We are incredibly fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world; I mean the UK as a whole not just the Westcountry. As a result I'm sometimes slow to admit that there are other countries with equally stunning scenery and landscapes. Wherever I am in the world I'm easily upset when I see a lack of respect for nature. The majority of these places are protected but sadly it isn't always seen as a priority or necessity.
Oman, in the Middle East, is a country that can take your breath away with its extensive coastline, thousands of miles of empty desert and dramatic mountain ranges yet even with such attractions it is still relatively new as a tourist destination. When I visited over the holidays I was sold on the aforementioned whilst also being saddened by the state of some of the main tourist attractions.
I made the most of an international friendship from my sailing trip across the Atlantic back in June. One of the crew from the trip has lived in Oman for almost twenty years and kindly invited me out on his boat for a day trip in the Indian Ocean. We headed to the little known Dammanyiat Islands which from our anchorage point resembled a picture from the front page of a travel brochure but as I swam towards the shore I was disappointed to discover bags of rubbish strewn across the beach. Thankfully the sea life doesn't seem to be affected yet and the tropical fish still made snorkelling a beautiful experience.
As a nation we rely heavily on tourism and understand that maintaining our unique scenery is a significant part to attracting visitors. I seriously hope that Oman quickly realises what a beautiful country it is and the importance of preserving itself for future generations to enjoy.
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