Muscat, Oman

We boarded our flight from Melbourne to Muscat, Oman after a beautiful family day in Melbourne. Em & Liz hosted a stunning Sunday lunch, and the Cravens delighted us with their games and excellent company.  What a send off!  We left Melbourne at 11.30pm, so it was straight to sleep for me.  A quick transit in Bangkok and on to our Oman Air flight to Muscat.  Oh man, Oman Air should be receiving all the airline awards and accolades for their faultless service and A350 aircraft.  Oman Air makes flying a comfortable pleasure!

On arrival in Muscat we had arranged for a driver to take us to our accommodation.  As we exited the arrivals hall he paused for a moment to look back at us.  This was simply to see our reaction as we stepped out of the air-conditioning and into a wall of heat.  "It's hot", he said with a grin.  The wall of heat that hit us was quite something. Thirty nine degrees celsius (but feels like 49C said the official weather report).

The (air-conditioned) drive to the guesthouse at Muttrah fort took us through downtown Muscat, and around the coastline to the Muscat Corniche, where the driver pointed out the Sultan's moored yacht. His number two yacht, that is.  We arrived at the guesthouse, an old Omani traditional home, it immediately felt like a cool and welcoming oasis.  That afternoon we attempted to explore some of the neighbourhood around the guesthouse, but could only manage the 10minute walk to the Muttrah Souq, such was the searing mid-afternoon heat. 

The Muttrah Souq is one of the oldest markets in Oman, it is a maze of tiny alleyways and dedicated sections., and the smell of frankincense hangs in the hot air.   There is the gold and jewellery souk, perfume and spices section, house hold items in another section, and every shop has a small bowl or traditional clay dish with the smoking frankincense resin.  The shop keepers were keen to attract our attention and entice us to enter their shop, but their hustle was not overbearing - maybe they need to conserve their energy in the heat - so it was a relaxed wander.  We made it back to the guesthouse and there we stayed until the outside temperature reduced to 34C (but felt like 44C) and it was time to discover some Omani cuisine at local restaurant, Bait al Luban - frankincense water to start, and traditional shuwa dish of slow-cooked lamb, spiced rice and fresh vegetable curry, all served with Omani flatbread and finished with cardamon coffee and dates.  The following night we tried a different restaurant with a similar traditional Omani mean - both were delightful.

We stayed in the Corniche area that is Muscat's scenic waterfront and old town.

The Corniche is also the location of
the Muttrah Fort, on top of the hill
overlooking the bay - built around 1507.

We stayed in a traditional old Omani home,
now a guesthouse, with rooftop terrace and
fortunately, excellent air-conditioning.

It was so incredible hot that we only
managed short walks during the day
before we'd need to return to the cool of our 'oasis' guesthouse.

Each meal began with, or ended with, cardamon coffee and dates

Isn't that the prettiest Omani breakfast you ever did see? Vegetables, hummus, eggs,
cheese, beans, fruit, dates
served with Omani flatbread
and Frankincense tea!

So many varieties of dates

I love these embroidered Omani caps, called Kuma.  Worn by most men whether they choose to wear traditional dishdash, or
simply trousers and a shirt.

Omani arts and crafts

pretty corners of Muscat

Frankincense water with our meal

Dates to end the meal

A walk around an Omani food market

Hand painted terracotta burners
for frankincense resin

The cool tiled floor at our guesthouse

Lamb shuwa, flatbread and vegetables

A restaurant to recommend

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It's massive
and can hold a total of about 20,000 for prayer

 The furnace on day two in Muscat was somewhat less stoked at a mild 34 degrees and we were able to enjoy the waterfront and local neighbourhood.  Omanis were welcoming and smiley towards us.  We did however really stand out as different, and we had the rare feeling of being just two of very few westerners we saw in this area of Muscat. Interesting also was the dress code in this heat.  Muslim tradition and respect required covering most of one's body.  No strappy short summer dressing as we would do in most of the western world on the hottest of hot days.  Omani men in their white flowing dishdash and kuma cap looked cool and sun protected,  but most of the local women we saw were dressed in long black burqa. Apparently it is believed that black will protect them from evil spirits and bad luck, but it must be so very hot to wear. How much hotter must the women feel compared with the men's dress? And why don't Omani men need to be protected from evil spirits and bad luck? I know my white linen pants and long sleeved light coloured linen shirt felt like I had an overcoat on in that heat!

We would love to re-visit Oman and see more of the villages, wadis, and archaeological sites, and especially just to travel on Oman Air again!