Juno Kim is a happiness-seeking storyteller and photographer who travels the world in search for stories, compiling them in her blog Runawayjuno. Her travels recently took her to Oman, where she took the chance to peek into Omani people’s life and, as the language barrier stood between them, get interesting insights through their body language.
In an account of her first impressions, she says: “Photographing people in this region is a whole other world compared to other countries, especially photographing women.” Surprised by women’s reluctance to taking photographs, the traveler goes beyond first looks to analyse other forms of communication. “It doesn’t mean that they are not welcoming. On the contrary, the Omanis were probably one of the friendliest I met. We could not communicate much (unfortunately I don’t speak Arabic), but I could read the hospitality from their body language”.
Having the change to meet and photograph Omani women and men at the welcome festival at Bait al Sarah, and Wahiba Sands, the blogger presents a breathtaking series of pictures highlighting what she found most striking about their culture: hospitality. “Omani people surprised me with their wonderful hospitality and generosity. Most of the people we encountered welcomed us with big smiles and cheerful “Ah-salaam alaykum. I loved photographing elderly men with gentle wrinkles on their face,” she says.
For more information: Read more of her chronicles and check out her photos in RunawayJunno’s blog and Facebook page.
