Blogs from Oman, Middle East - page 30

Dubai and Muscat are like sisters. Dubai needs to be at the centre of attention at all times; she wears revealing clothing, lots of makeup, and chances are she'll be pregnant by the time she's 16. Muscat is the cooler, older, hippy sister; she is more modest, laid back and wears her beauty effortlessly... I could feel the pace of life slow to a leisurely halt as the plane touched down in Muscat. Everything about travelling in a foreign land that was challenging and difficult washed away when I saw the familiar faces of Dave and Jana on the other side of the extremely lax airport security. I was immediately welcomed and embraced as a temporary resident of the expat ghetto of MQ; a place where live in maids and gardeners are the norm for school ... read more

"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 turns to me... "You want to go to Mutrah?" "Yes, Corniche" "Ahh, Corniche. Yes come" This man motions me to follow him through the streets of Ruwi. Ruwi is the "transportation hub" of Muscat but ... read more

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 around for awhile. Afterwards, we sat awhile and shared coffee and dates with the guards... such a great experience! The next stop was Jami al-Hamoda mosque, an oddly shaped adobe building topped with 52 nipple-like ... read more

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 was going to be a very long day and it was already 9:30 by the time we left Dubai. The traffic heading into Dubai from the north was horrendous, practically a parking lot, but our ... read more