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Anatomy Of A Cruise Ship Attack

pbb — 2008-12-01T16:17:48-05:00

On Sunday, the luxury cruise ship Nautica got closer to Somali pirates than any ocean liner since the Seabourn Spirit came under grenade attack in 2005. Though bandits fired eight shots at the Nautica, she managed to outrun her attackers, escaping any damage or injuries to the 684 passengers and 386 crew aboard.

How'd it go down? After spotting two small boats on an intercept course, the Nautica accelerated beyond its normal top speed of 20 knots (23 mph) and prepped its defensive long range acoustic device, a gizmo that channels a shrill sound loud enough to rupture eardrums and cause temporary vision loss. As one of the pirate skiffs closed to within 300 yards, a cruise line spokesman told the LA Times, eight shots were fired in the direction of the Nautica. The attackers broke off the assault after all the shots missed.

The next port of call for the Nautica is Salalah, Oman. The ship is on a 32-day voyage from Italy to Singapore, and it continues on to Muscat, which doesn't front the Gulf of Aden, on December 3. Until it gets there, you can help keep watch for further pirate attacks via the Nautica's on-board webcam.

Related Stories:
· Pirates Fire at Cruise Ship Near Somalia [LAT]
· Somali Pirates Strike Again Near Nascent Tourist Hotspot [Jaunted]

[The Nautica in Kobe, Japan: Wikimedia]

Oman's Daymaniyat Islands, Where The Sharks Are Friendly

amandak — 2008-11-18T07:55:15-05:00

Marketers at the tourism board of Oman keep talking up the country in a way that makes us want to go there, and the latest attraction is the Daymaniyat Islands, a bit more than an hour by boat from Muscat.

We already knew that sea turtles are a big deal in Oman, but apparently near the Daymaniyats you can also find hawksbill turtles, clown fish, stingray, moray eels and barracuda. With dive tourism just starting up the locals are advocating "hands-off" interaction with the local wildlife:

Most notably with moray eels, sea snakes and sharks that inhabit the waters (though the sharks do not attack humans).

No wonder Oman has such great tourism potential--they've even trained their sharks not to eat us. We're on our way with our tanks and flippers.

Related Stories:
· Oman Ministry of Tourism [Official Site]
· Oman's Beautiful Daymaniyat Islands [eTravel]
· We Love Oman, Because You Can See Sea Turtles [Jaunted]

[Photo: boens]

Dubious Destinations: Smugglers and Tourists Mingle in Khasab

amandak — 2008-10-22T09:00:50-05:00

"New" tourist destinations are popping up all the time--new to us, that is. Recently we've seen the Omani town of Khasab being promoted as a relaxing break away from the ultra-urban Dubai, less than three hours' drive away. According to the tourist brochures it's a relaxing spot with towering mountains and easy access to the Fjords of Arabia.

Cue Wikipedia for another view. Khasab, according to the internet bible:

Is known for fishing and smuggling in small, fast boats, to and from Iran.

To be fair, even Wikipedia admits that Khasab is "evolving" into a tourist destination and mention that diving is another popular activity there. We're just wondering if the smugglers will wise up and start offering speed boat smuggling tours.

Related Stories:
· A Perfect Arabian Getaway [eTravel]
· Khasab [Wikipedia]
· Oman Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

We Love Oman, Because You Can See Sea Turtles

amandak — 2008-05-15T09:30:01-05:00

Although a rush on accommodation might mean going to Oman isn't instantly possible, we've just discovered yet another reason to try it. Sea turtles.

Turns out there are seven different species of sea turtles in the world, and Oman's got five of 'em. If you visit Oman's beaches in the evening between June and September, you've got a great chance of seeing a leatherback or a loggerhead or a bunch of other turtles laying eggs.

There are a few special rules for sea turtle viewing in Oman: You shouldn't get too close, never touch their eggs (we thought that went without saying?), you can't camp nearby and, most importantly, don't litter. Sea turtles aren't that bright and sometimes confuse plastic with jellyfish, which they eat. And we could certainly use fewer jellies on the beach.

Related Stories:
· Into the Azure [The Australian]
· Still Crushing on Oman [Jaunted]
· Come Back Soon, Oman Is Full [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mct-Enigma]

Dangerous Mancations: Fishing with Cheney in Oman

benh — 2008-03-21T12:06:20-05:00

We told you Oman would go mainstream, but we didn't know it would go right-wing. As part of a 10-day tour in the Middle East, Vice President Dick Cheney took some time in the gulf state to rant about Iran and the nuclear threat--and then borrowed the sultan's 60-foot yacht to go fishing.

A fishing trip with the VP sounds a bit safer than, say, going on a hunt--just mind all those hooks. Cheney's wife and daughter, who accompanied him on the outing, came back without suffering any impalements. Sultan Qaboos bin Said, however, apparently thought better of it and didn't go.

Too bad Cheney didn't have time to do any shark fishing before heading back to the States!

Related Stories:
· VP talks about nukes in Oman [WaPo]
· Oman coverage [Jaunted]
· Mancations coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mathias M]

Oman's Great, But...

benh — 2008-03-17T13:00:01-05:00

Call it the curse of The New York Times. We recently talked about how Oman is just now opening its doors to tourism, but with the Times now dubbing this calm gulf state the "anti-Dubai" it looks like it's gonna be pushed into the mainstream. Hey, it happened to Bangladesh.

The lure of craggy canyons, barracuda-filled coral reefs and untainted streets teeming with history is enough to attract plenty of travelers. And no place can stay "undiscovered" forever. But with Oman's selling point being its authenticity, it seems only a matter of time before some entrepreneur offers "authenticity" in a vacation package.

Of course that doesn't mean we wouldn't go. Gotta get there before a Pizza Hut opens up, right?

Related Stories:
· The Anti-Dubai (for now) [NYT]
· Oman Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Middle East Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ringogoingo]

Come Back Soon: Oman Is Full

amandak — 2008-03-04T09:25:01-05:00

It must be fun to be a country just opening up to tourism, with all the excitement of tacky souvenirs and tourists getting in your way still to come. That's the position the people of the Middle Eastern country of Oman find themselves in at the moment. The tourism ministry had been aiming to increase visitor spending to 3 percent of the GDP by 2015, but it looks like they'll meet that target by the end of this year instead.

But don't hurry to book your Oman vacation just yet. There are just 9,000 hotel rooms in the country, currently enjoying close to 100 percent occupancy rates, so there's not much room at the inn. The plan is to double the number of rooms nationwide in the next seven years.

Once there's a place to stay, you can count on all kinds of interesting experiences in Oman. There's cave diving for the thrillseekers, traditional souk markets for the shoppers and incredible wadis and desert landscapes for those who like to use a camera. And presumably they'll throw together some tacky souvenirs for us, too.

Related Stories:
· Oman Tourism Week to Create Awareness [Khaleej Times]
· More Muscat, Please [Jaunted]
· Still Crushing on Oman [Jaunted]

[Photo: Parvinder Singh]