My journey to Oman began in Abu Dhabi. Friday evening, Cassie and I drove to Abu Dhabi so we could catch our early Saturday morning flight. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay with Wesley while we were in Abu Dhabi. It was great to see him and to stay with him even though if we got caught, all 3 of us could have been deported. We forgot about the fact that men and women can’t stay in the same house unless they’re married. Oh well. We didn’t get caught and we had a good time.
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| Muscat |
We got up bright and early and Wesley took us to the airport for our 8:55 am flight. We had no issues at the airport and we even got exit row seats! One more exit stamp in my passport!
The flight was very smooth and super quick; only 40 minutes. The view from the airplane was amazing. Check out the pictures on FB. The mountains are quite visible. It was awe inspiring. We arrived in Muscat and got off the plane and I desperately needed to find a bathroom. But that was not to be. We had to go get our visas and go through immigration first. No big deal, but I really had to use the bathroom. I got my Oman stamp and changed some money. The exchange rate didn’t really work in my favor, or it did but everything was super expensive. Still can’t figure it out. 10dhs = 1 OR (Omani Rial). I mean really things weren’t that expensive in Omani money, but when you convert to dirhams, yikes! Our taxi ride from the airport cost 7OR which is 70dhs. I have never paid 70dhs for a taxi ride! Anyway, I got my stamp and money and headed to the bathroom.
In order to get a taxi from the airport you have to go to the taxi stand and literally order one. They have them there waiting but a guy fills out a paper telling the driver where you want to go and you pay him, not the driver. Weird, but whatever works. So we got our taxi and the driver turned out to be really nice and spoke good English. He gave us his number and told us to call him if we needed a ride while we were in town. That was a great idea. We ended up using his services more than once. We arrived at Al Bajhah Hotel in Seeb Oman about ½ an hour later. We ate lunch at the hotel and tried to find something to do in the area, but there really isn't much to do in Seeb so we called Ali, the taxi driver, and he came and picked us up.
We went to Muscat where we walked the beach. Well, not really the beach, but near the water. We couldn’t find a beach. I have heard that they’re beautiful in Oman, but the only one that we could find was quite rocky. I did venture down and put my feet in the water. The city is beautiful; lots of mountains, greenery, forts, and gulf (Gulf of Oman) views! I couldn’t believe how different it is from the UAE. Not only is the scenery different, and better in my opinion, but the people and traffic are different as well. More on people differences later, but the traffic is so much better. They actually seem to follow traffic rules in Oman. There isn’t that much honking either. I think the car horn is the national sound of the UAE!
On our walk, I discovered that I am a tourist attraction! A couple of guys asked to have their picture taken with me. They pointed to my head and indicated that we were the same height. I obliged even though I felt kind of awkward. I guess it’s not everyday that Omani’s get to see a tall woman.
After our walk we shopped at the local souq. I didn’t find anything too appealing, but Cassie found some neat gifts for her siblings. I am still looking for the camel wind chimes that my parents want. Not sure if I’ll ever find them made out of wood though, but I am looking.
After our shopping we had dinner and signed up for a dolphin tour for Sunday. So we went back to our hotel so we could get a good night’s sleep and get up early the next morning.
Sunday 12/19
I only got seasick once. That was when we stopped to look at the dolphins. I was a little worried about that, but it wasn’t too bad. As soon as we started moving again I was fine. I was a little wobbly when I got off the boat, but I didn’t fall in! Cassie supported me!!
We had a delicious Omani breakfast, walked around Muscat for a while, and then headed back to the hotel to take a nap.
After our nap we were ready for dinner. We headed down to the Indian restaurant in the hotel. I ordered, but Cassie couldn’t figure out what she wanted so I had dinner and Cassie ended up getting her meal to take back upstairs. When we got upstairs she discovered that she didn’t have silverware so she called the desk. They couldn’t understand that she wanted silverware and since I know the word for spoon ملعقة (milaqah)in Arabic I tried to help. Unfortunately he didn’t understand what she was saying when she was speaking Arabic. Evidently, my pronunciation wasn't right. She eventually got her point across and a spoon arrived shortly thereafter. At least her rice didn’t get cold while she was waiting! A great day was over.
Monday 12/20
The activity for today was a tour of Muscat. The tour started with the Grand Mosque. This mosque is nothing compared to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, but it is very nice. Some nicely carved marble and wooden doors and ceilings. Beautiful gardens. Intricate and delicate carvings from the Quran. A very nice mosque.
After the mosque we went to the fish market. Yuck. The smell was terrible. But, I am glad that I went. There were tons of fresh fish and people buying. Most of the fish were dead, but we did see a fish that was still breathing. Poor thing! The colors of the fish were spectacular. Bright orange, blue, yellow, and red. Who knew that fish came in so many different colors.
From the fish market we went to a museum where we learned a lot about Omani history. This country has come a long way in the last 40 years. Very similar to the UAE.
Our last stop was the Sultan’s Palace. We were actually allowed to go near the entrance and take pictures. The Sheikh could take some lessons from the Sultan since visitors aren’t allowed near the palace in Al Ain and pictures are strictly prohibited.
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| Sultan's Palace |
Instead of being taken back to the hotel after the tour we decided to have lunch. Our tour guide took us to an authentic Omani restaurant where you have to take your shoes off and sit on the floor. The food was delicious, as to be expected! I wasn’t too thrilled about sitting on the floor, but the food made it all worth while! After our late lunch it was back to the hotel for a nap.
Time for a late dinner, so we decided to go to McDonalds. I know, how boring, but sometimes we just don’t want Middle Eastern food. So we tried to get a taxi to take us to McDonalds. Who knew that it was going to be so difficult? McDonalds is the same in Arabic and English so it shouldn’t have been that hard. We had to ask 3 taxi drivers before we found one that could understand us and knew where there was a McDonalds. I had the opportunity to practice my Arabic on this ride and discovered that I really need to work on my pronunciation. It was quite frustrating to me when I discovered that the driver could not understand what I was saying. I know I’m supposed to ask for the correct pronunciation, but I get so frustrated and embarrassed that I don’t. After a fantastic McDonalds dinner we headed back to the hotel. Another great day in Oman was over.
Tuesday 12/21
The tour today was to the historic city of Rustaq. We saw a ton of forts, mountains, hot springs, and another fish market. There are over 1,000 forts in Oman and a lot of them are in Rustaq. Well, maybe not a lot, but I thought we saw a lot on the drive. There were 4 on the tour, but 2 of them were closed for renovations and I couldn’t tour one because of all the steps. The one I did see was pretty neat. Very old stuff. The indoor plumbing was amazing. Not sure if you could really call it indoor plumbing, but the toilet was indoors and the water was run from the channel outside of the fort. Pretty fascinating.
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| one of the forts of Rustaq |
Lots of driving and we were tired after staying up late last night and getting up early so another nap! For dinner tonight we decided to go to the mall. Oh how different! The mall was actually quiet! No screaming kids playing soccer or roller skating through the mall. Yes, that actually occurs in the UAE. We had a very pleasant dinner at Chili’s. That’s not exactly where we wanted to eat, but the rest of the mall was closing at 10 and Chili’s was open until 11. We thought that the mall would be open till midnight like in the UAE. It wasn’t so we had no choice but Chili’s. We had a good meal and discovered that there is always one picture hanging upside down in Chili’s. Our vacation is over, Back to the hotel to get ready to leave for the UAE.
Wednesday 12/22
An early morning flight to the UAE. The flight was uneventful and we got exit row seats again! Eithad can be accommodating. Wesley met us at the airport and took us to the mall. I got my crock pot!! I haven’t been able to find one here at all so I am very excited! We had lunch and then headed to the Emirates Palace to see the 11 million dollar Christmas tree! Beautiful! It is huge and decorated with jewelry. I wouldn’t mind some of the jewels that were hanging on the tree.
After a wonderful vacation we arrived back home in Al Ain around 9:30 and I’m still not unpacked!! That is very rare for me!
Oman is a beautiful country and I had a wonderful time. Who knows, we may take another trip to Muscat since it’s so close to Al Ain.
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