Having spent 5 days, sailing from Aqaba in Jordan, Seabourn Encore finally docked at Salalah, the second largest port in Oman.

The five-day sailing was not at all boring as one would imagine.We were kept entertained with various acitivities on board.

As soon as the organized motor coach took off, we felt at home at once since the vista of a parched brown desert mingling with rocks, is reminiscent of the country in the Middle East we had lived for nine delightful years. First a stop at the beach with a backdrop of an interesting limestone formation.

As the coach climbed up the top of the mountain to Prophet Job’s Tomb, the landscape became much more interesting. A herd of camels were grazing in the wilderness and we could see the valley deep down below. After a number of hairpin bends, we arrived at the Biblical Site.

The tour ended at the Souk (market), selling mostly the scented Frankincense famous in this region.

It’s interesting to note that this southern city of Oman is famous for its banana and coconut plantations because of the “Khareef” an annual monsoon, which transforms the desert terrain into a somewhat lush, green landscape, creating seasonal Waterfalls. Needless to say, the water of the Arabian Sea is teeming with fish.