Happy Holiday update

Merry Christmas!!

 Merry Christmas to you all. Where has the time gone?

The last few months have been a whirl.

I have been working like crazy to finish my university project. I finally handed it in at the beginning of December and not sure what will come out of it; but at least I’ve got my life back.

We have moved to a new house and we like it very much. The move: I didn’t like it at all. Basically the usual shambles: movers coming without the right tools, asking me to use our curtains to wrap furniture, moving an entire house with a small pick up truck, scratching things and breaking one of the knobs on the cooker; and finally asking for more money than they had originally quoted at the end of it all (!?) Alas, nothing out of the ordinary.

In October I lead a marine expedition. It went very well, apart from some rough weather hindering the start and one of the elderly volunteers having some kind of a freak panic attack under water on the last day. It was a good experience nonetheless and I have been asked to do it again next year in the Maldives and Oman.

Muscat Opera House (exterior)

The Opera House has opened and we’ve been to four performances for the season. Very, very nice.





I have started a painting class, which I enjoy very much. The class is now finished and we did an exhibition at the end of it to show our work. Both my two paintings had interest from potential buyers. Quite encouraging considering that this is my first attempt! There are some doubts on whether the class will run again in the new year because we don’t have a venue any more but I hope it does. I really enjoyed it.

Italian fields

Arabian Dhow

Art Exhibition

Art Exhibition

 I have given up piano lessons, which I wasn’t enjoying at all. Mostly I think because of the tuition style, but also because it seems something that takes too long to master to an enjoyable level and my motivation dwindles quickly when I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just couldn’t see the point of continuing something that I was not enjoying. Maybe some other time.

Art Exhibition

So here we are at Christmas. The third one in the Tropics. Not much to say other than it is very hard to feel the festive mood over here. No detectable change from every day life and although some shops have some form of decoration and Christmas gizmos and food are sold around town there isn’t much of a festive vibe; well that’s because of course it is not a festivity here. We spent Christmas Eve out for dinner with friends and then Christmas lunch at their house: a lunch that extended until 11 pm! It was nice. Today S. is at work. Just like any other day.

The start of the New year will be another story though. Singapore and Malaysia here we come.

Health and safety

Health and safety is often the subject of hilarious conversations here or at least it is often the subject of my thoughts. The thing is that, no matter how used I am to the fact that the concept of safety or even simple self preservation is apparently non existent here, there will always be something that startles me and makes me recoil.

In my three years of highly scientific observations and behavioural analysis which were only possible thanks to the abundance of material for study, I have come to the conclusion that it all boils down to a lack of common sense and the inability to learn from mistakes (own or others’). AKA stupidity.  

I have witnessed or heard accounts of the lack of the most basic common sense with the result that people die or seriously injure themselves in the most stupid ways.

I have seen labourers dangle 30-50m above ground on a wobbly scaffolding with no form of safety on, seen tiny children let freely and happily bounce up and down the inside of fast cars skilfully swerving their way around obstacles on a motorway, heard of labourers flattened down to the ground by stone crashers guilty of having selected the wrong place to sleep under, seen uncovered holes in a middle of a path, electric wires laying on puddles. The list could go on.

I have talked about this subject before so why bring it up again now?

Well, because I have finally come across something that has startled me and made me flinch, again.

Finally, after three long years, I have got around to order another bottle of gas for the cooker. A spare. So that I don’t end up again having to make desperate calls to the gas man in the middle of a roasting session.

So the man comes with his tools and the bottle. He sets up an ingenious system of pipes and taps so that when the main bottle ends I can simply pop out and turn on the tap of the spare one.

It seems quite impressive. So far so good. The chap ends his trafficking  of pipes and tools and declares that he wants to check for leaks. That’s great! I am genuinely impressed.

Until he turns towards me and asks me: “do you have a lighter?”

 

Royal Opera House - soft opening

You may or may not be aware but Muscat is about to open the doors of its beautiful and impressive brand new Royal Opera House.

The past weekend Muscat was flooded with Italians: a whole Opera cast, staff and orchestra had been flown to Oman for two evenings of performances for a prestigious soft opening event.

I was going to tell you the story of how we managed to get our fidgety fingers onto the oversized gold embroidered tickets for the “by invitation only” event but … naah. Let’s just say that sometimes being Italian with a shiny “faccia di bronzo” can help a lot.

Last Thursday night we had the pleasure of watching an amazing performance of a Gulf-adapted version of Rigoletto by the Teatro Regio di Parma.

Talented artists, amazing costumes, breathtaking sets and an outstanding venue made for a very special evening. Especially if you count that we had some of the best seats in the house (the ones from where you can count the buttons on the Tenor’s costumes).

We are immensely honoured to have been given the opportunity to be there for their fantastic performance and as an Italian I am especially proud that our talented artists and finest productions have been chosen to launch this outstanding and incredible new cultural venue in Oman.

I am afraid I have no pictures to give you (phones and cameras were duly confiscated for the duration of the performance - thank goodness) although I could show you a couple of pictures of the wedding style invitation and a couple of photos of us with the Duke of Mantua who we found in the bar playing pool after the performance.

What can I say? I guess only in Oman you can go to a special Opera event and then spend the rest of the evening in a pub across the road with some members of the cast fresh off the stage, as if they were old friends!

Anyway, we have an amazing theatre season coming up with top artists from all over the world in a spanking new and beautiful Opera House.

I am peeing my pants from the excitement and everybody seems to be in a bit of a ticket purchasing frenzy.

The grand opening is next month with Turandot and the Arena di Verona.

I hope I can make it as I will be coming back from the Musandam expedition on the day. of their last performance. 

Yes I am going back and I almost forgot to mention: I’ll be the expedition leader this year.

Lots of exciting stuff coming up! Bear with me, I’ll try to bring you up to speed soon.

Summer

The summer over here is never a particularly eventful time of the year. There is the heat and at the moment there is also Ramadan. Although at least it is about to end: just a few more days then finally back to normality.

In summer (and particularly during Ramadan) most of the expats escape; it is very quiet in town. We also went away. With a few trips back and forth to Europe I have clocked five weddings (great occasions to spend some nice time with people we hadn't seen in a while), a lot of air miles and an inflated credit card bill.

So now we are back and relatively settled for a little while (although we are already planning a holiday. The proper one I mean). The weather is already a lot milder, we have already started going to the beach. The good season is upon us and fun activities will start again.

For starters we are going to visit Salalah for Eid (the public holiday period that signs the end of Ramadan. This year it's 4 days off): finally we are going to see Dhofar in the Khareef (the monsoon that hits the south of the country transforming it into green land). Apparently it is about 30c and drizzly over there.

Amongst other news I have also been asked to lead the next expedition in Musandam with Biosphere Expeditions in October. Very excited to be going back.

The uni project is proceeding and hopefully I won't go into a fit when the deadline approaches (2nd December). S. says that of course I will.

I guess I am trying to be optimistic. Life is good, as usual, just a little bit uneventful at the moment. My hunch is that it won't stay that way for long;  in fact I can feel change in the air and.. as we say with Chiaruga "la stagione di Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo sta per iniziare". :)

The concept of beauty...three years on

The topic of "arabisation" is a recurrent subject amongst friends when we come to the realization that we may have been living in this part of the world a little bit too long. This realization usually strikes when casually noticing (and finding it totally normal) a certain tendency to be attracted to bling accessories and knickknacks.
This was exactly the subject of my friend A's very recent post after she went out and ordered a "Middle East Edition" of the the otherwise sober looking Sony Vayo. To see this wonderful piece of art you may visit the aforementioned post and figure.

In my mind I like to think that I am immune to this slow (yet dramatic) transformation in taste however today I surrendered that illusion after realising that for the last 2 days I have been fighting to desperately fit my Jeep with the beautiful steering wheel cover depicted below.

Yes that's what I shamelessly drive around with (also notice the shiny blue furry cushion I placed on the seat for added comfort).

Now, before you jump to any conclusions let me tell you that there is a (to me) plausible explanation to all this:

1. I did not purchase the furry object. It was a present given to husband as a joke; It had been laying with no purpose around the house since last Christmas.

2. The steering wheel gets really hot while the car is parked under the summer sun. With hot I mean that it literally scalds your fingers! Which makes it quite challenging to maneuver the car for the first 10-15 minutes when you drive off.


The other day seeing this thing laying around in the house I had my Eureka moment...

I admit that it is not exactly my idea of beauty but somehow I worry that it doesn't bother me at all to be seen sporting this stuff around. 

I will not comment in the cushion.

3 years ago, around this time of the year, after stumbling upon her blog, I was writing an email to my, then to me unknown friend to be A. asking what life in Oman was like.... I realise now that should have asked the right questions!

Stuff

What have I been up to? Stuff (as S.  would say)

Amongst the things that have kept me busy and away from the blog recently are:

Diving: lately teaching has also led me to understand a little bit of myself better. Quality and integrity are not something I am ready to compromise no matter what. I'd rather not teach.

Climbing: I'd been planning for about a year, since the exhilarating trip to the 7th hole, to tackle the via Ferrata at Snake Canyon. This one has been physically tough but I enjoyed the challenge very much. I'm not going to describe it into detail:  images are stronger than words and the video below plus the photos on flicker give u an exact idea of what I have put myself through.



On this trip I confirmed to myself once and for all that heights do not affect me at all (as long as I have a safety) and that my mind is highly rational despite what people may think judging by the kind of activities I sign up to. Hanging down, double strapped to a metal wire 100+ m from the ground is safer than crossing a busy road; you just have to convince your mind.

Conservation: I have popped to the UAE to help the Reef Check team from Dubai with some reef monitoring activities in Dibba a couple of weekends ago and delivered my first talk on conservation volunteering and the expeditions in Oman to a group of 60 5th grade pupils at a local school. Hopefully I will be able to do some more talks to the public in the near future.

Studying: amongst all this I am still hammering on with my project. I am teaching myself to program with visual basic .NET, researching (lots of reading!), writing, project managing and pushing my boundaries.

Piano lessons: I need to balance the logic with some art and creativity. I’ll be honest:  I am finding it hard. Plus I see very little art in learning to read music and try to coordinate fingers that have a life of their own but  this quote I heard today seems appropriate “ believe you can or nobody else will” and that is so true for many situations in life. The determination I need not to feel disheartened brings back memories of a very defining moment when my dance teacher pushed me to come out of my shyness shell as a child. Since then whenever I hesitate I think: I can.

This brings us to today. Today like any day was another inspirational day. Specifically today we attended the first TEDx event in Oman. For those who don’t know what TED and TEDx is about have a look at this link:

http://www.ted.com/tedx

S. and I often watch TED talks over breakfast to start the day in an inspirational way. It was a privilege to be able to attend a live event.

Today we were prompted to think (and write) about our idea of change so this is how I framed  it. It is a bit raw but I only had a few minutes to think about it:

Change is evolution, renewal and hope.

• Evolution is the force that pushes humanity and the world forward
• Renewal is the energy that brings about new ideas and makes room for new ways for looking at (old) things
• Hope is what helps us win the fear of change, without hope for a better world there is no (positive) change.

And now, in the knowledge of what has led me this far, I add:

Change is what gives me the drive, because change is the essence of life.

Lost in translation rules

The other day I visited one of the Ministries to obtain a permit to visit the Daymanyiat Islands with our boat. They are a nature reserve so a permit is required. Unfortunately we didn't go to the islands in the end because of the (incorrect) forecast and changeable weather that we have had during these past couple of weeks so we remained cautious and kept to the familiar waters of Bandar Khyran. Nonetheless I would like to share with you the rules for visiting the islands which I discovered last week and which I think are important:

My favourite is rule number 4 - I have heard that this is an issue that has caused some frictions between fishermen and divers lately. Personally, despite my strong views about conservation I am not a big fun of activist style action. I do believe that conservation is about education and awareness - like everything it requires a sustainable plan and suitable alternatives for people who make their living out of the sea - but that's another (long) story. However, apart from the fact that I fail to understand the role of cages and fishing nets in a marine reserve (other than maybe the fact that fishing is allowed on a seasonal basis?) I cannot remove from my head this image of divers/snorkelers suddenly disintegrating with fishing equipment.

In my imaginary world I have created a wicked version of battleship: I am placing diver in cell A4; diver activates self-destruct button on BCD while touching net - boom - net and diver disintegrated. Fish wins!

Ah... how boring would the world be if things didn't get lost in translation every now and then?

Trip to Dhofar - tracking down the Arabian Leopard

I’m always excited at the prospect of travelling and exploring new places but when to that excitement you also add the feel-good factor of knowing that your trip has a purpose and that your being there contributes to the better good, the intensity of that excitement spikes to a level that is hard to describe.

View on landing

This time I didn’t have to venture too far: 1.5 hrs after boarding my plane from Muscat, I was gliding with my fellow passengers above a grovel of dry Wadis (river beds) that seen from the air looked like a section of the human brain to me. Those scars on the land are a clear indication that this landscape, although so dry now, it’s chiselled regularly by the unstoppable works of flowing water. I was about to land in Salalah, the capital of Dhofar.

The region of Dhofar is known for the Khareef season, the seasonal dampening effect brought by the Asian monsoons whose arms reach the southern coast of Oman for a few months during the summer transforming an otherwise arid landscape into a verdant and vibrant land and attracting flocks of tourists from the surrounding countries looking for a break from the unforgiving summer heat.

Frankincense Tree

This is also the land of the Frankincense tree, a sturdy plant solidly rooted to the dry ground and a proud reminiscence of a glorious past of trades and traditions (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1010).  

The flanks of the hills surrounding Salalah are covered in thorny bushes and trees, they are dry now but it is not hard to imagine the transformation during Khareef (I reinforce my resolution to come back in summer). Here herds of camels and cows regularly claim supremacy of the roads, eagles dot the sky and birds weave their intricate nests up the coconut palm fronds that rise up high in plantations right in the middle of town.

As the drive to base camp takes me through town and then up and down rocky hills and grazing land, I surrender to the feeling of wonder that this country keeps magically stirring inside me even after two and half years. So many different landscapes moulded by wind, sun, water and man.

This visit however, is not about watching the landscape, visiting historic sites, lazing on the white long beach or exploring the depth of the sea (for as much as I would like to). On this occasion I am joining a group of volunteers lead by an experienced field scientist, an expedition leader, an official from the Oman Royal Diwan and the rest of the crew on a quest to track down the almost extinct and critically endangered Arabian Leopard (Panthera pardus nimr).

As some of you may remember, last October I joined Biosphere Expeditions on the Musandam marine expedition after winning a scholarship. I have kept in touch with the organization since, so when they needed a person to help drive one of the expedition vehicles back to Muscat I volunteered. Later on, as I pondered whether to fly earlier to explore a bit of the country that I hadn’t visited yet, I was offered the opportunity to actually join the last week of the expedition to get a taster. I never let these kind of opportunities pass me by so a month later I was setting my tent up in Wadi Ayun (the expedition base) to spend a week looking for tracks, scat (or poo as we know it), checking camera traps and interviewing the locals; providing my contribution to an important ongoing research project that started back in 2006.

Unfortunately we didn’t actually see the “cat in pyjamas”, not even a fresh picture from the camera trap but that wasn’t a reason for disappointment. Volunteers come on the trip aware that they may never see an actual Leopard. It is indeed a rare animal and the expedition is not a safari holiday in a reserve where animals are used to humans.

Eagle

This specific expedition is run in collaboration with the Diwan of Royal Court of Oman and its aim is to establish the presence of the Leopard in a specific area of Dhofar. A corridor of territory that geographically links the area of Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve with the area across the border to Yemen, where, in both cases, the Leopard is protected and a few specimens are known to exist.

Establishing Leopard presence in this specific area would represent an important step in the advancement of knowledge of the Leopard’s whereabouts and would provide scientific information so essential for decision making on conservation management by the local government.

Proof that the Leopard crosses this corridor could imply the possibility of cross breeding between the individuals in the two confirmed areas, a factor that could be vital to the survival of the last remaining wild cats in this region.

Having a photo, although amazing, is not essential to this quest: an analysed piece of scat which is carefully marked to a precise GPS location by the volunteers who find it, can be enough to confirm the cat’s passage; while the study of the territory, human impact levels and the presence of sufficient indicator species the Leopard feeds on could be enough to confirm whether this territory constitutes indeed a suitable habitat for the animal.

 I never though that one could get that excited about finding a bit of poo!

After I was given a tour of the camp, briefed on the camp’s rules and ramped up on the science and daily routines I was able to go on my first excursion.

Briefing by the camp fire

A typical day would start with an early briefing at breakfast listing the tasks for the day. The group then would split into small teams taking up specific tasks which could range from trekking an area looking for tracks to retrieving one or more of the cameras set up the previous week or interviewing the locals to document sightings, locate candidate areas for study and raise awareness.

At the end of the day we would gather around the fire before dinner and report on our findings.

Collecting camera traps was my favourite activity: you never knew what you were going to find on the pictures and the remote chance that there could be a Leopard was a very exciting prospective indeed.

Even in this case unfortunately the Leopard kept truthful to its elusive nature however it was rather exciting to see photos of a Caracal, wolf, hyena, genet and other local fauna. Before coming on this expedition I didn’t even know that this variety of animals was present there.

Shining Sunbird

The work is quite physical and requires quite a fair amount of trekking up and down wadis, in hot and dusty conditions; you do need some level of fitness; however it was refreshing to see a mix of ages and backgrounds in the group of volunteers.

At the end of the expedition, the scientist analyses the data collected, ensures that collected specimens go through specialised DNA testing and produces a scientific report for the stakeholders.

For a volunteer coming to an expedition like this there is a lot to learn and experience. On top of the science stuff, recognising tracks and recording data, some people enjoy driving off-road up and down dry river beds for the first time, everybody gets to use GPS and other specialised equipment and in a number of occasions we spotted animals in the wild like Hyrax, Gazelle, Eagles and many other species of birds and critters. 

These kinds of expeditions take enthusiastic volunteers with no scientific background or prior knowledge to experience scientific field research. The funding and time provided by the volunteers contribute directly to a project that otherwise might have not been possible.

This kind of field research can be resource intensive. Finding the money and people is not easy so companies like Biosphere Expeditions bring science and the public together and both groups benefit from such effort while contributing to an increase in awareness. It is hard to find a volunteer who does not return enthusiastic from this kind of experience. Individuals feel truly engaged and compelled to talk about it.

In the past taking part in these experiences required a lot of time, a lot of funding and a bit of an Indiana-Jones’ personality but nowadays there are options for everybody.

While as a personal preference for this kind of experience I tend to lean towards somewhere off the beaten track and prefer something a little bit more adventurous than my standard holiday, you don’t necessarily have to rough it. Expeditions like Biosphere’s Western Australia Flatback turtle research project for example promises a very comfortable and idyllic expedition base. 

So next time you are looking for an idea for a holiday, think about using a week or two to volunteer on a worthwhile project. I can assure you that what you will come back with will be much more than some pretty postcard photos and a healthy glow.

And now if you haven’t had enough of reading, you may also have a look at the article and watch the video published by a Gulf News reporter who came to spend a few days at base camp while I was there: 

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/offbeat-track-to-conservation-in-arabian-peninsula-1.778173

Or if you are bored of reading you can always switch to my photo reportage. 


Enjoy!

Back from Salalah

Things have been happening while I was away so my adventures down in the deep (beautiful) south tucked away in a Wadi looking for traces of the elusive Leopard, removed from phone reception and sheltered from the news of ongoing unrest may not be at the top of your priorities. I am sure that most of you will want to know what is going on over here and what the situation is. To be honest I am catching up and I probably know just about as much as you out there or maybe even less.

I left the expedition camp on 4^th March and Salalah on 5^th March on an epic journey that saw us driving from about 8:30 am to 1:30 am when we reached the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve! What a killer! We started in a convoy of 4 cars, one of which left us to proceed directly to Muscat while the rest of us headed to the UAE (to drop all the expedition equipment before making our way back to Muscat on a separate schedule). 

We were supposed to do the drive over 2 days with an intermediate stop but for some reason one of the people tasked with the drive managed to complicate things with an optimist flight booking from Muscat pushing us to do it all in one day (even though he eventually changed his flight – long story and very boring too). I felt a bit homicidal at times but in general I actually enjoyed the drive. It may be because I was driving a very comfy car (a super techy  brand new Land Rover LR4 V8) or maybe because I do actually like driving, especially if there is nobody else in the vehicle forcing me into some  mindless polite conversation. Just me, the desolate landscape, the sandstorms, the straight roads and the music. Brill!

I spent one night in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (and saw the beautiful Arabian Oryx too) and then set off again to Muscat on 6^th March. The four hours drive required to do this last stretch at seemed so  fast after the drive from Salalah to Dubai ,although I was really tired and had to stop on the roadside for a nap half way through. 

The route from Dubai to Muscat takes you past the now probably famous Sohar Globe Roundabout which you may have seen pictured on the papers over the last week or so.

The roundabout itself was closed and there were people sitting or wandering about in the middle of it and on the roads around it, with banners, big picture of the Sultan etc. but everything looked under control.

There was heavy military presence along the roads there: armored vehicles, huge machine guns in display, helicopter flying low over the area (I could actually see the people inside it from the open side door); but once again it all felt calm and under control. I actually felt tempted to stop and take pictures/video but I thought better of it and drove on.

I am now in Muscat and from a daily life perspective I cannot say that anything has changed. We still go about our usual business and we are not particularly concerned about the situation. 

There are plenty of blogs talking about what is happening so I am not going to add to that. If you are interested in reading some first hand real stories from some local bloggers (as opposed to – impersonal - international news) you may visit the following links:

Muscat Confidential: probably the most read and talked blogger in town (even now that he’s left the country)

Dhofar Gucci – the blog I’m using to find out what was happening right on my doorstep while on the expedition!

From two teachers who work in Sohar: http://danandjillian3.blogspot.com/

Next I’ll tell you about the expedition I have just come back from, which was all very interesting.

Conservation volunteering

I am a diver and a diving instructor so I am all very sensitive to marine conservation chatter and maybe a little bit passionate about the sea.

But I am sure you have all heard and keep on hearing about it: the reefs are dying, pollution, coral bleaching overfishing, global warming.

Films, documentaries, books, newspapers, environmental activists all out there campaigning for more awareness, more action, more conservation.

So we get it, the reefs are not doing well and we need to do something to protect them.

But what does this exactly mean?

When you talk about a land animal or forests people can visualize the issue. If someone mentions deforestation you know in practice what it is, because you may have seen a tree being cut or images on a magazine or documentaries on TV. But how close a problem do you feel this is to you? And what is the image that comes up to your mind when you think of an unhealthy reef?

Have you ever wondered how scientists assess the state of a reef?

How can scientists grasp what is happening under water?

Could you tell from a picture? Does the following depict a healthy reef?

Could you identify any problems on the next image?

When scientists first started asking questions about the global state of the reef there was no definite answer. Opinions on the general state of the reefs globally varied from person to person based on  methodologies used and individual experience and personal perception of the health of their local environments. Up until just over a decade ago there was no compatible data that could be used to assess what the general health of the reefs is on a global scale.

The very first global reef survey was carried out as recently as 1997 thanks to Reef Check. A not-for-profit organization that, through the coordination and training of a global network of volunteers was able to collect data that formed the basis for a report confirming the status of crisis of our reefs globally and that shocked many marine biologists who until then had not realized the extent of the problem (“About Reef Check” 2007).

While this initial global survey enabled analysis of a number of reefs in many countries worldwide using a single methodology and was invaluable to start off the debate and raise awareness and interest globally, some limitations were identified in the subsequent report published in a scientific journal 1999:

•    As part of the original project it was not possible to survey all the countries with reefs in the world. About 70 countries had to be left out; 80 were surveyed.

•    The number of 300 sample sites surveyed, ideally should be increased to cover a wider number of samples for more representative data

•    From a global perspective, some areas were over represented (e.g.: Egypt) while others were under represented (e.g.: the Caribbean)

Nonetheless this was indeed the first survey that enabled an initial global assessment of the reefs. Since then Reef Check has continued to grow and today it counts a network of volunteers in 90 countries and territories enabling the collection of invaluable data for ongoing assessment of the reefs. The data provides valuable insight for decision making on the establishment of protected areas as well as for assessments of the success of existing ones.

Why should this interest you?

Well, because these kind of surveys in such a global scale are only possible thanks to volunteers. If scientists were to use just marine biologists for this kind of work it would be virtually impossible or it would take much longer, because of the scale, the number of people required, time, costs and lack of funding. 

This is how non-profit organizations have come to sprawl over the years to make ends meet: science meets the general public and this partnership is very fruitful. The best example of a win-win situation.

Volunteers who take part in these kind of projects do not need to have a scientific background. The methodology used is simple enough to be learned quickly and applied by anyone without a science degree. Volunteers are only required to put in their time, commitment and some funding to support the research; in exchange they get to learn new skills side by side to experienced scientists on the field, visit amazing places and locations sometimes very remote and come back with a luggage full of incredible experiences that will never be comparable to any other travel endeavors. Plus of course, the satisfaction of knowing that they are contributing to a collective worthwhile effort that will increase knowledge and hopefully result into some practical long-term solutions.

I can tell you because I have done it and from these experiences I treasure the most precious memories; from  smiling children in remote fishing villages in Madagascar to angry territorial fish chewing through transect tape in Musandam.

Just a word of warning: make sure you research your organization carefully before you part with your hard earned money.

As you may have gathered we have these kind of projects in Oman too but this was just an introduction.

 I will talk about my experiences as a volunteer in my next post.

In the meantime I am preparing to leave for Dhofar - the southern region of Oman - at the end of this week, to join Biosphere Expeditions on their project on the Arabian Leopard.

Stay tuned.

A random weekend

This weekend was supposed to be spent under a canopy of stars, with sand in between the toes (and in the hair, the ears and everywhere else for that matter), driving up and down dunes and chasing the dung beetles away from the camp fire.

But we personally had to scrap the plan. Yes, because amongst the things that are a little different here, there are public holidays. Or better the fact of never knowing until the last minute whether they are going to be public (as in “just for the public sector”) or a true “public holidays” (as in “for the general public”).

Take this last occasion for the example, the Prophet’s birthday. A birthday: you may be tempted to think that it should always be on the same date. Think again.
Well yes a date is a date but the calendar the date is based on is not the one we are accustomed to and in this case it can be all a bit lunar.

Here is how it works:

everybody knew the rough date (some, thanks to modern technology or basic knowledge of moon cycles, can also guess the date with precision) but as with every religious occurrence here, the exact date will only be announced two or three days before the actual event after a committee of elders have had the opportunity to glance at the moon and officially confer on the exact date.

Once this happens the Ministry of Manpower (I think) decides whether everybody is worthy of a day off or whether only the public sector is entitled.

Just to make things more interesting there is also to take into consideration that the weekend here can fall over a variety of days depending on who you work for: if you churn numbers in a bank for example you may have Friday and Saturday off, ministries and other public bodies are closed on Thursdays and Fridays, if you work for a company in the private sector you are at the mercy of some obscure algorithm I have not managed to crack: you may have Thursday & Friday or Friday & Saturday. If you are in construction you may just have 1 day off but some maybe 1 and ½ at random between Thursday, Friday or perhaps even Saturday.

After almost 2 and ½ years I find it just as mysterious as black magic.

So up until a few days before the weekend we were foolishly counting on a 3-day break to join the usual suspects on an insane challenge in the Wahiba desert until this announcement at S.’s company came out on Sunday:

“For your information ministries, public authorities and other government departments will remain closed on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 on the occasion of Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday, according to a decision issued here yesterday by Sayyid Ali bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court and Chairman of the Civil Service Council.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Abdullah bin Nassir al Bakri, Minister of Manpower, issued a ministerial decision to stop work at private sector companies and establishments on the same occasion on Thursday, February 17, 2011. Work will resume in private sector establishments on Saturday, February 19.
Have a nice holiday!”

Now while this doesn't mean anything to you. For us it meant just another “normal” weekend as opposed to a long one. Not enough to cover hundreds of kilometers for a desert challenge anyway.

So no desert for us; we had to come up with something else to do with the weekend.

That is how we ended up exploring a completely new part of town on a trek through the mountains at the back between Ryam and Muttrah. Now for those who do not know Muscat, these are basically mountains the city cuts right through, which meant that for about 1.5hrs we ended up on a snake infested trail (lots of fun) feeling as if we were in the middle of nowhere, while being just a stone throw  from the hustle and bustle of the old town with souq, tourists and cruise ships!
Once off the trail we refilled at a local restaurant, jumped on our boat for a cruise along the coast and ended the day walking for what felt like the equivalent of the desert challenge to, through and from the Muscat Festival (the to and from just to avoid the gridlock of cars).

Today we took it easy brunching for hours at one of the usual joints at a top end hotel in town.

This is the end of a random weekend without a plan. Goodnight!

When indispensable things don't work

It starts like this: you press a button on the remote control and nothing happens.
Or a puddle forms on the floor. Panic sets in.
You know it is time to call the service men to repair the AC.

So you call and they turn up, at some undefined time between Bukra and InshaAllah with their mysterious tool boxes.

One looks at the AC unit with a puzzled face.

I explain: AC is not working. You see it doesn’t come on at all. It looks as if there is no electricity reaching the unit; however the light on the switch on the wall is on (which suggests that electricity arrives there: I must be a genius).

AC man one looks at the AC, then plays with the switch, then with the remote and confirms my initial assessment (the one where I state that the AC doesn’t work). Then asks for the location of the main switch.

I think he wants to cut off the power to work on the unit,  turns out he wants to open and disassemble the main electricity switch to search for some phantom fault there… It must be the main switch you see, if there is electricity in the switch on the wall but not on the actual unit on the opposite wall. I already visualise endless candlelit nights.

Finally I convince him to look elsewhere (I can be very persuasive); so he decides that it’s time to take the switch on the wall apart (the one where the light comes on).

I question his troubleshooting methods: he mentions something on the lines of checking first what works (??). I give up hope on a solution for the day. I let him open the switch hoping that he doesn’t break what works or cause a short-circuit. He places the screws back and half an hour past the useless checks he finally moves to the broken AC unit.

He tells me that there is electricity there but the motor doesn’t work. I wonder how he checked the existence of electricity and I imagine him sticking his tongue out like when I used to play with those old fashioned batteries as a kid.

It’s the motor, he finally claims with solemnity in front of the open unit with a grovel of hanging wires and then he entertains a series of reasons why it is better to replace the unit instead of just the part. I personally don’t care beyond having a functioning AC; costs and particulars are for the landlord’s perusal.

Then he turns around and goes back to look at the unit and fiddle with wires and other stuff scratching his head. The head scratching usually gets me but especially I never understand why anyone would continue to look at something once he has so convincingly diagnosed the problem and suggested a radical solution such as replacement.

Living here I’ve learnt how perception of time is personal and cultural and can be the basis for a lot of frustration.

So three days later they are back, with a brand new AC unit, an extra person and a lot more tools. Drilling through my bedroom wall, banging and changing electrical wires too (not sure why if they were working). I cannot fail to notice what sounds like some disagreements and head shaking when I pop my head into the room to ensure that they are still alive.

They’ve been there for the last 3 or 4 hours, maybe longer.

I hope they leave soon, that the AC works when they leave and especially that the unit doesn’t fall onto our heads during the night.

Finally I still think that issue might have been a faulty wire but it’s only a thought. The truth I will never know.

Oman Botanic Gardens

Yesterday I went on a guided visit of the Oman Botanic Garden organized by the Women’s Guild of Oman.

The Oman Botanic Gardens are still under construction and they are not open to the public yet; so I felt privileged to be able to go on this visit.

This is a huge project started in 2006 and expected to run for another few years and which will see the creation of the three main habitats of Oman (Northern, Central and South); a first of this kind.

http://www.oman-botanic-garden.org/project.html

The project is humongous. The majority of the plants that will be represented in the gardens have never been grown before, so the horticulturalists and students on the project have to scour for them around the country, collect and bank their seeds, plant and grow them and record all the findings and information as they learn about new species and how they grow .

The first habitat that has been created on the site is the northern gravel one. This is the natural habitat typical of the area where the site is located, so logically the first and “easier” one. More than 2000 plants have been planted while a number of plants are still being researched and grown in the various nurseries.

The site stands over 420 ha of ground. As the "plant experts" collect the specimens and experiment in the nurseries, engineers and workers are building the receptive structures, a cultural village (meant to serve as a link between cultural traditions and the surrounding environment) and landscaping and preparing the grounds for more plants to come and for the hosting of what will probably be an impressive bio-dome that will reproduce the unique habitat of Dhofar in the South of Oman.

I was surprised to learn that this southern region of the country is also home to the majestic Baobabs (for some reason I thought they were found only in Africa; although now only a few remain there and they are critically endangered) and my first encounter with the Desert Rose was love at first sight: I love the fat and sinuous body of this plant. It looks like a sculpture.



I think that when it's finished The Oman Botanic Gardens will be an amazing place to visit. People will  be brought closer to nature and will have a chance to learn and get a deeper understanding of the beauty of nature and the need to preserve it.

It’s great to see that a wealthy country such as Oman is spending its resources in such worthwhile projects and for the benefit of its people.

Photos will follow as soon as I get some time to sort them out.