Pete’s Adventures in Salalah Part 9

What’s been happening in the third week of May.

 

I have been doing more cleaning, and odd jobs with a bit of exploring and relaxing.

 

 

This is the view from the back of Fai Tira.

These trucks loaded with white stone constantly grind past the anchorage all day and night, 24/7 supplying the bulk carrier ships that export their cargo all over the world.  The stone chippings are used for railway and road ballast.  The problem is not only the noise that these massive trucks generate BUT the white dust that comes off of them which gets everywhere.  You can dust inside the boat in the morning and by the afternoon there is a fine white coating back again.  Constant cleaning required.  Not my forte.

 

 

This is view from the front of Fai Tira. 

These coastguard ships rarely leave the port and sit there with their generators constantly running, so not only do we have dust pollution, we have noise pollution as well.

It sounds like I am a bit depressed with the situation, but I am not!!  We have been well looked after, whilst we have been here, not only by our agent Mohammed and also by the harbour management team.  They are letting us stay here for free.  Thank you guys.

On the 24^th of May we will have been here for 3 months. I and the rest of the BWR crews have had enough of the dust, noise and heat and we need to get out of this place, hopefully it will be soon.

 

 

The view of the container port which handles hundreds of containers each day.

 

 

 

Ian and myself went off exploring.

 

We headed off in the direction of the Yemen boarder.  One turning took you off the end of the world.

 

There were not many trucks or cars heading for Yemen.  We stopped a few times to take in the view.

 

The impressive Oman coastline.

We headed up into the clouds, The views were spectacular.

 

Once past a police check point we encountered this massive valley. It looked like the valley that they used in the Starwars movie.

 

Time to go off-roading

 

We encountered this camel farm at the end of the track.

 

Which establishment would you eat at?  The one that says Restaurant or the one that says Fodder?

Or neither.

 

The return drive heading to our favourite beach.

 

The road down to the beach.  A great road for rally driving. I love it.  I hope the car hire company doesn’t get to see these photo’s

 

Our little beach cave.  Essental to shelter you from the searing heat.

 

These are turtle tracks. We had just missed this one heading back to the sea after laying it’s eggs.

 

The explorers.  Well life in Oman isn’t all that bad!!!  I think we have even put on a little too much weight!!

 

It’s Party Time.

 

Susan from enchantress’s birthday party after bowls night. 

 

Mohammed our agent provided the cake. Here he is with Paul and some of the other revellers. 

 

Here is David, Susan’s husband working out how big the portions of the cake need to be, and a strange American sailor who wants to remain anonymous because he is wanted by the IRS.

 

The next day saw me going back to the beach with Brian and Gavin.

 

Back to the cave after a bit of hunting.

 

I caught this crab.

 

 

Gavin caught this monster Cray.

 

After another day of cleaning and jobs we headed to the Oasis club for our Thursday night quiz.

 

The quiz masters. Mark and Chrisie.

 

17 questions about the last ever BWR.

 

Part of the winning team.

 

The overall winners with their prizes.  Derry and Paul.

 

That’s all for now folks.  Except that I have just washed a pair of shorts that I got dirty today doing jobs.  The problem is that I had left my mobile phone in the pocket!! Bugger.  That’s the third I have destroyed since leaving England.

 

PETE