What comes to mind when you think of the Middle East?
For me, it is a land of marvel and mystery. Smoky frankincense, mystical veils and dusty sand dunes, a place full of exotic foods, breathtaking Mosques and fascinating markets, wonder upon wonder, just waiting to be discovered!
Our late night arrival into Dubai to begin our adventure was somewhat less magic and a tad scarier!
Ian does not share my sense of adventure, so he was hesitant about the journey to begin with, when we were pulled aside by security at Dubai Airport, he became downright unsure and I feel he was beginning to regret the decision to let a rather mangy beard grow on his normally clean shaven face!
After a very extensive search throughout all of the luggage and an interrogation to boot, we discovered the source of the suspicion, an innocent little bottle of sun cream with a raised bar code that set off alarms!
Oman is a beautiful country, a little oasis so different from the hustle and bustle of Dubai; it is hard to believe they are so close to each other. The men are all adorned in white, floor length robes and distinctive hats called ‘Kumas’ whilst the women are the epitome of graceful in beautiful abayas and veils, it is the mystical land of my dreams!
We spent a magical week with our wonderful guide Said exploring the treasures of his homeland, the experience made exponentially cooler given our touring vehicle was a jet black Hummer!
We travelled across the desert and up dunes that rose like mountains to watch the sun go down over Wahiba Sands. The night was spent next to a camp fire in the desert, eating olives, drinking tea and gazing at stars, the entire sky a sparkling carpet of light.
In Nizwa, one of the oldest cities in Oman, we visited the Souk at dawn and shared freshly cooked lamb kebabs with the locals while watching the baby goats being auctioned off to Bedouin women in full face burqas.
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| Dune Buggies |
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| Sunset in Wahiba Sands |
In Nizwa, one of the oldest cities in Oman, we visited the Souk at dawn and shared freshly cooked lamb kebabs with the locals while watching the baby goats being auctioned off to Bedouin women in full face burqas.
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| The Goat Auction at the Souk in Nizwa |
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| Ian and Said enjoying the freshly cooked lamb kebabs |
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| A young boy in traditional Omani costume |
Visiting the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque was a novelty for me and an amusement for Ian. Being winter, the temperature is not hot by Omani standards, but at 29 degrees, jeans and a wool jumper are not the first choice! Women are required to be completely covered, down to the ankles and wrists and the head must be covered. Said did such a good job with my Hijab that I was spoken to in Arabic by some locals!
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| Look at my impressive head scarf |
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| The interior of the Men's Prayer Hall inside the Mosque |
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| The stunning Mosque |
Our most treasured memory on the entire trip was dinner with Said and his wife, we ate all my favourites, tabouli, hummus, lamb and tzatziki and shared stories about our lives, she was from Baghdad and had moved to Oman after she lost her husband and after some time, she met Said via the internet! We laughed about the similarities of our cultures despite the obvious differences!
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| Our wonderful guide Said, with his beautiful wife |
Our incredible adventure was capped off with two nights in heaven, the Al Bustan Palace hotel in Muscat. Over my years in the travel business, I have visited a number of breathtaking hotels and some just stick in the mind as experiences to be treasured. I think the Al Bustan tops the list! The foyer alone was awe inspiring, traditional Omani architecture combined with an opulence that made us feel like we were royalty! We spent our days eating up a storm at the breakfast buffet and relaxing by the pool where the staff brought eskies with drinks, cool towels and ice cream, the service was faultless! Checking out was a sad experience, both to leave the hotel and Oman itself.
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| The amazing foyer at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel |
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| Our lovely room |
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| The view room our room- tough life! |
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| Clearly happy with our choice of holiday |
The trip was a special glimpse into a country that has somehow managed to remain untouched and untainted in an area overcome by a colossal wave of development and change. Let’s hope it stays that way for a very long time to come.
A couple of Interesting Facts about Oman-
- It is actually illegal to drive around in a dirty car in Oman. You may get stopped by the police who can fine you OMR5
- The prayer carpet in the Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Muscat is the 2nd largest in the world, It contains, 1,700,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce, it measures over 70 × 60 metres and covers the 4,343 square metre area of the praying hall, all in a single piece
- Serving Omani coffee has certain traditions that have to be observed. Such rituals include that the cup should not be filled to the rim. It is instead served with only one fourth of the cup filled. Also, when someone has had enough coffee he or she should shake the cup as a sign so that the one who is serving stops pouring more coffee. A lesson we took a few days to learn!
The link below is a newspaper article in 'The Australian' featuring our wonderful guide, Said-
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/streets-ahead-in-oman/story-e6frg8rf-1225912700999
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/streets-ahead-in-oman/story-e6frg8rf-1225912700999
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