Sperm whale skeleton at the Omani Natural History Museum

It’s a 9am start followed by a fantastic buffet breakfast for the Friendship Arabia team.  Next, time for a photo shoot with Mr Francois Galois, the General Manager of our new hotel - The Park Inn Hotel (Al Khuwayr – Muscat).

This is in fact the first Park Inn in the GCC and opened in March this year.  But, Mr Galoisy who hails from Bordeaux is no stranger to the region and has spent around 7 years in the Middle East. Well-travelled and versed in regional tourism efforts, he spoke very highly of our project.

Next, we hit the road in search of one of Muscat’s most popular museums. En route, while searching for a petrol station, we discover that the word shisha also means petrol station in Arabic!

First destination of the day, Muscat’s Natural History Museum, the place to examine Oman’s fauna and flora from time immemorial. The highlight of the Natural History Museum is the skeleton of a sperm whale, which was washed up the shores of Oman in the 1980s. Adjacent to the Natural History Museum is the Faisal Museum which houses traditional Omani weaponry and of course the famous Khanjars.

Mr Al-Sayegh demonstrates how the scale is used to weigh pearls 

We left Bahrain early in the morning of the 15th and it took us about 9 hours to get to Abu Dhabi where we picked up fellow team member Maria Ramos.

From there, we headed straight to Mr. Khalid Al-Sayegh, the famous pearl merchant (more details about him in a future report from Maria) at his private pearl museum. Abu Dhabi TV crew were waiting for us to record the first destination of the team and talk about Mr. Al-Sayegh's role as a prominent pearl merchant.

Mr. Al-Sayegh gave us an interesting tour of his museum, talking about the history of the pearl business in the world and the Arabian Gulf, and also his family's involvement in it. He also showed us some rare pearls and the tools used in the business.

From the Gulf Daily News » Bahraini adventurer Ali Mushaima and his friendship team will promote Bahrain's pearling industry during a road trip to Oman that begins today.

They will promote tourism and heritage in Bahrain, including a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) nomination for pearling that will be submitted by the Culture and National Heritage Sector in January.

The team includes photographers Ammar Hammad and Haider Akbar, writer Taha Alawi and former Bahrain resident Maria Ramos.

During the eight-day trip from Bahrain to Oman - Manama to Muscat - the group will visit Buraimi, and Niswa.

Following the trip Mr Mushaima will publish 101 Things to See and Do in Oman, which has been commissioned by the Omani Tourism Ministry.

To mark the trip organisers have launched a website competition which will see the winner receiving a certified pearl ring.

The competition is open until January 15.

The team will make another trip, from Bahrain to Yemen, entitled Port of Pearls to Port of Coffee, in January. The last trip will be from Bahrain to Greece, or Tylos to Thessaloniki, in May.

The tour follows on from Mr Mushaima and his team's Friendship Tour of the Gulf in April and a Friendship Tour around the Middle East and Europe last year.

The Land Rover outside Fort Museum

It's a brand new expedition as we head out to Oman tomorrow on the latest installment of our Friendship Arabia tours.

On our last trip, we kept Oman as our final destination, and it somehow made sense to continue from where we left off and made it our first point of call this time.

There's so much Oman has to offer - from fjords to desert to rugged mountains. If you are interested in fishing, diving, camping or you want to enjoy one of many secluded beaches, Oman is a fantastic choice.

What make this country even more endearing is the friendliness of its people. You see the smiles from the time you arrive until the time you leave, and once you leave you know you will be back, because you have made many friends you will want to meet again.

Look for more updates on our trip soon.

On Thursday morning Khadija, who works in the hotel Rosa Damascina, made us breakfast and hotel owner Ahmad Sadat, who was also our guide during our last visit to Syria en route to Greece, came and had a coffee with us and wished us all the best for the long drive back.

It is very hard to leave Syria. Every time we visit this country, especially the capital, I am reminded of the quote by Ibn Jubair: "If there was a heaven on earth, it would definitely be Damascus." It is considered one of the oldest constantly inhabited cities in the world. 

Syria is also described as the most outstanding country in the world because it underlies the history of humankind in time and place. A journey through Syria becomes a journey of discovery filled with constant wonder due to the various arts, culture, civilizations and sense of beauty, and especially due to the overwhelming generosity of Syrian hospitality.

After spending the night at Nigde for much needed rest, we visited Nigde Fort which used to serve as a jail in the republican era. The fort was completely restored in 2007.  

Since it is on a hill, it has become a popular spot for locals and tourists to sit and dine and look over the city.

Yesterday we left Greece en route to Bahrain. We spent our last day walking around the little town of Chora, the capital of Samothrace. 

We had a light lunch before heading to the port where we took a ferry to Alexandroupolis. It was a relatively short drive to the border. Crossing the Greek-Turkish border went very smoothly.

It was sad leaving Greece, we had such a great time there. The Greek people and government were very hospitable. We enjoyed the places we visited and we will miss our old friends and the ones we were very fortunate to meet this time around.

After we left Philippi, we drove to Alexandroupoli, to take the ferry to Samothrace – it is just over a two-hour journey. After our arrival, we drove to our hotel, Samothrace Village on the main road, next to the sea.

Samothrace is located in the northeast Aegean, opposite Alexandroupoli, 29 nautical miles distant. It belong to the Perfecture of Evros and covers an area of 178 sg. km, with population of 5,000. It is still relatively untouched by mass tourism. It was first inhabited in the Neolithic era, in around 1000 BC Thracian colonisers came here, intermarrying with the indigenous population.

Afte we woke up the next morning, we drove to the Samothrace Museum for a tour and also visited the sanctuary, which attained its zenith in Hellenistic times. Then we drove to Therma for lunch and refreshment, after which we went to a small waterfall and met some locals who advised us to go to see the big waterfalls.

Take the 360º virtual tour of Dikli Tash

Ali and I woke early this morning to catch the ferry leaving Thassos to the mainland, and headed to Philippi where we were to get a tour of the Dikili Tash excavation site.

We got there and Dr. Demetra and Dr. Zoe showed us around and gave us a brief history about the excavation that started during the 1920s and the significance of the site. 

We were also lucky to meet the Mayor of Philippi, Mr. Lazaros who wanted to check the progress of the excavation and got the chance to talk to him about future cooperation and he was more than happy to help in any way he can.

It's been a few easier days here in Thassos, and we took this time to wind down a little and plan the return route. Ali was busy looking at different options and as for me, I got hired to do a virtual tour for the hotel we stayed at earlier (Blue Dream Palace).

Yesterday, we visited Saliara (baby bib) Beach which was recommended to us by many locals. Its water has a distinct green appearance since the sand here is  marble rather than the regular sand found at other beaches.