20/09/2018
Salalah, Oman: Holiday in a cloud
The smoky aroma of a burnt out clutch permeates the air, as traffic crawls through the misty valley. A rental car attempts to cut the line, prompting a series of horn blasts. A few vehicles ahead, three small children poke their heads through the sunroof, tilting their heads back and sticking out their tongues to capture the raindrops. I wonder if it's their first taste of rain.
I'm in Dhofar, the southernmost region of Oman. Sharing a border with Yemen, it's a rather unlikely holiday destination. But from June to September, thousands of tourists from Gulf countries flock here to experience a unique weather phenomenon known as Khareef; the monsoon season that transforms the arid landscape into a lush oasis. While the rest of the Arabian Peninsula sweats through the summer months, Dhofarites enjoy constant drizzle and temperatures that never rise above 27 degrees Celsius.
Salalah is the capital and largest city of the Dhofar region. It's a two-hour flight from Dubai, and my three Irish flatmates and I have decided to join the throngs seeking respite from the heat over Eid Al Adha, a three-day Islamic holiday in this part of the world. >>
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