Crete had been enjoyable – a few degrees warmer weather would have been ideal, but such is life, you just can’t have it your way all the time 😟. But, what you don’t want to hear ( and we did hear it ) is that “it’s usually hotter than this by late March” ( of course it is – when we are not here ! ).
Back in Athens all was well, apart from the van being blanketed in dust ( courtesy of a storm the day before ) – this time we did not have any battery issues, it fired up right away. Only a trip to the car wash, laundromat and grocery store stood between us and departure for Italy, a 10 hour, two day trip north to the port city of Igoumenitsa, from which we would ferry across the Adriatic Sea, to Brindisi in Italy.
Grimaldi ferry from Igoumenitsa, Greece, to Brindisi, Italy. Cutting across the bottom of the Adriatic Sea by ferry to southern Italy saved a LOT of driving, most of which would have been a duplication of previous travels.
While ferries are an essential and typically expensive nuisance in Europe, the route from Igoumenitsa to Brindisi is a godsend. Threading a narrow gap between Corfu and Albania, the route takes just 8 hours to cross the ( almost always calm ) Adriatic Sea. Assuming you are next headed to Sicily ( having initially travelled down to Greece via Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania, as we had ) and don’t wish to repeat that lengthy, and mountainous route ( not to mention at least 5 border crossings ), the Adriatic ferry crossing turns an almost week long journey into a very comfortable 8 hour, €175 “cruise” (of sorts). It’s an awfully circuitous route from Igoumenitsa in Greece to Brindisi in Italy without that ferry ( take a look at the map in the image above ) !
Via Roma, Brindisi ( downtown ).
One of the benefits of travelling in March is being able to simply roll up to the ticket window, pay, and literally drive on to the ship (impossible in summer), with the ferry port also doubling as a quiet, secure wild camp for the night before. As always, one enjoys the company of other van travellers at such places and we spent time there and on the crossing with a delightful French/Czech couple and their lovely daughter. The ferry was barely a quarter full, the Adriatic was like glass and before we knew it the lights of Brindisi were coming into view. Arriving late, most with vans camped by the port itself, as we did.
Old town fortifications, Brindisi.
Here we bumped into another couple Martin ( a Brit ) and Anna ( Hungarian) with whom we travelled on to our first stop in Italy, the historic city of Lecce. Lesser known than other Italian cities, it is however no less beautiful. Situated in the heart of Puglia, and known as the “Florence of the south”, Lecce is known for its substantial Roman -era archaeological ruins as well as impressive 17th century baroque style buildings.
“Sprinter time” – enjoyed comparing notes with Martin and Anna who have the short wheel base version of our van. We like the extra space but envy their easier time parking and driving on the tight roads in Europe.Is there anything cooler than an Italian police car ? A beautiful black Alfa Romeo.A section of the Roman ruins in Lecce.Right in the heart of the city, the excavations are ongoing.Lecce’s streets are beautiful.Landmark building in the Piazza Del Duomo.Basilica di Santa Croce, Lecce
From Lecce, a little zig-zagging followed, through Puglia passing coastal Monopoli, Polignano then on to a fascinating place neither of us knew anything about – Alberobello, home of the trulli/trullo structures. Packed with tourists and very interesting to explore, it’s a definite stop for anyone passing this way.
Trulli village on Alberobello.Famed for the whitewashed houses with conical roofs, the stones of which use no mortar.Alberobello.Alberobello back street.
Our final destination this week was beautiful Matera, recognized as one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities and renowned for its “Sassi” – ancient cave dwellings carved into limestone rock. If any of the pictures below look familiar, it was a significant filming location for Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ” ( the James Bond film, “No Time To Die” was also set here). At a distance the whole village looks like a medieval-era community with nothing immediately visible to suggest you are in 2026 ( so a perfect film backdrop, especially for Mel Gibson’s epic).
Matera. A most authentic Italian town, often used in movies as a backdrop.Famed for it’s “Sassi” cave structures.Also beautiful to wander and explore. More Matera.Matera’s original cistern, cut out of rock. It used to supply the town with water.Known also for its great food !
So there was lots going on this week, but as with Greece the distances here are mostly not great, making it pretty easy getting from town to town. From here we’ll head northwest towards Naples and Pompei before turning south towards Sicily.
There were a few things that excited us about being back in Europe ( in Greece specifically). Back in our van, with everything at our fingertips and the ability to roam and stay wherever we pleased was probably the biggest thing, but there were others; not fussing with Ramadan food restrictions, back to familiar rules and etiquettes, and just the sense that you were back to a place much more like home. We’d miss the people from the Middle East, especially their incredible hospitality, the wide open spaces, the exotic feel, and of course, the weather ( always perfect there this time of year, but still a bit cool in Europe ). Nice also to be a little further away from a war zone !
Temple of Poseidon, just south of Athens. Kind of stumbled on this while taking the van out for a run – needed to dust off the cobwebs after 7 weeks in storage.
Prematurely departing from the Gulf did complicate our plans in more ways than one – another 2 to 3 weeks there ( the original plan ) would have been ideal and have given us time to complete the sights in ideal conditions. The first issue was that we would now miss those 3 weeks of perfect weather there and, consequently face cooler weather than we had planned for back in Europe ( we’d not expected to be back so soon ). Already sailing pretty close to the wind with expectations ( hopes ? ) of reliable good weather in April, being back in Europe in March would be pushing it. Not unbearable, by any stretch, but certainly not beach weather just yet, even in Europe’s far south. Alas, one must be adaptable, there was little choice in the matter this time !
The other matter to contend with was arranging flights home and securing safe, affordable storage for the van while we returned home for the Canadian summer. Our goal was to be home in May in time for the arrival of grand baby # 2. Normally we’d do this rather spontaneously ( as is our way ) but the with flight prices skyrocketing due to the Iran situation ( and seat availability shrinking ), it made sense to book flights now ( done, for a May departure ) from a city we thought we could reach based on an itinerary we hoped was reasonable over the coming 2 months. Venturing back to the Caucuses and on to the Stan’s was not going to fit into our remaining time now ( an adventure for another day, perhaps ), so we plotted a loose plan for travels around the northern rim of the Mediterranean, heading west from Greece, still keeping us well south and thus as warm as possible given the time of year. This would involve some ferries ( inevitable ) but would provide us new territory to explore ( a key consideration ) – the south of Italy, including Sicily, possibly Tunisia, and on to Sardinia and Corsica. We would then exit home from Barcelona. Fingers crossed, anyway – if the last month has taught us anything it is to keep one’s plans very flexible !
Our plans in the coming two months would be restricted to this area, ending in Barcelona from which we planned to fly home after storing the van.
Crete, the furthest south of Greece’s islands, would be our first destination. It is also Greece’s biggest island, though still quite small, similar in size to Cyprus. We’d not been before, it was highly regarded, and being so far south it should be warmer than almost anywhere else in Europe. The fact that it was a major crossroads of several great civilizations, home to beautiful beaches and other stunning landscapes just added to the appeal. A quick look at ferry options and costs ( for the week we planned on the island ) made clear that it was far more cost effective just to fly over ( only 45 mins ), rent a car and stay in Crete pensions and AirBnB’s. Our van was safe in Athens, so we left it stored for the longer trip ahead. Crete being famous for its tight, curvy mountain roads, a sporty little European manual/standard sedan would be more fun than a campervan anyway.
The friendly Europcar agent gave us a very sporty six speed standard Skoda Fabia ( a real rocket as we would later discover ! ).An absolute joy to be driving a 6 speed standard/manual around Crete’s mountainous terrain ! I was like a kid with a new toy 🙂
Heraklion, the capital and biggest city is where most start and so did we. Famed for its Venetian architecture, ruins, old port and especially its strategic fort ( tussled over for centuries by Romans, Ventians and Ottomans ) Heraklion was an enjoyable start to our explorations.
Old Venetian Fort, Heraklion. Controlled by many powers over the the last thousand years, still in remarkable shape!It was designed to last for long sieges and did that before i before ultimately falling to the Ottomans before Greece took control again when the Ottoman Empire fell.View from the Fort.
West of Heraklion one travels along the scenic northern coast road, passing Rethymno and historic Chania (the latter definitely the prettier of the two and where we overnighted ). The Chania waterfront and historic Venetian architecture in this port side city are the big draws and we could see why, very easy to explore and soak it up.
North coast of Crete.Old town, Rythemno.Rimoni fountain , Rythemno.Venetian era lighthouse, Rythemno.Old fort, Rythemno..Harbour, Rythemno.Chania harbour.Venetian era ruins, Chania.
One of the great natural features of Crete are its beaches, Balos beach at its western extremity among its more famous. Sadly, a rare cloudy and somewhat overcast day diminished its appeal so we moved on. Continuing south, Elafonisis, famed for its shallow waters and unique pink sand was next on our itinerary. It’s definitely pretty and the pink sand is certainly unique, though the water was still a bit cold for swimming.
Pink sand of Elafonissi beach.Pink, yes, but not quite as stunning as we had expected.
Our generally anticlockwise direction took us on to the popular seaside town of Palaiochora, probably the prettiest setting for a little town we’d seen so far. Pretty enough that we spent a couple of very relaxing days there. Great restaurants, nice walks, endless seaside views and a very relaxed vibe.
Pretty Palaiochora, where we spent a couple of days.Palaiochora town. No one gets up early here !Our little boutique beachfront hotel in Palaiochora.A Cretan dinner, loved the beer.Sunset view, Palaiochora.
Leaving Palaiochora the relatively “good” weather ended. The sunny days became overcast, the temperature dropped and out last few days there were restricted to some historic sights, mountain vistas and exploring the old towns. Forget any notion of hikes, even ( we really timed this part badly ) – a visit to the famed Samaria Gorge for the full day hike to the coast ( one of Europe’s most famous ) highlighted just how out of season we were. I asked the staffer when the gorge would open ( noticing the “closed” sign across our path ) – “May 1”, he replied, much to our dismay. It was cooler, yes, but absolutely hike-able weather; both ourselves and a very disappointed Polish couple (who were looking for ways to get past the “closed” sign) couldn’t figure out why the season opening was so late ? I suspect we were not the only ones.
Samaria GorgeUnfortunately the gorge was closed till May 1, disappointing because it’s one of Europe’s best known hikes ( and all down hill, to the sea ).
Our final days took us across the central part of the island, east across the south coast to pretty Ierapetra, en route passing through Hora Sfakion, and Preveli beach ( with its spectacular backdrop ). Sadly the weather did not warm up enough to do anything other than admire each of these places and we even got rained on as we wound our way back towards the north coast and the capital, Heraklion.
Hora SfakionIerapetra, south coast.The stunning oasis-like setting of Preveli beach. View across the north coast toward Heraklion.Traditional Cretan windmill.
Our week there seemed to fly by and with more ideal weather we’d have extended our stay. We found Crete easy to travel, much greener than expected ( I think we had imagined it to be much dryer, like Crete was ) and steeped in history. The particularly enjoyable driving experience ( I’d forgotten how much I liked a standard/manual car ! ) went some way to offsetting the lack of beach weather – it’s a place we’d consider returning to but best visited a month or so later than when we did.
As much as we never, ever, felt threatened in Oman and were very sad to leave it, it was a relief when our plane touched down in Cairo – almost 5 hours flying time from Muscat, and thus far from any possibility of entanglement in the hostilities back in the Gulf states. Tellingly, once we told our Cairo taxi driver that we’d flown in from the Gulf, he looked at us both and said, “Relax, my friends – in Egypt, you are safe !”.
On arrival in Giza, late afternoon distant view from our hotel room, the pyramids, about 1km away. We noticed the same “haze” here we have seen all over the Middle East ( not good for photos !).
We were safe, and it certainly was nice to be in Cairo for the extended stopover on our way back to Athens. One still could not fully escape the war – it was all people talked about and of course it was all over the newspapers and TV. Physically removed, yes, but still very much in your face and many people arriving in Cairo ( like us ) were using it as a safe conduit out of a very troubled region. We would do our best to just put it behind us and enjoy the three full days we had here – one for Giza ( Pyramids ), one for the Grand Egyptian Museum, and one for exploring this exotic ( but incredibly chaotic ) city of 23,000,000 straddling the estuary of the world’s longest river – Africa’s famous Nile. No time for Egypt’s southern charms which we’d explored on our first visit here way back in 1989. It would be interesting to see what had changed in 37 years.
The next day, am. Much clearer ! And of course, much closer.Up close.Lois, at the base of the pyramids giving a sense of the size of the blocks. Still boggles the mind how they did this so very long ago ,!
One thing that had not changed was the tenacity of Egypt’s tourism pedlars- they are just all over you like a rash ! The instant you clear the airport, walk out of your hotel or step out of an Uber/taxi – omnipresent. Arrive at a tourist site and you’ll constantly be offered “best price” on a guide, rubbed with “genuine” sandalwood oil or assailed to buy myriad local trinkets. In our experience, Egypt and Morocco rank at, or near, the top when it comes to the intensity of in your face interactions – always with a smile, of course, but it does get exhausting. None of that stuff in peaceful Oman so I guess we perhaps felt it a lot more here. Some of them just cannot understand how you don’t want to be “chaperoned” by a local at all times ! If you value tranquility, Cairo is probably not your place 😉.
Away from the crowds, a relaxing view of the Sphinx and pyramids from a rooftop coffee shop on the Giza plateau.
So, that all aside ( and just accepted, eventually, as the way it is here ) our few days in the city were most enjoyable. The pyramids never cease to amaze and justifiably deserve their claim to a “7 world wonder” spot. Often measured against Macchu Picchu, it’s a toss up. The Egyptians at least had the smarts to build their structures on easily accessible flat land so probably had the easier time of it ( Macchu Picchu is deep in the mountains ). Bonus for us – the Sphinx was free of scaffolding this visit and much more photogenic as a result.
Sphinx, up close. Against the pyramids it always seems smaller than one might imagine.Another angle, Sphinx.
In 2025 Egypt’s antiquities were all moved from the old “Egyptian Museum” in downtown Cairo to the stunning and enormous “Grand Egyptian Museum” complex out in Giza, right near the pyramids ( the two sites eventually to be connected ). Makes it easy to combine them but a comprehensive visit to both is best done over two days – there is so much to see. Star of the show is the gold bust/mask of Tutankhamen – with a separate lineup, managed by usher’s, just to photograph the former boy king. It’s truly impressive – not just the mask but the other golden accoutrements that were part of his world.
Entering the enormous Grand Egyptian Museum. Ramses was one star of the show, but…….….everyone beelined it here, to see………..THIS GUY ! Tutankhamen. One had to line up to take photos.His golden chariot.There you have it, no expaese spared for Tutankhamen.Tutankhamen’s mummy ( see description below ).From Tutankhamen.Typical art/writing/imagery.King Khufu’s boat, unearthed near the Great Pyramid in 1954 and substantially reconstructed.
On our final day we walked all over the city, along the Nile, and into various markets. The days were a bit quieter than expected but the nights made up for it – during Ramadan, cities in the Arab world come alive and Cairo is no exception. They are real night owls, even kids stay up and shops stay open till the wee hours. Traffic here is just insane and simply crossing a road can be a death defying experience – the golden rule is not to stop !
A view north along the Nile showing it’s famous Corniche on the right.Typical downtown Cairo street. Hands down the noisiest city we have ever visited !Why let a seat go to waste when you are moving across town ? Give someone a ride ! Motorcycles everywhere, never saw a helmet in all the time we were there ( safety not a big concern, obviously ).Always interesting to wander the backstreets, like this one.While the Middle East war has pushed up fuel prices globally ( we are dreading what we’ll have to pay for diesel back in Europe – it was scandalous BEFORE this war ), they have it good in Egypt. Here, a fuel station sign showing petrol at $0.39 US per litre and diesel at just $0.20 US per litre. One never even thinks about fuel prices here or in the Gulf countries, but you do in Europe. Greece is at 1.8 Euros, or just over $2.00 US per litre – ten times the price in Egypt.
Apart from some pretty intense airport security (and several roadside checks en route ) exiting Cairo was uneventful. As we looked down on the Med from 36,000ft up, we reflected on our last crossing from Egypt to Greece, almost 36 years ago- then at sea level, crewing on an old Swedish tall ship, the Gulmar ( see appendix: A Walk Down Memory Lane ). This time faster and smoother, of course, though devoid of any sense of adventure. We were actually ok with it, we’d had enough “adventure” in the past 10 days to last us a while 🙂.
Till next week….
A Walk Down Memory Lane: —————————————-
Our trip from Egypt to Greece this time reminded us of the first time we did this many years ago. It was 1990, we’d backpacked across Asia to the Middle East and found ourselves looking for an option to get across the Mediterranean to Greece, most likely flying. In the lobby of our backpacker hotel, on a bulletin board, was a familiar handwritten note by the captain of an old Swedish tall ship looking for crew to sail through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean to Rhodes, Greece. I say “familiar” because we had seen the same note in a backpacker hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, looking for people to crew the same ship from there across the Indian Ocean to Suez, at the bottom of the canal. We were not brave enough to tackle an ocean crossing so passed on that opportunity. We felt it was fate that we got a second kick at the can in Egypt some months later, so signed up. Had an amazing time with other young crew members from all over the world. Some pics below:
The last time we crossed the “Med” ( Egypt to Greece ) was 36 years ago ( we were much younger of course ! ), when we crewed on the Swedish tall ship, “Gulmar” as it was completing a round the world trip picking up crew in different ports. We sailed from Port Said to Rhodes. Here, Lois is stepping over sundry backpacks as we leave from the north end of the Suez Canal.Yours truly relaxing up front ( on the left ). Ironically the Mediterranean was literally dead calm, did not put a sail up and motored all the way to Rhodes ( much to the captain’s disappointment! ).
As of last week’s blog we advised that, with the tempo changing quickly in the region, and out of an abundance of caution, very regrettably, we made our way out of Oman. In short, we drove 1200kms in two days, straight back to Muscat from Salalah ( missing many of the very sights we had come to Oman to see ), dropped the car off and flew out to Cairo, Egypt ( more on “Why Cairo ?” later ). There was much more complexity ( in what may have seemed like a pretty simple decision ) than one might realize so I’ll elaborate further on that in the passages below – see the last section, headed “Behind the Scenes”. Skip it if you are just pleased to know that we are safe, that we are “out”, and the machinations don’t matter – it’s at the very bottom of the blog. But first, here’s what our last days in wonderful Oman looked like – we were very sad to leave so soon and to have missed many of its greatest attractions.
The weather has been literally perfect for the last seven weeks ( Oman being no exception ) so we spent a lot of time poolside and beachside, knowing that, back in Europe it will be some time before we’ll be able to enjoy either. Soak it up while you can, we figured. Had a most enjoyable few days with our Swiss friends before the decision was made to pull the pin – ironically, they left Salalah the very same day.
Palapa’s on the beach provided by our hotel. It was tough making the decision to leave this.In our haste to return to Muscat we very sadly had to drive right by some of Oman’s greatest attractions ( Wadi Shab, Bimma Sinkhole among them ). We did see a few lesser wadi’s, such as this.The road back to Muscat, mostly along the coast, provided a different topography than the inland route we travelled south on.Arriving back in Muscat, much earlier than we had expected, and with very limited time to explore it.
Heading north back towards Muscat there were some of Oman’s best sights still ahead of us and with our original schedule allowing for a few days sightseeing at these locations we chose a route ( substantially coastal ) that would have taken them all in. Then came some further news that rocked us somewhat – Salalah, where we had spent a peaceful and fun week, was just attacked by a drone ( they hit the port, quite a way out of town, and no casualties or material damage was suffered, but it was unsettling, no question ). We decided then and there to move our exit date forward as far as we could. There would only be time to get to Muscat, visit ( briefly ) with friends Al and Barb, and see a bit of Muscat before we needed to be on a plane. Tired, but happy to be there, we reached Muscat, had an afternoon and evening with them, taking in a few sights, and then flew out the next day. It just all seemed to happen so fast.
Good friends, Al and Barb, in front of their house, where we stayed on our way into, and, rather suddenly, on our way out of Oman.The American International School in Muscat ( TAISM ), where our friends teach. Many embassy personnel kids attend, and it’s an American school, so they had access to updates direct from the US Embassy.A good time was had by all…..In our last half day in Muscat we got a little tour of the city – thanks Al !Selfie ( with Corona’s to celebrate getting together ! ).Enjoyed an evening drink on Al’s deck.Muscat’s famous Sultan Qaboos Mosque.The fort.Omani men enjoying “iftar” after the daily fast ends ( sunset, during Ramadan ).
So that was how the week ( or almost a week ) played out. I’m writing this from chaotic Cairo and by the time it goes out we should be back in Athens with our van- back doing our usual thing !
Till next week…..
Behind The Scenes – The Decision To Leave ( And What Was Involved )
Neither of us are ones to easily panic, and make plans in haste- we usually carefully weigh things up logically and calmly and try to filter out the “noise” then make rational decisions about when and where we travel, considering any risks that may be involved. Nor was this our first time dealing with “drama” – we’d navigated our way safely out of China during the Tiananmen protests of June, 1989 ( the long way out – over the Karakoram Highway to Pakistan ! ), and safely exited Chile as the Covid pandemic exploded around the world in March 2020. These things happen ( sadly ) and our usual approach is to keep calm and carry on, whenever we possibly can. We could have done so here, but a few things played on our mind this time cementing the decision to leave:
1) Getting stuck here with no way out ( and it can happen ) would be no fun, even though Al and Barb had graciously offered us their place “for as long as we needed” ( thanks again, guys ! ). So we were better off than most, some with no place to stay if things got bad.
2) We of course have family (and friends) concerned about our well-being and we don’t want to be stressed, nor have people stressing over us, especially our very pregnant daughter carrying our second grandchild – we definitely plan to be home for the birth and any protracted issue here could jeopardize that. We knew people that got stuck in South America for many months during Covid. It does happen ! We do read, and follow, government advisories from the Canadian government ( as well as others, including Australia – we find they generally align their advice ). See the video above which references the sources we had access to. We also had access to the US government advisories, and since it is the US that really knows what is going on here we ultimately put serious stock in their commentaries regarding the Gulf crisis. It was one of theirs that actually cemented our decision to pull out
3) Finally, we felt we’d had a lot of “luck” so far and did not want to push it. It was absolutely the right call NOT to bring our van over here from Greece- glad we did not have that to worry about. Just getting ourselves out was a major headache and considerable expense, the mind boggles at how we would have shipped our van out ( not via the Israeli port we would have shipped in through, certainly ! ). The major shipping lines were cancelling services all over the Middle East. We definitely made a lucky call there. We also left Saudi just before it got hit and then left Bahrain shortly after that – literally days before missiles landed there. We left Salalah here in Oman and just hours later a drone landed there. We seemed to be luckier whenever we moved, so figured it was just best to get out while we were ahead.
Just one of the many bulletins about shipping challenges in and around the region. If you could get space on a ship out of the Arabian Peninsula ( and you almost certainly could not ) I can’t imagine the cost. So glad we did not have to.
Below is a series of images that show what we were seeing here on TV, and when we were seeing it, as well as the various government travel advisories that were coming in ( and when ). It was initially calm, then just a generally escalating tone, (not dramatic initially). When the Canadians shifted Oman to “Avoid Non Essential Travel” ( or, leave if you are there and don’t need to be) and around the same time the US State Department advised all Americans to “Get out of the Middle East, by commercial means while you can”, we just pushed everything forward, literally flying as soon as we could get on a flight. If it was not safe for Americans, it probably was not for us.
Hotel room, Al Jazeera was the only English language channel. Kept us up to date.An early update on Oman from Canada – be careful , things could get worse here, basically.We had initially bought a Pegasus ticket to Istanbul but when we saw this, decided to buy another ( to Cairo ) just to make sure that, one way or another, we could get out of Oman.As more and more of these messages appeared on airline websites we realized that more UAE and Saudi residents would be flocking to MuscatThings went from “be careful” to “don’t hang around” fairly quickly.Then this one from Canada – basically, don’t stick around, you will be on your own if things get bad. As we were making plans to leave Salalah the next day, this next one was published from the Americans ( below ).This one really had us concerned – essentially, “get the hell out of the whole Middle East as soon as you can, however you can”. Literally impossible for everyone to do that all at once, of course.
We did get questions and suggestions from family, friends and readers, of course. Some asked why we did not just “get out right away”. Nice thought, but when everyone races for the exits at once there just are not enough seats/planes to accommodate. We were also safe, comfortable and there was no advisory from the government to get out of Oman right away. Oman was not even involved for the first 4 or 5 days. We were where everyone wanted to be ( certainly those in the Gulf states ). Others asked “Why did you go to Cairo ?” Simple – there are no direct Muscat to Athens flights, and most indirect flights go via one or other of the Gulf states, all of which were grappling with restricted air space or closed airports. We did not want to be stuck there ! We chose two cities close to Athens that had direct flights and ideally had a flight route away from the area of hostilities – Istanbul and Cairo both qualified, so we bought tickets to both and paid extra to be able to cancel the one we did not use. Cairo just gave us the easiest, fastest route and had an easy connection on the Athens. When we needed to move it forward, it was the easiest ticket to move.
So that’s a little background for those interested. It’s always more complicated than just “jumping on a plane and leaving”. One never knows if the right call was made until the dust settles, hopefully, for everyone’s sake, it settles soon. We were very sorry to leave Oman – loved it there and do plan to revisit at some point in the future. But it certainly feels better to now be on the outside looking in, rather than the other way around.
Driving to Muscat airport we saw a ton of cars with UAE plates, all driving to Oman because Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports were hit and were closed at times. This made getting tickets out much more difficult and of course, MUCH more expensive.Never have we been so happy to see a plane waiting for us at an airport – ever ! Our plane from Muscat to Cairo.
I’ll begin this week’s update with some good news ( in short supply in the Middle East this past week 😳 ). There’s also an update on our current status ( as of March 7 ) at the end of this blog ( more good news ).
Upon arrival in Muscat, Oman, we were (finally !) able to buy some beer and wine (at the airport duty free store )🥳. Not the world’s best value duty free store, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers as they say, and we were very happy just to have it following a month of effective prohibition in both Saudi and Bahrain. I bought a case of Corona and a couple of bottles of wine for Lois. The friendly fellow at the airport store then asked me if I “perhaps wanted a second case ?” ( their liquor allowance is quite generous here ). “No, thanks”, I replied. “Are you sure ?”, he asked, then added that “……it costs 3 times as much in town, and that’s if you can get it – it’s Ramadan here now, you know”. A good salesman – I took the second case 🙂.
Upon arrival in Muscat, a sight for sore eyes ! Beer, wine, spirits, all available, and very welcome after none in either Saudi or Bahrain.A map of Oman, showing the capital, Muscat, in the north and Salalah ( where we would spend most of our time here ) in the very far south. Note the proximity of the much talked about “Strait of Hormuz”, which sits just above Oman.
While not nearly as big as Saudi, as with Saudi there would be some very long drives here in Oman, too. Given the distances, our plan was to tackle the very long drive first up – Muscat to Salalah via the inland ( desert ) route. Everyone we’ve spoken to who had been to Oman before us told us we had to get to Salalah. A really pleasant small city right by the ocean, with palm trees and camels everywhere, along with beautiful beaches – we had long anticipated it. The vibe, we had heard, was very laid-back, something that would appeal after the long drive to get there ( just over 1,000kms ). A quick overnight stay in Muscat with old friends Barb and Al ( teaching in Oman now ) got us rested up for the long drive ahead ( thank you for the superb dinner and gracious hospitality Barb !). The plan was to get to the very bottom of Oman and then slowly work our way back up the east coast, taking in its considerable sights before wrapping up back in Muscat for a few more days visiting again with our friends.
The road south to Salalah often looked like this. Not always…….but often ! It gets mesmerizing after a while.
It all started off so well. The route, while mostly boring desert, took us via historic Nizwa and its famous fort, a nice respite from hours on the road. Finding a hotel in the desert after leaving Nizwa was a challenge but we stumbled up one in the end. We asked in the first town we crossed ( none there ) and were told there was “one” about 120kms further south- like I said, lots of “nothing” here, much like Saudi.
Historic Nizwa Fort, protector of several vital trade routes in days gone by. Very nicely restored and contained an excellent museum.Traditional trade routes across the Arabian peninsula and beyond.Traditional Omani guard, Nizwa Fort. We thought this fellow looked like he came straight off a Hollywood movie set.Inside the fort.Nizwa market,Oasis view from the fort. The setting was postcard-like.Saw this German – plated overland rig parked at Nizwa. I was always happy with our little rental car……until I would see one of these !More scenery on the road to Salalah. There was some variation in the landscape and periodic herds of camels to keep us company.We split the 1,000+ km drive into two long days.Map showing the relative location of Salalah ( blue dot ). Almost in Yemen.
Having reached our AirBnb in Taqah (near Salalah), we were both ready to relax, kick back, enjoy the ocean view and sip on a glass of wine and cold beer. Indeed, we did just that for the first few days – swam, hiked, walked the beach, shopped, toured around and just generally enjoyed the place. The weather was divine, making it all so seemingly perfect…….
Sunset, Taqah beach, out front of our AirBnb, looking east to the Arabian Sea.AirBnB unit, Taqah ( near Salalah ).Interesting- when we shopped there was always a well dressed employee to pack your groceries. We don’t usually see that at home.One could not have ordained more perfect weather. Divine.Salalah.
Then all hell broke loose. News broke of the Israeli/US attacks on Iran, death of the Ayatollah and senior Iranian military personnel , and retaliatory Iranian strikes on Israel and US interests in the Gulf states. While we felt very safe in Oman ( far enough away, and initially not attacked by Iran ), that would change in the coming days. In the meantime many hours of every day were spent glued to the TV ( Al Jazeera, in English, giving some excellent coverage ), attached to our phones and IPads, watching international news and fielding calls, texts, WhatsApp’s and emails from concerned friends and family. Very touched by the concern from everyone, thanks to all who reached out. At this point we decided to move into Salalah proper to be closer to the attractions and to meet up with some old Swiss friends from our Turkey travels. Found a wonderful hotel with great amenities so at least we could spend this increasingly tense time in the company of friends, who were, in a sense, in much the same predicament.
Needless to say, while we loved Salalah ( and spent almost a week there by the pool and beach ), much of it with Swiss friends ( Martin and Maria ), ultimately events took a turn for the worse and the “war” ultimately touched us, even in Oman. Just north of us, in the port city of Duqm, a drone strike hit a warehouse at the port. No deaths, no real damage, and the Iranians ( typically friendly to the Omani’s ) actually denied firing it. It shocked everyone here – after all it was the Omani foreign minister who was doing the mediating between the United States and Iran, prior to hostilities starting ! Of all the places here that absolutely no one unexpected them to hit, Oman was top of the list- no US bases, no other US military installations, and no permanent US military personnel are here, unlike the other GCC states. But, it happened.
Martin and Maria, Swiss overlanders who we’d first met in Konya, Turkey, and who drove their Sprinter across Iraq and on into Jordan and Saudi. Had a feeling we’d cross paths again and we enjoyed a few wonderful days with them in Salalah. Note the duct-taped side mirror ( courtesy of a crazy Iraqi driver in Baghdad ! ).Having moved in to Salalah proper we stayed at the wonderful Plaza Hotel And Resort. A great spot, with pool, beach club, and the best Indian restaurant we could find in Salalah!
At this point we decided it was time to secure a flight out ( subsequently even a second flight out – yes, we booked two, to different destinations for some added insurance ), and start thinking about when to start making our way back to Muscat. We were not fearful ( no one here was at that stage ), and certainly we were not rushing for the exits, but we did want to secure seats for the future in the event things deteriorated further at which point getting out maybe more challenging – or even impossible. We did that and chose a date to leave Salalah a few days ahead so we could get to Muscat in time for the flights out we had booked. Full details on that in the upcoming blog – interesting times we live in, to say the least 😳.
Till next week…
Alert: Just prior to this blog post being published, everything changed, we scrambled back to Muscat and managed to safely exit Oman. I will leave the tumultuous details of our final days there till next week.
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
