Patterns In The Sand
The wind is a versatile artist. It shapes stones and sand.
Free flowing sand and seemingly solid dunes fascinate me, just as much as waves upon the sea do.
I can spend hours photographing dunes and sand with all the varying textures and patterns that emerge from a good sandstorm. I can wax lyrical for pages on this matter, but instead, I’ll just share a few close up shots from the desert. I tried to record the patterns in the sand so these images do not include wide desert landscape shots, instead they focus on up close ripples and wide sweeping sand only shots. The sun was high in the sky and shadows were short when I started, the light was way too harsh but within a few hours, the conditions changed to too dark and too many shadows. These images were taken between 2 pm and 6pm in Oman’s Wahiba Sands, I’ve avoided the bright sky to avoid taking flat, lifeless pictures but despite the heat and the sun, taking these rippled images, was pure pleasure. I did manage some lovely sunset shots, but we’ll save those for another day.
If you like desert landscapes, look at these Nat Geo shots and check these out too. Personally, they’re among the best I’ve seen in a while.
I’d love to get some feedback of these pictures, so please do leave a comment.
PS: It’s the first time I’m using it, but I think I love this slideshow option by WordPress.
Around Old Muscat & Muttrah Souq On Friday
Wikipedia, Lonely Planet & Co. say Muttrah souq is one of the most authentic and gorgeous marketplaces in the Gulf. So of course, that’s one of the first places that me and my Nikon D90 went to in Oman, and we were glad to be there.
The souq is a 15 minute drive from Al Khuwair, along broad perfect roads that fly past Ruhi towards the coastline. It’s pretty much opposite Muscat Port, one of the largest and oldest used ports in these parts of the world. European cruise liners and the Sultan’s royal yacht are docked out at sea while the shore is lined with rows of traditional white homes with intricately carved balconies, stained glass art and elegant eaves.
Personally, I found Oman’s old-world appeal infinitely more charming than the Abu Dhabi Cornish or even Dubai’s skyscraper lined glass and concrete beach fronts. (more…)
Desert Safari Camp
Here’s a factoid. The Omani people love camping in the desert. Every Wednesday, hordes of people drive into the desert. Some haul their own gear and set up camp under the stars while others head to places like the one we were off to. They all seem to have but one credo, maintain peace and quiet, mind your own business, don’t litter and enjoy the countryside.
So, we drove down from Muscat on 1st March, on a bright and sunny as hell Thursday morning. We left the city behind us in minutes and soon we had crossed the rocky cliffs around Muscat. Quick geography lesson here, Oman may be one of the tiniest GCCs, but it sure has variety packed into its 309,501km2. They’ve got amazing white sandy beaches, sheer sandy dunes, rocky cliffs that make you want to clamber over, lush green wadis or valleys where rainwater flows to and even a 3000 meter high mountain where it snows in winter. Our drive took us across the spectrum minus the mountain.
The Muscat Festival
We read about the Muscat Festival in Oman Air’s in-flight magazine and that’s the first place we visited soon as we dumped our bags in Al Khuwair and had a cup of tea. We went straight to the village, arts and handicrafts area, which in retrospect was a great summarization of life in Oman.
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