So I arrive at Muscat Airport after 9 hours in the air. Its 9.30, the flight is perfectly on time. I get my visa stamp in my passport, pass through a security scanner for the seventh time that day, and then I walk out into the airport terminal. And there's Taeko standing there by the rail like she said she'd be. Except she isn't. Ah. I scan the faces - arabic, indian, western - but no Taeko. I check the names held up by the suited drivers at the end of the barrier. Not me.

Oh well, she'll turn up. I'll have a quick wander. I potter around the terminal building for a bit and then head back to arrivals. No Taeko. I consider my options. I have her phone number and address so I should be okay to get in touch, failing that I'll just find a hotel and worry about it tomorrow. And then she appears!

Its so good to see her! Now I know I'm safely arrived! We wander out into the heat of the Omani night and over to her Mum's car. Its a short drive to her house.

Let's meet the family! Here's Taeko, her father Peter, and her mother Tomie in the shade of her parasol:

taeko in the car
peter tofts
tomie with parasol

Although Tom isn't really part of the family, Peter and Tomie were looking after him (as well as me). A rescued stray, or 'Wadi dog', he was a happy little pooch and very friendly. He did get in trouble for breaking things one night and chewing shoes. Here he is with Taeko:

tom
tom and taeko

After a fairly sleepless night, interrupted by the noise of the AC and the scuttling of cockroaches, we went to the Intercontinental Hotel and paid my 5R to swim in the pool.

intercon hotel pool
intercon hotel pool

I'm a pretty feeble swimmer, so needed a bit of coaxing to get into the water and then to get to the other side. Here we are having fun in the water:

taeko and baz in the pool
taeko on lilo
baz's front crawl
taeko on the lilo
baz under the fountain

After a lunch of goat's cheese on arab bread at a Turkish cafe we went for a walk along the beach by the hotel. There were some kids doing acrobatics, crabs disappearing down holes, and miles of golden sand and clear blue water.

acrobats on the beach
al qurum beach
tracks
crab
taeko on the beach
reflection of taeko
bricks in the sand

After another lazy swim round the pool, the sun was setting so I took a few more pictures of the birds in the trees and we called up the Tomie taxi for a lift home.

bird in palm tree