Coral Boutique Muscat

... re still getting used to handling the boat at close quarters (apologies to the man at the fueling station) but a bit of practice and we&#8217;ll be ready to take guests (if you dare).<br><br>It has made us think though. This boat is 26&#8217; long and 8&#8217; wide. The Moorings 4000 we have booked for our holiday next year is 40&#8217; long and 20&#8217; wide. Yikes!<br>

... women are not allowed) and have applied and received a special permit that you must show at the discretely located and signed liquor store.  A large expat community exists, along with an even larger bevy of workers from India and Sri Lanka. The Omanis we interacted with were very welcoming and friendly, 'Welcome to Oman' (and not selling anything - other than in the souk). English is widely spoken, which always makes it a bit easier, though we do try to use what little Arabic ...

... Freya is doing so well too, goes without saying really...she loves trying to touch the bottom with her feet and swimming up like a mermaid! We've had loads of trouble getting our landline sorted. It's just a farce actually. And very incredible that anything actually works here or gets done at all. I'll not go in to detail as I'm sure Colin will take the opportunity to rant. Don't ask him about the getting the new car either....

... the 3:30 pm flight. So I got up a 5:30 am for no reason at all. I really really hope that I don't miss the trip to the Royal Stud, or I am going to be one SERIOUSLY unhappy camper. Seeing as it was my main reason for booking this particular tour that would be bad. Yesterday was an amazing day. We left early in the morning for a full day tour. First to Barka and a visit to a restored fort full of re-enactments and ...

... where we learnt it was a cool 34 degrees... but we've still no idea where everyone was/is). We spent last night on a quest to have a beer (or two), a quest that was to ultimately end in failure but only because we, having Indian prices still fresh in our memories, deemed the &euro;8 asking price for 2 cans of lukewarm beer exorbitant. Then today we paid an early morning visit to the fish market to witness some big game fish having ...

... the Sultan Qaboos Mosque; the largest in the country (but only open 8-11 AM). Holy cow, what a spectacle. It's done in a beautiful contemporary Islamic style, with clean but intricate work throughout. The grounds are immaculate, of course, and the insides are incredibly richly detailed. The main mosque has the largest Persian carpet in the world; it took hundreds of women three years to make. It was difficult to even comprehend the ...

... has some fantastic things to see, including Petra so I am making plans...... Our girls are coming for Christmas and we are taking them to the Musandam Peninsula in Oman - Straits of Hormuz territory - where there is meant to be spectacular scenery, good snorkeling and dolphins. They call it the Norway of the Middle East (who is 'they' I always wonder??) as the sheer rock mountains plunge into the water fijord-like. Will let you know. Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for the new year.

... about 210 by 180 feet). It was made in 4 years by 600 female weavers. The whole interior of the Grand Mosque is panelled with off-white and dark grey marble panelling clothed in cut tile work. Ceramic floral patterns adorn arch framed mural panels set in the marble forming blind niches in a variety of classical Persian, predominantly Safavid, designs. The ceilings are inspired by those of Omani forts. The mihrab in the main ...

... t go in until 10pm. But outside they had some 1 day old babies that they had just rescued in a tub and you could play with them. So we did. When it was time to go in a mother was just laying her eggs so we got to watch her give birth. The entire thing, up close and everything. I even touched her. As we were walking over to see another one that was giving birth we noticed all of these babies coming out of a nest. But there were all kinds of these massive crabs and ...

... was less than helpful when we asked how to get to the bus station. Luckily we got out of there shortly after with no more problems. Strange. Only about ten minutes down the road we saw a bus with a couple of people standing next to it. Our new friend made sure it was the bus to Muscat by asking in Arabic and we quickly said our goodbyes, purchased a ticket and jumped on board. Leaving Dubai we drove through the desert and rocky hills, the surroundings reminding us of ...