These are a few of my favorite things

Sayq, Oman

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Stop and Smell the Roses

Smelling roses is something I’d always done in the line of business I’ve been in. I say the phrase, “stop and smell the roses” to myself when doing so. Literally. And what a wonderful opportunity I’ve had to inhale this marvelous fragrance here in Oman.

Visiting the Damask rose gardens in Al Ayin was something on my “to do” list since I first heard about it. Late March into mid-May is peak time for the rose season up in the Jabal Akhdar in the western Hajar Mountains. About 8 weeks ago we hiked a wadi beyond that area. The roads are steep with hair-pin turns, I guess I’m getting use to them because this time I spent more time enjoying the vista view out the windows than worrying about tumbling down the mountain on every turn. Before going up into this mountain range, there is a police stop where ID’s are viewed and vehicles are checked. They must be 4-Wheel drive. I now understand why so many people in the city own 4-WDs. They are needed for the steep mountain roads and driving in the sandy, rocky wadis.

We went with a group from ESO – Environment Society of Oman. The tour guide was from the Jabal Akhdar area and he was able to show us some areas we might not have stumbled upon on our own.

I had asked the tour guide, “Will we see roses blooming?” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Maybe”. I understand… with mother nature it’s hard to predict. I didn’t have any expectations, other than I’d be seeing terraced rose gardens. Well, I was not disappointed. We stopped and parked up on a high range, looking down onto the terraced gardens. We could see green shrubs but could barely see the roses. Our guide pointed out 4 different villages from our vantage point, and told us that the furthest one was the village he grew up in. Before we left this high range the guide pointed down to the rocks we were standing on and pointed out a couple of fossils. They were faded and not very visible so I forfeited some of my water and poured it on the fossils and the design in them popped.

We began to walk down a path through a tiny village. I could hear children playing and music in the back ground. There was laundry hanging on fences and lines and the Omani people were busy with their daily routines. As I was walking along this path, children came running past me. They could see I had a camera as I was saying hello to them. They put their hands up near their faces saying, “No”. I tucked my camera in my bag and said hello again. They then came up to me with big smiles and each one gave me high fives and giggles.

I kept moving along, turned a corner and caught up with the guide who asked me, “Can you smell that?” Before I could answer he said, “Rose water being distilled”. My reply was that I could smell smoke. We kept walking using the Falaj as our path. As we got closer, I could see that the green shrubs I had seen from far away were covered with hundreds of pink roses. The fragrance of roses penetrated the air.

We came up on a large ivory-colored tree with dark veins and no leaves. It was a walnut tree. Catkins were developing, and the guide told me that in 2 weeks, the tree would be covered in green leaves. Very striking looking and not like walnut trees in Maine.

We wandered through the rows of roses trying to find a good place to photograph the perfect rose. They all looked alike! They grow only one type of rose, called a Damask rose, Rosa X damascena, and they’re highly scented. In fact, it is the most fragrant rose there is that will grow in these conditions, Because water is scarce, the plants need to be drought resistant. It is not known how long these roses have been growing in these terraced gardens.

The sun was intense and was almost high noon which meant it’s the worst time to take photos. I was scouting on the shady side of the bushes and squeezed through many to find a place to enjoy my time photographing and smelling the roses. (Don’t tell anyone, but I stole a few buds hoping I can get some seeds from them. We’ll see about that)

As we were returning back through the village, we found out that the gentleman who makes the rose water was there working, so we could go meet him. WOW, what a treat. A lovely person he is, with dusty blue eyes and a big smile. I think he likes the attention. The first room I went into was dark and extremely hot. I was told he can only stay in the room a few hours a day. There were 2 areas that had 8 holes in a concrete base where metal containers are placed, and there were gas flames inside this structure. The rose water cooks at a low heat for a long period of time.

The room next door is where the rose pedals are dealt with. The rose water expert explained what he does with them, but he was talking with this nice Omani lady so it was in Arabic. I guess he presses the pedals and the liquid is what is cooked down. The fragrance in that room was lovely. I had mentioned to the guide that if possible I’d like to buy some rose water. So, just before we left this area they brought out one bottle of rosewater. The last one they had at this time. I was so excited, but then felt bad for the others who also wanted some. I’ll split my bottle with David and Shira.

Rose water is used for cooking; flavoring sweet desserts and in teas. It’s also used as a medicinal for curing headaches, stomach disorders and nausea. Rose water is spoken of by poetry and philosophers, and thought of as “part of the splendor of God” in the Muslim faith. It is also used in some of the most expensive perfumes from this region.

I went to a perfume factory in Muscat called Aumourge perfume. Very expensive… like $300 for a small bottle. I’m not a perfume kind of girl, but I was curious. They use all natural ingredients making 30 different fragrances. I did smell many of them and they are more subtle than others I’ve noticed in the past.

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We followed our guide to his ruined village. We parked the cars and could see in the distance a wadi with many trees and shrubs growing in and around it. The ruined village was built on the side of a mountain just beyond the wadi. We walked over to the village and the guide took us to what was left of the house he grew up in. In 25 years the buildings have crumbled, and to this day it disturbs him that it cannot be stopped. There is no money for restoration. There were dirt floors and high windows and it sat very close to a small mosque. These sod houses were never meant to last.

This village is well known for its pomegranates. We were lucky enough to be with him as he took us through a gated area and we walked through a pomegranate orchid. How cool is that? There were a few flowers blooming on the trees, but the season was still months away. The falaj was flowing through the orchard and I could hear the sound of water rushing through the side of the mountain. It was shady walking through the orchard and with the falaj running, it helped me feel cooler in the brutal heat bouncing off the rocky mountains.

After the hike, we all went for a late lunch at the same place we ate weeks ago when we were in the area. Not many choices. I chose a salad… no rice for me!

We had come on this trip with our neighbor Keith from the UK and Melbourne, Australia, and David. As we were eating in this little retro restaurant, David was telling Keith about his trip to Melbourne a few years ago. He described a flat he rented from AirB&B, and as he was describing it, Keith asked if there was a garden, and had more detailed questions. Well, to all of our surprise, it turned out to be Keith’s flat they had rented! I laughed and laughed about that.

My laughing got the attention of this younger man – Yousif – sitting next to us, and alone. He asked if I was from America. I said, “Yes”, and we began to talk. He is a tour guide out of Muscat, and was about to go back into the city. He loves the US and wants to go back to visit. I suggested waiting for 4 years. I mentioned to him that he spoke very good English, and he told me he’d learned to speak the language by watching movies. I met him again outdoors with another friend and we chatted for some time about America, and tourism in Oman.

I was complaining about the trash at tourist sites outside of Muscat. I’m non-stop on the issue when I speak to people in the tourist industry. I tell them they have to keep bringing up the issue since tourism is the second largest income in Oman. Just before we said goodbye they asked me my name, I told them and they laughed they said that’s why you’re such a happy fun person to talk to. I took that as a compliment. Cute men I will have to say.

After the late lunch and the discovery of Keith renting his flat to David, we decided we’d go to this really nice hotel across the street and have a fruit drink. Fruit drinks are popular here. They use fresh fruit and can mix whatever you want. My favorite is lemonade with fresh mint and spices. It’s well blended and cold. We sat out on the deck and relaxed under the shade while the wind blew around us. It’s a great hotel with a grand vista view. David and Keith started remembering their conversations with one another and have now bonded. HA,HA!

Back in the car for a 1.5 hour drive home. That night we had a dinner engagement with our friend from the US Embassy in an Iraqi restaurant. Very nice, good food and service. I had a pomegranate juice drink that was the best ever.

That night I had a dream that I wrote a play. Hm???

These are a few of my favorite things

Daymaniat Islands

Saturday morning, we’re up and out the door to go snorkeling. This is another trip I’ve been looking forward to. I had hoped it would be a calm day so the boat ride would be smooth and the water would be clear. Well, my wish came true. It was a perfect day. High 90’s and nice to be able to be in the water. The captain, Fahad, was a pleasure to meet. He is in his early 30’s and has been doing this work for 10 years. He is so aware of the importance of the environment and the do’s and don’ts dealing with the turtles and coral. He sets the anchor down in the sand, not on top of the coral.

I have mentioned from time to time in other blogs about the color of the water at different locations in Oman. I can tell you that the color out there on the Arabian Sea was amazing. As we slowed down, moving closer to the island, we could see down to the bottom of the sea. We saw coral and schools of fish and a snake… glad we didn’t see it while snorkeling!

Before I jumped into the water, I mentioned to Fahad that I’d love to see Nudibranches if possible. At one point, he “got in the swim” with Stewart and me, and tried to take some under- water photos of us, but I couldn’t dive down deep enough to make the photo look good. But he did see a Nudibranch and pointed it out to me, and then took a photo of it. He also took photos of a turtle and a squid that we saw.

We snorkeled for an hour and saw so many different types of colorful fish and live coral. Yes, there is still live coral here. Too bad that has to sound like an announcement, but so much coral is dying in our world that it’s nice to see some alive. There were also a lot of living animal-looking plants, and huge brain coral. We went to two different diving sites, then were dropped off on a beach to walk around a bit.

It was such a nice time that I plan on going back out again before we leave. Stewart and David are going to be very busy the next few weeks so they don’t have time to go back out, but I can. Knowing Fahad, I’ll have someone who will snorkel with me and the other guests of the boat.

It’s now in the high 90’s or low 100’s and my days are changing. I’m trying to get out in the morning and again just before the sunsets. During the middle of the day it doesn’t make since to be out and about in the sizzling hot weather.