We had booked a "king room" at this hotel, and it was actually a small corner suite. We could see the cliffs that come down to the sea on both sides of Khasab, and the complete harbour.

Docked just opposite was the Sultan's yacht. The space between the road and the mooring had 5 or 6 armoured vehicles, Occasional helicopters circled.

I have to confess, I felt odd trying to take photos. The soldiers were all on alert, and I felt that opening curtains from such a prime location might already draw attention. So, opening windows or taking photos might invite a full police tactical unit to visit us.

A little later, walking through town, we came to the main road to find it fully blocked. Soon after, streams of police and military vehicles came, followed by many brand new green four-wheel-drives, followed by a vehicle with the sultan, and then more entourage, and more security. Overhead, helicopters kept a watchful eye on the proceedings. People along the road waved and took photos. We waved and took photos. We got a wave back, too.