Desert safari in Oman

English Teacher in Oman

Oman desert-scapes

Near Ibri

10 October 2008

Background

Oman is mainly rocky desert, and unlike the UAE, more like a lunar landscape. However, there are places where these sand dunes spring up. 

There's one such instance about 40 km away from Ibri. Baxter took some of the teachers in his Jeep, and I another 4 teachers in my car. On our way back to Ibri, we got stuck and had to literally dig out the car with our hands. 

Ansu and I actually wanted to get married here, but could not get a license to do so. Eventually, we flew back to South Africa for a week to get married.

Late afternoon desert safari of sand dunes near Ibri

About Oman

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Holding a strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the country shares land borders with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, and shares marine borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

From the late 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was a powerful empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania, also former capital). As its power declined in the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom. 

Historically, Muscat was the principal trading port of the Persian Gulf region. Muscat was also among the most important trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Oman is an absolute monarchy. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said has been the hereditary leader of the country since 1970. Sultan Qaboos is the longest-serving current ruler in the Middle East, and sixth-longest current reigning monarch in the world.

Oman has modest oil reserves, ranking 25th globally. Nevertheless, in 2010 the UNDP ranked Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years. A significant portion of its economy is tourism and trade of fish, dates, and certain agricultural produce. This sets it apart from its neighbors’ solely oil-dependent economies. Oman is categorized as a high-income economy (Wikipedia).

Sand dune

About Ibri

Ibri is both a city and Province in the region Az Zahirah, in northwest Oman. The Wilayat of Ibri is distinguished by its archaeological landmarks including forts, castles, and towers. Ibri is the capital of the northern Al Dhahirah region. 

A sprawling town with a major highway, Hwy 21, linking it to the border town of Buraimi in the northwest and Nizwa in the southeast, it has a few sights to keep a visitor busy – including some impressive forts. 

The town mostly features on itineraries as a friendly stopover en route to or from the United Arab Emirates. There are also a number of largely unvisited wadis in the area that are home to traditional plantation villages. 

Footprints in the sand

Romantic desert outing - Ansu walking on the dunes

Landscape surrounding dunes

Romantic desert outing - a penny for your thoughts...

Ansu

Romantic desert outing; desert scenery

Sand dunes

Teachers exploring the dunes

To view my experiences in Ibri, click here!

The Nile River and Nile bridges in Khartoum

English Teacher in Sudan

April to August 2008 

Background

During 2008, I taught English at the Winner Language Institute in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. 

Sudan, with its huge UN and other NGO presence, is not really a popular holiday destination for anyone. I prefer working in these undiscovered developing countries where one can still taste the real culture, unspoiled and un-trampled by tourists and tour buses. 

I explored Khartoum mostly by foot, sometimes in searing heat, taking pictures for which I got arrested once. The president at that time Mohammed Al Bashir was indicted by the World Court for crimes against humanity. At that time civil war still existed between the North and the South, the oil-rich South seeking independence from the Arab North. 

The bridges across the Nile into Khartoum proper were perfect insertion points for the Southern rebels. 

I wanted to take pictures of the bridges, and other Khartoum street scenery, but this was considered to be an act of espionage. Fortunately, after lots of prayers, I was released after my true identity was discovered, i.e. that I was not a spy or working for the BBC. 

Hence taking pictures was quite a challenge for a snap-happy chappy like myself. To continue my obsession I had to devise plans to take pics covertly. Most of the pictures I took of bridges and other politically sensitive positions had to be done from the hip, like a gun-slinger.

Khartoum railway bridge - connects Khartoum proper and Bahri (Khartoum-North)

About Sudan

Sudan (Arabic: السودان Al-Sudan) is the third largest country in Africa and sixteenth largest in the world, bordering Egypt, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan.  

Sudan is afflicted by civil wars which have been raging, on and off, for more than 40 years. 

When the colonial map-makers divided up Africa, they included in Sudan the predominantly Muslim people of the north (including Nubians), who share much of their history and culture with Egyptians and Arabs, and the largely Christian and Animist Nilotic and Bantu people of the south, who have more in common with the rest of sub-Saharan Africa than with their northern neighbours (Wikitravel).

Nile sunset - near Nile street, Buri

Khartoum & The Nile

Khartoum means "elephant trunk" in Arabic. Khartoum (Arabic: Al-Khartum) is the political capital of Sudan. 

The Three Towns: Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North—together comprise the political, commercial, and administrative center for Sudan. 

Located where the Blue Nile and White Nile join to flow north toward Egypt, the capital city is the largest urban complex in Sudan  (encyclopedia.com). 

Khartoum is a metropolis with an estimated overall population of over five million people, consisting of Khartoum proper, and linked by bridges to Khartoum North called (al-Kharṭūm Baḥrī ) and Omdurman (Umm Durmān ) to the west (Wikipedia).  

The Blue Nile flows between Khartoum and Bahri, the White Nile between Khartoum and Omdurman, and the merged Nile between Bahri and Omdurman. 

The confluence of the Blue and White Nile, known as Al-Mogran, which confluence at Tuti island, lies just north of the bridge between Khartoum and Omdurman (Wikitravel).

Brickmaker on the banks of the Nile near my home on Nile street in Buri.
For exercise, I often ran along the banks of the Nile through agricultural land

Sunset cruise on the Nile for tourists and more affluent Sudanese

Agricultural Water pump on the banks of the Nile. Across the Nile, the ultra-rich living in villas of grandeur. 

Khartoum climate & agriculture

Khartoum is located in the semi-arid savanna belt of Sudan, with an average annual rainfall of 100-200 mm and a long dry season from September to June. A wide range of production systems can be found ranging from household subsistence to large-scale commercial farming. 

Crops grown in Khartoum state comprise a long list of vegetables, fruit trees, medicinal and aromatic plants, and field crops. In addition, intensive livestock production systems for milk, meat, and poultry are operational within and around Khartoum city. 

Khartoum state with its unique position at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles represents an ideal location for food production, which is fully oriented to satisfy urban demands (El Siddig et al)

Read more

Seasonal farmer and a vendor chatting on farmland adjacent to the Nile

Nile irrigation

Temporary housing for farm laborers working the land adjacent to the Nile. During the flood season, they move elsewhere.

Taking a Nile bath after a hard day's work

The land adjacent to the Nile during the dry season. 
It floods every year, then the seasonal farmers make way for fishermen

Previously farmed, now being fished

Prior to the flooding

The Nile during the flood season, taken from the roof of my villa

Nile farmland, with the 'Beverley Hills' community across the Nile in the background - 
This green area floods during the rainy season. Farming is thus seasonal.

The Nile in flood at dusk

The Nile during the flood season, coming right up to the Nile street corniche

Nile bridges

Sunset - Railway bridge 

Tuti bridge

A man walking on Nile street corniche with the old railway bridge in the background

Burri bridge

Nile sunsets

Buri - Khartoum

Buri - Khartoum

Buri - Khartoum

Buri - Khartoum

Ferry terminal

Ferry terminal

The Nile

The 'beach'

Khartoum 'beach' - Relaxing on the banks of the Nile

The 'Beach', a popular swim spot and relaxation area next to the Nile- near Buri

Tuti Island

About Tuti island

Tuti Island (also spelled Tutti Island) is an island in Sudan where the White Nile and the Blue Nile merge to form the main Nile. It is surrounded by the "Three Towns": Khartoum (the capital of Sudan), Omdurman (the largest city in Sudan), and Khartoum North (also known as Bahri, a large industrial center). 

Despite this, Tuti is home to only one small village (founded in the late 15th century), with grassland being the main makeup of the island. In the past, the only approach to Tuti Island was via several ferries that cross the river every so often, but now the Tuti Bridge, a modern suspension bridge, has been completed and can be used instead.

Tuti Island is mainly agricultural and where Khartoum gets most of its supply of fruits and vegetables and therefore, you can find many farms situated all around the island, many of them still using manual methods of farming. 

You will find acres of green fields and lime groves. Its eight square kilometers (three square miles) of fertile land is covered in citrus orchards, vegetable farms, gorse hedgerows and narrow muddy lanes where donkeys and rickshaws are the main source of transport (Wikipedia).

View more 

Fishing boat - Tuti island, where White and Blue Nile rivers confluence.

The scenery on Tuti island - Tuti bridge & Burj Al Fateh hotel across the river in Khartoum

To view my workplace and home life in Khartoum, click here!

To view my social life in Khartoum, click here!

To view Khartoum streets, click here!

To view Tuti island, click here!

To view Khartoum souqs, click here!

To view Khartoum vehicles, street scenery, and road signs, click here!

The island in the Nile: Tuti island

Teaching English in Khartoum

Sudan

August 2008

Tuti island - across the river, Khartoum proper

Background

I taught English as a second language in Khartoum during 2008. Sudan with its huge UN and other NGO presence is not really a popular holiday destination for anyone. I prefer working in these undiscovered developing countries where one can still find the real culture, unspoiled and untrampled by tourists and tour buses. I explored Khartoum mostly by foot, sometimes in searing heat, taking pictures for which I got arrested once. The president at that time Mohammed Al Bashir was indicted by the World Court for crimes against humanity. At that time civil war still existed between the North and the South, the oil-rich South seeking independence from the Arab North. 

The bridges across the Nile into Khartoum proper were perfect insertion points for the Southern rebels. I wanted to take pictures of the bridges, and other Khartoum street scenery, which was considered an act of espionage. Fortunately, after lots of prayers, I was released after my true identity was discovered. Hence taking pictures was quite a challenge for a snap-happy chappy like myself. To continue my obsession I had to devise plans not to be seen. Most of the pictures I took of bridges and other politically sensitive positions had to be done from the hip, like a gun-slinger.

About Sudan

Sudan (Arabic: السودان Al-Sudan) is the third largest country in Africa and sixteenth largest in the world, bordering Egypt, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan.  Sudan is afflicted by civil wars which have been raging, on and off, for more than 40 years. When the colonial map-makers divided up Africa, they included in Sudan the predominantly Muslim people of the north (including Nubians), who share much of their history and culture with Egyptians and Arabs, and the largely Christian and Animist Nilotic and Bantu people of the south, who have more in common with the rest of sub-Saharan Africa than with their northern neighbours (Wikitravel).

About Khartoum

Khartoum (Arabic: الخرطوم Al-Khartum) is the capital of Sudan and is located where the Blue Nile and White Nile Rivers merge. The huge, spread-out city is actually made out of three distinct cities (Khartoum, Khartoum North or Bahri, and Omdurman) which are divided by the Nile and its two arms. The Blue Nile flows between Khartoum and Bahri, the White Nile between Khartoum and Omdurman, and the merged Nile between Bahri and Omdurman. The confluence of the Blue and White Nile, known as Al-Mogran, lies just north of the bridge between Khartoum and Omdurman (Wikitravel). 

Divided by the Niles (Blue and White Nile, which confluence at Tuti island), Khartoum is a tripartite metropolis with an estimated overall population of over five million people, consisting of Khartoum proper, and linked by bridges to Khartoum North called (al-Kharṭūm Baḥrī ) and Omdurman (Umm Durmān ) to the west. (Wikipedia)

About Tuti island

Tuti Island (also spelled Tutti Island) is an island in Sudan where the White Nile and the Blue Nile merge to form the main Nile. It is surrounded by the "Three Towns": Khartoum (the capital of Sudan), Omdurman (the largest city in Sudan), and Khartoum North (also known as Bahri, a large industrial center). Despite this, Tuti is home to only one small village (founded in the late 15th century), with grassland being the main makeup of the island. In the past, the only approach to Tuti Island was via several ferries that cross the river every so often, but now the Tuti Bridge, a modern suspension bridge, has been completed and can be used instead. 

Tuti Island is mainly agricultural and where Khartoum gets most of its supply of fruits and vegetables and therefore, you can find many farms situated all around the island, many of them still using manual methods of farming. You will find acres of green fields and lime groves. Its eight square kilometers (three square miles) of fertile land is covered in citrus orchards, vegetable farms, gorse hedgerows and narrow muddy lanes where donkeys and rickshaws are the main source of transport (Wikipedia).

Crossing the Nile from Khartoum to Tuti island

Crossing the Nile from Khartoum to Tuti island - the suspension bridge into Tuti

Sudanese ferrie passengers

The Nile ferry that took us across

Sudanese truck at arrival point on Tuti island - Burj Al Fateh hotel in the background

Horse cart - Tuti island & Burj Al Fateh hotel across the Nile

My local guides and Raksha driver on Tuti island

 

Local fisher boy -Tuti island

My Raksha driver posing on an old 'rust bucket' with farmland in the background

Donkey car - Tuti island

Ferry arrival spot....not sure whether these goods were 'import' or 'export' goods

Ferry arrivals - Tuti island

On Tuti island

I took a ferry from Khartoum near the Burj Al Fateh hotel. The rust bucket took several with us....without life vests.....across the Nile. A raksha driver approached me on the other side and offered to show me the island....for a price of course. Other Sudanese joined in to aid in the tour. I took some pics and a couple of hours later he took me to the ferry departure point. It was not expensive at all and I had a good couple of hours experiencing rural life.