Bishtblog: July 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Weekend Splash - Dolphin Watching

On 30 July three families from my department went for a 4-in-1 trip by a ‘Glass-bottomed Boat’ which included the following :
1. Dolphin Watching
2. Coral Reef Snorkelling
3. Glass Bottom Boat Experience
4. Coastline Cruise
The trip started at 0830 hrs from the ‘Marina Al Bandar’ and got over at 1200 hrs. It was a great experience for all of us except some of the ladies who felt seasick and could not fully enjoy the proceedings. I was able to click some nice photos from the sea which I am posting here :
(click on the photos to enlarge)

Had a tough time waiting for a Dolphin to appear !

Coral Reef seen through the 'Glass Bottom' of the boat.

A natural rock formation near the coast. Boats pass

through the opening during low tide.

Another famous rock formation which resembles

a 'Goat's Head' !

The Al-Bustan Palace Hotel.

The British Ambassador's residence on a hill top.

Private luxury yachts at the marina.

Salalah in Kharif Season !

Salalah is Oman’s second largest city and is the capital of the Dhofar (or southern) region. It is famous for ‘frankincense’ which is found only in this region. Salalah also has a unique climate especially during the months June to September (popularly known as the ‘Kharif‘ season) during which it enjoys cool, wet and misty monsoon. The temperature drops to twenties while the rest of the Arab world is scorching at its hottest at this time. The Kharif season is the peak tourist season when the population of this place nearly doubles and a carnival like atmosphere pervades the region. There are many places of tourist interest in and around Salalah.

I visited this place on 27/28 July after a gap of nearly six months and was amazed by the change in the climate and the environment. The barren hills around Salalah were green and the weather reminded me of Mussoorie during the monsoon. One notable destination for visitors is the Tomb of Prophet Job (locally known as Prophet Ayoub) which is located on a hilltop overlooking Salalah city. The Prophet is revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike and the tomb is open to all visitors. Following are some pictures of the said trip :

An aerial view of the town from the airport.

Yours truly en-route to Thumrait.

Green hills and misty skies !

On the road from Salalah to Thumrait.

Footprint of Prophet Job !

The Prophet's Tomb.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

UP Sainik School 'Old Boys' Get Together

Upsainians will be flocking to New Delhi on 25th July (Saturday) for a get-together planned at the Air Force Officers' Mess, Western Air Command, Subroto Park, New Delhi at 1930 hrs. Wish I was at Delhi ! On the agenda is the planning for Golden Jubilee Celebrations which are due in the school in December this year. So mark your diaries accordingly and let us make it a point to converge to UPSS in December this year !!

Occupational Safety & Health - More info !!

In continuation of a similiar post dated 23rd June, here are some more links to free information and resources related to Occupational Safety & Health :
http://hygeaplus.blogspot.com
http://andybrazier.blogspot.com
http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/
http://safetyphoenix.blogspot.com
http://info.ogp.org.uk/safety/
http://freeinformationsources.wikia.com/wiki/Free_Health_Safety_%26_Environment_Information_Sources
http://fireworld.com/incident_logs/logs/
Enjoy !!!

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Family in Oman

My family joined me here on 24th June (at last !). The boys went back to India on 05 July owing to their own commitments but will be back later. My better half will thankfully be staying back ( I am thus enjoying home cooked food after a gap of six months). Following are some pics shot during their various outings :