We love Oman

  Muscat, Oman
Wednesday, October 8, 2003

Thursday 2nd October 2003 Sydney-Singapore
Spent till nearly midnight on Saturday painting the new kitchen at Balmain, which is now finished, except for few small details, and all Sunday packing away all the tools etc that had accumulated in the loungeroom and balcony while they'd been used to build the kitchen.
Had a few people around at 3pm for farewell drinks, and to celebrate finishing the kitchen. We were then free to start thinking about the trip, and to start packing, after a very hectic three months since we returned from our six weeks in Fiji.
Thursday morning arrived with still a lot to do. We've organised to do a houseswap in French Polynesia while we're away, so apartment had to be cleaned before we left, which made a lot of extra work.. Things weren't helped by finding we had a virus on our computer about 2 hours before we leave.
Finally get taxi to the airport about 1pm. Our Qantas flight leaves at 3.45pm and is uneventful. Find we have front-row seats, which we don't like, but not too bad as it is a day flight, and we're not trying to sleep. All seats have their own mini-TV screens, with the worst choice of movies we've seen in a long time.
After nearly 8 hours of flying, get into Singapore at 10.45pm local time (after 2 hour time change).
Finally work out the ticketing system for the MRT (it's changed since we were here in September last year - assume it's the new system John came over here to work on). It's one of the great bargains in Singapore - S$1.40 for trip from airport to the heart of the city. Get out at Bugis Street, and walk a couple of blocks to our hotel, the three star Plaza Parkroyal on Beach Road, which we'd booked on the wotif website the day before, for S$119, about half the normal price. We're weakening in our old age! As we're both very tired from pushing ourselves to finish the kitchen, decided we needed to have a rest while in Singapore, and what better way to relax than with a hotel with a pool. The real clincher, however, was the fact that we could have late check-out (4pm) for no extra cost. By the time we finish checking in it's nearly midnight, so up to our room, and straight to bed.
Friday 3rd October Singapore
Wake up about 8am. Decide we're having a quiet day, as we were here a year ago, and have been here three times before that, so don't need to rush around. Go for a short walk, and end up at the Suntec City Mall. Stop on the way back for a quick meal of bbq duck and rice. We're now very hot and sweaty (it's in the high 30's) so up to the pool for a swim. Dianne also checks out the gym, and has a go on some of the equipment. Back to the room for a short nap, before we have to book out at 4pm. Leave our bags with the concierge, and head out for "a short walk". Go along Arab Street, and look at the Sultan Mosque, then along Bencoolen Street, where we stayed on second trip here in 1977, when it had a lot of cheap Chinese rooms, all of which appear to have been demolished. Continue up along Orchard Rd - do a side detour up Emerald Hill Road, which looks very touristy, but lovely with outdoor bars with lots of plants.


Detour up Scott's Road, which is just MORE shops. Decide we've seen it all, and now exhausted, so get the MRT back to Bugis Street, and back to hotel. Now about 10pm, and concierge closes at 11pm, so up to pool. Dianne has a swim, while Murray just has a shower. As usual, our day of taking it easy has somehow disappeared. We have always wondered just how many kms we walk in a normal day while we're travelling, so this trip we've brought a pedometer with us to keep track. Today, in the heat, on our "day of rest" we've managed to clock up 19 kms.
Down to collect bags, and get MRT to airport. Our plane goes at 5.15 am, so decided not worth getting a hotel, as we'd have to leave it by 2.30am anyway. We've checked out the info about Changi airport (there's a good website that gives sleeping info on all the airports in the world), and we know there's a pool area with reclining lounge chairs. We've also seen an area where they have loungechairs, and you can even set an alarm to wake you up. However, where our plan falls down is the fact that these areas are after you check in, and there is no-one around to check us in. As well as this, it suddenly starts pouring, which would have ruined the pool area idea, plus the reclining loungechairs turn out to be in Terminal 2, and we're in Terminal 1. Back to the drawing board. It's now about midnight, and things are pretty quiet. We go up to the plane viewing area, where there are very uncomfortable single seats. Dianne finds a spot behind them on the ground, and lies down. Quite comfortable except for the cold tiles. A few other people are doing the same, and Murray ends up joining in.
Saturday 4th October Singapore/Bahrain
Sleep on and off till about 3am, when Dianne finds the Gulf Air people on duty, so down to check in. Then find that the internet is free after 11pm, so spend nearly an hour doing the things we didn't have time for before we left home. By now it's after 4am, and we head for our plane. We have an 8-hour flight, which is pretty uneventful. Don't manage to get much sleep. Not much to see till we came over the Omani coast, where there were lots of very steep, rugged, bare mountains, followed by a very arid flat landscape with isolated settlements. Into Bahrain at 8.15 am (after a 5-hour time change). Once again we've taken the easy way out, and have booked accommodation through Gulf Air, as we've been told that it's not a good idea to use the cheap hotels here, as they are used by Saudi's (and others) for prostitution, and they're not very nice. Our 3 star hotel, Gulf Gate, with free airport transfers and cooked buffet breakfast costs A$100. Pay BD5 each for a 2[week visa, and out to find our man waving his placard with our name on it - could get used to this. Taken to our hotel in Manama, on Bahrain Island, and the capital of Bahrain. Get a room straight away, and very quickly into bed. Out about 4.30pm - still very hot (temperature for day is 27-38). We walk through Gold City (lots of jewellers selling gold) and head for the Marina Corniche (we think). Find the American Hospital, but then take a wrong turn, and end up a long way south at the Andalus Gardens (more a wasteland than a garden). Chatted by guard when we take a photo of the Old Palace. At this stage we find a street name, and eventually end up at the Marina Corniche, a very long way south of where we planned. Corniche is a broad avenue planted with palm trees, but very sandy and unloved - no beach, just a sloping seawall with occasional restaurants and recreation areas., and very few people. We were expecting something a lot more lively. Walk north along it a fair way, then head inland. Stop for a chicken shwarma - the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Turkish doner kebab (A$1 each, and very good). Then stop at a drink stall for a wonderful "Lebanese cocktail" for A$3 - basically a mango drink with ice cream, and lots of banana, strawberries, nuts etc. We're now exhausted, and wend our weary way home, taking more wrong turns, making it even longer. Finally back to hotel at 8.30pm, thinking we're just in time for a swim before the pool closes at 9pm, but unfortunately there's a wedding reception there, and it has closed earlier. Back to our room, intending to come down later to have a look at the wedding, but we're too tired, and we're soon asleep, after our 10 km "short walk".
Sunday 5th October Bahrain
Awake about 4am, jetlagged. Decide we'll go for a walk in the cool of the morning. Out about 6am - hit by hot air as we leave the over-airconditioned hotel - still not cool even this early. Head for the King Faisal Corniche, which is nearby, and to the West. Cross the King Faisal Highway at an overhead bridge (one of the very few pedestrian-friendly things in the whole town), then out to look at the fishing port, with lots of similar brown dhows unloading crabs. Customs man relents and lets us in to have a look, provided we don't take photos. Continue north as far as the Sheraton, where we have a look inside (see why we're only a 3-star. Our hotel is definitely past its prime, whereas this is immaculate). Make our way back to hotel easily, learning from our mistakes of last night. In for the free buffet breakfast, which is quite good. Talk to a pleasant young Saudi, traditionally dressed, who speaks perfect English with an American accent. Turns out he spent six years in Florida. Went to study, but wanted to stay on, but parents wouldn't support this, so worked as lawyer. He's 34 and not married, much to mother's chagrin. Says will marry a Saudi woman (they do as they're told). Notice he's having a Stoly vodka cooler with his breakfast. Saudi Arabia is only about 10 kms from here - there's a long causeway nearby which you can drive on, and there are buses leaving from in front of our hotel, but we're not allowed a tourist visa to go.
After breakfast, decide we're going to crack the public transport system. Check out the nearby bus station, but tell us the bus we want (to get to near the Bahrain National Museum) goes from the King Faisal Highway, so we head up there. When we get there, find people getting into crew-cab pickups (share taxis). Told they're going to Muharraq (the island to the north, where the airport is located), and we can get out on the way. Pay our 150 fils each (about A$0.60c). Get out on Sheik Hamad Causeway. Have a look at the Novotel Hotel (done nicely in Morroccan casbah style), walk to bridge, where we get good views of other bridges to the East and West of us, then to Bahrain National Museum. By this time we're really wilting in the heat. Museum (500 fils admission) is on the waterfront, and beautifully done. Good exhibits on Dilmun (pre-Arab culture) and traditional Islamic culture. Out into the heat again. Walk back towards our hotel, as can't work out the return public transport system. Talk to a South African girl, who says she's seen us walking for quite a while as she's been driving around doing messages (think we're the only people in the whole town walking around in the 38 degree heat - I wonder why). Says she is just going into the bank, and then will drop us at our hotel as she's going that way. Take up her offer, and wait in the beautifully cool bank, with a drink of cold water from the drink cooler. Back at the hotel, straight down to pool to cool off, then back to room, for a "short sleep" about 2pm. Unfortunately jet lag overtakes us, and we wake up about 6pm, too late to go for a walk to watch the sunset, which was about three quarters of an hour ago. Out for short walk, and meal of chicken and chips (only fair) and another Lebanese cocktail (not as good) at a local cafeteria. Back to room to read, watch TV and organise diary. Walking tally for day is 9.5 kms (all in 38 degree heat). To sleep about midnight, but wake during night, and up quite early.
Monday 6th October Bahrain
Have breakfast, then out to get share taxi to Muharraq Island. Walk up to Beit Sheiikh Isa bin Ali, a traditional house which was built around 1800, and has been restored. Rooms are bare, but gives a good idea of pre-oil life in Bahrain. Lots and lots of rooms, and different sections for guests, staff and family. Has good example of wind tower. Try to find other house that is supposed to be open for inspection, but it is closed. Have a long, hot walk to the waterfront where Murray has a good look at the dhow building yard, then another long, hot walk back to bus station. Back to hotel for a swim to cool down, then up to room to read, write up diary etc. Had intended to have a short sleep (with alarm set this time), but we've turned our air-conditioner off as we freeze with it on, and the condensation came through the smoke alarm, and set off the fire alarm. No-one appears, so we go down to tell them, and eventually couple of servicemen come up and work on it for over an hour. Give us the choice of a new room, but we decline as too much hassle to pack everything up.. Dianne goes out to see if can find internet with USB port to upload our diary onto Travelpod, but has no success. Most of shops are shut during the afternoon, and don't reopen till 4pm. Back to room about 4pm, then out to get local bus to Al-Budayyi', a small village on the Western edge of Bahrain Island. The beach is supposed to have stunning views at sunset. We arrive just before sunset, to find the sun disappear behind a thick dust haze. Can just see the King Fahd Causeway and Saudi Arabia through the haze. Take photo of the modern private residence of Sheik Hamad's Fort House, surrounded by lots of rubbish. The whole island is just basically dirty sand, so there are no nicer areas to build - smart houses have their own nice garden, but the surroundings are just the dirty sand, and in this case, disgarded building refuse etc. Get bus back to Manama. Now 6.30pm, and jetlag has really kicked in, plus Dianne is getting a cold from the freezing airconditioning, so decide to eat now. Have a good shwarma, then a good Kuwaiti cocktail of mango and strawberries and ice cream with grapes Back for a second shwarma, then to room. Temperature has definitely lowered a bit in the last hour or two. Weather report taken from local newspaper - "Fine with rising sand in places". Know we should try and stay up for a while, but too tired to do so, so to sleep about 8pm. Walking count for the day is 7 kms.
Tuesday 7th October Bahrain-Muscat(Oman)
Awake a few times during the night, and up about 5.30am. Write the diary and pack till about 7am, then down for breakfast. Check out at 8.30am, and get hotel shuttle to airport. Pay our BD3 airport departure tax, and plane leaves at 11am. Have 45 minute flight to Dubai, 45 minute wait, then another 45 minute flight to Muscat, Oman. Greg, a friendly Irishman working in the oil industry gets on at Dubai and sits next to us. He lives in Muscat, and gives us some general information, and offers to drive us to Mutrah, the area we've decided to stay in in Muscat. We accept gratefully as it's 37 kms. We've finally "bitten the bullet" and have not booked anything in advance, and were not looking forward to attempting local transport with all our gear. Pay 6 Omani rials (OR or RO) each for our visa. We're immediately impressed with Muscat. We're on a coastal plain, backed by lots of craggy mountains. The air's a bit dusty, so they're not as defined as they could be, but they still look good. There are plantings of grass and greenery along the very good highway all the way into town, and all the buildings are painted white. Bahrain looked very scrappy and unkept in comparison. This could be partly explained by the fact that Oman has a lot more oil money to spend. Greg drives us along Mutrah corniche, which looks wonderful, with the harbour on one side, and an intricately painted mosque dome and minaret, and two picturesque forts built into the mountains which surround the harbour.
HAVE JUST DECIDED TO RENT A CAR FOR FIVE DAYS, AND GO OFF INTO THE WIDE BLUE YONDER. WILL POST MORE WHEN WE GET BACK