Salalah: Nine days into the season and there is no sign of Khareef except for building humidity. People here are thinking, has the season also have some corona impact. Not really, because the mist is building upon the mountains and those who are living there are already enjoying the advent of the season. This is a signal for the advent of Khareef in Salalah very soon.
The pandemic has dampened the general mood; still, Khareefhas its charm among the people of Salalah. They are waiting for its arrival soon after the beginning of the season on June 21, as per the official calendar.
“All the mountain areas which are closer to the sea are getting early morning and post afternoon mist, which is enough to drench someone if exposed for a long time under the open sky,” said Salim al Mashani, who lives in Salalah but loves to explore the mountains.
“If you visit Al Shan, you will find light drizzling. It means the arrival of the monsoon is just a matter of time,” he said.
He mentioned categorically that the mountains near the sea are having drizzle and not those which are far away. “Like, you will not find drizzling now on Madinat Al Haq because it is far from the sea. When the Khareef will settle, this area is so misty that it is difficult to drive due to heavy mist and low visibility.”
Khareef of course is entirely different due to the spread of coronavirus and restrictions on visitors coming to Salalah from other countries or even from within the country. As per the decision of the Supreme Committee on COVID-19, Salalah is under lockdown till July 3.
Within Salalah, access to most of the tourist sites has been blocked by the local authorities to avoid gathering and subsequent spread of the virus.
“Otherwise you would have seen a large number of people from outside visiting all the places and most of the hotels must have booked by now for another four months,” said Al Mashani while mentioning he was missing the humdrum of the season.
Another explorer of the Khareef season, Ali Sahri is waiting for the news of the arrival of Khareef from Rakhyut and Dalkhut. “Without fail I rush to have a view of the season in Rakhyut and Dalkhut with my closest friend Said. But this year I am yet to decide.”
He, however, is happy over the news that Khareef might be arriving very soon in Salalah. “Even though I do not go to faraway places, I will surely be enjoying the season even by sitting at my home and following the guidelines set by the authorities to prevent the pandemic,” he said.
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