15th March 2016

We had an early breakfast, though we were surprised the restaurant wasn’t as packed as on previous port days. We guessed that many people were likely avoiding the heat or perhaps concerned about local sensitivities (terrorism) and decided to stay on board instead and benefit from a lie-in.

We received our tour stickers in the Grand Bar and, upon leaving the ship, were handed a port embarkation card, which was checked by the military at the port exit. Although our excursion was in English, as usual, the majority of passengers were from other nationalities. It seemed that their preferred excursions had been fully booked, so they opted to use their “school” English rather than miss out on seeing something of Oman. One of the ship’s entertainment crew joined us as an interpreter for the Italians, as it’s my experience that older Italians are often the least likely to speak English.

Salalah is the second-largest city in Oman and the birthplace of the current leader, 75-year-old Sultan Qaboos. He is highly regarded by the people, having transformed the country from poverty to prosperity during his reign. Educated in the UK as a child and later in the military at Sandhurst, he was responsible for building the country’s first roads, schools, hospitals, and social housing, all of which are free to citizens. Women have their own schools, and the Sultan’s leadership is praised for these progressive measures. However, he is a recluse, and very little is known about his personal life. According to our guide, the population is unsure whether he is married, has children, or who will succeed him. Sultan Qaboos has written down his wishes and placed them in a wallet, which will be opened by the government upon his death to determine who will take over the leadership. The citizens seem content with this system.

Driving through the countryside, it looked similar to other Arab countries we’ve visited. However, from June to August, the monsoon arrives, transforming the landscape into lush greenery. This is the most popular time of year for tourism, as people from the Gulf states flock to Salalah to enjoy the cooler temperatures (20-25°C) and the refreshing rain. Today, though, it was hot, dry, and brown.

Our first stop was Mughsail, a beach known for its rocky formations that feature blowholes. When the waves crash in, they force water through the holes, sending dramatic jets of water high into the air. These blowholes are at their most impressive during high tide, but we arrived at low tide. As I peered into one of the holes, the air pressure from a wave travelling through the tube blew my hat off. Despite hearing the tremendous roar of the water moving, the best we saw was a rather feeble spurt. Nonetheless, we were easily satisfied, especially given the sweltering temperatures.

Our next stop took us high into the mountains at Jebel Qara, where the temperatures were thankfully cooler. This was the highlight of our tour, a visit to the tomb of Prophet Ayoub, better known to us as Job. According to the story, Ayoub was a man of great faith and wealth, with two wives and many children. He lost his wealth, and then, in a double blow, he contracted leprosy. The people in his village, fearing the disease, cast him out. With one of his wives, he travelled to Salalah. His wife worked cleaning houses to support them, but as things worsened, she had to sell her own hair just to afford to care for him. It was at this point that he prayed to God for help, and through his unwavering patience and faith, his leprosy was cured. One wonders whether his wife ever got her hair back! Ayoub was revered and buried on the mountain in a large grave, which we visited during our tour.

The tomb itself is quite modest by religious standards, though it is large, as Ayoub was reputed to be very tall (over 6 feet). The grave is covered in a bright green cloth. We were required to be respectful when entering the tomb, which meant removing our shoes and wearing trousers and long-sleeved shirts. The women also had to cover their hair with a scarf, which, understandably, made it quite hot for us Europeans. Outside the tomb, there is a small brick structure containing what is said to be an imprint of his foot, adding to the reverence of the site.

Travelling back down the mountain into the heat of the plain, we arrived in Salalah itself and spent some obligatory time at Al Husin Suq (souk) for some shopping. Salalah is in the Dhofar region, famous for its frankincense, and the shops here are brimming with aromatic resin. Surprisingly, for an Arab country, the shopkeepers were not aggressive or pushy, unlike the usual feeding frenzy at markets in other states. Their reward, however, was that we bought some frankincense, myrrh, and gold.

To be truthful, the last two items we bought were a hat and a yellow T-shirt, though we can pretend they were a little more exotic. We also tasted the frankincense. Sue thought it was lovely, but I found it quite foul. I’m afraid the kids will be the true judges of that when we return. Maybe it’ll be a Friday night family event to look forward to?

After our city tour, we returned to the ship in time for lunch. A Danish lady joined us and told us that her husband, who was 75 (she was much younger), had just spent several days in the ship’s hospital. She was worried about him having a heart attack. Maybe she should have come with us to visit Job?

Sue spent the afternoon on deck listening to ‘Los Paraguayos’, a guitar duo, and reading, while I had a quiet time in the gym. Dinner was informal, and the show afterwards, titled ‘Grand Cabaret of Costa NeoRomantica Introduces Legends’, featured pop songs and dances. The singers were decent, but the dancers were exceptionally professional.

We then relocated to Deck 11 and sat listening to the guitar duo Sue had enjoyed earlier. On our usual evening stroll around the deck, we had the extra excitement of watching four searchlights scan the sky. Quite thrilling! Of course, I’m sure they waited to use them now that we’re out of pirate waters.

After a busy day, we wound down by watching a bit of Al Jazeera before heading to bed. A quiet end to another eventful day!