{"id":314,"date":"2015-06-18T18:40:35","date_gmt":"2015-06-18T14:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/?p=314"},"modified":"2015-06-23T17:42:24","modified_gmt":"2015-06-23T13:42:24","slug":"weekend-in-sharqiya-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/?p=314","title":{"rendered":"Weekend in Sharqiya, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Following up on part 1 of the trip on Sharqiya, I&#8217;ll be talking about our Friday and Saturday now.<\/p>\n<p>In the morning, we woke up to ride both ATVs and camels in the desert! I started with the ATV, which was really wild. I&#8217;d never ridden one of those before, and I&#8217;m fairly certain I almost flew off at one point. We were supposed to stay together in a line, but I purposely waited back a couple times so that I could rev up the engine and go forward full speed.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-314 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_091737.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_091737-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_091657.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_091657-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After the brief ATV ride, I was able to ride a camel. It was pretty simple; I just got on as the camel was sitting down, and then an Omani kid led the camel around for a few minutes. I never realized how tall camels are! Once I was up there, I realized that it would not be pleasant if I fell down. It also wasn&#8217;t as uncomfortable as some people made it out to be. One thing that was a little scary was that when the ride was over, my camel refused to sit down for a moment and started to back away from the person leading it, but it did after a few attempts.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-314 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_094148.jpg' title=\"Another handsome fellow\" data-rl_title=\"Another handsome fellow\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_094148-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-293\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-293'>\n\t\t\t\tAnother handsome fellow\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_092934.jpg' title=\"Everybody decided to smile!\" data-rl_title=\"Everybody decided to smile!\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_092934-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-292\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-292'>\n\t\t\t\tEverybody decided to smile!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After that, we planned to head to Sur, a region on the coast of Sharqiya, to go to a beach to see where hundreds of sea turtles lay their eggs. But we ran into quite a setback: the road we had planned to take ran right through a wadi that was now flooded in several places due to the storm. We definitely couldn&#8217;t have driven through it, so we could either have waited to see if the flood subsided or driven through Muscat and around to Sur. Despite it being a four to five hour drive, we took the second option because we had no idea how long we&#8217;d have to wait.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-314 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03589.jpg' title=\"Some braver souls...\" data-rl_title=\"Some braver souls...\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-3\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03589-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-269\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-269'>\n\t\t\t\tSome braver souls&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03586.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-3\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03586-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03585.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-3\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03585-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03584.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-3\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03584-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03579.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-3\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03579-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_110456.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-3\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_110456-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/131076300\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"Flooded Wadi in Sharqiya\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As we were driving to Muscat, however, we got a call from the hotel in Sur that the weather was far too violent due to the tropical storm and that we should go at another time. Through a stroke of luck, our director Talal managed to get us a night at the Millennium Hotel, a five star hotel in Muscat!<\/p>\n<p>On the way there, we stopped for lunch at a traditional Omani restaurant. Surprisingly, this was the first time I ate real Omani food! Unless I wanted to eat yogurt and rice, I had to eat some kind of meat, so I got fish. I think it was kingfish but I&#8217;m not really sure. The dish that I got was Mandi rice with fish. The rice was actually a Yemeni variety, but the fish was Omani. It was excellent &#8211; definitely some of the best fish I&#8217;ve ever had. It was a lot of fun too because we sat on the floor and ate with our hands. I have to say, there&#8217;s a special technique to eating rice with one&#8217;s hands that I was not able to figure out.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-314 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_133310.jpg' title=\"I&#039;m really trying to figure out what&#039;s going on in that sign...\" data-rl_title=\"I&#039;m really trying to figure out what&#039;s going on in that sign...\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-4\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_133310-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-296\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-296'>\n\t\t\t\tI&#8217;m really trying to figure out what&#8217;s going on in that sign&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_153259.jpg' title=\"Breaking my vegetarian vows...\" data-rl_title=\"Breaking my vegetarian vows...\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-4\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_153259-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-306\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-306'>\n\t\t\t\tBreaking my vegetarian vows&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_153334.jpg' title=\"We were given no forks.\" data-rl_title=\"We were given no forks.\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-4\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_153334-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-297\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-297'>\n\t\t\t\tWe were given no forks.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_160551.jpg' title=\"You could say that I liked the food...\" data-rl_title=\"You could say that I liked the food...\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-4\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_160551-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-298\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-298'>\n\t\t\t\tYou could say that I liked the food&#8230;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_160555.jpg' title=\"And so did everyone else.\" data-rl_title=\"And so did everyone else.\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-4\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_160555-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-299\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-299'>\n\t\t\t\tAnd so did everyone else.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The hotel was pretty incredible, and we even had a room with a separate toilet and shower! We spent the rest of Friday and Saturday relaxing, swimming at the pool and in the ocean, and eating ridiculous amounts of food. There was also a bar, but I elected not to drink anything other than a (non-alcoholic) smoothie.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-314 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_175221.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_175221-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150613_113423.jpg' title=\"The view off the balcony from my room\" data-rl_title=\"The view off the balcony from my room\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150613_113423-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-302\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-302'>\n\t\t\t\tThe view off the balcony from my room\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03610.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03610-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03604.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03604-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03606.jpg' title=\"So many shells!\" data-rl_title=\"So many shells!\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03606-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-273\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-273'>\n\t\t\t\tSo many shells!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03595.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03595-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03591.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/DSC03591-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150613_132345.jpg' title=\"Excellent Indian food.\" data-rl_title=\"Excellent Indian food.\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150613_132345-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-303\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-303'>\n\t\t\t\tExcellent Indian food.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_214302.jpg' title=\"Tart with passionfruit and dragonfruit, chocolate mousse with a ground cherry on top!\" data-rl_title=\"Tart with passionfruit and dragonfruit, chocolate mousse with a ground cherry on top!\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150612_214302-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-301\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-301'>\n\t\t\t\tTart with passionfruit and dragonfruit, chocolate mousse with a ground cherry on top!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150613_134310.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-5\"><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/20150613_134310-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Everyone at the hotel spoke English, but I impressed them a few times with my Arabic. I asked for a towel at the pool in Arabic. There was a little confusion at first though because I asked for a bedsheet at first (sharshaf) when I meant to say towel (manshafa). I checked out from my room in Arabic as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following up on part 1 of the trip on Sharqiya, I&#8217;ll be talking about our Friday and Saturday now. In the morning, we woke up to ride both ATVs and camels in the desert! I started with the ATV, which was really wild. I&#8217;d never ridden one of those before, and I&#8217;m fairly certain I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":317,"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions\/317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oman.victorreynolds.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}