Date Palms and Green Waters Wādī Banī Khālid is a recreational oasis in the aptly named Al-Hajar (Rocky or Stone) Mountains of Oman.
As we parked our car and followed the stone and concrete walkway into Wadi Bani Khalid, I had Maria Muldaur’s Midnight at the Oasis dancing through my head.
Walking towards the green date palms after two days in the magical Sharqiya Sands Desert (see: Sand Songs and Desert Dreams and Life in the Desert), it was easy for me to conjure up romantic notions of starry nights, Bedouin tents, and handsome sheiks. Of course, that wasn’t quite the reality, but Wadi Bani Khalidis a lovely spot, and it is easy to see why it is so popular with tourists and Omanis alike.
A wadi (وَادِي) is a ‘valley’ in Arabic. In many Arabic-speaking countries, wadis are dried out creek beds, but in Oman, a wadi is a true oasis, with permanent pools of water and surrounded by palm, banana, or mango trees. Wadi Bani Khalid is possibly the best known and most popular of Oman’s five wadis; it is certainly the most easily accessible.
Join me as I explore:
Entry to Wadi Bani Khalid Our driver and guide Said, in his grey (lilac?) dishdasha and with a colourful muzzar on his head, leads us into the wadi.
Signpost The Sultanate of Oman is an absolute monarchy. Although a policy of modernisation has been in place since 1970, this is still a Muslim country with an expectation of modest dress in public places.
Edge of the Water The Wadi is relatively close (about 203 km -126 mi) to Muscat, Oman’s capital and only major city, so it is a popular spot for local families.
Kids in the Water Plenty of children are enjoying the shallow and slow waters.
Palms on the Wadi Setting aside oil and gas, dates are the life-blood of Oman. They are central to the diet, the concept of hospitality, and the economy; so, it was sad to see the trees around the Wadi suffering. Unusually dry conditions – even by desert standards – have allowed some sort of illness to take hold, resulting in many yellowed fronds.
Dragonfly Oases are an important habitat for animals and plants in the desert.
Bridge over the Wadi The palm trees might be suffering, but there are plenty of shaded spots, …
Island Pavilion … where people can gather and sit.
Bridge over the Valley Another bridge leads to the lifeguard watch-tower, and a restaurant complex.
Rocky Cliffs The wadi is quite extensive; the cliffs contain a number of caves and underground canals. There is some signposting with distance markers, but the rocks were exceptionally sharp, and the ground was treacherous. In spite of having reasonable shoes on, I decided not to venture far.
Swimming in the Rock Pools You don’t have to walk or swim far to find beautiful rock pools …
Upper Pools … with people swimming in them.
On the Rocks
Boulders in the Stream
Nature’s Sculptures: Rocks in the Water
Stairs into the Rift
The Valley Rift It really is a beautiful – and rugged – setting.
Girl Running The local visitors are all having a wonderful time.
Omani Man
Giant Milkweed Flowers – Calotropis Procera Also called Sodom’s Apple, the milkweed is happy in Oman’s sandy soils and gravel plains. It is used in local traditional medicinal to treat infected wounds and skin problems.
Even with the surrounding trees, if you are not swimming, it is very hot in the wadi.
After a cold drink from the restaurant, I was happy to rejoin my guide and make the short walk back to the car for the two-and-a-half hour drive back to Muscat, all the while singing:
“Midnight at the oasis, Send your camel to bed,
Shadows painting our faces, Traces of romance in our heads…”
Figurehead of the HMS Benbow Vice Admiral John Benbow (1653 – 1702), Royal Navy officer and commander-in-chief of the West Indies during the War of Spanish Succession, was honoured posthumously by a ship named for him. The HMS Benbow was launched in 1813; the ship’s figurehead in Benbow’s likeness now has pride of place at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The United Kingdom takes great pride in its naval history.
Separated by water from the rest of Europe since around 6500 BC., what are now the British Isles have always had a relationship with the sea for their livelihood and for trade. The Phoenicians in Iron Age Europe mention the trade route to England for tin and other raw materials around 600 BC. Even before the Roman invasion in 43 AD., early Britons used rafts and dugout canoes for fishing and transport.
In the early Middle Ages, Saxon mercenaries were recruited by British kings, but it was after the Norman conquest (1066) that seamanship and boatbuilding really took off. From the early 15th century and through into the 17th century, English ships were sailing all around the world searching for new trading partners, exploring new trading routes, and establishing colonies.
Of course, none of this was without controversy. Nor was it unchallenged by rivals. English ships traded in slaves and opium; ship’s captains engaged in royally-sanctioned piracy; and deadly sea battles and wars against other countries with competing interests were ongoing.
But, there is no taking away from the bravery and ingenuity of the men who went to sea, and no denying their ultimate success. On the maps hanging over the chalkboards in my childhood classrooms – half a world away – countries from one edge to the other were coloured in pink to show their affiliation with the British Commonwealth.
A few years ago, my husband and I were aboard a modern ship that owed very little to these early English pioneers: we were on a small Norwegian ocean cruiser sailing around the Iberian Peninsula and into the English Channel. On this particular morning, we were docked in Portsmouth – having stopped in Falmouth the day before (see: Another English Spring). We had tickets to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in hand and a few hours to explore.
I’ve never been greatly interested in battles and the like, and find the stories of wars distressing rather than glorious. But, there are some historical names that even I remember. To actually see Henry VIII’s favourite warship, the Mary Rose, was like reaching back into time. And my family (like many other British families, I am sure) told stories about Lord Nelson; to walk aboard his flagship from the Battle of Trafalgar was an absolute buzz!
Join me at Portsea for a small slice of Britain’s rich naval history:
Portsea One of the things I love most about small cruise-boat travel is the adventure of arriving in new ports. This is an early-morning view of the busy Portsmouth Harbour from our ship.
National Museum of the Royal Navy Elegant old naval storehouses, built between 1760 and 1790, have been repurposed to house the Royal Naval Museum.
HMS Victory This is the most famous of Britain’s warships: Lord Nelson’s 104-gun HMS Victory: launched in 1765 and decommissioned in 1831.
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson This figurehead, made in 1840 for the HMS Trafalgar, depicts Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson (1758-1805). The bust wears his full-dress uniform, the stars of the Order of the Crescent, (Turkey) the Order of St Ferdinand (Naples & Sicily) and the Order of Bath.
Lord Nelson Figurehead He also wears a Naval Gold Medal around his neck and his gold-laced bicorn hat.
Henry VIII As we walk into the Mary Rose Museum …
King Henry … a life-size statue of Henry VIII (1491 – 1547) greets us.
Inside the Mary Rose Said to be King Henry’s favourite vessel, this carrack-type warship was built in Portsmouth between 1510 – 1512, and sunk in 1545. The wreck was found in 1971 and raised in 1982. In a climate- and light-controlled room, the historic ship is undergoing extensive conservation and restoration efforts.
Ropes on the Mary Rose Gun Decks
Mary Rose Artefacts The thousands of artefacts found when the ship was raised give insight into Tudor-era naval life. The museum has a lot of these items on display.
HMS Victory Lord Nelson’s flagship is also undergoing extensive renovations.
View over the Docks from the HMS Victory
George Rex Everywhere you look, the details bring history to life. Wooden ships needed their fire buckets handy – and like the vessels themselves, belonged to the reigning monarch – in this case, King George II (r. 1727 – 1760).
Rigging on the HMS Victory Looking up, you get a feel for the complexity of these old sailing vessels.
British Royal Navy Flag The White Ensign, at one time called the St George’s Ensign, has been used by Royal Navy since the 16th century.
Lifeboat
Figurehead of the HMS Illustrious I found the figureheads fascinating. The identity of this one at the entry to the National Museum of the Royal Navy is a mystery.
“In the Toolbox Shed” The old boathouses contain a number exhibits …
Shipwrights … demonstrating the tools and skills required in ship building.
HMS Warrior Spare a thought for the sailors working all that rigging! We got a last look at the 40-gun steam-powered armoured frigate, the HMS Warrior, …
Ship-Shape … before heading back to the docks next door, where even our modern cruise ship requires a fair bit of people-power.
It was a fascinating and educational glimpse into history.
And it gave us even more appreciation for the comfort of the modern vessel we were travelling on.
Sunrise on Kata Tjuta It is just after six in the morning: the sun creeps over the horizon behind me and lights up the desert oaks on the flat plains and the boulders that make up Kata Tjuta.
It’s an incredible landscape.
Red, flat, and empty as far as the eye can see, except for two remarkable – and remarkably different – ancient rock formations: Uluru, the 348 m (1,142 ft) high sandstone monolith, and Kata Tjuta, the 36 domes of conglomerated sand, pebbles, and cobbles. This is a living, culturally-rich topography, home to countless ancient stories belonging to the IndigenousAnangu people. The “spectacular geological formations”, and their place in the belief system of the traditional owners, was formally recognised by UNESCO in 1987.
A visit to Australia’s Red Centre was always on my grey nomad bucket list; then Covid-19 happened and international travel was off the table. Even interstate travel within Australia was severely curtailed, but I managed to find a small window of opportunity and a package deal to the Ayers Rock Resort.
I was determined to fit as much exploration as I could into the short time I had in the area, so I booked myself into a range of activities (see: A Camel Ride into the Red Centre and The Field of Light). On my second morning, I got up pre-dawn to join the SEIT Kata Tjuta tour, which includes a sunrise-stop at a special viewing area inside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and a short walk into Walpa Gorge at Kata Tjuta.
Kata Tjuta means ‘many heads’ in Pitjantjatjara, one of the two major Indigenous languages in the region. The formation is also known as the Olgas: the highest dome was named Mount Olga, by Anglo-Australian explorer Ernest Giles, in honour of Queen Olga of Württemberg (born Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas I) in 1872. In 1993, a dual-naming policy was adopted, leading to the current official name: “Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga”
Join me for a walk into an ancient world:
Sun below the Horizon At the viewing platform just inside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, it is cold and dark. The sky is just starting to lighten behind Uluru to the east of us.
Dawn at Kata Tjuta This is the desert: the chilly pre-dawn light stretches to the boulders on the horizon to the west of us.
Day-Break on Uluru There is something about that rock that resonates in my soul, …
Sunrise on Kata Tjuta … even though I find Kata Tjuta more visually interesting.
Sunrise at Uluru Finally! The sun slips over the horizon, and very quickly the whole landscape is light.
Rest Area – Western Side of Kata Tjuta From the sunrise viewing platform, we drive a short distance to our breakfast spot.
Sun Flares on Kata Tjuta There is enough time to play with the morning light while the kettle boils.
Sun through the Trees
Entry to the Walpa Gorge After breakfast, we drive a short distance to the entry for the walk. That same sun angles straight into our eyes as we make our way over the gleaming 600 million year-old conglomerate rock.
Boulders and Scrub Desert-loving plants cling to patches of poor soil along the path.
Waterhole There had been a rare rainfall a few days before I arrived: a few standing pools of water were home to small tadpoles and fast-growing frogs.
Walpa Gorge The gorge is named for the wind (Walpa) that whistles between the massive domes, which are polished smooth by the eons. This is a sacred site, and we were given instructions about where we can and cannot photograph.
Stone Stairs The sheen and colour of the rock is amazing – and is due to the feldspar and iron oxide in the conglomerate of granite and basalt.
Inland Thornbill and Grey-Headed Honeyeater The park is home to 178 species of birds; I saw only these two.
Pink Mulla Mulla All the plants here are well-adapted to the arid conditions.
Nature’s Artworks: Standing Water
Dead Gum Outside the gorge, it is hot and still. A leafless gum provides no shade.
Nature’s Abstracts: Gum Tree
Last Look Even from the bus as we are returning to the resort, the shapes and colours are incredible!
Walking through 600 million-year-old rocks, at least 30,000 years of living history, and the left-over waters from the last week’s rains, was truly magical!
Pilgrims in the Street Three months into the last Haridwar Kumbh Mela, crowds of pilgrims were still pouring into the city – pausing briefly to gaze directly into my camera.
The crush of humanity heading to and from the Ganges through the streets of Haridwar seems unimaginable now.
Haridwar, in Uttarakhand in North India, flanks the holy River Ganges as it flows south and east out of the Western Himalaya. The city has a population of just over 310,000 (2011), but when I was there (with photographers Gavin Gough and Matt Brandon) in 2010, an additional 10 million people were streaming through the streets to take a ritual bath in the river: for Haridwar is a sacred city and is one of the four sites of the Kumbh Mela.
The Kumbh Mela, literally the Festival of the Sacred Pitcher, happens roughly every four years on rotation across Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Trimbak (Nashik), and Ujjain. It is a major pilgrimage festival in Hinduism (e.g.: Sadhus, Smoke and Street Food) that includes rituals, religious discussions, devotional singing, and traditional ceremonies. One of the most important rituals is bathing in the holy river waters.
I’ve said it before: returning to old photos is always risky. As I look at the settings on some of these – taken on a camera I no longer own – I can’t help but wonder: “What was I thinking?” But, for all their flaws, they represent a time and place, and remind me how much I miss the wonderfully photogenic people of India.
Of course, unlike in some parts of the world, wandering around with a camera in India can make you a bit of a Pied Piper: at one stage I had people literally lining up to have their pictures taken. For many of these pilgrims, this would have been their only trip to a Mela, and they all wanted this event recorded – even if that record was by me, a stranger whom they would never see again! Thank heavens for digital images.
Join me for some more portraits from the crowded streets of Haridwar:
Sadhus and their Chai Although the pilgrims in the Haridwar streets were from all walks of life, the sadhus – the Hindu holy men – were the most common and the most colourful.
Sadhu in White I was drawn to their kind faces …
Sadhu Necklace … and fascinated by the variety of iconography they wore or carried.
Women India is street-portrait heaven! People are so generous with their smiles.
Sadhu in Red and Orange The colour and style of a sadhu’s robes and the design of his tilaka (forehead markings) tell the initiated something about the sect he belongs to. I never cracked the code!
Sadhu in Yellow and Orange Most of the pilgrims had their kumbhs – Sanskrit for a pitcher or pot – with them. This was to carry water from the Ganges back home again.
Woman into Haridwar How I wished I could converse more easily with these pilgrims; …
Old Woman and her Company … their faces were full of stories!
Women Carrying Loads Many had travelled great distances, with their luggage on their heads, …
Water Carrier … and containers for the holy waters.
Pilgrim in White
Masala Chai
Blind Singers Having seen Slumdog Millionaire, wherein street children are blinded to make them more effective beggars, I couldn’t help but worry about how these performers had come by their sightlessness.
Woman in Yellow There is a contrast between the elegantly monochrome …
Colourful Sadhu … and the flamboyantly colourful …
Couple in Yellow … as the pilgrims keep coming.
Cows And, of course, it wouldn’t be India without cows wandering through the rubbish in the streets.
A Woman and her Man
Man in Yellow and Grey A stern-looking husband was happy enough to share a chai and a chat.
Woman in Orange His smiling wife opted for a soft drink.
Friends Many people tried to tell me how far they had travelled, but my knowledge of Indian towns and cities was not up to understanding the distances; I could only say “wow!” and try to look impressed.
Hennaed Hands Henna is associated with positive spirits and good luck, and many of the women walking into town were beautifully decorated.
White Dreadlocks The pilgrims kept coming …
Man in a Doorway … and the locals kept watch.
Textured Walls
Today, after almost a year of Social Distancing here in Australia – and across much of the world – the idea of having roughly 10 million people walking through one’s city is almost inconceivable.
This year’s Kumbh Mela is in Haridwar again, and again began on 14th January. I can’t help but wonder how different it must be,
Ursula – Love the site and your posts. Having been fortunate to have visited many of the places you have visited, seeing the images and reading your take on the places brings back fabulous memories for me. Thank you.ReplyCancel
Hi Kent – I’m so pleased to have your visit, and very glad I can remind you of those days when we could actually travel to wonderful places! 😀ReplyCancel
I have visited the zoo twice; the first time was back in the days of film, and when I was not yet used to the tropics. Aside from the fact that I was introduced to a python instead of an orangutan at the Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife, I don’t remember much about it. For my second visit, years later, I made sure the orangutans would be in attendance before I booked our breakfast tickets (see: Hands, Teeth, and Almost Abstract).
The complex attracts about 1.9 million visitors annually, and is one of the few zoos in the world to be able to boast it is ‘cage-free’. Many of the naturalistic exhibits are surrounded by moats that are disguised with vegetation or are dropped below the line of sight. Areas that house dangerous animals, or that enclose water or require temperature control, feature glass walls. I loved these for the unique way they refracted the light and created reflections, adding an artistic dimension to viewing the animals.
There are currently about 300 species of animals across 28 hectares of lush rainforest. This is possible without a feeling of crowding because of the layering, with lemurs wandering freely, and orangutans and gibbons swinging high above the ground while the visitors watch from below. This concept is epitomised in the Fragile Forest, a 20,000 cubic metre bio-dome that mimics a tropical rainforest teeming with life at every level. Following the walkways, you can get close to denizens of the tropical forest floor, the rainforest under-storey, and up into the canopy.
As I walked around the zoo with the dual goals of enjoying the animals in their pseudo-natural environments and of making pictures that I thought interesting or artistic, I couldn’t help but marvel at how uniquely different each species – and indeed, each individual – is.
Join me for a walk in the (almost) wild.
White Tiger All white tigers in captivity are the descendants of Mohan, a wild-caught Bengal tiger from Rewa, India. The white stripes and blue eyes are product of a recessive gene which only occurs in the wild about once in 10,000 births. None have been seen in the wild for some years, and it is thought that the white colour makes them more visible – and therefore less effective hunters.
Splash! Watching the power of this animal as he leaps for the incoming food is just breath-taking.
Omar You can see the deadly canines in the powerful jaw. At 16, Omar was already old for a tiger, and he died 16 months after this was taken.
Keeper Kishen As much as possible, we followed the keepers and animal talks.
Bird in the Garden An open zoo attracts all kinds of visitors. This little bird is small – but that beak is serious!
Great White Pelican By contrast, the great white pelican is a huge bird – second largest in the pelican family – …
Pelican Bill … and that unique bill is a real fish-trap.
African Penguins The penguins are a delight to watch. As they waddle out single file on opposite feet, I’m reminded of my daughter’s tap dance classes.
Front and Back No wonder they came up with the idea for the movie Happy Feet!
Penguin Split The reflections in the water and glass add texture to the rock and feathers.
The Claws of an Asian Sun Bear (Helarctos Malayanus) Being primarily nocturnal creatures, sun bears look sweet and somnolent – but locals say they are the most dangerous animals in their forests, and that even tigers keep their distance. Looking at their sharp, sickle-shaped claws – which are more than ten centimetres (four inches) long – it is easy to see why.
Tree Tops Whenever we move from one area of the zoo to another, we need only look up to see more magnificent apes. That baby must have quite the grip to be able to hang on to mum’s chest as they swing through the trees!
White Rhino Hide The second largest land mammal in the world (after the elephant), the rhino has a reputation for having a tough skin. While the skin can be up to 5 centimetres (2 inches) thick, it is surprisingly sensitive, being susceptible to sunburn and insect bites.
Southern White Rhinoceros – Ceratotherium Simum Simum This is one reason they love mud baths: in addition to cooling them in their native southern-African savannah habitat, dried mud acts as a sunscreen and insect repellent.
Ears and Whiskers African red river hogs (Potamochoerus porcus), or bush pigs, have striking orange-brown fur and prominent facial whiskers.
Siblings
Spots Animal patterns are functional – often as part of their camouflage. Cheetahs’ spots cover almost their entire body, and like the ring pattern on their tails, are as unique as fingerprints. The distinctive black tear stripes under their eyes act like the sights on a rifle and reflect the sun: both helpful when running at full speed during daytime hunting.
Giraffes in Dappled Shade “… and what with the slippery-slidy shadows of the trees falling on them, the Giraffe grew blotchy, and the Zebra grew stripy …” – Rudyard Kipling, Just-So Stories
Stripes After years of research, scientists have established that zebra stripes protect the animals from biting flies. They probably also help in thermoregulation and camouflage.
Red Leaves and Light
Naked Mole Rats – Heterocephalus Glaber It always amazes me how the incredibly diverse the animal kingdom really is! I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen these small, hairless, long-lived, cancer-resistant, burrowing rodents before.
Malayan Flying Fox At the other end of the environmental-habitat spectrum, high in the tops of the Fragile Forest, we find greater flying foxes feeding on watermelon and carrot.
Malayan Flying Fox These large frugivorous bats have a fox-like faces and long sharp claws.
Butterflies on Watermelon Sometimes the butterflies beat the bats to the fruit.
Ring-Tailed Lemurs Many of the lemurs have free-range of the zoo, but being very social creatures, they are mostly seen in clumps.
Big Eyes Endemic to the island of Madagascar, ring-tailed lemurs are said to have a cat-like appearance, but with those eye-rings, they remind me more of racoons.
Furry Fingers Lemur fingers are slender and padded on the underside, with a leathery texture to help with climbing.
Almost Abstract: Crocodile Scales and Bamboo Reflections Saltwater crocodiles are the largest known living reptile. Looking at this one – almost invisible under the water – it is easy to see how they can ambush their prey.
As much as I’d prefer to see these animals in the wild, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to wander around this much-awarded zoo where such a wide range of creatures is available to us.
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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And it gave us even more appreciation for the comfort of the modern vessel we were travelling on.
This year’s Kumbh Mela is in Haridwar again, and again began on 14th January. I can’t help but wonder how different it must be,
