The Magic Roundabout

OK, so I have many excuses for having been quiet for so long - just not enough time in the day for all the work, fun, travel, hosting guests, parties and general life experience that has been going on over the last few months. It's all been good on the whole, or in the worst case has at least led to some positive outcomes and important decisions: all for another blog later down the line ...

How have I been spending my time? Well, just call me Leia ...

All this time though I have been storing ideas and photos, and I am going to take advantage of the quiet period over Ramadan to try and do some catching up. I won't get it all done, and it will have to be in a fairly random order, but here goes ...

Today's hot topic is roundabouts - yes, really! Oman is wierdly famous for its roundabouts, and there are some wonderfully kitsch examples; lots of fish and incense burner statues, but also some unusual ones like the atom roundabout near Sur, or the book roundabout in Nizwa.

Nizwa's finest ....

But this blog is dedicated to the best of them all, maybe even the most amazing roundabout in the world? For any lucky visitors to Salalah in southern Oman, I urge you to find time in your programme for a small detour to this true wonder, a monument to kitsch, a whole WORLD on a traffic island .... ladies and gentlemen, I give you ... THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT

Lake tranquility ...

So,  I sense your disappointment ... but wait, dear readers, this is but one little corner of the magical world created on a small circle of concrete on the Salalah outer ring road. Come with me and survey the delights of this miniature wonderland ...

Sweeping lawns up to an Omani fort ...

Wildlife to discover in the forest glades ...

Rocky mountains landscapes ...

Weird and wonderful botany ...

And not just a waterfall ...

... but TWO waterfalls to sit and relax next to.

And there's more, including tunnels, caves, bridges and bushes to play hide and seek in. Basically, it's a miniature replica of an entire country in one easy-to-access location (aside from dodging the speeding nutters on the ring road to get there of course). And people do make the most of it - families come to picnic, people stop to take in the view and take photos (like me!), and the lawns and gardens are kept immaculate by an army of magic elves (it is at the entrance to one of the Sultan's palaces, after all). Go on, go see it for yourself, it beats Disneyland hands down but still brings out the kid in everyone ...

Yes, even the grumpy old man ...