Blogs from Oman, Middle East - page 27

At long last, my first road trip in the Middle East. This place was very different from Dubai. Oman has been closed off for a longer time then the United Arab Emirates. The Sultans for the most part wanted to keep separated from the West as much as possible, leading to Oman keeping itself quite traditional. The recent Sultans though since the 1970's have decided to Oman up much more. Here on this tip we got a chance to see a world much less Westernized, or at least to a degree. Once of the neat things you'll see throughout Oman are the numerous forts. These forts were put in place by the Portuguese when they took over Oman much earlier. These forts are actually still used by the Oman military! They even have armed guards (machine ... read more

Chelle finally made it diving in the UAE. Yesterday morning at the ungodly hour of 4:30am she got up and headed off to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel to join a group of divers heading up to the Musandam peninsular in Oman. The trip was rather long. 2 hours in a bus and then another 2 hours on a Dhow. However the Dhow was lovely and Chelle spent her time on a sun lounger on the deck reading a book (one of the 22 that she brought from a charity book sale the day before :) The diving itself wasn't all that flash it has to be said. Poor old Chelle has dived in a few locations around the world and it appears that she has now become a bit of a dive snob. Anything less that ... read more

Well, our time in Muscat has been great. Pure indulgence in a luxury hotel by the sea. And just when we thought it was all over, we ended up being bumped off our flight home and back in the hotel for another full day. Could be worse! I think we should manage another cocktail while watching the sun go down and a morning swim in the sea.... Beats doing the unpacking and washing I had planned for tomorrow.... read more

This was my first adventure out of Dubai without emirates......and our...first holiday together. And we both survived and also had a very surprisingly great time and fell in love with a country that is rarely visited but has sooo much to offer in beauty, over whelming hospitality and crazy adventures for the unexpecting tourists.....it is a deffinete must see for the middle east. Its only a quick 40 minute flt to muscatfrom Dubai but we thought we would be adventureous and hire a car and drive from the U.A.E to Oman....not an easy feat but again we were a strong team....with a good driver Dave and an exceptional navigator me.....So off we went to explore......we apparently thought we were rock stars on this particular holiday but it added to the adventure. Crossing the borders was interesting ... read more

Muscat, Oman is right out of “1001 Arabian Nights” with its walled old town, forts and the oldest souq or marketplace in Oman. Set in amongst jagged mountains next to the port, the mystery of this city remains because it is virtually unknown to Westerners. We chose to take a sunset cruise on an ancient Dhow boat used for centuries in this part of the world. We glided along the coast and saw where future development is planned on their beautiful beaches. The next day, a small group of us went by 4x4 vehicles through the mountains and off road terrain to a giant sinkhole, a wadi (a water spring oasis nestled between two steep mountains) and a white sand beach. Our Omani guides handled a flat tire within 15 minutes, leading us to believe this ... read more