OMAN 2008

OMAN

We arrived in the capitol of Oman, Muscat, and got to the hotel, the Chedi, two hours early for check in. We went to the poolside, which is right on the Gulf, for a light lunch. Friday is a holiday (holiday in the sense of Muslim holy day). Similar to the old Blue Laws in the US, no wine can be served until midafternoon.

The Chedi is very nice. It is different than others we have stayed in during this trip but striking in its own way, very Mediterranean but with an Indian flavor. The dinner was fine, and we ate outside under the stars. The menu was unusual, presenting four different cuisines: international, contemporary Asian (mostly Thai and Indonesian), Indian, and general Middle Eastern.

Before dinner we spent the afternoon taking our own tour of the Old Souk and the waterfront area. Carol still had some souvenir shopping to do and the guides don't like to spend that long with clients shopping the souks. The trip was successful and I am looking forward to finding out what the neat things and places we saw are called. We'll be going here again tomorrow with the guide. After smoggy, frantic, hectic Dubai, Muscat is literally a breath of fresh air. The buildings are low-rise, mostly white, and the Sultan has gone out of his way to beautify a city with flowers and trees and wide boulevards.

MUSCAT: Day 2

Today our sightseeing visit with a guide, a young blonde/blue eyed

German named Steffi, started with a trip to Oman's new mosque. Her first step, after driving us there, was putting Carol in an abaya (the long sleeved black garment that goes to the ground. The rules about women's dress in the mosque area are very strict). The mosque is immense and awe inspiring. Clearly no expense was spared to make the structure. The carpet was made in Iran in 57 pieces which were then sewed back together by Omani women so that it is impossible to see the seams. It is huge, covering at least an acre. It took two years to make in Iran, and almost as long to sew together. A recent flood filled the Mosque and caused the carpet to both stretch and shrink. We were told that the mosque was built in a wadi, a dry river bed that can stay dry for decades, but when there's a cyclone, the wadi becomes a raging torrent. To avoid these problems in the future, holding dams are being built in the mountains that circle the city very close by.

The mosque's central chandelier weighs 7 tons and each "candle" is a miniature minaret. As is traditional of modern mosques, the men and women worship separately. The woman's place of worship is no where near as splendiferous. But, when men aren't in the main mosque for the set prayer times, Muslim women are permitted to enter. Non-Muslims have limited visiting hours; in addition to the strict dress code, visitors are only allowed to walk in certain parts of the mosque which is marked off by lengths of blue tarps.

We then went to the outside of the Sultan's Palace old palace, which is now used for government administration. We also saw various forts the Portuguese built to defend the City during their reign. We got back to the Hotel for lunch at about 2. It is hot this time of day. It was 30 Celsius (approximately the mid-80's) when we were at the souk today, and this is still the cool time of the year. During the summer it is in the 45-50 range, with what we're told feels like 110% humidity. Needless to say, we are taking air conditioned refreshment in our room for a little while.

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