Piet drew a short straw again: he was
invited for a workshop/course on carbonates, the type of rock he is working on
in his current South Africa project. This workshop was held in Oman, where we lived in
the early 90-ies, got married, and where Paula was born. Since 1996 none of us
had been back.
The workshop consisted of a few days in the
training centre of PDO (the local Shell JV company) and 4 days in the field,
looking at rocks in outcrops. Piet arrived a day early, and took the chance to take a sightseeing
bus tour through the capital area of Muscat, hoping to recognise some sights. This
proved to be quite a challenge, as many roads and buildings were added in 18
years of absence. Especially the very busy traffic was a change; many, many
more cars are on the road now. The look and feel of Oman and its people,
however, hadn’t altered much.
After a day of lectures the group moved to
the field, visiting a typical wadi (Muaidin) near the interior town of Nizwa.
This was followed by a long drive south to the Barr al Hikman peninsula, on the
eastern coast of Oman. This is a very flat area, with white beaches consisting
of coral sands (our destination for the day), but unfortunately the local
fishermen have used this area as their rubbish dump. This was quite a shock,
and with some difficulty a somewhat clean camping place was found. After the
fieldwork the camp was made and food was prepared. Most slept on a stretcher under
the stars, like we used to do in our Oman times. Unspoiled by artificial light
the whole Milky Way was visible. The following day we drove west (and also stopped
to look at rocks), through the desert to Qarn Alam, where a salt dome is
piercing the surface, and a natural crater is formed. This formed an ideal camping
spot, and another good place for star gazing, whilst lying down on a stretcher. After
a fourth day of rocks we drove back to Muscat, for some classroom sessions.
Piet took the opportunity to meet up with some old friends, and see the changes
in the PDO Camp. And after a week of perfect Omani autumn weather it was time
to return to cold and dark The Hague.
And some real good news: Paula passed her
driving test!
Street scene in Ruwi
The palace of Sultan Qaboos in Muscat
Between Muscat and Muttrah
Muttrah harbour
Playing football on Qurm beach
Wadi Muaidin
Street scene in Ruwi
The palace of Sultan Qaboos in Muscat
Between Muscat and Muttrah
Muttrah harbour
Playing football on Qurm beach
Wadi Muaidin
A stop on the way to Barr al Hikman
Checking coral sands on Barr al Hikman
Walking back to the camp in late afternoon
Preparing camp at Barr al Hikman
The camp in Qarn Alam
