Teach Middle East Magazine June 2014 Issue 2 Vol. 1 | Page 31

Travel Featured
production and trade to the country.
We ended our day with lunch at a local
restaurant.
I really enjoyed this trip. I think the
fact that it was unhurried with no real
touristy agenda set made it that more
relaxing. I would definitely return to
Salalah as I would like to see the
change that occurs in the summer.
I recommend Salalah, Oman for those
busy educators who are simply looking
to relax with a quick getaway.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
• If you fly Rotana Jet from the Al Bateen
Executive Airport, parking for up to
seven days will cost only AED100.
• Before arriving in Oman be sure to
have your accommodation details at
hand to fill in on the immigration form.
• I would advise that you rent a
vehicle if you are looking to explore
the area on your own. I would also
recommend renting a car if, like us
your flight arrives late at night. Don’t
worry, if you drive in the UAE, you
will be more than able to cope with
the driving in Oman. It’s slightly
less hectic than what we’re used to.
Photos courtesy of Richie Chin.

town of Mirbat for lunch. Being a Friday,
what we found was a very sleepy town
with only the sole supermarket open.
It felt like a ghost town driving through
those empty streets. The highlights
of the brief ‘lunch’ trip were taking
pictures of the old castle and stumbling
upon a cemetery. The mostly roughly
hewn headstones in the cemetery
were tightly packed across the burial
site. Some had beautifully intricate
Arabic calligraphy, while others were
left plain. Together those markers
with their jagged grey edges pointing
to the sky created a feeling of somber
stoicism, which set the tone for the
handful of mourners who were present.
The following day, just after breakfast,
we set off in the direction of Salalah.

leisurely towards Salalah stopping
along the way to see a few of the sights
that were highlighted on the map we
had picked up at the hotel’s reception
desk. We stopped by some caves,
a sinkhole and tried unsuccessfully
to find the exact location o bF