Just for a comparison with my last post’s theme, here’s a ‘Sound’ with completely different features from Milford Sound, NZ.
This is Khor Ash-Sham (Elphinstone Inlet) in the Musandam Peninsula of Oman. Call it what you want, a fjord, a creek, a sound or an inlet, these are basically water bodies that extend into the land flanked by steep hills or mountains. A fjord is actually an inlet created by a glacier cutting through land. Khor Ash-Sham, being in a hot, barren desert, would not be a fjord in the geographical sense. (There’s no friggin ice, is there?) But neither should Milford Sound be called a Sound as sounds in geography are usually used for a small channel or straits between two pieces of land. But what the heck, who cares?! Enough of the geography lessons! Let’s get on with life and the pictures!
This was the second time we visited Musandam. The first time was in Dec 2008, before we had kids. We went with a Malaysian friend and his family. Unknown to us at that time, Anu was suffering from Hepatitis… (of the E variety, luckily, curable). Still remember, she couldn’t eat anything during the trip. Her condition became worse after the trip, she would be very sleepy, and couldn’t eat anything, especially anything oily. The doctors initially diagnosed gastric, but the medication did nothing. We would eventually find out after I noticed one day, that her urine was unusually dark (she’s a prolific water drinker). I checked her nails and eyes, and saw that they were yellowish (indicating that she probably had jaundice). We insisted to the next doctor we met (which so happened to be at a government hospital), that it was more than gastric (he was gonna prescribe friggin painkillers)! The liver function test that came out told the whole story. She was immediately admitted, and whatever money we paid for visiting the doctor and doing the blood test was returned to us. (That was Dubai government hospitals’ policy at that time. All emergency cases were free). She wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital till she was OK! And we end up staying a couple of weeks in the hospital!!
Anyway, here’re the rest of the photos of our Khor Ash-Sham boat ride.
Here’s the jetty (and we didn’t miss our trip this time, haha, because we were with dad and Hazel probably…)
Our cruise on a dhow (Arabian fishing boat). (Do you see Jayden?)
Dad and Anu enjoying the cruise
Sleepy already, Justin?!? Your Jiko (Hazel) doesn’t seem so…
You can be like Jayden, fooling around with a new found friend! I dunno the little girl’s name but she and her family so happened to be Malaysians, living in Dubai! Fancy meeting a fellow countryman who was staying in the same city as us, on some remote sea inlet, faraway from civilization!
Another friend, yeah it can get quite sleepy, huh?
Khor Ash-Sham (Elphinstone Inlet) – this hidden inlet used to be a haven for pirates to launch attacks on unsuspecting vessels, and for them to hide if pursued by more powerful ships, such as the British. (That may be why one of the names of this area and the adjoining UAE used to be ‘Pirate Coast’!)
Setting foot on Telegraph Island – I didn’t do it the first time we came. Can’t miss it this time round, hehe! Justin and I swam there. If you look closely, you’d see us! Telegraph Island has a story of its own. Click on that link to find out
Dolphin spotting is one of the highlights of a Musandam cruise – a boat chasing dolphins!
There, caught you on camera!!
Khor Ash-Sham, Musandam Governorate, Oman – Dec 2019
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