Sandstorm hits Oman

It was Wednesday late afternoon when we noticed it was getting darker and darker, even though there were several hours of daylight left. I was about to leave to pick up Damon from work when he called saying everyone was advised to stay put, sandstorm was quickly approaching. Ah, ha! That's what was going on! So, of course we went outside to check it out.

It was pretty dusty, as you would imagine, but no problem for Chloe.  She had the perfect solution:

And, then to everyone's delight, it started to RAIN!  We haven't felt rain for months and months!  And before I knew it, the girls had run back inside, changed AGAIN, zipped by in a blur, and were gleefully playing outside in the the downpour.

As quickly as it started, it had stopped, and the skies began to clear. 

While this experience was very exciting for our family, I'm sure it was NOT so for many in Muscat, especially for those workers that had spend ALL DAY cleaning up and making the city impeccable for the opening of the Royal Opera House.  Before all this happened, people were out en force washing trees, painting the street, and picking up leaves and debris from the road.  How ironic it was, just hours before the grand opening, to have a giant sand storm come rolling in, depositing a nice amount of sand over the entire city and just enough rain to make everything mottled and muddy, but not enough to actually wash any of the dust away.  A very bad case of Murphy's Law...

And, to get a better idea of the extent of the storm, here's a few links:
a video from YouTube 
Article from GulfNews.com

Summer Pics, Part I

Get a comfy seat for this one ... it's a long one!

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Nizwa and Al Hoota Cave

For a nice day trip this summer, we drove up to Nizwa to explore the fort, the souk, and Al Hoota Caves.  It was a little over 2 hours to drive, with spectacular mountain scenery, herds of goats, and even camel crossing signs (although I have yet to see any in the area)!   

Nizwa dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries and was once the capital of Oman.  As the largest oasis in the interior, it was the center of trade, art,  and religion.  The fort had been renovated and is a wonderful place to learn the history and culture of Oman.  The maze of narrow corridors, trap doors and towers made it a fun place to explore, too!  Although, I'm looking forward to returning when it's a bit cooler.

Nearby was Al Hoota Cave, which was in a rather nondescript area -- even with the tour book, it was a bit hard to find.  The visitor center had a small museum where you can learn about the geology of Oman -- that was one of the highlights for me, and with all the hands-on exhibits, the kids liked it too.   They especially enjoyed learning about the animals that dwell in the cave, including blind fish!

Visitor Center at Al Hoota Cave

You can see the natural entrance in the middle and the tunnel entrance for pedestrians

Once inside the cave, I was hoping for a reprieve of the hot weather, but no such luck.  At first it felt cool, but I think that was just air-conditioning in the visitor entrance.  It was hot and humid inside, just like it was outside.  But, the stalagmites and stalagtites were impressive and the tour was interesting.  One area was known as "the Lion" because it looked like a reclining lion with a big mane.  And, of course, the big hit in the family was the large pool of water with the blind fish.  

The girls were troupers as was our guest, Andrew, who put up with the fabulous repetitive, copy-cat singing from the back seat, the stops for being car-sick, potty-breaks, and the inevitable push on the seat from little feet in the back seat.  Road trips are the same no matter where you are!

Exploring the Nizwa Fort with Andrew, summer intern @ Embassy