Earlier in the day I enjoyed a visit to Al Bustan Palace Hotel  http://www.omanholiday.co.uk/omanhotels.htm

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I arrived in Muscat in 1986 just after the initial opening of Al Bustan Palace and then lived for many years in the village next to the hotel - though I have moved a few kilometers away its always been like dear friend and neighbour .

The hotel, scheduled to re-open later in 2008, has undergone a full refit. The bedrooms  are especially splendid the golds and creams with dark wood details make them warm and inviting making any stay a pleasure. The famous lobby has undergone a redesign and the grounds now have a more structured feel with a range of pools.

With temperatures where I am in Muscat sizzling at up to 49c but still not hot enough to fry an egg !

    (but I suspect a slow Omelet or Scrambled eggs would work) http://blog.omanholiday.co.uk/blog/Photos/_archives/2008/5/18/3697233.html

With the heat I especially enjoyed my regular swim in a bay nearby my home.

For the first time in that bay I came across a live Olive Ridley Turtle http://www.omanholiday.co.uk/omannature.htm , though unfortunately not one of the ones we sponsor http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?tag_id=82843 . Covered in algae and with a few barnacles the turtle in the bay was no youngster . At first I thought it was dead as it laid motionless on the surface, but eventually it dived so I guess the warm bathlike temperature of the water was as enervating for it as it was for me.