US Attacks Iran, A Lucky Escape For Our Tour Group

This is the route that the Air Canada flight took, giving Iran a wide berth and flying over Saudi and Egypt. My Emirates flight flew closer to the Iraq border and over Syria and Turkey.

Pam and Dave who are still in Oman took this photo of a destroyer off shore from our hotel in Salalah, Oman.

Saturday, February 28th.

We flew from Salalah, Oman to Dubai, UAE and arrived at 9:30. My flight to Toronto boarded at 2:30 for a 3:30 departure. Sometime during the flight the US and Israel attacked Iran and Iran retaliated by striking US bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. I was dozing and kept being woken up by crying kids, so I turned on the news on the TV on the seat in front of me and was surprised/ horrified to find out that the US and Israel had attacked Iran. Many people on the flight were watching it too. All of us in our tour group knew that tensions between the US and Iran were mounting and it was always in the back of our minds but, we didn’t talk about it much and it seemed that they were negotiating and we’d be okay. 

However, now all the airspace over the Middle East has been closed. I think we were very lucky to get out and may have been one of the last flights out. One couple in our tour group opted to stay an extra day because they had found a cheaper flight out and now they are stranded. And of course there are business people and tours all over the area who are now stranded. 

In hindsight I was lucky too, because I have a hate on for Air Canada, I opted to take the Emirates flight to Toronto that left two hours later than the Air Canada flight that Bernie, Alexandra, Cam and Jane took. Theirs left at 1:30, mine at 3:30, that would have been horrible if the air space closed between those two times and I was stuck! What a mess, and a lucky escape. Now that I have met so many people in all of the six countries we visited, I feel for them too as it will affect their lives and livlihoods. I hope that this conflict doesn’t spread and become a major event, more that it already is. I feel for everyone involved.

A Mountain Safari and Fly to Muscat, Oman

4 wheeling in a convoy of 6 Toyota Land Rovers

The first view point.

Ever higher

High up we came across a fertile valley...

Where they can grow some crops in the winter months.

They came to check us out.

Found this blooming shrub at our picnic spot.

They ran away.

We saw evidence of homes and villages from times gone by.

Back down again.

Some typical new homes.

 

A visitor to the pool at our hotel, some type of heron.

Thursday, February 19th.

This morning 6 Toyota Land Rovers picked us up for a journey up into the mountains around Khasab. I was in the car with Donna and Andy and our driver was a young enthusiastic 22 year old. He was eager to please and practise his English. We drove off road and up the mountain on a relatively newly constructed dirt and very dusty road which has been built to service the locals and an army post near the top of the mountain. We stopped at several lookouts, the first of which was at 300m where we had a great view of the switchbacks we had driven to this spot and the coast of the Arabian Sea. As we continued up the mountain, we saw evidence of homes from the past made of stones or dug out of the side of the mountain. We came across a fertile valley where they could grow some crops during the wet season of the winter. We saw goats, some sheep and a few donkeys as well. At our picnic stop at 1300m I found a bush or small tree that was blooming with pretty small pink and white flowers. The tree had no leaves, but the twigs were green. This is an adaptation that I had seen in the south western US in a tree called the Paolo Verdi. The twigs are full of chlorophyll which makes them green and allows them to do photosynthesis in the branches, which means the tree doesn’t need leaves, which give off too much moisture in the summer heat. We had a drink and some fruit while the drivers had a rest. They cannot eat or drink anything until sunset as it is the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

On the way back we saw a lot of new build homes and noticed that they were all in walled enclosures. This is for several reasons. It provides privacy from prying eyes, provides women the opportunity to go outside without covering up, keeps the dust and wind down and provides security for the family.

When we got back we had lunch at the hotel but had to eat inside to respect the people and not to be seen eating during the day. Then we had an hour to relax by the pool before boarding the bus for the airport, which was tiny. There is only one gate and we were the only plane that afternoon. Oman has two parts. We are in the small section at the northern tip of the UAE. To get to the other much larger part of Oman you have to drive through the UAE which means more border crossings. So we flew. The flight was only 45 minutes, but still they gave us a sandwich, some dates and a drink. We were at our hotel in the capital city of Muscat by 7:15 and had the evening to ourselves, and again everyone disappeared.

A Relaxing Day Near the Strait of Hormuz

This is the map of the UAE showing the 7 Emirates, but at the northern tip is a small part of Oman (where we are) that is separated from mainland Oman.

Getting on board.

On board

The little islands we visited.

Very relaxing day.

Another dhow which joined us for the...

dolphin rodeo! I've got great videos.

The penguins make it to the Arabian Peninsula.

The water was very doable, in for an hour.

There were small villages along the shores that are only accessible by boat.

The geology of the rocks was very interesting.

Wednesday, February 18th.

This morning we took a short bus ride to the fishing harbour which also has dhow boats that take tourists out to the Khor Sham islands at the northern tip of of the UAE peninsula. This is where we are and it’s actually part of Oman. It pinches into the Arabian Gulf and forms the Straits of Hormuz, which is the narrowest portion to the passage between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Iran has threatened many times to restrict oil traffic through here which would cause international problems. At the current time the US under Trump is threatening Iran as the regime cracks down on the dissidents that were rioting against the government. Iran is threatening US bases and oil supplies if the US attacks. This is all happening now right where we are… 

 We spent a leisurely day on the boat as it traveled around Telegraph Island and Seebi Island. We were surrounded by sedimentary rock mountains that were barren and various light colours of brown, which was very beautiful with the blue cloudless sky and blue water. We went on a dolphin rodeo, where two of the boats corralled a family of dolphins that enjoyed riding the slipstream between the two boats. They stayed between us for about ten minutes and I got some great videos. We saw a few little incredibly remote villages that were squeezed on the shore at the base of the mountains. They exist on fishing, but it's hard to imagine living there. Later we stopped at an area where we could swim. I was the first in and last out an hour later. The water was lovely. While we were swimming the crew cooked us a fish bbq with some salads, chicken and fruit. Then we moved on to another spot where we could swim again. We returned by 4:30 and I went into the resort pool to rinse off the salt. This is the first night of the holy month Ramadan, which means that the Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset daily. As a result the bar in the hotel, which is the first bar we have had on this trip, is closed. It will be interesting to see how else Ramadan will affect us. George has pointed out that we don’t want to offend anyone by being seen eating or drinking anything during daylight hours. So, it will have to be inside hotels or… who knows where. Dinner was buffet style again and then everyone disappeared into their rooms by 8:30.

From UAE to Oman

The Cultural Museum of the Emirate of Sharjah.

And its beautiful celestial dome.

Another well laid out museum.

Trebuchet for throwing things over castle walls.

Trade routes in and out of Arabia.

Scientific advancement for navigating.

The supreme court house with the fishing fleet.

This souk seller complained that everyone was talking pictures of the cat and not buying anything, so he was going to charge for the photos...

We stopped at a gas station and I noticed this driver stuck on the dunes.

Before the Oman border there was a line of about 100 transports waiting to go through customs.

Scenic viewpoints on the Oman coastal drive.

Tuesday, February 17th.

We were up early this morning. We checked out and drove to another Emirate, Sharjah, to visit the large Islamic Cultural Museum. It was beautifully laid out and had many exhibits on everything having to do with Islam, from the history, the Quran and calligraphy, to science and technology, astronomy, weaponry, arts and crafts, agriculture and irrigation. Really a fascinating history of the religion and the culture. From there we drove to another Emirate, where we had lunch in a big mall. Marsha and I had Thai food. After that we drove towards the UAE/Oman border. We drove past areas of sand dunes, and scrub land and everywhere man was making his mark or leaving it. The businesses along the roads looked like similar businesses in the developing world, cluttered and unkempt. Just before we got to Oman we suddenly came to dry rocky mountains. We were checked out of UAE easily until Jane noticed that her passport exit stamp read ‘January 17th’, whereas the entry stamp said ‘February 13th’, which meant we were leaving before we got there. I went back and told George and the local guide and they had to collect any passport that was stamped by that one custom officer, which included mine. They just corrected it by stamping over it. Then we boarded the bus again and drove across no-man’s land to the Oman border. We went into the office, they gave our passports a cursory look, kept them and sent us to the bus. Fifteen minutes later an official got on the bus, looked at us for a minute and then got off and gave George all our passports and we were off. Borders are always interesting and maybe stressful. We had about an hour drive around the mountains and along the scenic coastal road to our hotel in the town of Khasab. It is a unique and lovely complex, on the coast, that is a rustic lodge, with an outdoor pool. After checking in we immediately went on the bus to see a fort that used to defend the town and the fishery here, and then inland on a short road up a little valley to an abandoned village, which served to illustrate the basic houses that people used 50 years ago. The only thing there now are a few goats that are tended by people in Khasab. Then back to the lodge for happy hour (I had my first beer since leaving home) before we had a buffet dinner. We were all in our rooms by nine.

Night Excursion to Future Museum and Burj Khalifa

The gorgeous Future Museum.

My future job, check the face.

The space lab we docked with.

Our guide from Ghana and Teresa from Hong Kong, who I talked to thorought the experience.

The holographic 'Ark'.

Reminiscent of Teamlab

Future modes of transport.

Futuristic machines

Made my day!

Mindboogling architecture

Stunning view

Skyscrapers all around

The Burj Khalifa

Unexpected lightshow

Viva Las Vegas

Monday, February 16th. Continued 

Tonight we are on our own for dinner so I have decided to go exploring. I had heard that the Future Museum was worth a visit so I had tried to buy a ticket online but failed. I wanted to at least see the building up close. Here’s a description of it I read online:

‘A bold name deserves a bold building – something delivered with aplomb by Dubai practice Killa Design . Envisioned as an incubator of scientific research, the Museum of the Future is a place to stretch your mind; one exhibit invites visitors to imagine life in 2071. The eye-shaped building itself is already iconic: constructed using cutting-edge robotic technology and parametric design (a process based on algorithms), it’s 77 metres high but has no internal pillars, and is clad with 1,024 steel panels, the same as the basic unit of digital information stored on a computer. Symbolic LED calligraphy on the façade heightens its landmark appeal.’

So I took the Dubai Metro to that station. At first the Metro was underground but several stations later rose to become a monorail giving excellent views of the skyscrapers. When I exited the Metro I walked through the tunnels that led right into the lobby of the Future Museum and tried to buy a ticket at a kiosk, but it said it was sold out for the day. So I lined up where people were checking in with their tickets and asked if I could buy one. For a premium price, roughly $100 instead of $60, I purchased a ticket that allowed me to enter straight away and jump the queue. It is not really a museum, it is really a science centre. You are to pretend that it is 2071 (the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the UAE) and that humanity is trying to rebuild life on Earth after almost completely destroying it. Large solar farms have been built on the moon and beam back to Earth all the energy we need. From the lobby you enter an elevator that simulates blasting off from Dubai and you watch the city and country recede until you reach the space station and dock with it. This space station has become the new Noah’s Arc and has the DNA required to recreate all life on Earth, preserved in a large room full of jars each containing a hologram of each species. On the bottom floor are a number of future technologies including robot pets, robot assistants that resemble people, flying taxis, future cars… It was a very interesting premise and a very interactive experience, that would be great for kids of all ages. But, I loved the building more than anything. The structure is unique and gorgeous inside and out. On one level you can go out to an observation deck where you wind up standing in the ‘eye’ portion of the building, incredible! It is really hard to imagine the inside of the museum from the outside…

Then I got back on the Metro and went to the Burj Khalifa station to see the fountain show. I had to walk all the way through the Dubai Mall with hundreds of people to reach the pools at the base of the building. I found a great spot to photograph the building lit up against the night sky and suddenly a light show erupted from it. When that ended I stood there watching people and soaking up the atmosphere until the fountains erupted synced to Arabic music and the water danced around much like a Las Vegas display. It was beautiful and fun. By then it was 10:45 and I had to forgo any further exploring, so I retraced my route on the Metro and returned to the hotel, where I found that I had an email from the Kenyan gentleman I met in the Cultural Museum in Doha. We had exchanged emails and somehow I had written it incorrectly so when I tried to write to him it bounced back. I thought I’d lost contact with him, but not so! Thankfully he contacted me. So, my night time solo excursion salvaged a disappointing day in Dubai.