However, the trip initially hit a hitch before I even left Doha. QF cancelled my exit permit without telling me and thus I basically did not have permission to leave the country. I was yelling HOLY F... on the inside, but on the outside I was super cool, even cracking a couple jokes. Since moving here, I have become quite skilled at nicely haggling, some would say charming, my way through various situations. Plus, bluntly, I think it helps that I am a white girl from America (I am not going to lie...). Nevertheless, after a couple minutes of basically sweet talking the officials, I was allowed to leave the country without an exit permit (this absolutely shocked coworkers when I told them what happened on Monday). So off to Oman I went...
Soon after arrival into Muscat, I realized, even though Oman is a Gulf country only one hour flight from Doha, it is extremely different. First evidence: the roads. The roads in Oman are FANTASTIC and there are very few SUVs looking to mow a person down and practically NO damn Land Cruisers! Anyway, I arrived in Muscat late Thursday night and thus I did not get a real good lay of the land (except for the road situation). BTW, I stayed at the Ramee - I definitely recommend it, but make sure you stay on the fifth or sixth floor to avoid the noise from the restaurants on the ground and first floors. But I was amazed when I woke up in the morning (I think my reaction was holy cow!). Oman is quite a rugged country, even in Muscat, with mountains going right to the ocean. And I was going to climb one of these mountains...
My first full day in Oman involved going to Jebel Shams - the tallest mountain in Oman and known as the Grand Canyon of Arabia. Justin, an English dude from Muscat Dive and Adventure Centre, picked me up for the long drive to Jebel Shams. He and I chit chatted on the drive to and from (I learned he is quite the pro at climbing, even being on TV) as well as rocked out to some good music (made me long for taking some road trips). But before we hit Jebel Shams we stopped at the famous Friday souq in Nizwa so I could see all the action - Omanis buying and selling goats, cows, fish and all sort of things. It was great! And I quite liked the mosque next to the souq since it was painted in Husky colors. :) We then met up with Ali, one of Justin's coworkers who is a loud and full of life dude from Pakistan (he gets so excited and speaks so fast, it just comes out as a mess), and a father and son duo from Florida who work in Saudi at Aramco and we were off to conquer Jebel Shams...
We all did the amazing balcony walk (2000+ meters off the ground) of Jebel Shams. The views were stunning and it definitely lived up to its name as the Grand Canyon of Arabia. However, when you are that high you do not realize you are THAT high. Ali and the dad (I forgot his name...) then left (they were not going to climb) and so Justin, Josh (the son), and myself continued the walk and then we did a via ferrata out. It was one of the coolest yet scariest things I have ever done (I was smiling and shaking at the same time). But up I went and, even though I was terrified, I loved it. It was sort of like a real physical puzzle - great test for the body and mind. And I loved how peaceful the whole thing was. So quiet. And I made it to the top and I know it sounds cheesy, but I felt like I was on top of the world. It was so worth it. I have not been that proud of myself in a long time.
But I was pooped after and decided to just have a nice night in. I also did this the next night after my excursion out to sea. I ordered room service (it helped that the best meat in town (good organic stuff from New Zealand) was served at one of the hotel's restaurants), did a little pampering and watched TV (something I do not get to do in Qatar since I STILL do not have cable...). I watched a rugby game (yet I did not understand it, but it was entertaining nonetheless), learned about the swine flu outbreak via CNN, and watched the same special on FARC on the National Geographic Channel that I watched in India (kind of bizarre, huh?).
And then on Saturday I went diving! So I essentially went from the highest point in Oman (and I think in all of Arabia) to swimming with the fish near the Daymaniyat Islands! The trip was organized by the same company I used the day before. However, this time it was me, nine Emirati dudes and four Omani dive staff dudes. I believe the Emiratis were a bit shocked to have me joining them, but they took great care of me after the initial surprise. And the crew was friendly, like all other Omanis, and my dive buddy, Yusef, took excellent care of me. He realized I was a bit scared and thus used various tactics to help calm me down. But I was all good once I submerged underwater...and then it was like being a damn aquarium! We went down around 15 meters and saw lots and LOTS of fish (big ones, little ones, all with loads of color (including Husky AND Syracuse colored ones)), rays, squid, turtles...). I wish I had a camera to document how amazing it was. I am not a diving guru, but Oman might be an undiscovered diving jem. It was awesome...but I was rather glad to make it back to the surface. We then moved to a second location basically right next to the Daymaniyat Islands and I just snorkeled to my heart's content (but I did take a quick break to sit on the beach of one of the islands so I could feel the sensation of having my own little island). I love snorkeling due to its simplicity. It might sound silly, but I just feel so free when I am snorkeling. It was just me and the fish since the Emirati guys were diving elsewhere and the dive staff dudes stayed on the boat (but kept an eye on me). I was so happy! Two splendid days in a row...
Day three, my last day, was my day to explore Muscat. I literally borrowed the car (a little Toyota Echo) of one of Omanis, Ahmed, I had met over the course of my couple days exploring Oman. I was hesitant to take up his offer, but he insisted he did not need it (he was going to be in the desert for the day taking other tourists duning), figured I could save the money (it would have cost me at least $100 to rent a car for the day), and asserted there was no catch. So I took up his offer and headed in the morning for the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (it is BEAUTIFUL and MASSIVE). I had to cover to go in, but I am somewhat of an old pro at this (I might not do it here in Qatar very often, but I am around it enough to know how to do it properly). However, I saw everything I needed to see in a little over an hour (including supposedly the largest carpet and chandelier in the world) and was getting hot (I craved a slurpee...as usual). But what was I going to do for the rest of my day? My flight did not leave until nearly midnight, I had already checked out of my hotel (I had to...), most shops are closed during the day due to the heat... So I drove...and randomly (I had no map) ended up at the Oman Dive Centre! Perfect!!! Best. Luck. Ever. And thus I ended up spending nearly six hours just chillin' at its private beach and pool (best 1.5 Omani riyals ever (about $4)). It was a great way to spend my last day in Oman. I headed back towards Muscat via a stop in Muttrah to walk the Corniche and hang out at the Muttrah Souq (wandered a bit, did some haggling, drank some delicious juice) and then met up with Ahmed to give him his car back and go to the airport to fly back to Doha. Nooooooooo...
Overall, my trip was truly amazing and rejuvenating. Oman is fantastic and full of life (sort of the opposite of Doha where I feel like life is sucked out of you...). There is so much to do and see. But the best part is its people. Omanis are so friendly and warm and extremely easy to talk to. They have such a rich culture steeped in history and their faith, but are also tolerant and open to others. If anything, they have a cool bohemian vibe. I just dig them and subsequently I dig their country and look forward to the day I get to go back.
A couple observations that do not fit elsewhere:
1. I can never be that parent who tells her children they cannot go somewhere. Look at me...
2. Oman is obsessed with football (another reason why Oman is awesome). There are football pitches everywhere! Many fields are just dirt, maybe even a bit rocky, with some sort of shoddy goals. And it was a nightly occurence (~4-6PM) to see boys of all ages out playing soccer (dishdashas and kummahs or mussars off, football kits on). I asked about this and was told they do this every single day. So cool! But no girls...
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