Forts, Springs and Coffee

We began our day at the Grand Mosque so Amelie could see it and quite frankly the other three of us wanted to have more time taking in the main prayer hall (Adeline was working unfortunately so couldn't be with us). It was quite nice to slowly circumnavigate this expansive space, taking in all the intricate carvings and ornate decoration.

Note the people on the right of the picture to get a grasp of the scale of this grand space. Unfortunately the real grandeur and magnificence is lost in the image but hopefully it gives you an idea of how beatiful it is.

Standing in the mosque grounds close to the main hall, fully covered (except for the feet and face which isn't necessary) as per the requirements. You can see the Indian and Pakistanis working in the background. The majority of the workforce in Oman is made up of people from South Asia who work day and night.

Our main destination was Nakhal, home to a fort and hot springs that sits facing an open plain and backs upon the mountains.

Unlike Rustaq fort, which was bereft of any type of furnishings, Nakhal had several rooms well kitted out with an assortment of furniture, accessories and unique fixtures...

Introducing Amelie, Adeline's friend, who was a joy to be with and get to know - always smiling!

Anything look familiar Mom?

There were examples of the different bedrooms, sitting rooms and my favourite, the Wali’s meeting room. The wali was the local governor and lived within the fort and his sitting room was right at the top, catching all the morning breezes. It was nice enough to sit there for hours.

Note the pattern on the ceiling which was traditional in all of the old Omani forts. On the shelves around the room are various religious volumes, while the pegs we believe were meant to hold water jugs (like the one hanging towards the back of the room on the right).

As nice as the wali’s room was, we moved on for a lunch by the hot springs just in front of a small village where people were going about their daily business, herding goats, washing dishes and clothes etc.

These waters flow out of volcanic rocks and are heated in the process to a balmy 30 degrees C. Only men are allowed to bathe in them; another example of the latent societal structure here; so Thierry and I climbed in to enjoy the soothing waters. In one spot, you can actually climb into a hole in the rocks from which the waters flow up to the surface through and feel the water rushing past your feet and up to your head. It is almost like acting as a cork in a bottle of champagne.

Thierry knows a member of one of the local families, so after a couple of phone calls we were met by the younger step-brother for some refreshments at the family home. He was a little unsure about us all at first, but quickly warmed up and we enjoyed a nice afternoon snack of fresh fruit, halwa and Omani coffee. Halwa is an extremely popular local sweet made from water, sugar, animal fat and then adorned with almonds or dates for extra flavour. It is pretty good, though we certainly can’t eat as much as the Omanis!

Omani coffee is actually just normal Western style coffee that is infused with cardamom. It is quite pleasant and was easy to drink down the three small cups that are proffered. In order to be respectful, it is important to not refuse a refill until after your third cup, then you indicate your desire not to have any more with a simple lateral shaking of the cup. This was a nice chance to see modern Omani society up close, since it retained the traditional cultural and hospitality rituals, but in the shadow of a satellite television.

That evening all five of us went to dinner at a wonderful outdoor restaurant that caters to a large mix of expat and Omani clientele. Here you could enjoy pasta, pizza and pub grub whilst smoking a shisha pipe. We favoured the traditional Middle Eastern cuisine, grilled mixed meats with Omani bread, as well as a unique assortment of fruit drinks, to accompany our apple flavoured shisha.

Thierry is an old hand at this, so we let him get it started and then Cora, Amelie and I all had a try at it to varying degrees of success and enjoyment.

Actually the smoke is quite soft because it comes through water first and therefore it is not as harsh to either smoke or breathe in as cigarette or cigar smoke. Still it does make you a bit light-headed, especially without a lot of food in your system.

We had a perfect evening together, a perfect way to end another perfect day.