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The last anticipated event of the trip was the sight of the giant tortoise beach. It was not a given that we would be able to see them because it was not the best time of the year.
The featured photo is not mine but from the beautiful pixabay site , the other photos are mine. They are not very clear, but you can’t use flash and it was the best I could do.
Chat with the Omanite
The driver was the same receptionist, and it was just me and him, so between the two of us we had a good hour or so of talk. He told me about his country and the tourists who were his customers.
In the off-season (summer time) when Westerners don’t come because it’s too hot; the Omani people move; the city people go to the desert and the desert people go to the city, then to the sea. He is also a traveler and likes to go away alone so that he is more free. He had been 1 1/2 months in Nepal, in the rainy season, since he hardly ever sees it, he likes to find it around. He explained that it is too complicated for them to travel in Europe.
Even though the Omani have no intention of coming to us to pick tomatoes, since they are well off in their country and indeed perhaps the standard of living is higher than ours, there is a lot of hassle in getting a tourist visa.
The giant turtle beach
Ras Al Jinz is one of the few beaches in the world where giant green turtles are born and then return to nest.
The beach is not free access; when you arrive they give you a membership number to a particular group. If turtles are spotted, a little at a time, so as not to overcrowd the beach, they start calling groups and only then do you pay admission.
After a couple of hours of waiting, when I was beginning to despair, and after ascertaining that the group with the potential woman in my life, had also given up, came news of the first sighting!
I saw both a large one that was laboriously returning to the sea (the whole operation is quite long and tiring); and one that was covering its eggs. Every now and then it would stop to catch its breath; it was exciting. As mentioned from the photos you can see very little because the flash bothers them and there was only the red light from the environmental guides.
At the giant turtle beach of course there are the hatchlings who, after coming out of the shell seek the sea. I saw three hatchlings that were going into the sea, which a guide helped. But we also saw only the carapace of one that had become the meal of some predator. Out of 500 eggs only one will become an adult and able to reproduce. Some are broken by the turtles themselves, or by those that come after them and dig more holes. Most importantly, the newly hatched hatchlings are at great risk of assaults from foxes and gulls as they go into the water.
Animal welfare considerations
At the airport in Muscat I happened to talk to some girls about it, about the appropriateness of certain situations, that they are exploited as enrichment and maybe in that way they annoy the animals. I don’t think that’s the case, because if there wasn’t that organization, there wouldn’t even be turtles. In addition, it can also be a system to be able to raise some visitors’ awareness of nature conservation. I also saw again for the umpteenth time the group with the potential woman in my life, but too far away and they were flying over Milan.
Last stop in Muscat
On my last day in Oman I enjoyed the last spectacular scenery to Muscat where I saw the magnificent Grand Mosque. I had lunch of tuna steak and rice plus pomegranate juice in nearby Seeb (nothing special, but very authentic).
For a few minutes I feared one last unpleasant twist. The guy who greeted the car pointed out some scratches and a dent, I had no idea when and how it might have caused it. I went dismayed to the office of the ‘ rental agency, but the as usual very kind employees after a few checks reassured me that there was no problem. The damage was already there, and both I and the guy who had delivered it to me had slept on it, pfui!
Taking stock of a complete journey
It was a nice trip, in addition to the beautiful landscapes and nature of Oman, it was also interesting to visit the modern cities of the Emirates, but also an opportunity to understand a little bit about these countries that have been blessed with oil, but have been able to exploit it and have also managed to diversify their economy.
Until a few decades ago they had nothing; if they got where they are now, much is due to immigration (Arabs only just 20 percent of the population). Certainly their powerful people have served their own interests, but also those of their people. They are not Salvini, I mean I wanted to say jerks, and their priority is not to defend the borders, but to grow. Then of course growth must also be environmentally conscious and cannot be at the expense of the poorest people, but of the many Bengalis and Indians, I am quite convinced that the majority are satisfied and happy living there.
I don’t know if you could tell, but what I enjoyed the most was the giant turtle beach; so definitely do it!
Home travel It never rains in Oman anyway – travel to Oman and the Emirates
Previous stop The pedicure fish of the wadi, Oman
I close the story series with another video from Dubai. Still the Burj Khalifa but with a dancing fountain show and the background shot at full volume of Andrea Bocelli singing Con te partirò. From my you tube channel, which, however, censored the original audio for copyright; I put another one from the randomly suggested ones, but with Bocelli it was much better.
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Countries visited in my travel stories
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
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