My good friend, Mark Kirchner, and his family have been living in Dubai for the last ten years, giving me the perfect excuse to visit that fascinating region every now and then. Recent tensions in nearby Yemen scuttled our plans for an excursion there this past February—but I'd already purchased my round-trip ticket to Dubai. What to do? Why, head to Oman for a short road trip, of course! A wealth of touring opportunities made it quite easy to cobble together a game plan, and I soon came to appreciate that Oman is an exceptionally safe and tolerant place to visit.

May 2010