I had the unique experience of seeing Muscat one week before Cyclone Gonu hit, and then again two weeks after it hit, as if I were set up to do a scientific before and after comparison.
Before the cyclone hit, I took four days of my vacation to explore Muscat. It was a good time. I went snorkeling. I swallowed a bit of sea water getting the hang of it, but once I got the hang of it, it was great. I saw a sea turtle and lots of pretty fish and lobsters and anemonies. Later, I walked along the beach and saw lots of critters: crabs and clams of varyious shapes and sizes. I braved Ruwi, an older, crowded shopping district where people haggle. I was the only person who was not a dark-skinned male. It felt like walking around in a clown suit.
Another day I tried to drive down the coast to a city named Sur. I only made it halfway. I ended up getting lost...or rather, I got lost many times, and around the 10th time I got lost, it was in this village with a mainstreet the size of a sidewalk. The street was lined with sofas, seated on which were white-bearded Omani grandfathers who were watching kids playing and goats roaming....and the strange foreigner in a rental car. I felt like an intruder driving through someone's living room. After driving through twice in search of the correct turnoff, I just couldn't bear driving through a third time, so I turned back. It was okay, my wanderlust had been well satisfied for the day.
When I came back from Muscat a few days ago, the first evidence of the cyclone I saw was was a Toyota dealership a quarter mile from the office. It was completely destroyed. It resembled a nasty highway pileup involving one thousand cars. Car after car was smashed into the car in front of it. In one place cars were piled three high from the water.
It was raining down south when I arrived in Oman, so the dirt airstrip I usually land on in Nimr was unusable. While waiting for it to dry, I got two (paid) days to explore post-cylone Muscat. Luckly that Toyota dealership close to my office was the worst damage I saw. If the whole city had been as damaged, there wouldn't be much of a city left. The beach, however, was also quite affected. It was 1/3 of its previous size. Parts were completely washed away, causing me to detour through empty city streets. I hardly recognized spots I'd been to before the cyclone. Occasionally, I'd see a storefront I recognized, but the beach itself was completely reshaped. I couldn't find my sandbar with all the hermit crabs : (
I hope the city recovers well. It's so nice to see a thriving friendly city in the Middle East. I've gotten attached to it.
And a side note: Oman makes me feel more bad about global warming. It's a country where they heat is at the limit of what is habitable. If it gets any hotter it will cook the Omanis. Also, since the interior is so desolate, all the life is on the coast, which is exposed to hurricanes and floods and the like. Suck.
an article about the cyclone from Gulf News
Alright, that's all for now.
2 comments:
That was a fascinating account of your travels. I am very jealous of your snorkeling experience. I know exactly what you are talking about when you mention all the sea water you swallowed learning how to do it. I really enjoyed the description "like driving through someone's living room." The whole scene sounds insanely foreign. Keep blogging - I love it!
Wow, I hope that dealership had insurance for those cars! That is complate insane. So cool that you are getting to see parts of the world that people don't even know about. And, yes, it is nice to hear about friendly middle-eastern cities, sometimes with all the media attention and good old el busto, its hard to believe there are such things. Can't wait to go turkey hunting with you!
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