Fri Nov. 18th Muscat, Oman
By Jain
Muscat is the port capital of Oman. The city is very pretty and surrounded by mountains of rock. The terrain in Oman actually is quite varied, having some rains during the monsoon season, the landscape turns green part of the year. This time of the year is mostly brown and barren, however Muscat has many beautiful parks where the lawns are green and perfectly manicured and flower gardens are everywhere. It is a very clean city, the cleanest we have been to in a long time, and apparently very friendly since locals were waving at us as our bus passes by.
The Sultan has made a rule that there are to be no buildings to be more than 10 stories high. All new buildings have to have a traditional appearance and they can only be painted in tan or white. Because of these regulations he has created a beautiful city landscape. Muscat is known for their excellent schools, hospitals (every citizen has free medical care) and a thriving economy. A far cry from when his father was Sultan and the literacy rate for the entire country was almost zero. Now it is 91%. Back then Oman had only 6 miles of paved roads. Now they have 22,800 miles. With the Sultans pledge on improving infrastructure the country is now a model for all developing countries.
On our Hop on Hop Off bus tour we didn't really hop off too many times but we did get off to see the famous Mutrah souk. This souk is full of narrow alleys packed with colorful shops selling perfumes, incense, silver, bedu jewelry and a whole lot of frankincense. Frankincense comes the dried up sap from a boswell tree and smells kinda like pine, lemon and wood. It is said to have excellent health benefits to reduce stress, anxiety, pain, boost immunity and even fight cancer. It is a "cure all" just like those little Carter's liver pills, back in the day. By the way this stuff is so popular through the centuries Muscat has created the biggest Frankincense Burner monument located on top of the hill overlooking the city. I am sure it is the biggest incense burner tribute I will ever see in my lifetime.
While browsing in the souk it is amusing to watch our fellow tourists negotiate. I saw an old Chinese women pick up a scarf and shout loudly across the room to the shopkeeper, "How Much Is This?" He answered. She said "Too much, That Too Much" . The shop owner turned around to help another customer when a minute later she shouted, "Ok... Ok you got a deal". Boy she sure drives a hard bargain.
On our two hour bus tour we also saw the Sultan's palace. Too bad it was closed because today happens to be the Sultan's birthday, which by the way, is a National holiday. We drove past the central business district, Royal Opera House, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The Seashore of Shari is a very wealthy area of town and we got to see a little of the countryside oil storage facilities. It was one of the best hop on hop off bus trips we have ever taken.. and believe me we have taken a few.
Back on the boat we eat, drink, exercise, eat, drink, then and see the show "Las Vegas". It was pretty darn good. The show ending gave tribute to the ship's staff from various departments. As a hundred staff members proudly marched in and took the stage they received a standing ovation. It was a great finish to our second to last cruise day.
Tomorrow we will be in Dubai. Since we arrive at 12 noon we don't have to leave the ship until the next morning.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Muscat is the port capital of Oman. The city is very pretty and surrounded by mountains of rock. The terrain in Oman actually is quite varied, having some rains during the monsoon season, the landscape turns green part of the year. This time of the year is mostly brown and barren, however Muscat has many beautiful parks where the lawns are green and perfectly manicured and flower gardens are everywhere. It is a very clean city, the cleanest we have been to in a long time, and apparently very friendly since locals were waving at us as our bus passes by.
The Sultan has made a rule that there are to be no buildings to be more than 10 stories high. All new buildings have to have a traditional appearance and they can only be painted in tan or white. Because of these regulations he has created a beautiful city landscape. Muscat is known for their excellent schools, hospitals (every citizen has free medical care) and a thriving economy. A far cry from when his father was Sultan and the literacy rate for the entire country was almost zero. Now it is 91%. Back then Oman had only 6 miles of paved roads. Now they have 22,800 miles. With the Sultans pledge on improving infrastructure the country is now a model for all developing countries.
On our Hop on Hop Off bus tour we didn't really hop off too many times but we did get off to see the famous Mutrah souk. This souk is full of narrow alleys packed with colorful shops selling perfumes, incense, silver, bedu jewelry and a whole lot of frankincense. Frankincense comes the dried up sap from a boswell tree and smells kinda like pine, lemon and wood. It is said to have excellent health benefits to reduce stress, anxiety, pain, boost immunity and even fight cancer. It is a "cure all" just like those little Carter's liver pills, back in the day. By the way this stuff is so popular through the centuries Muscat has created the biggest Frankincense Burner monument located on top of the hill overlooking the city. I am sure it is the biggest incense burner tribute I will ever see in my lifetime.
While browsing in the souk it is amusing to watch our fellow tourists negotiate. I saw an old Chinese women pick up a scarf and shout loudly across the room to the shopkeeper, "How Much Is This?" He answered. She said "Too much, That Too Much" . The shop owner turned around to help another customer when a minute later she shouted, "Ok... Ok you got a deal". Boy she sure drives a hard bargain.
On our two hour bus tour we also saw the Sultan's palace. Too bad it was closed because today happens to be the Sultan's birthday, which by the way, is a National holiday. We drove past the central business district, Royal Opera House, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The Seashore of Shari is a very wealthy area of town and we got to see a little of the countryside oil storage facilities. It was one of the best hop on hop off bus trips we have ever taken.. and believe me we have taken a few.
Back on the boat we eat, drink, exercise, eat, drink, then and see the show "Las Vegas". It was pretty darn good. The show ending gave tribute to the ship's staff from various departments. As a hundred staff members proudly marched in and took the stage they received a standing ovation. It was a great finish to our second to last cruise day.
Tomorrow we will be in Dubai. Since we arrive at 12 noon we don't have to leave the ship until the next morning.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2
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