We knew this year that the holidays were going to be rough, but we were so glad that Emily, Michael, and my mom were willing to make the voyage to come be with us. Though we shared the sadness of missing my dad, we made some happy memories too.

My mom arrived first and we took advantage of our first few days of break with a mini-trip to Al Ain. Al Ain is a small oasis city on the border of Dubai within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It dates back over 4,000 years and contains several UNESCO cultural sites. Some of the archaeological sites we wanted to see were unexpectedly closed, but we spent an afternoon wandering around the impressive Al Ain Oasis. The Oasis is a working farm of over 147,000 date palms and other fruit trees that utilizes a falaj system, an irrigation technology dating back 3,000 years. We wandered around the Oasis, sampled dates fresh from the trees, and rode a 4-person bike through the alleys.

We also had a great time at the Al Ain Zoo, complete with a private jeep safari. The zoo, established in 1968 by the late president Sheikh Zayed, is a center of animal conservation in the UAE. Feeding carrots to a friendly giraffe was a delight.

Emily and Michael arrived and we left the next day for Oman, where we spent the next five days, including Christmas. We explored Muscat by foot, strolling along the water, climbing up to historic Mutrah fort, and chilling with friendly Omanis who hosted us for a coffee and sweets picnic by a park. This was a recurring experience of our trip- chatting with generous and friendly locals over offered dates or sweets while sipping tiny cups of strong coffee. After a bit more walking, we ended our day at the Sultan’s palace admiring the colorful architecture and watching the sunset as we sat on some fake-looking real grass (or was it real-looking fake grass?).

On the way to Nizwa, we stopped to explore Birkat Al Mouz. This village was abandoned in the 1950s due to war with the British. We climbed around the ruins and walked along the falaj, where we were again invited by locals for dates and coffee.

Next, we visited Bahla Fort, a UNESCO world heritage site, and one of the biggest and oldest forts in Oman. Its oldest parts were built as early as 500 BC. The fort has been restored multiple times throughout history.

After the fort, we wandered around Jabreen castle, exploring all the nooks and crannies of this impressive structure which was built in 1675 by Imam Bil-Arab Bin Sultan. The castle included towers, a burial chamber, kitchen and dining areas, a court room, a library, classrooms, and reception rooms including the Sun and Moon room where the Imam would entertain his most important guests. There was also a “whispering room” where top-secret information was shared on a need-to-know basis. Mila enjoyed crawling into the women’s prison cells and my mom and Mila enjoyed crawling out the dedicated exit of the courtroom for the guilty, requiring anyone passing that way to stoop in shame.

We spent a night in Nizwa, exploring the souq and having another date and coffee session with some locals at the date souq. Upon learning that we were from the US, they showed us photos of them hanging with George “Dubya” Bush who had also been treated to Omani hospitality on his visit many years back.

Our next adventure was up the twisty mountain road to Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest peak. Here we did an amazing hike called the “Balcony Walk” with impressive views of Wadi Ghul and Al Nakhr Canyon. In addition to the view, we loved our goat companions along the trail, three of which Mila named- Hairy Joe, Harriet Jeanette, and Hairy Potter. At the end of the trail, Emily, my mom, and I relaxed and took in the views while the boys and Mila scrambled up to find a pool. We got back to our mountain resort just in time to watch the sunset from our back patio.

En route back to Muscat, we took a short detour to Al Hoota caves and geological museum. The cave was rumored to have been discovered by a shepherd searching for a lost sheep and used historically as an escape route and hiding place. Its most famous animal inhabitants are a species of blind fish that are endemic to Oman and serve as the cave’s mascot. The site also houses a small but interesting geological museum where we learned a bit more about the geology of Oman.

Our last day in Oman was Christmas Day and we had a very untraditional Christmas, starting our morning at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The mosque was stunning and declared by my mom to be the most beautiful mosque she has seen.

After our mosque visit, we headed to the beach where we spent a lazy afternoon. We collected shells, buried Alden and Mila in the sand, and watched birds have a lunchtime snack of two squids who had washed ashore. Emily found a red Christmas ornament on the rocks and we waved to Santa as he cruised by in a boat. We enjoyed an Omani feast for our Christmas dinner at a restaurant inside a huge fort-like building a late-night flight back to Abu Dhabi.

Can you believe we did all that in just 5 days! We packed in a lot, but we all left feeling like Oman is somewhere we would like to someday return. The hospitality of locals coupled with the interesting history and scenic beauty made for a memorable family getaway. We wish my dad had been there with us. Despite the minimal bird shots, I think he would have been happy with how well we captured the beauty of Oman. The photos here are a mix taken by me, Emily, Michael, Simon, and my mom. As you can see in the photos, we had many joyous moments, though through them all we were all missing my dad deeply.

I have run out of steam to describe all our other adventures back in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, so I will let the photos speak for themselves. We hope some more of you will be inspired to come to visit us here in the sunny UAE!