Busy Busy!

So the jet lag is nearly worn off. The only thing is that I am ready for bed round 8pm, but I have been waiting until 9pm, and waking up at 6am, which is actually a really good schedule to be on since the sun is not at its hottest (only around 35C at that time of day). I like waking up early here and mosying about outside.

The heat...is actually not so bad anymore. You adjust to it really quickly. I was actually out walking around for an hour in 44C, with a hat and a giant bottle of water, and it was fine. Warm, but fine. You adust after about 10 solid minutes outside. Every day, the heat gets easier to manage. Just as every day, the jet lag gets less.

So 2 days ago was when I was walking around in the 40s. Brandon's parents took us to Nakhal where we wandered around a fort. It was really neat to see it. I have a bunch of really good pictures, but you all have to wait to see them. After the fort, we went to see a hot spring, which is the oddest thing, I thought. A hot spring in the middle of the desert. Amazing. All of the locals gathered there and were sitting around and singing and such. It was really cool to see the Omanis just doing what they do. Speaking of Omanis, all the little kids wave to us. It's so cute.

Yesterday, I got my first taste of scuba diving in Oman. It's not spectacular, it's not anything to rant and rave about, but it is nice and I did enjoy it. It was diving off a boat, which is always a treat since I am used to the hassle of shore diving. First dive we went to a wreck and we checked it out...Brandon, his brother and I dropped into the cargo hold and hit about 90ft, then Brandon and I headed inside into the engine room for a quick look around while Cameron waited just outside the entrance. We only went maybe 5-10ft into the room....just wanted a quick look around. It was pretty neat. We also saw 4 moray eels on the wreck which was cool. The time between our dives was spent snorkelling, then we geared up and did a second dive in a bay, where we saw lots of local fish, most of which I don't know the names, but we did see a box fish, a lion fish, and a snake eel. The life is abundant, and the water really warm (it was 91F on the surface of the water, it dropped to about 78F down at 90ft). On our way back in from the dives, there was a very rare spotting of a whale shark, which was so exciting. This guy was only a baby, only about 8-10ft long (the adults can get to be 50-60ft long...). That was defintely the highlight. I grabbed mask and snorkel and hopped in with him, as did most of the other divers on the boat.

Today marked the beginning of the diving course we are taking (it is me, brandon, and his mom). Today was all theory, and then some practice of finning techniques in a swimming pool. There was also a swimming requirement which we had to pass in order to pass the course, which i was worried about because I don't really swim. We had to do 275m in 14mins or less. and I am pleased to announce I finished in under 10mins. It was quite surprising, seeing as I never swim laps. Ever. Also had to swim and hold our breaths for a while which I had no problem with. Tomorrow, we hit the ocean. So we'll see how it goes.

But yea, I am having a nice time here and keeping busy. It's hot, sure, but I am getting used to it! I will be in for a shock, I think, when we leave the Middle East. I'll think it's too cold. :D