Photos From A (Very Hot) Bus Window

The penultimate day here in Oman.  Today we are anchored off Masirah Island, where we took the Zodiacs ashore for a wet landing on the beach. 

We boarded a bus for a trip to the southeastern-most tip of the island (about an hour and a half drive) where we had a photo opportunity of ... sand and ocean.  Nice mainly because our bus had NO air conditioning (although our guide cheerfully rubbed salt in our wounds by announcing that the AC worked perfectly yesterday!), and at least the opportunity to get out into some fresh air and the faint promise of a breeze was most welcome.

As we lumbered down the road, we saw quite a few camels from the bus window.  They are allowed to roam free during the day, and then they are penned up at night by their owners.  Apparently if you hit a camel in daylight hours with your car, you are liable to pay the owner for damages, but if you run over one at night, the owner gets no remuneration.

We also visited a 300 year-old graveyard (see extra) which is still in use today.  According to Islamic tradition, graves are not adorned with anything other than stones.  The grave of a man has two stones on top of it, while the grave of a woman  has three.  The stone markers in this picture are from ancient times, when writing was permitted.

Another stop was to the local Sheikh's house, where he proudly displays the skeleton of a whale which washed up on the beach near his home.  And finally another "photo stop" where local fishing boats were piled on the shoreline.  This old rusted wreck amused us with its "Safety First" signage.