I write as we make our way south-west towards Aqaba, Jordan. We have been blessed with fine weather ever since we reached the Arabian Peninsular, gentle winds and calm seas. It is not always like this, during the Monsoon season, later in the year, rain and strong winds are frequent.
To our south, a convoy is bound north-east; 9 cargo ships, of varying nationalities and size, are being escorted by 2 warships. The cargo ships are the ‘plodders’, relatively slow, they need their ‘shepherds’ to accompany them, a deterrent from the ‘wolves’ that lurk in wait, although far fewer in number, no-one is taking chances. It hearkens back to days gone by, the convoy system across the the Atlantic, when the ‘wolves’ were U-boats, except now they’re skiffs.
Back to Salalah, our call yesterday. The port is modern and is used mainly as a trans-shipment hub. Container ships bring in their ‘boxes’ and offload them; they are then trans-shipped to ports around the world. Cargo ships are here too, one of them, unfortunately, discharging limestone rock; with the wind direction, we find ourselves coated in a fine dust by the end of the call. All the hard work with sailors wash-downs have come to naught in a few hours.
The dust from the pesky limestone rock
The view astern
And ahead
To port, dhows which trade across the Gulf, these from Somalia
Again, no chance to go ashore, far too much to do and Salalah itself is a long way by road. I leave it to my roving reporter to provide photos yet again.
Guess who? Outside the Sultan Qaboos Palace
First, a nice cup of tea, this one in style.
Peggy, Leslie and Ms K.
Then, off to the Bazaar, one would think by now that, after all the markets, souks and bazaars these ladies have visited, enough would be enough, obviously not. 🙄
Burning Frankincense.
Then a visit to the ‘Palace’, not Buckingham, but the Sultan’s and not quite a ‘visit’, the nearest they could get was to stand outside the walls. 🙂
Open the gates!
The ladies taxi driver
The city is sprawling and stretches for mile upon mile, along the coast. There is no ‘central’ part of it, hence the lack of photos, although she tried hard.
Departing at 5 p.m., Friso, our Staff captain took her out, backing clear of the berth and then swing to starboard, bow towards the concrete.
Off the berth and swinging, (in the background is a steelworks, not skyscrapers)
L->R, pilot, 1st officer Michel Kunst and Friso, looking studious.
Having swung, the container berths to port
A massive container ship, capable of carrying approximately 13,000 boxes; today, the largest can carry 20,000.
To starboard the well-maintained dhows
Astern and leaving that pesky limestone
Still in th basin, the pilot disembarks
Fishermen and ships at anchor
Salalah from the sea
Lawrence of Arabia????
When in Rome…..
