You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............
Dec 05, 2012 08:00 PM Along the Corniche of Abu Dhabi
I am again after 16 years in the richest Arab Emirate.
Abu Dhabi has more high buildings now and there is a nice Corniche (a coastal promenade) maybe 8 kms long.
Port is on one end of the Corniche and on the other end there is Breakwater Peninsula with an intreresting (and free) Heritage Village. I walked all the cornich long to get to the village - taking a photos on the way.
Village is quite interesting.
But I do not understand why in such a rich country the main Monument - White Fort after 16 years is still under reconstruction...
Uff... it was a long way in the heat. Sun is strong here!
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Dec 04, 2012 08:00 PM Fiords of Arabia...
There are famuus fiords in Norway, but did you hear about fiords in Arabia?
In the night we sailed trough the Strait of Hormuz - the only gate to the Arab Gulf. It is as narrow as 21 miles in the minimal point!
Just after we reached a little port of Kasab on The Mussandam Peninsula. The Peninsula is the enclave of lovely Oman and I am happy to be here again.
The tip of the peninsula has a number of fiords. Mountains around are 700 -800 m high so it is very picturesque place.
No roads to the fiords. I paid for the tour on the old Arab boat (dhow) to go to one of the fiords - 17 kms long.
Nice adventure - at the end of the fiord there are tiny fishermen's villages and Telegraph Island - a piece of land where in 19th century established manned station on the India to Iraq cable...
After 5 years the staff got crazy and the station was abbandoned.
In the afternoon I went by foot to the Khasab Fort (1,5 km from the port) - well worth a visit - there is interesting museum and the pretty Omani ladies will treat you with the local coffee and Omani bread!
Once in the center of Khasab I found the Omani friend who took me on his car along the coastal road for the great view of the bay. Lovely country!
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Dec 03, 2012 08:00 PM Khorfakkan - what a name!
I am already in the United Arab Emirates! In the morning we reached the port of Khor Fakkan. Strange - it is the little enclave of Emirate Sharjah in The Emirate of Fujairah on the southern coast of Arab Peninsula!
I found the internet cafe where they charge 5 dirhams per hour. 1 USD is worth 3,66 dirhams.
They just celebrated 41th National Day. The city is still decorated with flags and the portraits of the emir and his family.
Nice beach here but completly empty there are warnings in arabic and english that at the beach you have to have "appropriate clothes" :) ...on the beach. At the temperature 30 deg Celsius!
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Dec 02, 2012 08:00 PM Muscat - one of the most picturesque ports!
In the morning we reached Muscat - the capital of Oman.I remember it from my visit 16 years ago - hidden in the coastal rocky bays is in my opinion one of the most picturesque ports in the world.In fact there are tho bays: Mutrah, where commercial port is located and 3 kms next to it - The old Muscat with two ports built by the Portuguese.
View from the sea is different and I enjoyed new perspective of Mutrah very much!
From the port gate of Mutrah it is only 100 m walk to the lovely Corniche. Then Corniche will take you to the picturesque suq - the bazaar smelling nicely with frankincense (Oman is the homeland of frankincense). Great place to visit and to stroll in the labirynth of the covered alleys. Then I took a 3 km walk to Muscat where sultans Palace is located in the rocky bay. Memories came. Great day!
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Dec 02, 2012 08:00 PM Muscat - one of the most picturesque ports!
In the morning we reached Muscat - the capital of Oman.I remember it from my visit 16 years ago - hidden in the coastal rocky bays is in my opinion one of the most picturesque ports in the world.In fact there are tho bays: Mutrah, where commercial port is located and 3 kms next to it - The old Muscat with two ports built by the Portuguese.
View from the sea is different and I enjoyed new perspective of Mutrah very much!
From the port gate of Mutrah it is only 100 m walk to the lovely Corniche. Then Corniche will take you to the picturesque suq - the bazaar smelling nicely with frankincense (Oman is the homeland of frankincense). Great place to visit and to stroll in the labirynth of the covered alleys. Then I took a 3 km walk to Muscat where sultans Palace is located in the rocky bay. Memories came. Great day!
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Dec 02, 2012 08:00 PM Muscat - one of the most picturesque ports!
In the morning we reached Muscat - the capital of Oman.I remember it from my visit 16 years ago - hidden in the coastal rocky bays is in my opinion one of the most picturesque ports in the world.In fact there are tho bays: Mutrah, where commercial port is located and 3 kms next to it - The old Muscat with two ports built by the Portuguese.
View from the sea is different and I enjoyed new perspective of Mutrah very much!
From the port gate of Mutrah it is only 100 m walk to the lovely Corniche. Then Corniche will take you to the picturesque suq - the bazaar smelling nicely with frankincense (Oman is the homeland of frankincense). Great place to visit and to stroll in the labirynth of the covered alleys. Then I took a 3 km walk to Muscat where sultans Palace is located in the rocky bay. Memories came. Great day!
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Dec 01, 2012 08:00 PM Lazy Sunday on the deck and in the cabin
We have the last day at sea during this journey.
Time for the sunbath on the deck, jacuzzi, little pool. Normally in the port I am always off the ship: walking, taking pictures and enjoying the local people. Today it is the time to rest.
Well, working in my cabin I also completed the snapshots from my last travel to India they already uploaded and you can find them here:
www.kontynenty.net/Indie1.htm
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Nov 30, 2012 08:00 PM In Oman again!
Oman on the horizon! Our ship docked in the big port in Salalah (They call it Raysut Port) with a 3 hours delay.
I was surprised by the size of the port - as for Oman it is very big.
Let you know that the port is some 6 kms from the town of Salalah in the direct line. And more than 12 kms if you go by the road,
which makes a solid loop around the industrial zone.
Ship agent provides shuttle bus but only to the gate of the port. Then you can take a taxi to the town, but the official rate is
10 Omani rianl per cab (about 38 USD).
I was walking from the gate to the first junction and I started to hitch. The wind was blowing from the desert The wind was blowing from the desert.
Omanis are nice - I got the lift after 20 minutes.
I have been to Salalah in 1996 when it was not easy to enter the Sultanate. Now you can get the visa on arrival.
Bus Salalah changed a lot. It still has a lot of green: coconut palms and banana plantations. But the substantian part of the old town was buldogered and new multi-storey appartment houses were built. Also huge, new sultan mosque, It is still worth to visit Al-Hosn Souk (bazaar) and try omani sweets (They say that the best halva is in Oman).
Avoid period from 2 pm to 4 pm when almost all shops are closed.
I even do not remember his difficult name. Friendly Omani driver took me around the town and then delivered me on time to the port. Omani hospitality is still great - like 16 years ago!
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Nov 30, 2012 08:00 PM In Oman again!
Oman on the horizon! Our ship docked in the big port in Salalah (They call it Raysut Port) with a 3 hours delay.
I was surprised by the size of the port - as for Oman it is very big.
Let you know that the port is some 6 kms from the town of Salalah in the direct line. And more than 12 kms if you go by the road,
which makes a solid loop around the industrial zone.
Ship agent provides shuttle bus but only to the gate of the port. Then you can take a taxi to the town, but the official rate is
10 Omani rianl per cab (about 38 USD).
I was walking from the gate to the first junction and I started to hitch. The wind was blowing from the desert The wind was blowing from the desert.
Omanis are nice - I got the lift after 20 minutes.
I have been to Salalah in 1996 when it was not easy to enter the Sultanate. Now you can get the visa on arrival.
Bus Salalah changed a lot. It still has a lot of green: coconut palms and banana plantations. But the substantian part of the old town was buldogered and new multi-storey appartment houses were built. Also huge, new sultan mosque, It is still worth to visit Al-Hosn Souk (bazaar) and try omani sweets (They say that the best halva is in Oman).
Avoid period from 2 pm to 4 pm when almost all shops are closed.
I even do not remember his difficult name. Friendly Omani driver took me around the town and then delivered me on time to the port. Omani hospitality is still great - like 16 years ago!
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Nov 28, 2012 08:00 PM Islands on the starboard!
It is sunny but we have strong wind from the east since the morning. At 11 am we are passing the island of Dumeira.
It seems that it belongs to Eritrea. The TV infosystem is down again so it is difficult to make this sure.
We are close to the area where is danger of piracy... Do not worry...
In the afternoon in the Bay of Djibuti few special forces guys boarded our ship from the zodiacs. They have machine weapon...
Then we sailed east - along the coast of Somali.
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