Salalah, Oman
Salalah was an interesting place, we kept being told we were there too early and we should wait at least two weeks. Obviously we did not have two weeks to wait as our flight to Jordan was already booked. Unfortunately for us Salalah was mostly a barren land during our visit, we saw photos of what it was to look like in the coming weeks and it was mostly disappointing lol. Nevertheless we tried to make the best of it! Salalah is an incredibly humid place, often reaching rates of 90% humidity, this was felt through the water accumulation on our hotel room floor when the windows were open and the perpetual mildew smell in every building we walked into. We went on a few tours while there, one to the west and one through the city. On the tour to the west I was wearing a white dress the got a little wet and some men started to film me, that was great. They weren’t Omanis though, the Omani men are very respectful of my body.
The south of Oman is a little more conservative compared to the capital. Most of the women are clad in all black Niqabs (a garment that covers most of the head/face, only leaving the eyes exposed). One of the nights we went to a large mall in Salalah to get some food and take in the vibe. There is a much larger population of men in Oman as well as a much lower percentage of women in the work force. These statistics combined leads to less visibility of women on the streets and in the stores of Oman. So up to this point in the trip, I hadn’t seen many concentrated groups of women. This was quite different in the mall. There were roughly the same amount of women as men, with children running amuck. This was the first time I began feeling a sizable amount of culture shock. I think it was because I was suddenly looking at a large amount of people of whom I could not see many of their faces. Just as my bare shoulders and knees would be odd to the Omanis, I could feel their niqabs having the same effect on me.
Culture shock is such a curious concept. It is so innately human and yet it feels so conceptually foreign. It reveals the deep importance of the things we choose and our environment. Like these are people who are living their lives in the way they’ve been told to, both overtly and subliminally. Just as I am living my life in a way I’ve been told to, both overtly and subliminally. For example, I feel a profound amount of comfort from a classic US Caesar salad and am highly disappointed when I’m served a “fraudulent” Jordanian version. We humans are hardwired to be culturally conscious. This is why modern economics is a false study lol, we are not “logical” beings, instead we are highly influenced by our lives and places of origin. (I have a prejudice against modern economics)
Anyway, here’s another entry I wrote:
18 June 2025
Today we woke up and went on a tour of Salalah. We visited the Grand Sultan Qaboos Mosque constructed in 2006. Then we peaked over the wall of one of the sultans many palaces. After we drove to an outdoor Souq and I purchased a Frankinsense burner while Jeremy acquired a Kumah. These activities left us thirsty and our tour guide took us to a fruit stand which a plethora of coconuts, mangos, pomegranates, and many more. We drank the coconut water than ate the meat. Jeremy and I liked it so much we came back later that day to purchase a few more mangos and bananas. The south of Oman produces these crops in vast quantities and has a long row of banana/coconut farms lining the coastline. Once we were full of fruit our tour guide took us to a watering hole where we drove past a large group of camels. We enjoyed the cool water and departed for home.
Okay, I don’t feel like writing more for Salalah so let me throw in a couple photos and call it a day. Stay tuned for Jordan! It’ll be a blast!
