Oman
– January/February 2020 - Part 2
Taxi came in the
morning to my hotel in Muscat
and I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Going through security was a breeze so I
found a coffee shop and enjoyed my favorite chocolate chip muffin and coffee as
I waited for the flight up to Khasab. I
stayed at the Khasab Hotel in town and they picked me up at the airport which
was about 10 minutes away.
Checked in to the
hotel and then walked up to the Khasab Fort worked by the Portuguese in the seventeenth
century. The castle was first redesigned
in 1990 and again in 2007. There is an
excellent museum in the circular tower with information on fishing boats,
architecture, etc. and upstairs are apartments and kitchens with furnishings of
how people lived. In the courtyard are
several interesting ships and a house of locks built by a master
craftsman. Well worth a couple hours!
Walked up to Lulu
Hypermarket and sat outside by the water at a little restaurant inside. Had a delicious shawarma with chicken while
beautiful classical music played.
Leisurely walked back to the hotel.
There is really nothing else to see in town…Hotel dropped me off at Al
Shamaliah where I fresh grilled fish, tabbouleh salad and bread which were all
delicious.
The breakfast
buffet was rather dismal but there was some delicious dates and honey to put on
the toast. Took a Dhow boat trip in the
Musandam fjords for the day and it was fabulous. There were only 6 of us on our wooden boat
and we sailed through a variety of rock formations branching in and out of the
ocean with stunning views and it was a really nice sunny day. Stopped at Telegraph Island
to swim which felt wonderful. Water was
warm and refreshing. Stopped again at
Seebi Island but only a few swam there. Saw some dolphins off and on throughout the
day, some running along the side of the boat.
They put out a really nice lunch with warm chicken, fish, rice, salad and
tea and water were available all day. It
was a lovely day. After a nice hot
shower and a rest the hotel took me to Aroos Musandam Restaurant where I had
the best menu in Khasab, i.e. chicken tikka with yogurt sauce and biryani rice
followed by a glass of lightly sweetened mint tea. Got a ride back to the hotel.
Walked up to Atana
Musandam resort after breakfast, located in the northern tip of the Musandam
penisular. It is a beautiful hotel where
many of the rooms have a view of the waterway.
I did not stay here but wandered around a bit and then had a delicious
lunch outside on the patio at Al Mawra.
My crisp falafel sandwich was freshly made and their signature chocolate
dessert was amazing! It was a cup of
chocolate/nut and cream custard topped with a wafer of chocolate and the server
poured a rich chocolate sauce over the top, melting the wafer and pouring into
the cream. It was sooo good! Walked back to the hotel where a guide picked
me up at 2:30 p.m. for a tour of Khasab.
Drove the Khasab – Tibat road, a feat of engineering with spectacular
views across the Straits of Hormuz.
Stopped at the Bukha fort which was interesting and then stopped at the
UAE border. Watched the sunset from the
beach. Had dinner at Wadi Qata which was
rather disappointing, grilled fish, rice and tomato/cucumber salad. There was no one else in the restaurant and
it needed a lot of updating…
Got to the airport
in plenty of time in the morning for my 12:30 p.m. Oman Air flight to Muscat and on to Salalah but the flight was delayed so
much that when I arrived in Muscat
I missed my connecting flight to Salalah.
I had booked my connection with Salem Air and they would not help me
with another flight. A lesson
learned. Had I booked both flights with
Oman Air I would not have had to purchase another connecting flight. However, even though there was no space on the
7:00 p.m. flight to Salalah the Oman Air manager made sure I was on that flight
which I appreciated. My airbnb host
Mustafa met me at the airport and took me to the studio next to the Millenium
Resort which worked out perfectly. We
walked over to the Resort and I talked with the manager about perhaps having
breakfast there for the next five mornings I would be there and he worked out
something fabulous for me.
In the morning I
walked over to the resort and was offered one of the most wonderful buffets
ever, pancakes, Arabian breads, fresh yogurt and fruit, eggs, honey, dates,
cakes, etc. plus any type of coffee desired.
I sat outside by the pool every morning and started my day in heaven!!!
Took a taxi to the
Frankincense Museum in the morning where I learned
about the historic and maritime heritage of Salalah. I particularly enjoyed the Maritime Hall
which dealt with the skills of seafaring and housed several very interesting
traditional vessels. Took a walk around
the Al Baleed Archaelogical Park and then went into town and wandered around
the fish and vegetable market until meeting Mustafa who would be my guide for
the next five days. We had a very nice
lunch at an Indian restaurant nearby, i.e. butter chicken and naan bread and
then to the Sumhuram Archaeological Park where we wandered around the
ruins. Stopped at Wadi Darbat to see
the waterfalls and took a nice walk.
Every evening we stopped at a beach so I had about an hour to walk alone
and see the sunset on my return…We went to the old souq which was rather small
but quite nice where I picked up a couple stuffed camels for my grandsons, not
realizing until I got home that they were musical as well!!
We picked out some
fresh fish and shrimp at the fish market and looked around the market as it was
prepared for us. Sat outside and
thoroughly enjoyed the fresh flavor and spices of the fish. Afterwards we stopped at a special konafa
bakery where we shared this delicious dessert which I had had in Muscat as well. We spent a great deal of time eating together
which I thoroughly enjoyed!!
In the morning we
drove to the eastern part of Salalah and visited Ayn Razat, the most important
source of spring water in Dhofar. The
water flows 7 km to Al-Mamurah
Palace, the sultan’s
residence when in Salalah. On to Ayn
Athum, one of the most beautiful limestone waterfalls in Salalah. To Mughsail
Beach to see the blowhole
but it was quite small. Stopped at a Turkish restaurant for lunch and sharad
chicken kebabs and cheese bread, Turkish bread and pita bread!!! Mustafa picked up an assortment of sweets
and we stopped for coffee to enjoy them.
I walked for a bit on Mughsail
Beach which was lovely.
We stopped at
Souly Eco Lodge, a unique lodge constructed with natural and local materials
like stones and recycled wood from the Salalah area. The bungalows are near the ocean and it
looked really nice. Saw some
frankincense trees, camels, irrigation systems, etc. It was a lovely day. Dinner at a Pakistani restaurant Al Ghad
where we shared spicy butter chicken, kingfish, naan bread, an okra dish and
ended with rice pudding and a coconut dessert.
Great food!! Food in Oman has been
really amazing.
Visited Mirbat Castle
in the morning, a beautiful location on the beach. The fort is nicely restored and provides good
information about the 1972 Battle of Mirbat.
Stopped by the resort nearby, walked on the beach and then had a cheese
“pie” for lunch as there were few restaurants around. We stopped in Darbat and took a nice boat
ride on Wadi Darbat. Later that evening
we went to a camel restaurant where we sat in our own little room on the floor
and shared camel shwarma, tiny camel kebabs from young camels and slow cooked
camel meat with yemen bread along with some hot tea. Stopped at another café for kanafe but it was
not quite as good as the first one…
Mustafa was busy
the following day so his friend Jacob was my guide which turned out very
well. We talked about Oman and he shared some insight into how it is
to live in Oman. First stop was the Sultan Qaboos Mosque which
towers over the city and is exquisitely beautiful. Inside the crystal chandelier hangs from an
intricately carved dome and a 20-ton handwoven carpet covers the floor. On to Taqah Castle
about 33 kilometers east of Salalah. It
was built in the 19th century and used to be a private residence for
a tribal leader. It became the property
of the government in the first half of the 20th century and is now a
museum. The rooms of the castle are now
used to display numerous exhibits such as weapons and cookware and showcases
the old Omani way of life. I really
enjoyed this one. On to Nabi Youns’ tomb
also known as the tomb of Job set high in the lttin mountains and the beautiful
area of Ayn Garziz.. There is his grave,
his foot print, an old praying area and water spring. Stopped at Nabi Umran’s tomb in the center of
the city. It is a very long and
impressive tomb.
Jacob dropped me
off at the mall so I could look around and have a coffee and cake at Costa
Coffee for a change from all those heavy lunches!!! Mustafa met me about 2:00 p.m. and we
wandered around the vegetable and cheese section of the mall.
Wandered around
the caves and springs of Ayn Razat and then took a walk on the beach near the
Millenium and watched the sun set. Dinner
again at Al Ghad where we sat in a little room of our own and shared barbecued
chicken, king fish, dal and garlic naan.
Also tried a couple of new desserts but they were very sweet. My last dinner in Salalah!
Had a delicious
breakfast at Millenium outside by the pool complete with espresso. Mustafa met me about 10 a.m. and we went to
the mall for our last “meal” together.
We shared a delicious flourless chocolate cake with a gooey inside
topped with ice cream and complimented with another rich espresso at dip dip
chocolate. Really fun. Took my last walk on the beach and then to
the airport where I caught a flight back to Muscat.
My host from the
airbnb picked me up and later we went to dinner at Kargeen Café. Kargeen is the old Omani word for a little
wooden cottage and this modern restaurant combines old cosiness with a modern
lounge experience. Sat outside among
the trees filled with dozens of lights and some of the cooking was going on
outside as well. The menu is filled with
traditional Omani dishes but I decided just to have a meze platter, Arabian
bread and some crisp Omani herb bread which was all delicious.
In the morning I
walked along the corniche to the National
Museum which contains 14
permanent galleries – The Land and the People, Splendors of Islam, Renaissance,
etc. A fabulous collection. Walked back to the old souq where I caught a
taxi to quram beach for a last walk around.
Had dinner at Beach Restaurant in the Chedi Hotel, a very opulent
place! I sat outside overlooking the
Arabian Sea and had a very nice (but very expensive) dinner, i.e. mussels with
coconut milk, grilled tuna with barcolli beans and my first and only glass of
wine in Oman. A warm chocolate cake to finish. My host picked me up and drove me to the airport
where I caught the 2:15 a.m. flight to Frankfurt, on to Houston
and finally Orange
County where a friend
picked me up. It was really an amazing
trip and I would highly recommend Oman to everyone!