We stopped off in the city of Salalah. The lush greenery and trees may actually surprise you being that the city is in the heart of the desert. If you're looking for something different, it doesn't come more different than Salalah's Dhofari dancers, complete with bagpipes. The elegant dancers and bright costumes mainly brighten up local weddings these days. Just outside Salalah in the desert you'll find frankincense trees.
Frankincense has a variety of uses including an ingredient for perfume and incense.
In the shops, frankincense as well as myrrh, is graded according to sweetness and quality and buying always involves a little haggling. The beach is as beautiful as Miami or Bondi but don't even think of stripping down to your swimsuit while here. Women remain covered up at all times in public. And if Salalah develops a tourism industry to supplement its oil revenues, and the cruise ships arrive in increasing numbers, it'll be a long time before it gets spoiled. A couple of things to keep in mind when visiting this area of the Middle East - the heat is excessive in summer and you must appreciate the Muslim customs concerning behavior and dress.