Time to relocate?

For those who are wondering where I have ended up.. lately I have been busy tinkering with a new project (well actually more than one project but the absence of posts here is mostly due to one reason).

I am working on a new blog and I am testing it to see if it is the case to relocate.. to Wordpress.

If you want to have a look this is the link:

http://rosinwonderland.wordpress.com/

See what you think.

I am still debating where I should make the move.

And by the way you can subscribe to that new blog via email. So you receive a message when I post a new update. If I scrap it or move it I'll let you know.

Earth Hour 2012 in Muscat, Oman

Oman joined Earth Hours for the second consecutive year last night.


This year the participation of two iconic buildings in Muscat such as the Royal Opera House and the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque represented an important symbolic gesture of willingness to commit to the environmental cause by the country.

For the occasion people were invited to witness the countdown of the light switching at the Royal Opera House in Muscat: an event organised by Environment Society of Oman with the participation of Merge FM, a local radio that publicised the event and entertained the audience on the night.

An expert from the PDO Planetarium brought a telescope to promote the benefits of darkness for star and sky gazing. Visitors were able to admire the craters and contours of the moon through the lens of the telescope.

The photo above shows the Royal Opera House with the lights off and the gradual switching of the lights back on at the end of the hour.

A good portion of the people who turned up were Omanis, including young children: it is always a promising sign when the local population is involved in events that promote environmental awareness.


“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step”
Old Chinese Proverb

For more information about Earth Hour you may visit the Earth Hour official website.

The magic of Sweden: in pursuit of the Northern Lights, sleeping in the Ice Hotel and other winter adventures

The guide in front of us silently pointed towards the woods. 

With my hands tightly grappled around the handle I turned my head and between the trees I could clearly see the front of a reindeer bull, its thick neck fur shining under the glorious sun beaming through the branches. He was watching us totally still, as if in a frozen pose, a stark contrast to our fast moving pace and the rhythmic running of the dogs.

The guide later told us that had we stopped, the wild animals would have run away and the dogs would have started barking, breaking all the magic, so a glimpse was all we were able to afford; yet that fleeting sight filled me with such joy; the feeling of being at one with nature made me feel so alive.

We left the Middle Eastern sun where we currently live to travel thousands of miles to a frozen landscape that could not be any more different than the sights that we get back home: we were dog-sledding near Jukkasjärvi, in Lapland, 200km north of the Arctic Circle as part of our winter trip to Sweden, on the pursuit of the Northern Lights, to experience the famous Ice Hotel and to dust-up some long neglected skiing skills. A truly unforgettable holiday!

A musher's view

Standing on the back of our own personal sleds each pack of dogs was pulling us fast over frozen lakes and through the woods to our final destination for the day: a group of remote log cabins tucked in a corner of forest where René, our guide, a skilled dog musher, personal cook and butler prepared our meals, lit our log fires and generally helped us make the most of a truly unforgettable experience. We were lucky enough to be the only couple on the tour which meant that our candle lit dinner and sauna as well as the whole experience in these remote cabins with no electricity or running water was a truly romantic one.

Aurora Borealis

The weather was with us too, so as our dinner was being prepared we were able to gaze at the sun slowly disappear behind a line of trees into a deep orange glow before retreating into a hot sauna lit by the warm light of the burning logs. Once the night enveloped us we sat in awe watching the Northern Lights dance in the sky in the quietness of the beautiful snowy and still landscape.

There is nothing more exhilarating to me than waking up in the morning surrounded by nature. My most unforgettable trips are the ones spent in the wild and in the most uncomplicated environments.When all the unnecessary burden of my earthly possessions becomes clear by the simple fact that I am not missing them. That’s when I feel I can stand still in silence and reach out and inside myself. When I feel so small and yet vast in being part of such a mesmerising ecosystem.

But of course that's easily said when you know that all your creature comforts are just an arm stretch away, so I won't pretend. I am extremely grateful for what life keeps throwing at me and treasure every single moment. 

I digress.  

Back at the Ice Hotel it was time to check into our Art Suite. Finally we knew which of the amazing ice sculpted rooms we were going to spend the night in at -5c: Art Suite 302 – Frozen Love.

As the night descended and tiredness arrived, I reluctantly slipped into my thermals and layered myself with an unattractive fleece pyjama, socks and hat before collecting my sleeping bag from the warm reception. I had lost any interest in looking even remotely glamorous; for me this was a challenge. I was not going to duck out, yet I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to sleep. A sleepless camping trip in the desert during a cold December night was all that kept coming to mind: if I had been so cold in the desert surely this was not going to be warmer, was it?

I followed the tips given to us during the afternoon tour religiously: don’t get wet (dampness is your enemy in the cold), get the sleeping bag just when you are ready to go to bed, don’t drink prior to bed (I know some may not agree but knocking yourself out with a few vodka drinks is expensive anyway!), keep warm before hand. 

Frozen Love

I followed all the tips with devotion: I was like a Magdalene of the ice as I stepped outside with the sleeping bag wrapped around my head and body, got into the icy building, through fairy tale-like corridors of crystallised pure water, reached our room and climbed onto our bed. Once inside the sleeping bag I realised that after all it was as toasty as under the midday sun at the beach. Almost too warm: I had to take my unsightly fleece pyjama off and stay in my thermals. That’s how warm it gets. We sat on our bed of Reindeer skins like two pupae in awe for a while. Then lights off. Some art still glowing in the dark, I fell asleep in my own cocoon with a smile on my face. I woke up to the crisp morning air; the daylight beaming softly through the icy walls.

It was truly like a winter wonderland dream. 

I made it and I’ll never forget this.

Winter sunset

Morning hug

Four-legged friend

****** practical info ****

A trip to the Ice Hotel like this will set you back a few thousand British Pounds for just a few days but if you can afford it, it is well worth the experience. It is truly unique.

I wrote a detailed review on Trip Advisor.

The overnight dog sledding tour was particularly expensive but for us it was the first time and it was a truly unforgettable experience.

We arranged everything ourselves (read: myself): from the international to the internal flights to accommodation & transfers.

Internal flights are expensive, especially if you manage to book a wrong non-refundable connection and have to rebook like I managed to do!

Return flights to Kiruna from Stockholm for our dates were about £259 per person (1hr 20 min-long domestic flight). That’s without the rebooking fee.

Kiruna is the closest airport to the Ice Hotel: about 15 minutes’ drive.

We combined our Ice Hotel adventure with a 3-nights ski break in Are (return flights from Stockholm to Ostersund, and Ski bus pre-arranged with www.Flygtaxi.se) which gave us two full days skiing. Are is one of the largest ski resorts in Sweden and supposedly one that most resembles a typical alpine ski resort. It is way smaller than any ski resort I have been to in the Alps however it was very nice for two days skiing. The runs were varied and there is an amazing array of well equipped snow parks dotted around. Consider that we were not able to ski the higher part of the resort since the cable car was closed both days due to strong winds.  It was still fun and beautiful.

Sweden is an expensive country. This was probably the most we have ever spent for a one week long getaway!

We ate lots of Reindeer (it seems to be as common as beef there) and I have to say that strict vegetarians may have a hard time on a Swedish diet.

That’s it for now. It was an amazing holiday!

If you are thinking of doing a similar holiday and would like more detailed info feel free to add a comment or send me a private message.

Project management in Oman

Are you a project manager in construction and you forgot to arrange utilities for your construction site? Don't worry. 

Here is an inspiring story for you.  

Door bell rings. I open the door. Two cleanly dressed and polite young guys are at my gate. If it was Europe I would suspect Jehovah Witnesses. I am safe here.

Young man: Hello Ma’m we are from the construction site next door.

Me: hello (I assume they are supervisory staff, mostly because I can understand what they say)

Young man: Ma’m we need electricity. Next week we start works but we don’t have electricity. We have applied from the electricity company but it takes two weeks to get connected and we must start next week.

Me: yes? (thinking: I wonder what this has got to do with me, though I know where this is going)

Young man: We were wondering if we can use your electricity for one week.

Me (thinking: is this true?): Use my electricity for one week??!? 

(quick mental elaboration: wait? what? when? how? Uh?) - I must have looked a bit stunned.

Young man: yes

Me: what do you mean use my electricity? (random images of doom populate my head). You want to extend a wire into my property to plug it into one of my sockets?

Young man: Yes Ma’m only for one week. It’s only for a small light for the workers. Until we get electricity.

Me (still thinking: I must be dreaming, wake up!): OK, excuse me for not understanding, what do you expect me to do? To keep a window open so that you can use my electricity for a week? Can you not get a generator?

Young man: No, no generator (reason mentioned escapes me).  It’s only for a little electricity for the workers (and something else that has also escaped my mind in the commotion), only for one week (as if he was asking it for 10 minutes). No ma’m no window open, we can use the plug outside.

Me: what plug outside? 

Young man: Yes ma’m don’t you have one for outside kitchen?

Me (thinking: I am starting to enjoy this): no I don’t think there is any plug outside (though I vaguely remember seeing one)

Young man: Ma’m tomorrow I can send my electrician with one of my men and they can inspect…

(Image of electrician with naked wires attached to a light bulb springs to my mind: enough time spent on this nonsense. This is project management at its worst). 

Me: no sorry, your construction site management issues are none of my problems.

Almost four years of life in the bubble and they still manage to amaze me. It's an art!   

The month in pictures - February 2012

Kitesurfing

The month begun with more kitesurfing lessons but I had to take a break soon afterwards though because the instructors went on holiday for the rest of the month. 

This is me on the board...well kind of. 

My first water start!

Muscat Fashion week 

I went with the ladies to have a peak at Arabian fashion on the occasion of the second Muscat Fashion Week (the first one was in 2011). 

OK the world of Laurence of Arabia is hardly the center of fashion but it was interesting nonetheless. Despite what one may think, considering the background of ladies in back Abayas, the locally produced fashion was intensely colourful. To be fair Oman is actually a very colourful country and women's traditional dresses can be a rainbow of colours made up of interesting fabrics. On the evening we went (Tuesday) there were some very interesting and beautiful gowns as well as an amazing collection of extravagant hats from a Saudi designer. I took over 200 photos. 

Pestering the cat

The cats are a little bit whiny lately so every now and then I try to take revenge.
Usually when they sleep I can kind of do anything I want to them (evil grin).

The Easts do Oman
Happy times! It was lots of fun. From 5-star hotel cocktail parties to lunches on the beach, from sunset on the mountains to rolling down sand dunes, from exploring old castles to boating along the coast we managed to jam quite a lot in, in such a little time.

Of course the best entertainment being the children.

My favourite expression now is "run for your life!"

Thank you for the memorable time together. :D








Carnival 
We ended the month with a carnival party trying to re-live some of my Italian childhood traditions but mostly as an excuse to make some hyper-caloric Italian carnival sweets, frappe (or chiacchere, stracci and the many other names they are known as in different regions!)
First time I made them in my life and the result was quite encouraging.

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately... February is also the month we bought this new and expensive kitchen gadget: suddenly the kitchen has become an experimental lab.







Ah of course, last but not least my uni results have been published on my University of Portsmouth student portal:

Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science In COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS with Upper Second Class Honours

Now I need a new project... I am in brewing mode.

Who'll be the winner?

Muscatmutterings.com is running a competition giving away VIP tickets for the Snow Patrol concert in Muscat on March 11th. 

Very generous.

Who's going to be the winner?

Top service in Oman

Settings: having drinks at the swanky new pool bar at the Chedi (one of the top and finest hotel establishments in town).

Me (to waiter): excuse me. Can we have the bill please? But only for the following drinks as we are going before the others who have just joined us: 2 beers, 1 Aperol spritz and a glass of wine.

Waiter: ok

A friend who's just joined our group intercepts the waiter in question and orders a drink.

Ale: oh-oh. You know this is going to create confusion..

I make a point to repeat the drinks we asked the bill for to the waiter.

He's off.

The waiter returns 15 minutes later... Maybe 20.

A tray on his hand carries the drinks we asked the bill for.

This is top service in Oman. Start again from the top...

*******

On a different day and in different circumstances:

I'm home. I go downstairs planning to read a book on the sofa. The maid is cleaning outside.
I hear a distinctive crackling noise coming from the window by the tv.

Here we go again: cleaning the windows means spraying water all over the place with a hosepipe... and the windows in this country are not watertight.

The noise is quite unusual. I gather that maybe it's not the sound of water being sprayed against the window. I draw the curtain to inspect the area. The little concert comes from the socket and plug right beneath the window: water is trickling onto the tv plug.
It doesn't sound or look good.
The maid totally unaware happily continues with her flooding mission outside.

My heart sinks: while on holiday this lady is going to look after our house and pets. I seriously wonder whether there will be a house to come back to.

The things you learn to live with.

Update January 2012

I am enjoying photography more an more lately so I thought it would be fun to use a little collage to provide an update on January.

The year started with our travels to Singapore and Malaysia. We spent New Year's Eve having dinner on the Singapore Flyer, the highest observation wheel in the world, we then followed to the Singapore Flyer Lounge to watch the fireworks from the terrace. A very civilised way to end 2011 and start the New Year. 

In Malaysia we visited the towns of Melaka and Cherating eating lots of yummy food and taking surfing lessons. I also enjoyed the irony of foreign languages (the Italians who take a look at the photo on the left will understand what I am talking about.. and there are more like that). 

Back in Muscat we have taken up a new activity: we are learning to Kitesurf. The lessons are at the beach just a short stroll from the house so it was impossible to resist. It will be a good way to ride the hot summer as the southern beaches promise good wind for practice and fun right during the hottest months when there isn't much else to do. We just have to ensure that we don't get whisked away by the ankle.

Though we were away for half of the month we have managed to fit in a first camping trip to the desert. I managed to pop the Tyre out of the rim for the first time, which is a bit of a bummer to put back in place. Yet, all part of the fun (they say). 

Lucky the dog is officially part of the family. Yes, yes I know we have had him for donkeys months now but up until recently signs were still up trying to find suitable adopters. Nobody came forward...and after all these months we have grown rather attached that it's quite hard to imagine giving him away. So we have officially removed the signs. It is a big commitment that we had not planned to take but me thinks that it is not as demanding as other type of commitments.

I have received the results of my university final year project. It's all over, phew. Now I am waiting to see what class degree I am going to get. I have an idea but I like to keep ideas to myself. 

I will be in Portsmouth in July wearing the funny hat. 

That's it for January 2012... and we are almost at the end of February!

If you are wondering about my resolutions for the year: none. I think they are a waste of time.

Pearls of wisdom

Today, on the phone to the SPA receptionist.

Me: hello I was there earlier and I forgot my (me thinks: let's not say Kindle) digital book reader in the changing room.
Receptionist: your what?
Me: OK, it is a device on which you can read digital books. It looks like a small book. It should be in the changing cubicle at the end.
receptionist: OK Ma'm, let me have a look and I will call you back.
End of conversation.
I jump onto the car and drive all the way back to the SPA.
Receptionist when she sees me enter the SPA: we could not find it
Me thinks: I must have missed that call.
I walk out of the SPA with my Kindle.

Lessons for the day:

• Place your kindle into the bag instead of the bench while changing
• Take some phosphorus tablets to improve memory and focus
• Never ask someone to look for something they have no clue what it is

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.