day 81 – muscat, oman

ceiling detail of panel at muttrah souk entrance

we docked in oman early this morning, closer to muttrah than to muscat, actually… the first thing we noticed was the cool landscape!  mountains, different than i’ve seen before, and i’ve seen lots of mountains… depending on where you are, they are so different, and just like the vegetation or wildlife changes, so do the mountains… these rocky peaks are dotted all over with forts from the 1500-1600’s… in the harbor, there was a huge swanky yacht, which belongs to the sultan of oman, and various cargo ships, tankers and police boats.  apparently, a navy ship intercepted a couple of pirate vessels off the coast of oman yesterday, and this area is well-policed and patrolled…

there was a free shuttle into muttrah, so we decided to take it and explore what there was to see.  oman is a bit more traditional than dubai, and we were asked to wear long pants and sleeves to the wrist.  if we wanted to visit any mosques, we would have to wear a headscarf as well.  i did take a scarf with me in my purse, not knowing if we would visit a mosque or not, and i dressed in a long white shirt with a collar buttoned to the neck and long sleeves, long pants and closed shoes… as we walked around waiting for the shops to open, a big black bmw drove by and the arab guy driving shouted “whore” out the window at me, presumably, because my head was not covered, or maybe that i am an american, or a little of both.  that was kind of a cool and unique souvenir!  i mean, that sort of thing doesn’t happen every day!  i wondered for a moment if i should put my scarf on, then on the main street noticed that not only were the other tourists not wearing them, even a few local women were not, so i was, like, “whatever!  it’s 90 freakin’ degrees at 10 in the morning!”  the rest of the day, most people were at least tolerant and a few even kind and gracious, so i didn’t want to judge the whole place by one asshole… but it’s not so neat, a place where the women are expected to cover themselves entirely in black, even their heads and faces, and the guys get to wear white cotton… i’m all about respecting other cultures and stuff, but, i’m sorry, that really sucks!

coast line with cool fort remains from 1600's on top

rooftops over marketplace

sultan's yacht and traditional wooden dhow in front

omani hills from deck of ship

monument shaped like incense censer

port scene with cargo containers

as to the best parts of muttrah, besides the rugged coastal landscape, they have a wonderful souk (marketplace) there… like a middle eastern pike place market… typical items you find in an omani souk: fragrant oils, fancy glass bottles to put them in (like the one you got me at christmas that came from egypt, nino!), various amazing raw incenses, in fact, frankincense is a huge thing here, and it used to be as valuable as gold… there’s also lots of rugs, quilts, fabric, hookahs, knives, gold and silver items, oil lamps, candle lamps, wooden and inlay boxes of every size, trunks and chests, religious icons, statues of animals, and so many other interesting trinkets… the shopkeepers are assertive but not overly aggressive, and you can bargain with them to get a fair price.  bob was a master yesterday, and got most all our souvenir items at a good discount… one candle lamp we picked up for nino took 3 trips to the same guy and had him finally following us a considerable way down the sidewalk to take bob’s final asking price (almost half off). 

inside muttrah souk

many hallways of shops

frankincense vendor - all bags behind him full of varying grades of this fragrant resin

hookahs, daggers and trinkets, oh my!

glass perfumed oil bottles

i didn't know if nino has ever seen an old school pop top 

we looked for a middle eastern restaurant, but could not find one people would recommend that was open, so we ended up at a very nice indian restaurant.  there is a fairly large indian population in the middle east, and lucky for us, it was a fabulous place with excellent food and very nice décor (and air conditioned!).  it got up to about 100 degrees, so we appreciated the cool break indoors with cold drinks and great indian food… thai was always my favorite ethnic fare, still love it, but i think indian has officially surpassed it now that we have sampled amazing examples of authentic northern and southern indian cuisines…

my theme tonight was “if i could talk to the animals,” but the whole night after 9 was scooped by the captain’s birthday party in the crow’s nest with half-priced drinks and free hors d’ouevres… needless to say, only my real hardcore piano bar constituents happened by for awhile and my house was pretty thin from 9-close… people who did come were a bit sun-dazed and didn’t know what they wanted when i asked for requests, so i drove the bus and played whatever i felt like based on what i knew of the people in there… we have several folks who just got on in dubai who are fun.  i do miss some of the cool peeps who have left (are you out there, jansen?  steve?  walter?  jean?  the rest of you, you know who you are!), too… i can’t believe how fast the time is rolling!  less than a month left… i can’t believe it!  hope you all are well… xo, me (imperialist american whore and happy to be so… i wouldn’t trade places for anything!)

port song for muscat, oman

(to the tune of “climb every mountain” from “the sound of music”)

i prefer the mountains

to buildings, you know

i’d rather be in oman sun

than dubai’s electric glow

find every bargain,

the souk, a haggler’s dream

the colors of the rainbow

in every storefront scene

my luggage won’t hold

all the treasures oman can give

but without all this stuff

how on earth will i live

frankincense and charcoal,

a censer and a lamp,

and a gorgeous caftan

all cheap because bob’s a bargaining champ!