Rather than drive (12+ hours each way) we would make up the time by flying. And so it was that we headed down there with our friends John, Melissa and Izzy. They had set us up with a wonderful house on the water front, part of a hotel complex and just in front of what seemed like a never ending ocean. From there we spent many evenings watching the waves, the ocean and, on one occasion a small group of dolphins too! Looking to the west, of course, was a feast of color as the sun wound slowly make its way to other parts of the globe.
Salalah in "low season" is worth a visit for those happy to roam water falls on their own, to make their way to beautiful spots which, admittedly, would probably be absolute "wow" during the high season (late summer). But March in Salalah was lovely. The heat was coming (as it does at that time of year in this side of the world) and the crowds were gone. In some places it was just us, doing our thing. Walking here. Aweing there. Roaming elsewhere. Driving to near the Yemeni border to visit unspoiled beaches. The house, too, was pretty awesome with a balcony view literally to the water. From time to time we also had visitors by way of a pack of camels that loves to come on through before the security guards would kindly shoo them away in another direction.
But by far, as always, it was the friends who made the difference. The chat in the morning over the coffee. The laughter of silly talks in the afternoons. The shared meal in the evenings. The things that, truly, make life worth being part of. Salalah did not disappoint, no matter what season it was. Because with friends every season is high season. :-)
