Flying Across the Arabian deserts of Oman and onward to the Maldives

Posted on by Valneufeld
A 7 am departure to miss the heat – forecast of 51 degrees Celsius today – flying an aircraft so heavy with extra fuel makes it very difficult to reach altitude. The city is a sea of white structures
Departing over the the Gulf of Oman

This very safe country of Oman (formerly known as Muscat) surrounded with incredible mountains, desert and sea has some very interesting facts. It is the oldest independent state in the Arab world- it has some of the earliest evidence of human life- it is one of the best places in the world to see turtles – Oman produces the world’s best frankincense- it has one of the worlds largest canyons- horse breeding is deeply ingrained with a unique Arabian breed- there is wonderful diving here- ancient desert villages – 100 meter sand dunes – and a culture of modernity along side an enduring Bedouin culture.

Flying over Oman on our way to the Indian Ocean
A remote village in this incredible and vast mountain desert
Our route to the Maldives
A 10 hour flight over the Indian Ocean. Thunder clouds as we approach the Maldives.
Our first glimpse
As the sun begins to set
The Maldives are a chain of 26 atolls. Atolls are ring shaped islands created by the sinking of volcanos
The city of Male. This city is 8 square miles and has a population of approximately 212,000 people. Making it one of the world’s most densely populated cities
We were able to walk on a narrow sidewalk all around the city island in the evening. One of the two mosques right beside our hotel
A remarkable number of boats and motorcycles!!
Beautiful blue water
The bats that come out at dusk!
Fruit bat or flying fox- one of the world’s largest bats- with a wing span
of 3.9-4.9 feet!!

Tomorrow off to Sri Lanka

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