"How much to Mutrah?" "No not yet, I wait" Much haggling is futile as this man would still not take me without a full taxi. No other taxi's were driving past so it looks like I was stuck. Getting around Muscat isn't as easy as I had heard. Taxi's are seemingly readily available but are willing to exploit tourists. Buses don't seem to run anywhere but to and from towns and cities. The hot arabian sun makes me swealter and there is no shady refuge in sight. A man wanders across the road and he converses with the taxi driver. He [View Full Entry]

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The plane touches down in Dubai after 15 long hours of crying babies, no sleep and a man behind me who likes to kick chairs repeatedly. I was only too happy to get off. A very long walk takes me though customs and bag collection. Standing on the curb with no idea on how I was going to get from here to the bus station within 45 minutes, a lady askes me if I knew where anything was. She was from India but had been living in London for 8 years. We put our heads together and got a shared taxi [View Full Entry]

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sur-bahla via jalan bani bu hassan, jami al-Hamoda mosque, wahiba sands, bahla, jebel shams Our route today was going to head inland from the coast towards the town of Nizwa. We went back down to the Sur dhow yards this morning to have another quick look around before heading off to yet another fort at Jalan Bani bu Hassan. We were finally able to find the fort after some difficulty! This fort was in excellent restored condition, and we were the only tourists there. It wasn't open when we arrived, but the guards were there and let us in to wander [View Full Entry]

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mct-sur via coastal road, tiwi, wadi shab I woke up early this morning and walked down the street to the Mutrah fish market. The fishermen were just bringing in the morning's catch and was fascinating to see all the different types of fish for sale. Baby shark is a popular dish here. There was also a meat market with the obligatory live chickens and sheep heads. We then drove to downtown Muscat and the Sultan's palace, which was undergoing renovation/construction. After stocking up on snacks and water we set off on our way out of town. The road headed inland a [View Full Entry]

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dxb-mct via sharjah, fujeirah, sohar, al hazm, rustaq, nakhal After a delicious breakfast at the Intercontinental hotel, we caught a cab over to the Budget car rental where our friends D & S were waiting to pick up the car. We would be spending the next few days driving through the UAE and Oman. The rental company required extra Omani insurance, but with 4 people to split the cost, it was reasonable. The plan for the day was to drive across the UAE to the Omani border via Sharjah and Fujeirah, then down along the coast via Sohar to Muscat. It [View Full Entry]

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Always love returning to Oman - my favourite country in the Middle East. Muscat is exactly what an Arabian city should look like. Whitewashed homes and domes, studded wooden doors and gleaming minarets, stark dessert landscape, rocky mountains ringing the city, lush palms and the bluest richest seas. To be updated... [View Full Entry]

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