Venise Alstergren writes: Clutching a copy of the latest Lonely Planet: Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula and a clapped out bag, I wondered if the text I’d underlined could possibly be correct. The writer had raved about Oman’s khors-rocky inlets and its pristine beaches, about its windswept deserts and the stark and treeless mountains.
Almost anything was better than the blasting heat of Dubai and the month long trial of Ramadan. Therefore it was with little sense of loss that I hopped into the proffered lift by a 4WD owner and headed for Khasab on the Musandam Peninsula on the Strait of Hormuz in Oman.
The Omani love their leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and the way he has brought a country which during the rule of his father, Sultan Said bin Taimur, saw the country slide into economic subsistence, all around misery, illiteracy and high child mortality; turning it into a modern, highly educated, conservation, arts, opera — an opera house is currently being built — and sports-minded population where women are equal to men and where both sexes have free education up to tertiary level.
In the palace coup of 1970-aided by the British; (who else?) Qaboos bin Said overthrew a reclusive father and set out to remake a nation. Modern infrastructure and education were but two of reforms made seeing the emergence of a prosperous country in which all the Omani have pride. Holy mackerel, they don’t even have a litter problem!
The Sultan has never married and will leave no heirs. The people see inherited excellence as being superior to a politically elected mandate, thus causing angst among people who worry about the future. To exacerbate the problem there is an Omani law, which stipulates that the succession MUST be decided within three days of the death of the current ruler.
There is an annual caravan cum ‘meet the people’ progression where petitioners get to field their wishes directly to the Sultan (The Omani belong to the Ibadhi sect of Sunnism, which favours communal consensus). In a sparsely populated country and with multiple nephews and cousins vying for the throne, it could be difficult to act within three days. Qaboos bin Said is now seventy and last year he had a health scare. Not for nothing do the people worry.
The landmass of Oman is 309,500 sq km and has a population of 3.42 million compared to neighbouring Yemen with 550,000 sq km and a population of 23 million. It is a Sultanate whose leader leaves his yacht — not much smaller than Blenheim Palace — parked/moored near his own palace. It has the clichéd crystalline, transparent, turquoise waters where dolphins butt through the waves trying to keep up with your Dhow. Diving and snorkelling are major sports, and in some of the khors it is possible to see remote fishing villages whose children are picked up by government speedboats-free of charge to get them to school and back. Huge water tankers cart in potable water-also free of charge, and big Arab Dhows ply the seas.
In the north, are gaunt mountains and arid plains. In the south and in the Empty Quarter — made famous by the English explorer, photographer and professional sufferer Wilfred Thesiger — are deserts home to the once-nomadic Bedouin tribes’ people, their goats and camels. Also they are host to a variety of sensitively positioned eco-tourist parks, which come in a range of different price levels. In the cities and larger towns there are art galleries and museums. Buildings and houses must conform to various shades of beige or white. And tucked away in discreet, tree-shaded street-corners it is possible to find coffee bars with a distinct look of Provence about them. There are Souks whose multiple shops sell everything from cheap plastic knick-knacks to really cool antiques and only some of the requisite tourist tripe.
Out in the desert roam camels whose owners limit the size of their herds by fitting a birth-control bag arrangement over the undercarriage of the males. Or so I had heard. This was an assumption I had the brains to Google. Only to find that thus far the sole system of camel birth-control had been to put a stone in the uterus of the female camel. To which other writers have said: did you ever try to place a stone in the uterus of a female camel? Therefore I have to end this article by asking if anyone out there knows why male camels are fitted with this chastity-belt arrangement?
I digress. My advice to intending travellers would be to go to Oman ASAP in case the person nominated by Qaboos bin Said to inherit the Sultanate turns out to be a stinker. Even better, try to get yourself an invitation to the home of one of the locals; if nothing else you’ll see how an extended family works.
18 Comments
Thanks for the temptingly informative article. Makes one want to throw a light travel bag together and hit the desert sands. I think you are quite right about getting to Oman sooner rather than later (succession issues aside) as I have seen several pieces on Oman as a “new destination” in the mass media recently. Congratulations on your travels and the photos.
Hi there,
As you so rightly say- there goes the country. Also timing is important. They gets heaps of English tourists, as in mega-heaps, but September was perfect timing-I only saw me. Ha!
I didn’t know that’s how you spelt your name?
See ya
Venise
Spelled
This is very interesting Venise. The only place I’ve been in northern Africa was Tunisia, and that was very interesting too, if dirt poor and tending towards barren. Did you feel uneasy about travelling as a female alone?
Innocent: Land of Carthage and the Punic Wars? How very interesting, I rather think I’d like to go there.
I like travelling alone that way I’m forced to make contact with people and I can’t get into fights about who gets to go where. Also I was kicked out of my cradle very young in life and it taught me self-reliance. Famous last words, etc…..
‘Contact with people’. I’m talking about the locals.
You may be horrified to find out that I completely avoided Carthage, and saw more of Tunis instead. Carthage was totally razed to the ground by Romans and so there’s nothing ancient there apart from Roman ruins, of which I had seen enough, as thrilling as it was at first! They have some fabulous Roman mosaics in a Tunis museum.
Jealous as hell Venise! Oman looks and sounds like a wonderful place.
Photos are great and even the camels look beautiful.
BTW. Did you fly Qantas? (ducking and running)
Syria has got Roman mosaics too and a city called Palmyra and a Forum which is used today. Ditto Crusader castles and Souks. Wish someone would unplug that part of the Arab Spring. One of the most fascinating countries on earth and, like Carthage, with heaps of history. From what you say, It’s a shame there’s so little left of it.
Tunisia would be French speaking?
Paddy: That camel had a pile of food in front of it-not shown. The expression on his face said, ‘well eff you, I’m not going to move for you, so sod off’
Yes Venise, very astute, French speaking. I was on a last minute bargain holiday from living in Paris for a few years so that was part of the attraction. But I don’t want to fill up the comments about your Oman holiday with stuff about me.
BTW: Never. Emirates.
Great little article.
I have been living in Dubai for the as few years and we quite often drive across to Oman. The people are much friendlier than other Gulf states.
Also Oman is one of the few places in the world to be a home to some very rare sea turtles (http://www.nizwa.net/env/turtles/turtles.html)
Great scuba diving, and exploring ancient tropical wadis hidden in the deserts, ah, it is such a wonderful place!
D FRAWLEY: Thank you so very, very much a) For writing a comment and b) knowing the country.
I wondered why the people are so friendly and arrived at the conclusion it was because it is a far more equal society than most others. However, the people in the other countries in the Middle East are very friendly. On another trip I found the Iranians and the Syrians, and the Jordanians to be superb.
Once again, thank you for your interest.
Cheers
Venise
Venise,
Great to read your account on your latest escapade after watching hte planning stages!!
Having been to Oman a couple of times it was great to read of your adventures! It is truely an amazing place, where the people are welcoming and you can get around quite easily without seeing a hive of toursists lurking!
A real highlight was a 2 day trek through the Wahiba Sands with a local Bedouin tribe, being part of their “everyday life” for just a moment and getting a glimpse into their world is most humbling when I think about it as I battle through rush hour traffic, and worry, I have only 4 bars of reception on my Blackberry and the likes! Gives you some perspective on life!
Thanks for insight
Josh
Hi Josh,
The lack of fellow tourists makes the country of Oman almost perfect. And the deserts. Wow, for the first time I came close to understanding what the lure was for people like Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger. Is it the loneliness; the stark beauty? Whatever, I know I’d love to go back there.