What do 29 hours in Khasab, at the Northern tip of Oman, have to offer? Dhows, dolphins, and a very dramatic coastline known as the “fjords of Musandam.”

Khasab is so far north on the Arabian Peninsula that our travelling companion’s phone actually welcomed him to Iran.  The waters here run through the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most important petroleum chokehold because it provides the only sea passage out of the Arabian Gulf. Things can get a little dodgy in the region from time to time, but we happened to go at a time when other places in the world are far more dodgy.

Our travelling companion on this aquatic adventure was my old Peace Corps Kenya pal, Larry Davies, who crops up in my life at the most unexpected times. If you read DRYLAND, then you might recall that he was with me at the Aquathlon in Abu Dhabi two years ago.

Oman is probably one of my top three places in the world. The following photos provide a glimpse of the reasons why.