candice jan 14 2016

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Candice mentions taking a dhow trip around the fjords in Musandam as her favourite day trip anywhere in the world. “I always recommend friends who are visiting Dubai to make time for a day or two in Musandam.” A N intrepid traveller, writer and animal lover has left lasting impressions about the Sultanate which she happened to visit over the years calling it an ‘undiscovered jewel.’ She says there are great things to do in Oman and has come out with some of the top 12 things to do during a visit. Candice Bain from Scotland, is a writer at a luxury travel blog, a therapist and a blogger. She loves camping, outdoor activities and anything from hiking to cycling or kayaking. “Oman is full of stunning natural beauty, history, and opportunities for adventure that is blessed with friendly and welcoming people. With over 500 forts, turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs, the ruggedly beautiful Al Hajar mountains, and the shimmering sands of the Wahiba dunes, the country is an undiscovered jewel.” Having travelled to around 60 countries and lived in five, with home for now being Chiang Mai in northern Thailand where she lives with their rescue dog, Mango, which she brought when she and husband Steve Jenkins, moved from Dubai. Candice admits Sultanate is probably safer than your home country. “There are so many things to do and see in Oman that you will be spoiled for choice and it’s one of my favourite places, I have been many times and always look forward to returning always. As a wide traveller, she lists some of the 12 great things to do while in the Sultanate.” 1 GET AWAY FROM IT ALL: “How many people do you know who’ve been to Oman? Unless you live in the Gulf region there’s a good chance the answer is ‘none’. Oman has lots of space, not many people and few tourists. It’s a great place to get away from the crowds but tourism is growing so the advice is to go soon and discover the country before the rest of the world catches on.” 2 VISIT OVER 500 FORTS: “Yes, 500! There are forts dotted around the country with the biggest concentration in the northern one third of the country. Many are little more than ruins but some have been restored and give a sense of life in the past: Bahla fort, the oldest and a World Heritage site, stands in a charming town with winding alleyways, old mosques and a traditional souk. Or there’s Nizwa fort, built around 1650 by the imam who expelled the Portuguese from Oman and is one of the best known sites in the country. Nizwa souk is one of the biggest in the country selling everything from meat and vegetables to handicrafts, pottery and jewellery. On Friday morning the souk is busy with villagers who come to buy and sell goats, donkeys, cattle and sheep. Muttrah fort, sitting atop a rocky hillside in Muscat, was built in the 1580s by the Portuguese and captured by the Omanis about 70 year later. You can climb the steep staircase to the outside of the fort (it’s currently closed for renovation) and gaze out to the Gulf of Oman and the shipping routes the fort once protected.” 3 SEE THE DESERT TURN LUSH AND GREEN: “In the summer months, when the rest of the Arabian Peninsula is arid, brown and baking under an unforgiving sun, Salalah in southern Oman is wrapped in the cooling mists of a monsoon. The Khareef is a south western monsoon which turns the desert around the city lush and green UNDISCOVERED JEWEL Liju Cherian Candice Bain Pictures by: Candice Bain TRENDS 28 January 14, 2016 Travel Travel 29 January 14, 2016

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Page 1: Candice Jan 14 2016

Candice mentions taking a dhow trip around the fjords in Musandam as her favourite day trip anywhere in the world. “I always recommend

friends who are visiting Dubai to make time for a day or two in Musandam.”

AN intrepid traveller, writer and animal lover has left lasting impressions about the Sultanate which she happened to visit over

the years calling it an ‘undiscovered jewel.’ She says there are great things to do in Oman and has come out with some of the top 12 things to do during a visit. Candice Bain from Scotland, is a writer

at a luxury travel blog, a therapist and a blogger. She loves camping, outdoor activities and anything from hiking to cycling or kayaking. “Oman is full of stunning natural beauty,

history, and opportunities for adventure that is blessed with friendly and welcoming people. With over 500 forts, turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs, the ruggedly beautiful Al Hajar mountains, and the shimmering sands of the Wahiba dunes, the country is an undiscovered jewel.” Having travelled to around 60 countries

and lived in five, with home for now being Chiang Mai in northern Thailand where she lives with their rescue dog, Mango, which she brought when she and husband Steve Jenkins, moved from Dubai.Candice admits Sultanate is probably

safer than your home country. “There are so many things to do and see in Oman that you will be spoiled for choice and it’s one of my favourite places, I have been many times and always look forward to returning always. As a wide traveller, she lists some of the 12 great things to do while in the Sultanate.”1 GET AWAY FROM IT ALL: “How many

people do you know who’ve been to Oman? Unless you live in the Gulf region there’s a good chance the answer is ‘none’. Oman has lots of space, not many people and few tourists. It’s a great place to get away from the crowds but tourism is growing so the advice is to go soon and discover the country before the rest of the world catches on.”

2 VISIT OVER 500 FORTS: “Yes, 500! There are forts dotted around the country with the biggest concentration in the northern one third of the country. Many are little more than ruins but some have been restored and give a sense of life in the past: Bahla fort, the oldest and a World Heritage site, stands in a charming town with winding alleyways, old mosques and a traditional souk. Or there’s Nizwa fort, built around 1650 by the imam who expelled the Portuguese from Oman and is one of the best known sites in the country. Nizwa souk is one of the biggest in the

country selling everything from meat and vegetables to handicrafts, pottery and jewellery. On Friday morning the souk is busy with villagers who come to buy and sell goats, donkeys, cattle and sheep. Muttrah fort, sitting atop a rocky hillside in Muscat, was built in the 1580s by the Portuguese and captured by the Omanis about 70 year later. You can climb the steep staircase to the outside of the fort (it’s currently closed for renovation) and gaze out to the Gulf of Oman and the shipping routes the fort once protected.”3 SEE THE DESERT TURN LUSH AND

GREEN: “In the summer months, when the rest of the Arabian Peninsula is arid, brown and baking under an unforgiving sun, Salalah in southern Oman is wrapped in the cooling mists of a monsoon. The Khareef is a south western monsoon which turns the desert around the city lush and green

UNDISCOVERED

JEWEL Liju Cherian

Candice Bain

Pictures by: Candice Bain

TR

EN

DS

28 January 14, 2016

Travel Travel

29January 14, 2016

Page 2: Candice Jan 14 2016

between July and September. People flock here from all over the Gulf region to escape the scorching heat at home and to explore the souks and dramatic coastline.”4 WATCH DOLPHINS PLAY ALONGSIDE

TRADITIONAL DHOW: “Ten different kinds of dolphins can be found in Omani waters with the coast of Musandam and the sea off Muscat being the most popular areas to view them. The thrill of watching these smart, social cetaceans in their natural habitat is amazing.”5 HIKE THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN AND MARVEL

AT GRAND CANYON: “Rising over 3,000 metres from the surrounding plains, highest mountain in the Arabian Peninsula, Jebel Shams, is a barren, rugged limestone land of high peaks, deep canyons and million-year-old fossils. As you drive up the precipitous, winding mountain road you pass an abandoned village; tracks lead to other villages, inhabited but unseen and goats forage by the roadside.There are marked hiking trails on the mountain.

You can take a relatively easy walk along the edge of the spectacular Wadi Ghul, the 1,000m deep chasm popularly known as the Grand Canyon of Oman, or a challenging hike up to southern summit of the ‘sun mountain’ as Jebel Shams means in Arabic. Sturdy hiking boots are recommended for the hike up the mountain as the path is very rocky and uneven.

There are simple small resorts on the mountain or you can wild camp if you bring everything you need with you.”6 EXPLORE 1,700 KM OF COASTLINE: “Ranging

from deserted sandy beaches to rugged rocky cliffs, the coastline has something to please everyone. Find a peaceful piece of beach to call your own; watch the waves of the Arabian Sea crash against the rocks in the south; or hook up with a local fisherman and accompany him out to sea for a glimpse of the coastline from the water.”7 CRUISE THE ‘NORWAY OF ARABIA’ IN THE

MUSANDAM PENINSULA: “A stunning enclave encircled by the UAE, Musandam is where the barren mountains of the Northern Al Hajar mountain range crash down into the glittering waters of the Arabian Gulf. Take a cruise through fjords on a traditional wooden dhow, pass villages only accessible by sea, snorkel amid multi-coloured fish in the warm clear waters of the Strait of Hormuz, and watch pods of dolphins play alongside the boat. Accessible as a day trip from Dubai this is one of my favourite days out anywhere in the world.” 8 GET YOUR THRILLS IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS:

“With mountains, desert and sea, Oman is an ideal outdoor adventure destination offering an array of adventures: hiking, rock climbing, via ferrata, kite surfing, caving, canyoning and scuba diving to name but a few. Go on an organised tour or do it on your own.”

9 EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF TURTLE NESTING SEASON: “Every year around 20,000 sea turtles make their way to the beaches of Oman to lay their eggs and the Sultanate takes its important conservation role seriously, with strong penalties for anybody caught harming the creatures. Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species can be found here, including green turtles and loggerhead turtles. Raz al Jinz Turtle Centre is an eco-tourism project within a nature reserve dedicated to protecting green turtles and their natural environment. Guests at the centre can take a nightly guided walk to witness green turtles struggle ashore and painstakingly excavate a hole for their eggs before carefully covering them over with sand and heading back out to sea. It’s a magical experience to watch these magnificent creatures under the light of the moon.”10 EXPLORE THE WAHIBA SANDS AND

THE EMPTY QUARTER: “Follow in the footsteps of the great explorer Wilfred Thesiger who trekked through the Wahiba Sands on the edge of the world’s biggest sand desert, the Rub al Khali – the Empty Quarter – in search of the fabled Lost City of Ubar. Today there is luxury Bedouin style eco camps allowing visitors to experience the stunning beauty of the dunes without the hardship that Thesiger endured.”11 HAGGLE AT A TRADITIONAL SOUK

OR BE AWED AT THE GRAND MOSQUE: “Muscat, has developed rapidly since His Majesty came to power in 1970 but remains an utterly charming city. The mainly white, low rise buildings are scattered amid rocky hills leading down to the ports of Muttrah and Old Muscat. The pride of the city is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque which can hold 20,000 worshippers and is open to non-Muslims. There’s also an international opera house, a fort, the buzzing Muttrah souk, a palace complex, museums, lots of great restaurants and fantastic luxury hotels.”12 GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING FOR

SOME GREAT DRIVING: “From about 16 km of paved road in 1970, there is a network of around 13,000 km of very well maintained roads throughout the Sultanate. With thousands of kilometres more of graded road the country is a dream for drivers whether on the excellent highways or for

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the more adventurous driving off road through wadis and mountains.” Talking about her impressions of Oman, Candice

says Oman is a beautiful country with a lot to offer tourists. “I love the scenery, the friendly people and the history. I’ve been to over 50 countries and Oman is definitely one of my favourites,” she admits.Candice mentions taking a dhow trip around

the fjords in Musandam as her favourite day trip anywhere in the world. “I always recommend friends who are visiting Dubai to make time for a day or two in Musandam.”She has visited Oman on several occasions, staying

anything from three days to a week. She definitely loves to wander through the interiors on a ‘very’ hot summer’s day, taking photos of road signs in Arabic like the one pictured outside the small village of Al

Taff in Northern Oman.

However, she prefers more hotels in the wilayats or interiors and suggests some good quality boutique hotels spread throughout the country which would be very welcomed by the tourists.

“Oman has some amazing hotels at the moment but they are mostly concentrated around Muscat. I was looking around for luxury or boutique hotels to review and struggled to find any outside of the capital.”

During her previous visit she planned to hike to the summit of Jebel Shams but broke her foot just hours before she was due to fly. “I didn’t find out it was broken till I finally went to the hospital weeks later so I hobbled around Jebel Shams with a walking stick anyway and the visit didn’t go to plan at all.”

“Oman has some amazing hotels at the moment but they are mostly concentrated around Muscat. I was looking around

for luxury or boutique hotels to review and struggled to find any

outside of the capital.”

Candice shares her travels, tips and adventures on the blog, Desert to Jungle. She also writes for A Luxury Travel Blog.com, Luxury and Boutique Hotels.com. She can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/DesertToJungle and Twitter as Desert2Jungle

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