Ibis Muscat

... next descent we rounded a corner to be confronted by a JCB, crewed by jolly looking bloke and engaged in rebuilding the road. We sat in stunned silence for a moment or two, and it was at this point we began to wonder what exactly we thought we were doing. We were trying to negotiate a rough gravel track, barely wide enough for the car, up a mountain we'd never been to before, with a guide book we hadn't read. The track had been getting progressively rougher, narrower and ...

... of the women. They shouted at Maddie and I and motioned us over. I felt pretty confident that Maddie and I were pretty well covered at this point - in fact, we were pretty pleased with ourselves as we saw other female tourists just with modest dress and head scarves and here Maddie and I had the full meal deal with the abayas - ha! Weren't we accommodating visitors respecting the culture and religion - maybe even model tourists helping to bridge the gap in the strained western ...

... restricted as I believed they would be. Having said that, Neighbour said that you can't wear a bikini or swimming costume on a public beach, the smaller beaches are ok as there are never many people here. I wonder, however, relating this to what I've read in the Resident's Guide to Oman, that you can wear a bikini or swimming costume but be aware that you will be stared at.   First purchase for the house - a lovely red vase for the front room (M&S!).

... I am now writing @ 1 am in the morning. Not to worry though, I'm sure I'll manage another couple hours before dawn. The hotel seems nice enough, what little I've seen of it. The bed is comfy I can say that for sure. Met a very nice gentalman from Bolivia here with his young daughter, (he entertained me with tales of his trip (Bolivia, Brazil, London[missed flight], Dubai, Oman) I think he's got me beat on the milage factor. A man from Bahrain who happens to ...

... guard overlooking the buildings. Just a wonderful place; the heart is in the souk, a dense warren of stalls selling a wide variety of perfumes, textiles, and so on -- and they even seem to be partly for locals, rather than tourists. Before I got there, I faced a bit of a challenge. When I was on the phone with the nice Mastercard people way back in Dubai, I asked if I would be able to get a cash advance from the card. Sure, they said. I was dubious, but ...

... will see here is very minor by comparison with other areas. I'm going to let the photos do the talking: The following photos come from what used to be a very nice beach. When I was there, a lot of people were burning the aftermath, which I don't think is clear from these two pictures. But there was a lot of smoking and charred debris. There used to be a road here where there is ...

... Capital Area" or the "Muscat Municipality." Never much deeper than 3 or 4 kms, this string of towns forms a sort of necklace sandwiched between the sea to the north and a very rocky, primeval-looking range of barren mountains to the south. Despite its ceremonial position as capital, the neighboring cities of Muttruh, with its superb corniche encirling a charming bay, and Ruwi, the traditional commercial center of the area, are both much more important.

Hi all, It is about 11pm here and I have about 30 minutes before I catch a gong-show of flights back home. In total, I have total travel time of 24 hours. I am heading to London, then direct to Calgary. The funny thing is, I am leaving on a friday morning, travelling 24 hours, and arriving friday afternoon. I am travelling BACKWARDS THROUGH TIME! and they said it wasn't possible. =P This is going to be ...

... century overlooking Muscat Bay. We visited an unusual museum, the Bait Adam. It is actually a private home and the owner loves sharing and talking about his unique collection of currency, letters, photos and paintings. He was a real character and was a bit vague as to how he acquired all of these priceless items. After touring the city and visiting the local souk, we traveled through the mountains to the new Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa for lunch. It ...