Blogs from Muscat, Oman, Middle East
May 17th 2012
Muscat, Oman... what a beautiful city and country. Unfortunately we only had a brief flying visit in to Muscat to visit our friend Topsy, however we hope to return soon to explore more. I snapped away for the brief time we were there, not great quality photos... but I thought it would give you a tiny glimpse, as it did for us. We have driven through the spectacular rocky mountains in the north on previous occasions, but this was our first visit to Muscat. It was refreshing to be away from the skyscrapers and traffic of Dubai. To see people going about their daily business and the historic fishing village area, with winding streets in the sand, decorative doors on the walled houses, leading in to inner courtyards...this was also a breath of fresh air after ... read more
January 21st 2012
At last I have found a coffee shop which does wif fi - I am back in Dubai but here goes with the report on my last couple of days in Oman ... it's a bit long but you will see why.... After the visit to the fort I was off again – driving myself from Muscat through the mountains to the coast at Sur and then on to the turtle reserve at Ras al Jinz. This was a journey of about 250 km and well done Oman for such brilliant roads. The geology of the country here is fantastic with a a huge range of different rock types and ages from ancient to relatively recent in geological terms. So what a lot of dynamite must have gone into blasting the way through these mountains to ... read more
Frankincense, Beads, Daggers and Forts
Published: January 21st 2012Middle East » Oman » Muscat » Muttrah
January 19th 2012
What a lot you can do in 4 days here in Oman. And many thanks to Tamsin and her family I have been most warmly welcomed here from a pickup at the airport to a comfy bed in their lovely villa, swimming in their pool and delicious food. They've been my tour guides and even gave me a car to drive. What it is to have such generous warmhearted friends. In between lazing around in the garden and swimming in my first 2 days there has been a visit to the Souq, Muttrah old town and harbour , lunch at the Marina overlooked by the British Ambassador's residence and then a visit to one of Oman's many forts. The souq is fabulous with such a range of goodies-from giant pans (imagine them full of rice and ... read more
January 2nd 2012
DECEMBER 2011- DAY 1 DAY ONE- DUBAI MARINA - AL-QURM- 450KM 5HRS THINGS NEEDED:(PASSPORTS , TOURIST VISA-150AED, CAR INSURANCE) We left home at aprox 7amand tooke the e44 to cross the border at Hatta- (first check point). Watch out for the AXLE breaking speed bumps at the checkpoints and in the small towns before you reach Hatta. All in 4 checkpoints that you have to go through In Oman continued onto the coast road(01)passing throung Sohar before reaching Muscat/AlQurm in the early afternoon.... read more
December 10th 2011
Day 3 and after breakfast its lotion up and head for the pool. But wait, what's that in the sky , clouds !! call the manager and have him sort it out please. Still warm enough to lie down in shorts and top up the tan when the sun deigned to appear. By the afternoon normal service had been resumed and we had a late lunch in the poolside cafe (Asian beef salad ) before retiring for the afternoon to the terrace. I'm currently reading 'Jerusalem The Biography' by Simon Sebag Montefiore an excellent book so spent the rest of the afternoon with my head buried in this fascinating tome. 6 o clock can mean only one thing - Happy Hour! - only difference here is that due to our upgrade all drinks are free till ... read more
December 10th 2011
After a splendid evening's meal accompanied by a cheeky Morrocan Shiraz (went very well with the Kofti Tagine - beef meatballs to you and me) I was up with the lark (or whatever the Omani equivalent is) and breakfast was taken at 8:30. Today is Friday and therefore the Holy day and you could feel a very different, more reverential atmosphere about the hotel. The sun was back with a vengeance and as we made our way to the pool the sky was beautifully cloudless and with the blue sea made a perfect picture (which I'll include later) The morning was spent soaking up the rays with the only disturbance being the delivery of the coolbox containing the iced water and Evian face mister thingy. This was followed mid morning by the lady with the iced ... read more
December 10th 2011
Is it 6 o clock already? Cometh the happy hour, cometh Simon! Marvellous, all the G&T I can drink! Plus canapies as well, who could wish for more as the great bard once said (well if he didn't, he should've done. So suitably refreshed we made our way to the Bait Al Abar that well known seafood restaurant (ok, well known here!) We had a superb meal culminating in a seafood grill with lobster, king prawns, mussels, king fish and other seafood! all washed down with a New Zealand Cabernet Sauvignon, wonderful. The next morning should've seen me diving again but I decided to spend the day doing nothing but sitting in the sun reading my book, too much exercise is not good and I was determined to enjoy our last full day in an appropriate ... read more
December 8th 2011
Arrived at the airport on time left the car with the valet parking boys (yes this is different to my NZ trip,but I am travelling with Sue don't forget !). Check in took 5 minutes and straight through security. A quick shop for essentials (books etc) then straight to the lounge. A couple of large G&T's and before you know it it's time to board. We're flying with Oman Air for the first time and they live up to their promise. The service was excellent and their flat beds allowed us to get some sleep (although the champagne helped as well!) Landed ahead of schedule and after purchasing a visa (bit of a surprise that, dont remember doing that the first time we were here) we were through customs and in a taxi to the hotel. ... read more
November 6th 2011
On Thursday, 3.11., I arrived with the ferry in Sharjah, UAE. The entry to the country was quite easy. I got a stamp at the border with allowance of 30 days staying. In Sharjah I enjoyed my first proper supermarket since Erzurum, Turkey, maybe. And you can use the credit card again. I still have much cash left from Iran, so I didnt need a cash machine, but I was not sure at all if I still remember the PIN and wanted to try out. From two machines I tried to get about 10 Euro, but they said its too much. Aehh? I figured out that it was just too little and I remembered the right PINJ In UAE are living many different people: Arabs, Western people, Africans and many Indians. And you see skin. I ... read more
May 15th 2011
It is always a pleasure to cruise into Muscat. This sultanate is one of our favorite places in all of the Middle East. The handsome Omani people are very friendly, the landscape is storybook and the souk is the best. There is a high level of education and there are even women working in government jobs. Sultan Qaboos is a pretty benevolent ruler who has the third largest private yacht in the world and some very fancy palaces in both Muscat and Salalah. The countryside is spotless and the standard of living is very high for the residents. Shortly after arrival we went over to the Muttrah Souk with Doug and Annette. The gold, fabric and trinket souks are all jammed together along the corniche fronting the harbor. Oman is noted for its frankincense and the ... read more
