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January 26 Living in La La LandThere is a beautiful African Paradise Flycatcher that sits on a branch outside my window, deserted beaches where I swim with dolphins, there are storks and eagles in the mountains, banana, papaya and coconut plantations by the roadsides, camels wandering along the roads, a sultan's palace and a frankincense souq. It is said that the Queen of Sheba once had a palace here too. Where am I? You might think I must be living in La La Land, but this place is for real and I'm living in Salalah.
Not many people outside the Arabian Peninsula seem to know about Salalah, except for a few Swedish tourists who fly down here for the winter sun, the occasional group of birdwatchers, and the migrant workers from Kerala and the Philippines who work in the shops, hotels and restaurants.
So, where, you might ask, is this place? Well, it stands on the north-western shore of the Indian Ocean, a two-hour drive from the Yemeni border and a twelve hour drive, through the Dhofar mountains and across the desert, to Muscat. It is an area known as the Land of Frankincense and it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city reached its peak in the 12th century, when it traded with Africa, India and China. Its major export was frankincense, but it also traded Arabian horses and gold. During the 14th century it was still a major trading port, when it was visited by Ibn Battuta.
To be contd.
 
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