Jebel Akhdhar

Today we went on a trip with Andy, Lee and some of the boarders up to Jebel Akhdhar, a breathtaking range of mountains about 150km from Muscat. I'm pretty sure that keen geologists would have a proverbial, and genuine, field day because some of the rock formations on show were spectacular. So first of all we had a wander through a wadi, where I met yet another Yorkshireman (there are more of us out here than back at home!); then we were invited by our guide to lunch at someone's house, so off we drove to a nearby village; upon entering this house we meandered into a living room, the edge of the floor lined with cushions, to be greeted by about ten Omanis, the aforementioned Yorkshireman and his cronies, and a crew of South Africans. Lunch and chatting followed, then a poem in Zulu from one of the South Africans. Not something you hear every day of the week. From there we stopped off on the way back to school at "Diana's Point", a vantage point at the top of a magnificent valley where Princess Diana came on a trip to Oman.

What really struck us today is how welcoming the Omani people are: lunch was offered to the fifteen or so of us in the group without hesitation, and without acceptance of payment in return. Also, while Marcus and I were standing at the Wadi waiting for the others, a total stranger came up to us, greeted us, shook our hands, and started chatting.

They're either welcoming, or extremely nosey.