Day 3 - Dolphins, Beach and Sea

So this morning, the first thing I had to do was pack my suitcase because I am leaving my city hotel in Salalah and spending the first night at my beach hotel just outside. But before I check in, we are going on a dolphin safari🐬👀 When Steffi and I went whale watching in Canada, we were lucky, let's see how it will be today🤞🏻

So we go to the harbor and board our safari boat - it's very nice that there are only 5 of us in total, so there is enough space to choose a different seat (sun/shade, etc). We leave the harbor and the captain accelerates and we sail parallel to the coast until suddenly we hear "Dolphins"! And indeed, we can see the first fins/flippers👌🏻😃 So I take out my camera and start taking pictures - but it's not that easy to take a nice picture with a mammal on it😅 By the time you see where one surfaces, it's already gone🤷🏻‍♀️ So my task for you today is: Find the dolphin in the pictures😜😁 But at some point, it's also time to just enjoy, so I see the🐬 surfacing and taking a breath during their breakfast... While trying to keep my own breakfast, because the swell is quite strong and the boat rocks quite a bit - those who know me know that it's not the best for me🤢🙈😆 After about an hour, it's time to head back and I'm more than ready for it, both because of the rocking and the intense sun on the sea😬

I check in at the hotel and can immediately enter my room - a very nice and incredibly large room😊 I don't unpack much because tomorrow I already have to check out again for my night in the desert😕 So I immediately set off to explore the area - very beautiful beaches and a extensive resort🌴🏝 Now I'm looking for a nice spot and treat myself to a relaxing afternoon at the beach with swimming, sunbathing, and reading😊

Unfortunately, dinner in the main restaurant is not that great, as the restaurant feels more like a cafeteria and the food is not quite what I expected with pasta and pizza. I must look so disappointed that the only (presumably) local lady in a black robe openly and warmly laughs at me - maybe she thinks the same thing😁 After dinner, I take a walk at the harbor, where many locals are again present.

What I notice here is that (unfortunately) many tourists don't seem to care where they are and what they are wearing. Hotpants, spaghetti straps, exposed belly, high slits, see-through, etc. - everything is represented here that you (partly) already don't want to see at home. Even if the locals don't say anything, but rather look (confused), that strikes me as quite negative😤 Because if I already don't know where to look with the breasts overflowing from the spaghetti strap top (sorry, it can't be described any other way🤭), what are the Omanis supposed to think😒 Some consideration, at least outside the hotels, would be quite appropriate...

Maybe you're also interested in a few things from everyday life that I have observed so far?

- The supermarket here has everything that we also have - energy drinks, hygiene products, etc. Only the packages are slightly bigger.

- There are openly visible laundry stores in the shopping center😉

- Even the men push the strollers and follow the children😉

- Everyone here has a smartphone and is constantly glued to it!

- The women here almost all have great shoes and handbags👠👜 (JEALOUS!)

I know, some of you might think that I have old-fashioned stereotypes... maybe rightfully so! Nevertheless, I found these things interesting, especially since it's the first time I'm traveling in the Arab region...

Tomorrow, I will head to the desert in the afternoon, where I will spend a night in the desert camp. Since there will probably be (still😉) no WiFi, I probably won't be able to write a report tomorrow, but will catch up on it the day after tomorrow.

So now I wish you "Good night!" for two nights😘

PS: Tonight I'm sleeping under an artificial starry sky, hopefully tomorrow under the real one✨

PPS: I don't know who all is reading my lines, because >10 people didn't get the link from me🙈, but I hope you enjoy it at least a little bit😇