Certainly , Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living ~ Miriam Beard
I am tempted to use this quote each time because I am yet to read anything which captures the heart of what experiencing new places does to me. As I sit down to write this, I am overwhelmed by the task of squeezing in this piece as many sounds, sights, flavours and heat as I can, but I try to explain it best nevertheless.
The flight to Oman was peaceful and we were met by our friendly 30 year old English-speaking tour guide from Tunisia - Tahlili. Feeling a blast of furnace air from the airport doors open to the city, I knew that we were in for an intense trip as far as weather was concerned. The roads and the place looked like arid desert and and I could see distant mud-like mountains.
I had an eclectic group with me, a features journalist from the Hindu, Chennai, a Bangalore based wildlife photographer and travel enthusiast from Outlook traveler (Mallu guy with a ponytail), an eccentric, pan-chewing journalist from a Hindi daily in Lucknow, one over-weight journalist (Sorry! I could never remember his name) from the Mumbai Mirror and Nisha Lonan (Travel representative from Oman tourism)
So, we checked into Park Inn hotel and later lunch was at Mumtaz Mahal - a famous Indian restaurant in Muscat where we were served what seemed like unending portions of succulent chicken and sheesh kebabs, butter chicken, butter nan and a host of other items. Feeling like an overstuffed python, the rest of the day was a tour through Muscat where we visited the local museum ( which gave us a good overview of history and culture of Omani culture), The sultan's palace (one of his seven in the world), couple of Portuguese forts sitting on Muscat bay(built by the Portuguese occupying in the 16th century) and Qantab beach (a small, lazy beach with fishing boats and locals swimming, no women mind you) A bit about the sultan: Qaboos bin Said is a leader and religious head who has been ruling the place since 1970. It was during his reign that Oman has become massively liberalised in terms of economy, international relations, education and modernization. We also visited Mattrah souq - a marketplace with numerous stores selling spices, dates, incense, silver jewellery, traditional costumes, footwear, embroidered aqiyahs (caps), artifacts, antiques and tons of trinkets. I saw groups of abhaya- (black cloak) covered woman and they were so chiseled and beautiful that I could help staring at their creamy skin, dark almond eyes and sleek noses and chins. The weather was suffocating to say the least and I wondered how they managed to cover themselves in black. Must say though, that the men also wore long sleeved white cloaks so it seemed more part of their culture than a dress restriction I thought.
Dinner was at Kargeen restaurant, a beautiful open-air Omani restaurant lit with lanterns and bathed with light where the well-dressed of Oman sat together to dine and smoke sheeshas. I had to try the Arabian shawarma which was delicious but what hit the spot was the traditional Shuwa - a meat and rice preparation where meat (usually beef/mutton) is wrapped in banana leaves, spiced and roasted for a day (and sometimes two)to bring out all the flavours of the smoked spice. Must say, this one must have been a sure heart attack in one meal!!
Day 2
Next morning we headed to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is the third largest in the world. I was curious to see the inside of a mosque as it's never been allowed in India. Only rule was that women had to have their hair, head and neck wrapped up in a scarf and no short sleeves/shorts or men. It was stunningly beautiful - Kind of like the Sistine chapel of the Arab world. Details: It can accommodate about 20k persons, separate prayer halls for men and women with off-white and dark grey marble interiors in cut-tile work with ceramic floral patters adorning the ceiling inspired by Persian and Safavid designs I am told by our other English speaking tour guide Abdullah. What blew me away was the massive Swarovski chandelier with gold-plated metal work(reportedly the largest in the world) which had a thousand light bulbs and hangs 14 metres from a dome set with ornate stained glass triangles. Whew. The Persian hand-made Persian carpet is a single piece and also the largest in the world with 1,700 million knots and made from 600 female weavers under 18 - (apparently this is the cut off age for women because precision recedes after one becomes adult - do not ask me about this logic which was again explained to me)
I learnt small nuances about Islam. For instance, Omanis follow Ibadi- a third sect of Islam, apart from Shia and Sunni. Also, I wasn't aware that the direction towards which worshipers bow is towards Mecca, where God resides. Here are few pics of the mosque: (the first is from the net)
Next we drove to Nizwa, one of the oldest cities in Oman about 140 km from Muscat which is surrounded by date palms. There we visited the Nizwa and Jabreen forts - which gave us broader insights on Omani traditions, customs and way of living.
Post lunch, we drove up in our land cruiser up the Jabal Shams Mountains - the highest in the country and reached The View - an eco luxe retreat where would get to stay atop the mountains and take in a fantastic panoramic view of the entire landscape. I was so excited when I got there, I could barely contain my glee as I went to the balcony of my room in awe :D Amaaazingg! The moon rose heavy and yellow, temperatures mellowed and the sky was bathed in darkness and all I could see by night where the gleaming lights of city nights. Had dinner at a cosy, candle-lit restaurant with nothing but the wilderness on the right. Delicacies here include: Cream of chicken soup (never have I tasted a soup so creamy and I am hardly a soup-y person, grilled fish, pasta baked to perfection (melt-in-the-mouth) and Mediterranean salad topped with olives and feta (sharp and creamy, yum!) Some pics of the place and my room:
Day 3
The next morning we set off to visit the Grand Canyon (of the Middle East) of the Jebel Shams mountain range - the highest peak in Oman (3000 metres) which gave us an stunning view of the gorge of 1km depth. There is a small cave tucked in the mountain - Tahlili tells us there lives a 90 year old man who hardly steps out of the cave. (hermit?)
Next we stopped by villages of Al-hamara (made from mud-houses from the 1st century, villagers still live here!!) and Wadi Ghul (7th century, Persian stone-houses). Every time I would be told about life in these villages, my mind wandered to Biblical times.. probably Moses, Jesus etc.. lived in similar lands as these!!
The Next Souq we went to sold pottery, silver jewelery, antiques, guns and rifles (yes) and khanjar knives. Here's a snapshot
The next stop for lunch was at Wadi Bani Khalid pools - a sort of oasis, so to speak, and the greenest part of the trip so far. Wadis or river-beds have deep, cool pools whose water is sourced from the mountains. It is surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation, has several silver fishes and mossy greens in them and was quite refreshing change to the arid land seen so far. Local children dived and swam in the pools with glee.
We then headed to Wahiba sands - a desert region in Oman, home to the Bedouins. We visited a bedouin home, bang in the middle of a heated desert. ( the temp must have been 50 C degrees by now, I have never experience such stifling heat!)This was one of the highlights of the trip for me - we met Sampta, a 40 year old Bedouin woman in her desert home. A camel skull lay at the entrance of her thatched home, the sandy interiors was carpeted with cloth and set with cushions. She kept the dangerous the golden scorpion in a plastic bottle and makes cloth key chains, purses and covers for a living. She had bronzed silky skin, stained crooked teeth and eyes of a confused green-grey lined with dark strokes of kohl. I couldn't stop staring at her and wondering what stories lay in her past. She was friendly and when I asked for a pic, she happily agreed pulling on a mask which covered the only remaining uncovered part of her face. While I was observing her, I had a startling moment when I realized that we were both women, yet couldn't be further apart (Okay can't explain!) Her attire and looks were as alien to me as I to her, I suppose. I loved looking at the knick knacks at her home - including woven mats, cut-outs of the sultan, lots of Islamic symbols, colourful abhayas (her clothes) etc. Here she is
Our next adventure was dune-bashing in the desert. It is an activity where you get a rough, bumpy ride in a land cruiser vehicle across sand dunes. The sun was blinding, it was 3 pm and our guides maniacally drove over lumps of molten desert sand, making his giddy and scream(mostly me) in the car. The landscape was breathtaking in a different way.. all I could see was miles of endless sand and I dreaded to think how travellers ever found their way back in ancient times with no communication or technology!! I saw lonely camels in a distance, huddled together in groups. We then went to watch the sunset on a desert sand peak. It was a fantastic view and it felt slightly surreal to be in the middle of nowhere like that.
We stayed overnight at the desert camp seen in the pics above, which are spacious, fully-furnished tents done up lavishly.. catered to the European traveler it seemed like to me. Dinner was delicious with tandoori chicken cooked to perfection (the 2nd best I've eaten after a restaurant in Amritsar) mutton sheesh kebabs were melt-in-the-mouth and the fish masala was spicy and rich. For the evenings entertainment was a traditional Oud player lending a mellow ambiance to the place along with the light of the lanterns. Each tent was far apart and in the middle of nowhere, so had to travel in the pitch black with a torch to find my way back. The night was full of stars and a gorgeous moon hung low which lit up the area a little..
Day 4
Next morning were complimentary camel rides, so as we were running late in the morning quickly did one too. I am usually squeal-y with animals or anything which moves.. so I was asked not to make noise or the thing might just take off with me. Hugging the hump for my dear life, the camel took me on a brief, most-rocky-animal-ride-of-my-life experience :P
From the desert camp we headed for Sur, a port city south east of Muscat. The drive along the coast would be the major attraction for the day. And sure enough, we had a gorgeous view of the deep blue sea all along.
Next were stops at the white sands Finns beach, Wadi tiwi and shab (more gorgeous green river beds) and finally the Bimmah sinkhole.
Must put in a word about the Bimmah sinkhole -a limestone cave which contains blue-green water whose colour is said to come from a mix of fresh water and salty sea water. The water is crystal clear and you can see fish in it. Gorgeousness! The first pic here is not mine, but have included it as I did not have any pics of the entire place.
Our next and last stop for the trip was Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa, a luxury resort by the sea. While we drove into the place my jaw dropped at the place I would be staying at for the next few hours. Spread across 124 acres, the three-hotel luxury hotel made me feel like I was a actor on a shoot in some Hollywood movie. We were given cold towels and welcome drinks on arrivals and then shown up to my rooms. I literally danced into mine, taking in the lavish silk bedspreads, shiny polished bath space with luxe bath and body products and complimentary boxes of dates, Omani halwa and fruits in our rooms. Feeling extremely delighted with the set-up, I stepped out into my balcony to see a stunning view of the beach, bay and surrounding mountains. Sigh.. Here's a pic I got off the net for an idea of the place
For more pics of pure amazingness, check out the photo gallery on the hotel homepage here
And, few of my own:
The staff were extremely hospitable and offered us complimentary refreshments and greeted us at every opportunity. I now know what luxury truly meant as I observed how the staff went out of their way to keep us happy and comfortable. We were taken on a tour of the hotel by the young communications manager of Egyptian origin, a pleasant, down-to-earth chap. The place has over 20 restaurants and bars/lounges with cuisines like Italian, Moroccan, middle eastern, Argentinean, Lebanese to name a few. I could only imagine the pampering offered by their world-class spa, Chi, specializing in niche therapies!! We dined at their global cuisine restaurant. I tried the lobster ravioli in cream sauce as a starter, grilled king fish as main course and ended with a chocolate mousse. Truly exotic fare. My taste buds tingled with a melange of flavours to see the least. Meanwhile the manager kept us engaged with interesting conversation about Egypt, the Arab world and what it takes to run a hotel such as this. He tells us that preparation for dinner start at 3 pm, where the staff would polish every piece of cutlery and have them perfectly aligned for symmetry. I quote him: People will never forget how they are treated It's usually the small things you do which make a big difference and sets you apart from the rest. After my experience at the hotel, I couldn't agree more.
That was my last night in Oman.
All details of luxury meals and tours aside, I must put in here a word about the people I met and had a chance to interact with. By the end of the trip, we had bonded with our Tunisian and Omani tour guides, Tahlili and Abdullah, who were a warehouse of info about local laws, vegetation, geography, wildlife, even marriage and divorce laws! Omanis, in general appear to be more open, liberal and hospitable than what is commonly perceived of the Arab world. Unlike the cosmopolitan, concrete-jungles of Dubai and Abu Dhabi (the only other places in the Middle East I have visited), they seem to be simple, large-hearted folks who love to live life king-sized. People are very devout and religion seems to permeate deeply into their social and cultural ethos. To quote Abdullah: The Quran is the Word of God and contains the essence of our past, present and future.
While such a blind faith does have scope for conservatism and a tendency for power wielders to interpret Quranic verses to dominate and control, I could only feel the radiance of an Islamic culture which was true to itself and not overshadowed by terrorist connotations of jihad which we are bombarded with on our TV screens everyday.
At no point on my trip, was I made to feel less welcome than a local, despite dressing and behaving differently. Muscat is super-organised, prosperous and has an extraordinarily low crime rate. (0.1% informs our tour guide) Women are educated and hold prominent political and job positions. However, I noticed that not too many women appeared in public in rural areas. Also, people couldn't seem to care less about the heat and could be seen lazily sitting in groups and smoking a hookah.
The picture I still carry with me as I left Oman was at Barr Al Jissah - the last glimpse of the shining lights on the sea with the full moon swelling sombre on the horizon, throwing mellow light on the curls of distant waves licking at the shore. In my ears play the melody of exotic Arabic tunes whose faraway lilt transport me back to a land of bounty, of sand, sun and spice. My heart lay touched by the lore of the landscape and my person changed by the experience of the magic of the Arab ethos.
I am tempted to use this quote each time because I am yet to read anything which captures the heart of what experiencing new places does to me. As I sit down to write this, I am overwhelmed by the task of squeezing in this piece as many sounds, sights, flavours and heat as I can, but I try to explain it best nevertheless.
The flight to Oman was peaceful and we were met by our friendly 30 year old English-speaking tour guide from Tunisia - Tahlili. Feeling a blast of furnace air from the airport doors open to the city, I knew that we were in for an intense trip as far as weather was concerned. The roads and the place looked like arid desert and and I could see distant mud-like mountains.
I had an eclectic group with me, a features journalist from the Hindu, Chennai, a Bangalore based wildlife photographer and travel enthusiast from Outlook traveler (Mallu guy with a ponytail), an eccentric, pan-chewing journalist from a Hindi daily in Lucknow, one over-weight journalist (Sorry! I could never remember his name) from the Mumbai Mirror and Nisha Lonan (Travel representative from Oman tourism)
So, we checked into Park Inn hotel and later lunch was at Mumtaz Mahal - a famous Indian restaurant in Muscat where we were served what seemed like unending portions of succulent chicken and sheesh kebabs, butter chicken, butter nan and a host of other items. Feeling like an overstuffed python, the rest of the day was a tour through Muscat where we visited the local museum ( which gave us a good overview of history and culture of Omani culture), The sultan's palace (one of his seven in the world), couple of Portuguese forts sitting on Muscat bay(built by the Portuguese occupying in the 16th century) and Qantab beach (a small, lazy beach with fishing boats and locals swimming, no women mind you) A bit about the sultan: Qaboos bin Said is a leader and religious head who has been ruling the place since 1970. It was during his reign that Oman has become massively liberalised in terms of economy, international relations, education and modernization. We also visited Mattrah souq - a marketplace with numerous stores selling spices, dates, incense, silver jewellery, traditional costumes, footwear, embroidered aqiyahs (caps), artifacts, antiques and tons of trinkets. I saw groups of abhaya- (black cloak) covered woman and they were so chiseled and beautiful that I could help staring at their creamy skin, dark almond eyes and sleek noses and chins. The weather was suffocating to say the least and I wondered how they managed to cover themselves in black. Must say though, that the men also wore long sleeved white cloaks so it seemed more part of their culture than a dress restriction I thought.
Dinner was at Kargeen restaurant, a beautiful open-air Omani restaurant lit with lanterns and bathed with light where the well-dressed of Oman sat together to dine and smoke sheeshas. I had to try the Arabian shawarma which was delicious but what hit the spot was the traditional Shuwa - a meat and rice preparation where meat (usually beef/mutton) is wrapped in banana leaves, spiced and roasted for a day (and sometimes two)to bring out all the flavours of the smoked spice. Must say, this one must have been a sure heart attack in one meal!!
 |
| The Sultan's palace |
 |
| Mattrah souq |
 |
| Jalali/Milani fort in a distance |
 |
| Muscat bay |
Day 2
Next morning we headed to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is the third largest in the world. I was curious to see the inside of a mosque as it's never been allowed in India. Only rule was that women had to have their hair, head and neck wrapped up in a scarf and no short sleeves/shorts or men. It was stunningly beautiful - Kind of like the Sistine chapel of the Arab world. Details: It can accommodate about 20k persons, separate prayer halls for men and women with off-white and dark grey marble interiors in cut-tile work with ceramic floral patters adorning the ceiling inspired by Persian and Safavid designs I am told by our other English speaking tour guide Abdullah. What blew me away was the massive Swarovski chandelier with gold-plated metal work(reportedly the largest in the world) which had a thousand light bulbs and hangs 14 metres from a dome set with ornate stained glass triangles. Whew. The Persian hand-made Persian carpet is a single piece and also the largest in the world with 1,700 million knots and made from 600 female weavers under 18 - (apparently this is the cut off age for women because precision recedes after one becomes adult - do not ask me about this logic which was again explained to me)
I learnt small nuances about Islam. For instance, Omanis follow Ibadi- a third sect of Islam, apart from Shia and Sunni. Also, I wasn't aware that the direction towards which worshipers bow is towards Mecca, where God resides. Here are few pics of the mosque: (the first is from the net)
 |
| The main prayer hall at the Grand Mosque |
 |
| The massive chandelier at the Grand Mosque |
 |
| The grand mosque - outside view |
Next we drove to Nizwa, one of the oldest cities in Oman about 140 km from Muscat which is surrounded by date palms. There we visited the Nizwa and Jabreen forts - which gave us broader insights on Omani traditions, customs and way of living.
 |
 |
| Traditional costume of Omani women |
Post lunch, we drove up in our land cruiser up the Jabal Shams Mountains - the highest in the country and reached The View - an eco luxe retreat where would get to stay atop the mountains and take in a fantastic panoramic view of the entire landscape. I was so excited when I got there, I could barely contain my glee as I went to the balcony of my room in awe :D Amaaazingg! The moon rose heavy and yellow, temperatures mellowed and the sky was bathed in darkness and all I could see by night where the gleaming lights of city nights. Had dinner at a cosy, candle-lit restaurant with nothing but the wilderness on the right. Delicacies here include: Cream of chicken soup (never have I tasted a soup so creamy and I am hardly a soup-y person, grilled fish, pasta baked to perfection (melt-in-the-mouth) and Mediterranean salad topped with olives and feta (sharp and creamy, yum!) Some pics of the place and my room:
 |
| A view of the mountains and distant town |
 |
| Jebel Shams mountain range |
 |
| The view camp |
 |
| My room inside the tent |
 |
| Outside my room |
 |
| The view from outside my room |
 |
| Setting sun |
 |
| Dinner at the restaurant |
The next morning we set off to visit the Grand Canyon (of the Middle East) of the Jebel Shams mountain range - the highest peak in Oman (3000 metres) which gave us an stunning view of the gorge of 1km depth. There is a small cave tucked in the mountain - Tahlili tells us there lives a 90 year old man who hardly steps out of the cave. (hermit?)
Next we stopped by villages of Al-hamara (made from mud-houses from the 1st century, villagers still live here!!) and Wadi Ghul (7th century, Persian stone-houses). Every time I would be told about life in these villages, my mind wandered to Biblical times.. probably Moses, Jesus etc.. lived in similar lands as these!!
 |
| Village of Al-hamara |
 |
| At the souq |
The next stop for lunch was at Wadi Bani Khalid pools - a sort of oasis, so to speak, and the greenest part of the trip so far. Wadis or river-beds have deep, cool pools whose water is sourced from the mountains. It is surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation, has several silver fishes and mossy greens in them and was quite refreshing change to the arid land seen so far. Local children dived and swam in the pools with glee.
 |
| Wadi Bani Khalid pools |
We then headed to Wahiba sands - a desert region in Oman, home to the Bedouins. We visited a bedouin home, bang in the middle of a heated desert. ( the temp must have been 50 C degrees by now, I have never experience such stifling heat!)This was one of the highlights of the trip for me - we met Sampta, a 40 year old Bedouin woman in her desert home. A camel skull lay at the entrance of her thatched home, the sandy interiors was carpeted with cloth and set with cushions. She kept the dangerous the golden scorpion in a plastic bottle and makes cloth key chains, purses and covers for a living. She had bronzed silky skin, stained crooked teeth and eyes of a confused green-grey lined with dark strokes of kohl. I couldn't stop staring at her and wondering what stories lay in her past. She was friendly and when I asked for a pic, she happily agreed pulling on a mask which covered the only remaining uncovered part of her face. While I was observing her, I had a startling moment when I realized that we were both women, yet couldn't be further apart (Okay can't explain!) Her attire and looks were as alien to me as I to her, I suppose. I loved looking at the knick knacks at her home - including woven mats, cut-outs of the sultan, lots of Islamic symbols, colourful abhayas (her clothes) etc. Here she is
 |
| Sampta in her desert home |
 |
| On her wall |
Our next adventure was dune-bashing in the desert. It is an activity where you get a rough, bumpy ride in a land cruiser vehicle across sand dunes. The sun was blinding, it was 3 pm and our guides maniacally drove over lumps of molten desert sand, making his giddy and scream(mostly me) in the car. The landscape was breathtaking in a different way.. all I could see was miles of endless sand and I dreaded to think how travellers ever found their way back in ancient times with no communication or technology!! I saw lonely camels in a distance, huddled together in groups. We then went to watch the sunset on a desert sand peak. It was a fantastic view and it felt slightly surreal to be in the middle of nowhere like that.
 |
| Wahiba sands |
 |
| Dune bashing |
 |
| Sunset over looking the desert camp |
We stayed overnight at the desert camp seen in the pics above, which are spacious, fully-furnished tents done up lavishly.. catered to the European traveler it seemed like to me. Dinner was delicious with tandoori chicken cooked to perfection (the 2nd best I've eaten after a restaurant in Amritsar) mutton sheesh kebabs were melt-in-the-mouth and the fish masala was spicy and rich. For the evenings entertainment was a traditional Oud player lending a mellow ambiance to the place along with the light of the lanterns. Each tent was far apart and in the middle of nowhere, so had to travel in the pitch black with a torch to find my way back. The night was full of stars and a gorgeous moon hung low which lit up the area a little..
 |
| Desert camp up close |
 |
| My lovely, cosy bedroom |
 |
| Fancy baths! |
 |
| At the restaurant |
 |
| Oud player |
Next morning were complimentary camel rides, so as we were running late in the morning quickly did one too. I am usually squeal-y with animals or anything which moves.. so I was asked not to make noise or the thing might just take off with me. Hugging the hump for my dear life, the camel took me on a brief, most-rocky-animal-ride-of-my-life experience :P
From the desert camp we headed for Sur, a port city south east of Muscat. The drive along the coast would be the major attraction for the day. And sure enough, we had a gorgeous view of the deep blue sea all along.
 |
| en route |
Next were stops at the white sands Finns beach, Wadi tiwi and shab (more gorgeous green river beds) and finally the Bimmah sinkhole.
 |
| Wadi tiwi/shab |
 |
| Finns beach |
Must put in a word about the Bimmah sinkhole -a limestone cave which contains blue-green water whose colour is said to come from a mix of fresh water and salty sea water. The water is crystal clear and you can see fish in it. Gorgeousness! The first pic here is not mine, but have included it as I did not have any pics of the entire place.
 |
| Bimmah sinkhole |
Our next and last stop for the trip was Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa, a luxury resort by the sea. While we drove into the place my jaw dropped at the place I would be staying at for the next few hours. Spread across 124 acres, the three-hotel luxury hotel made me feel like I was a actor on a shoot in some Hollywood movie. We were given cold towels and welcome drinks on arrivals and then shown up to my rooms. I literally danced into mine, taking in the lavish silk bedspreads, shiny polished bath space with luxe bath and body products and complimentary boxes of dates, Omani halwa and fruits in our rooms. Feeling extremely delighted with the set-up, I stepped out into my balcony to see a stunning view of the beach, bay and surrounding mountains. Sigh.. Here's a pic I got off the net for an idea of the place
For more pics of pure amazingness, check out the photo gallery on the hotel homepage here
And, few of my own:
 |
| View from my room |
 |
| Pampered silly at the hotel |
 |
| The interiors |
The staff were extremely hospitable and offered us complimentary refreshments and greeted us at every opportunity. I now know what luxury truly meant as I observed how the staff went out of their way to keep us happy and comfortable. We were taken on a tour of the hotel by the young communications manager of Egyptian origin, a pleasant, down-to-earth chap. The place has over 20 restaurants and bars/lounges with cuisines like Italian, Moroccan, middle eastern, Argentinean, Lebanese to name a few. I could only imagine the pampering offered by their world-class spa, Chi, specializing in niche therapies!! We dined at their global cuisine restaurant. I tried the lobster ravioli in cream sauce as a starter, grilled king fish as main course and ended with a chocolate mousse. Truly exotic fare. My taste buds tingled with a melange of flavours to see the least. Meanwhile the manager kept us engaged with interesting conversation about Egypt, the Arab world and what it takes to run a hotel such as this. He tells us that preparation for dinner start at 3 pm, where the staff would polish every piece of cutlery and have them perfectly aligned for symmetry. I quote him: People will never forget how they are treated It's usually the small things you do which make a big difference and sets you apart from the rest. After my experience at the hotel, I couldn't agree more.
 |
| At the Moroccan restaurant |
 |
| My grilled seafoood dish - lipsmacking! |
 |
| Melting (in my mouth) chocolate mousse |
That was my last night in Oman.
All details of luxury meals and tours aside, I must put in here a word about the people I met and had a chance to interact with. By the end of the trip, we had bonded with our Tunisian and Omani tour guides, Tahlili and Abdullah, who were a warehouse of info about local laws, vegetation, geography, wildlife, even marriage and divorce laws! Omanis, in general appear to be more open, liberal and hospitable than what is commonly perceived of the Arab world. Unlike the cosmopolitan, concrete-jungles of Dubai and Abu Dhabi (the only other places in the Middle East I have visited), they seem to be simple, large-hearted folks who love to live life king-sized. People are very devout and religion seems to permeate deeply into their social and cultural ethos. To quote Abdullah: The Quran is the Word of God and contains the essence of our past, present and future.
While such a blind faith does have scope for conservatism and a tendency for power wielders to interpret Quranic verses to dominate and control, I could only feel the radiance of an Islamic culture which was true to itself and not overshadowed by terrorist connotations of jihad which we are bombarded with on our TV screens everyday.
At no point on my trip, was I made to feel less welcome than a local, despite dressing and behaving differently. Muscat is super-organised, prosperous and has an extraordinarily low crime rate. (0.1% informs our tour guide) Women are educated and hold prominent political and job positions. However, I noticed that not too many women appeared in public in rural areas. Also, people couldn't seem to care less about the heat and could be seen lazily sitting in groups and smoking a hookah.
 |
| Abdullah (left) and Tahlili |
 |
| Village children at Wadi Bani Khalid pools |
 |
| Adorable Arab children shot from my car |
 |
| Locals chilling |
 |
| My camel-ride guide |
The picture I still carry with me as I left Oman was at Barr Al Jissah - the last glimpse of the shining lights on the sea with the full moon swelling sombre on the horizon, throwing mellow light on the curls of distant waves licking at the shore. In my ears play the melody of exotic Arabic tunes whose faraway lilt transport me back to a land of bounty, of sand, sun and spice. My heart lay touched by the lore of the landscape and my person changed by the experience of the magic of the Arab ethos.
