Qurum Beach - The capital's most beautiful beach

Qurum Beach is Muscat's longest and most beautiful beach. It is situated right in the capital, is very easy to reach and at four kilometres long, offers enough space for everyone. I particularly liked the fine sand on Qurum Beach and the easy access from Muscat.

As is usual in Oman, most beach-goers travel by car. The road lies directly behind the beach, although the noise doesn't cause any disturbance, and there are plenty of free parking spaces along it. If all the parking spaces on the beach front to the east are full there are lots more to the west. Whilst the road connection is practical, it's not exactly idyllic.

The colour of the sand on Qurum Beach is difficult to describe, but light brown-grey suits the fine stretch of sand well. Small shells are washed up on the beach, but not enough to be irritating. The water is very clear with no springs, sea urchins, sharp stones or pieces of glass so you can go in comfortably without beach shoes. The waves are small on Qurum Beach, which lies on the Gulf of Oman, and the tides don't cause any great variations in water level.

Small-scale sports activities like jet skiing, para-sailing and canoeing can be booked at the beach at prices that are standard for the region. Snorkelling trips or dives can also be booked here but they take place in a different section of water.

There's plenty of good food and drink available in the various restaurants and snack bars. To the far west there are some premium resorts. Unfortunately you can't access the beaches belonging to these resorts, but even outside this area there's still plenty of space on the beach to use as you please. Nude bathing should be avoided in Oman.

Quriyat Wadi Al Shab

This wadi is located in Tiwi, part of Sur in Al Sharqiyah South Governorate . It lies 140 kilometres (87 miles) from Muscat on the Qurayat – Sur Coastal Road. Fresh water cascading from tops of the mountains meet the briny sea water on its banks, creating an environmental diversity unique to this wadi, and making it stand on a pedestal of its own when compared with the other wadis (valleys) in the Sultanate.

You’ll doubtless enjoy the adventurous journey through Wadi Shab, as you can only meander through certain areas by boat, or take pleasure in a refreshing hike through this mountainous region.

Photo Credits : shani rafi

Picture of the Week: Stephen Hawking in Zero Gravity

Article by : Joseph Stromberg, SMITHSONIAN.COM , MAY 11, 2012

On January 8, 2007, scientist Stephen Hawking did something special for his 65th birthday—he took a trip up into zero gravity. He rode in the Zero Gravity Corporation’s modified Boeing 727 jet, which traveled up to 24,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida and performed a series of dips that let Hawking experience a total of about four minutes of weightlessness. Because Hawking suffers from a degenerative nerve disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a medical support team was on hand to monitor his blood pressure and cardiac readings. But the renowned physicist held up even better than expected, negotiating for two additional 30-second rounds of weightlessness while in flight.

NASA has been using aircraft to simulate the zero-gravity environment of orbit for decades, and in 2004 the Zero Gravity Corporation became the first company to offer the experience to the general public. The sensation occurs as the plane climbs upward with a very steep pitch and then levels out—a little like the feeling you get at the top of a roller coaster—and lasts about 30 seconds at a time. The price tag: $4,950 plus tax.

Hawking took the flight in order to publicize the possibility of commercial space travel. “I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space,” he said before the flight. Using the force of commerce, he believes, is the most practical way to eventually make mass space travel a real possibility.

After the flight, Hawking was exuberant, and discussed his hopes to someday fully enter earth’s orbit (Richard Branson, owner of the company Virgin Galactic, has said he will waive the $200,000 fee). “It was amazing. The zero-G part was wonderful, and the high-G part was no problem,” Hawking said. “I could have gone on and on. Space, here I come.”

Kozhikode beach

Kozhikode Beach is a beach on the western side of Kozhikode, situated on the Malabar Coast of India. The beach is accessible through four road overbridges in the city. The beach has paved stones and illumination. There is one Lions Park for the children and an acquarium. Kozhikode beach has always been a prominent place for conducting public meetings. The beach road was renamed 'Gandhi Road' in 1934 after Gandhi visited Calicut in 1934.

Vegitable farming

Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetables for human consumption. The practice probably started in several parts of the world over ten thousand years ago, with families growing vegetables for their own consumption or to trade locally. At first manual labour was used but in time livestock were domesticated and the ground could be turned by the plough. More recently, mechanisation has revolutionised vegetable farming with nearly all processes being able to be performed by machine. Specialist producers grow the particular crops that do well in their locality. New methods such as aquaponics, Raised-bed gardening raised beds and cultivation under glass are used. Marketing can be done locally in farmer's markets, traditional markets or pick-your-own operations, or farmers can contract their whole crops to wholesalers, canners or retailers.