“The air of the place had something Mediterranean or maybe Caribbean about it. Will had never been out of England, so he couldn’t compare it with anywhere he knew, but it was the kind of place where people came out late at night to eat and drink, to dance and enjoy music. Except that there was no one here, and the silence was immense.” -Philip Pullman, The Subtle Knife Panoramic view of the harbor at Jebel Sifah, Oman Fletch and I walked outside the flat on our first morning in Sifah, Oman, eager to see our surroundings after arriving and promptly crashing into