I've Never Seen Anything like It

We have arrived at the ancient capital of Nizwa and done the tour of the second largest fort in Oman. The fort is unique and the old town with its narrow streets is filled with local families out for a leisurely evening stroll, with ice cream seeming to be on most people’s minds. Walking the windy streets of the famous market along with all its trappings of vegetables, fish, dates, pottery and fragrances, it is the Goat Market which really has caught my attention. Every Friday starting at 07:00 there is an auction for goats and cattle and as chaotic and as unruly as it appears to be, everything proceeds according to tradition and the time-tested business of buying and selling the goats and cattle, evolves as it should. Considering it is Friday; many young people are on hand to help their families by parading and helping in the showcasing of the young kids to the old and scraggly ones who have passed their prime. The potential buyers examine the teeth, lift the tails and squeeze the hind quarters to determine both the health and potential meat production. The faces and personalities of both the buyers and sellers is mesmerizing to the unfamiliar such as me. I have included two videos, as I found this experience to be truly unique and unforgettable.

Later that day after climbing a mountain pass of approximately 3000 metres, and after having transferred to smaller vehicles, we navigate the back-and-forth roads as we were transported to the mountain village of Jebel Akhdar. There we embarked on a relatively short hike of about 1 ½ hours. We hiked between three towns along meandering trails of stone pathways and irrigation channels. The mostly abandoned towns are home to terraced gardens growing pomegranates, apricots and roses. We are in winter season now, but I can only imagine the blooming of blossoms in the spring. The views are amazing and reminiscent of many terraced wine regions we have previously visited and the walk was a well welcomed excuse to get out and stretch our legs. I am reminded by the call to prayers from the mosque and its minarets that last night we were hosted by a local family who cooked a traditional Omani meal known as a shuwa. It is a meal of a slowly cooked meat underground. Tonight is a whole lamb accompanied by different kinds of rice, salads, fresh fruits and too many sweet deserts to recall, though many of the ingredients included honey and dates. Today was a fun outing to a pottery factory (and I use the term factory loosely) which dates back 500 years. We all got to try our hand at spinning the wheels, throwing the clay and getting our hands dirty. Obviously, we wouldn’t be able to bring our creations home as there was no time for kiln drying but we were rewarded for our efforts with some pottery gifts to bring along with us. The young son of the owner who helped me, was thrilled with the Canada pin I gave him. One more trip to yet another fort and palace. The Imans were extremely well guarded and protected back in the day over the centuries. The Iman was not only the spiritual leader but the absolute ruler as well. Should he fall to invading forces the regime would collapse, so all steps to protect him we taken. The forts are extremely well maintained and the descriptions that we learned to protect the forts and the Imans including the pouring of boiling date juice and death fall down shoots to potential attackers were all explained in intricate detail. Allahu Akbar الله أكبر