Well I am running out of exciting blogs to post since we are still here in Salalah waiting, impatiently for our ship.

We have been here since 24^th February, yes all 20 yachts have been waiting nearly 3 months to be shipped back to the Med.

It is now low season and the monsoons are on the way, temperatures are well into the 40’s during the day and around 35 degrees at night, humidity is high, high, high.

I said at the start of the rally that I would NEVER complain about being too hot – but come on now – this is getting ridiculous.

So, I know you like to catch up on our adventures for some light relief at the start of a long day or week at work, and I am feeling very responsible for the lack of exciting blogs about new places around the world.

All I can offer is a couple of random observations made whilst sitting it out in Salalah.

Cruise Ships

What is going on ?

Cruise ships arrive in Salalah every day sailing from the Red Sea and through the Gulf of Aden into Salalah and then on into the Arabian Sea to Muscat and across to Mumbai.

They carry thousands of tourists for nice little holidays sailing through the worst pirate infested waters in the world.

Er – hello – do these tourists not read the papers, watch the news or listen to the radio, is the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea/ Indian Ocean just another place to visit and tick off their wish list ?

I wonder if they question why there is razor wire around the hull of the ship and why there is armed security on watch 24-7.

On reflection we have decided that maybe the cruise ships are the only vessels safe to transit this treacherous area, after all they are fast and the prospect of coping with thousands of hostages in one go is probably very daunting for the pirates ?

However, with the pirate attacks continuing to escalate, how long before one of these ships is taken too ?   

Salalah, Oman

Despite initial reservations about how welcome we are in Oman – we are beginning to understand and interact with the locals.

The population here is multi national with Sri Lankans, Indians, Pakistanis, Pilipinos and Africans doing much of the work and local Omani’s working in public service, including the army and security.

Many of the staff at the Oasis Club are Sri Lankan, they have families back in Sri Lanka that they support. Their earnings here are not high by European standards but they are much higher than in Sri Lanka.

When we asked how often they go home they replied once a year for their two week holiday. These people are so dedicated to giving their children a good education and they never complain about how much they miss home. It makes you very humble.  

It appears many Omanis do not work at all, considering most jobs to be beneath them since their country is rich with income from oil production and can support them.

However people are very friendly and inquisitive, we are obviously unique as most visitors are just passing and so we have been telling our story to lots of people that we meet. The Omanis are very proud of their country and they have big plans to expand Salalah into a new tourist destination.

The Sultan of Oman has implemented a huge infrastructure plan in this large country during his 30 year reign and he has also successfully established good health and education programmes. He is now trying to establish new industry such as tourism to provide jobs and to replace the oil income once supplies have run out.