfirah (forgiveness of God), and Najah (salvation), respectively. Laylat al-Qadr, which falls during the last third, commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an and is considered the most holy night of the year. Ramadan ends with the holiday Eid ul-Fitr, on which feasts are held. During the month following Ramadan, called Shawaal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for a further six days.*

*(Cut and pasted directly from Wikipedia!)

But what does Ramadan mean to you Craig?.....Another good question!

Well, effective from 13th of September, we officially went into 'lock-down' with regards to consuming food and drink in public, during dawn to dusk, until about the 12th of October. The official memo from work also advised to be more discreet with clothing, as in no shorts in public, and no tight fitting clothes. Therefore Damo's facebook dare of me wearing spandex to the shopping mall will have to be put off until next month!

With these restrictions in place it has meant tactical eating practices have been adopted. A big breakfast before morning shifts, big dinners on evening shifts and night shifts, and a sneaky drink of water or two behind the closed kitchen door at work. Luckily the control centre is near the terminal and their food outlets have been open so we have been able to walk over for a meal or two and the odd coffee. Most other food outlets are closed during daylight hours with the exception of supermarkets.

And What about the alcohol situation?

The bottle shops close for the the duration of Ramadan therefore we had to stock up for the month with last months rations. Due to the fact I have been working hard this hasn't been a big issue, although my last couple of days off have seen me work steadily through my second last case of Heneikin.

On a side note, the bottle shops are interesting in themselves. Tucked away in various places they open from 0800-1300 then 1700-2100. They go by names like Asun Trading, Mase Supplies etc, and have their windows painted or blocked out so you can't see inside. No alcohol is ever advertised in any form of media, the only way to find a bottle shop is by word of mouth.

And how have you been in general Craig?.......Well that's kind of you to ask!

A funny/crazy thing happened last week. At the 'death-defying' airport roundabout, where life is cheap and drivers are idiots, I was cut off and nearly hit by one of these clowns. In frustartion I gave him the hands-up 'what the....' getsure. Turns out this local madman though I'd flipped him the bird, a big no-no in these parts!


Well the chase was on! As we exited the other side of the roundabout he slowed up alongside me gesturing wildly for me to pull over. Not wanting to face this idiot I slowed down to let him go which only meant he tailgated me. Next I sped up so he did the same, gesturing that he was ringing the cops. After about 5 km's I managed to slip him on a side road then pulled over to calm down.
I'd heard that a friend here, Steve and his wife and kids had a similar experience however they were actually stopped and taken to the police station, where the 'problem' was eventually sorted out.

I figured that it wasn't the last I'd hear about it and when I went to renew my hire car, ABC car rentals boss 'Mr Joy' had some news. It seems one of his workers got an angry call from a local demanding the address and passport details of the driver of the white Yaris registration 6664-T. Thankfully he didn't give out my details. The next day another bloke rang back pretending to be Abdullah the policeman wanting the same details. This time good old Mr Joy told him to send an official report then he would consider it. When he rung back the 3rd time Mr Joy told him to F-Off and he hasn't been heard from since. Let's hope it stays that way!

So are you having any fun over there Craig?

Work has been hard and frustrating, so it is a pleasure to get together with other ex-pats and sympathise with each others struggles.
Dale's daughter Sophie turned 3 a few days ago so she had a bday party complete with chocolate crackles, honey joys, cake, lollies etc, and also balloon animals!

I tried to make up some animals of my own but only ended up with a string of sausages and this odd looking hat, some of you may say an appropriate hat for me!

Going with Steve and Dale to the Oman Dive centre tomorow to do the DSD, Discover Scuba Dive, introductory course. Should all go well I might continue on with some more courses.

Well that's all for now, stay tuned for more exciting adventures of 'An Australian in Arabia'.

A day at the Wadi

After a long week of training at work it was time to get out and about to see some of Oman. Together with Dale, Cath, Sophie and Jessie, we went on a day trip to Wadi As Suwah.

'Wadis are (usually) dry gullies, carved through the rock by rushing floodwaters, following the course of seasonal rivers'. (n.b thankyou again residents guide to Oman).
Dale and family picked me up in their family 4WD early and I hopped into the back seat, with the other kids, and then settled into a 3 hour drive with the girls and Winnie the Pooh on the in-car-headrest DVD players.....who'd have thought that 'fun' ryhmes with 'sun'.....thankyou Tigger!

We drove for about an hour South Eest on the bitumen before we entered the rocky and barren Hajar mountains for a bit of 4WD action. The road was fairly good with only a couple of roughish spots to negotiate. Cath was navigating from the 'Explorer Oman Off Road Guide', and after only one wrong turn near 'The Big Tree Trunk' we arrived at our Wadi a further 2 hours later. The guidebooks directions were to park under the sign proclaming that 'Drowning accidents are now popular'! So we did.

After parking we glanced upon our oasis in these semi-arid lands. Staring back at us was a beautiful little green watering hole surrounded by cliffs, with a half meter wide, four meter high waterfall feeding the little pool. Well this was all well and good, however there didn't seem to be any easy way to get to this little slice of heaven, especially with two little girls and all their supplies, and three Australian adults and all their supplies, obviously with a large esky in the equation.

After scouting around for an easy way down we gave up and decided upon the least hard way! Dale went first, in thongs, down the hot slippery rocks, with Sophie in his arms, myself following with small esky, chair and my supplies. The first party made it down safely to the edge of the water then started a short wade through the pool to our lunch spot. It turns out the rocks were small and slippery, and on our way up the slippery rock bank Dale lost his left thong in the water in amongst the rocks, and I lost lost my right!

Undefeated though, and with one good pair of thongs between us, Dale headed back up the hot precipice, in odd looking thongs, to ferry down his remaining daughter, while I remained to look after his first born and attempt to retrieve our lost thongs. A task that was to prove more difficult than it sounds!

After 10 minutes or so Dale was back down. I grabbed Jessie, while Dale ascended again with my emptied out swimming bag to bring down his supplies, and to guide Cath down who also had her arms full of supplies....Pheeeeew!

With all the group now down the cliff, with most of our gear, we now got on with the enjoyable business of relaxing. Camp was set up, lunch was taken, then it was time for a swim. I donned the goggles and flippers and went on a thong retrieval mission, much like my University days....hang on, where did that come from?

The gaggle of Crowe's joined me in the search which managed to turn up Dales left one after about 10 minutes. After another 10 it was time to abandon my lost Brown Havaiana and check out the watering hole. (n.b the small, thong stealing rocks are far too F*&^$g hot to negotiate in bare Australian feet!)

The water was a nice temperature, maybe 27 degrees, full of tiny little fish of unknown parentage, rocks, the odd empty wine bottle, and also little worm-like creatures which may be responsible for a couple of bites on both Dale and I. For a small pool the water was quite deep and very pressurised. I did a couple of dives but could only just get to the bottom, maybe 5 meters, before the pressure was too much and I had to come up....strange for such a little pool.....maybe the enclosed space and heat have something to do with the water pressure?

We fooled around for a while in the water, before relaxing over a beer and some more food.

After some chip eating, we swum and played again, thong searched again, then decided on the best way to get ourselves out of the Wadi. If you look to the left of the waterfall, your right, you may just notice the previous 'course of the seasonal river', which was our prefered option of climbing out.

As you can imagine, a flowing water course makes for slippery rocks, and it was with great skill, effort, and determination that we got 2 young and tired girls, 3 adults and supplies out of our haven, and with only one thong swap, we managed it without any injuries!

(n.b Fortunately Dale didn't have the camera handy to snap a photo of me in my left thong and right flipper on as I made my way back to the car :)

Thankfully two tired girls made for two sleepy girls on the way home which meant I could watch the Wiggles Big Red Car in peace. I also saw the history of the Wiggles which was very interesting, seriously! Those two little girls don't know what they missed...although Cath tells me they may have seen them once or twice before.....and going by her knowledge of the lyrics I reckon she has too!

I think I could have been a Wiggle, I think Jeff with the purple skivy is just my style. Although I can hear a few of you out there saying WAKE UP CRAIG!

A tiring, however very enjoyable day in Oman :-)

Some work.....and some play.

It was a good feeling to be finished in the training college and fortunately my shift cycle didn't start for 4 days so I had a chance to see a bit of Muscat.

Together with my friend Dale, also an-ex Melbourne controller, and his wife Cath and two young daughters, Sophie and Jessie, we headed to the Oman Dive centre for a day of relaxing.

The Dive centre is a pretty little inlet situated on the North Eastern coast, where the rocky Hajar mountain range meets the water. They have a restaurant and bar, pool, boat trips and diving facilities which I plan to utilise after my validation.

The previous weekend I was invited by my rental agent to go fishing with a bunch of his mates. After a 30 minute drive to the coast we boarded our small boat and dropped a few handlines over the side. By the time we left 5 hours later the esky was empty of beer and full of fish. Even Craig 'Rexy' Iapozzuto managed to land 8 or 9, including two of the prized red and white spotted ones which I can't remember the name of now. It seems that the fish around here are as plentiful as the Indian blokes with moustaches!


The main Muscat cricket grounds are prominently marked on the maps, and it was with great anticipation that I arrived at the 'main entrance'. As I desperately searched for 4WD on my hired Toyota echo to negotiate the access road I glanced upon the 2 main ovals, that is after I worked out where the boundary between cricket oval and dirt paddock was! Although the showpiece grounds of Oman are table-top flat, desperately as I tried, I failed to find a blade of grass.

Being that there is a huge Indian population in Oman, and let's face it there are Indians everywhere worldwide, there is loads of cricket coverage both on television and in the media.....Heaven for a cricket tragic!!

The clubroom and 'grandstand' were occupied that afternoon by some of the construction workers that are building a huge ediface near the ground. Everywhere you look the oil money is being funneled into the infrastructure in an attempt to modernise Oman. Although fortunately there is strict regulations with regard to building practices which is ensuring the country retains it's Arabic style and still embraces it's cultural roots.

After my 4 days off it was time to get back to controlling 'live' air traffic again, and strangely I was looking forward to going to work, which is the first time in a long time. My first cycle, (which is 2 x 07-15, 2 x 15-23, 2 x 23-07 followed by 4 off), went fairly well. The procedures and equipment here are a far cry from Australian standards, however with a new airspace, exotic airlines and destinations, and new workmates I am already enjoying my time here at work. When any of the controllers has a special occasion such as a birthday, buys a house has a baby etc, they bring in a feast of local cuisine for dinner. Off go the shoes, down you sit on a big mat and hoe in! It seems to be a lot more communal here than back home due to the culture and the small size of the control centre.

Let's just hope the novelty doesn't wear off too soon!

Settling In

They say time heals all wounds, well this is turning out to be true!

The initial hassles of relocating and adjusting to a new culture and climate are starting to fade into the distance. There is a strong group of ex-pats here, controllers and their families, who have all been through the stresses of moving and setting up new homes, and are therefor very supportive of new arrivals. This was especially useful when it came to alcohol, as you have to apply for a liquor licence before you can buy booze, except for in hotel and restaurant bars. The main problem I had was that we had started our training course in the ATC college which was 0730-1400 Sat to Wed, (the Omani working week, with Friday being 'Pray Day'), and the licencing department at the police station being open 0700-1300 Sat to Wed. You apply for a monthly allowance of up to 10% of your monthly salary, and once that is gone bad luck! Thankfully a couple of weeks ago we finished early and I raced into Ruwi, the CBD, and got my licence in the form of a passport type book where all the purchases are recorded.

I got an allowance of 100 Rials per month, about $300....better to be safe than sorry!

Here's a picture of me enjoying my new licence while watching the India v England third test on my pay t.v.

Note the look of dissapointment on England captain Michael Vaughn's face as he watches his wicketkeeper Matt Prior drop Sachin Tendulkar on the 1st day of the 3rd test. Note my look of pleasure!

It took a while to set up house as the cyclone also affected furniture sales, availabilty and delivery times. A lot of people lost everything therefor there were 2 week delays on most furniture deliveries, which meant 2 weeks of a leaking air mattress, Dale's little camp fridge, no couch and no stove. The rentals over here are not furnished with a 'cooker' so you have to buy your own including gas hoses, connect it, then buy a gas bottle. After take-away food for 2 weeks it was a relief to be able to do some home cooking! (Although the take-away here is cheap, good and there is a huge variety)

My housemate Franklin is taking a while to get used to. He is 51, from Panama, and only plans to stay for a year or two at most. I offered him a room until we get 'validated', approximately in 3 months all going well, and then he would find a place of his own. His family misses him, especially his 12 year old daughter who is often crying on the phone at nights, therefore he is very homesick. He is not used to cooking for himself, or washing clothes etc, and is not used to living away from home. It has been a big move for him and he is struggling to adapt and therefore has been putting a lot of added pressure on me. I know I am not the easiest person to live with either so that is also a factor (I tend to be a touch on the pedantic side, and work on the theory of 'Do as I say, not as I do').

The rent here is 350 OR (Omani Rials) per month, meaning Franklins first month covered the cost of my 175 OR couch.

By the time he gets validated in 3 months my whitegoods should be all accounted for!

I must add though that Franklin, although 'god-fearing' to an extent, is a really nice guy. He reminds me a bit of my Dad with his kindness to people, lack of cooking skills and his non-listening abilities......ever tried to live with your Dad?

Once our apartment was furnished we felt a lot more comfortable, except for the occasional blocked toilet, tiles falling off the outside of the building and the noise echoing through a concrete brick apartment building, however with 'real' air traffic control starting soon we settled down with a beer or two and hit the books to study our new airspace....(Note maps behind Frank)...