So We Went to Oman for the Day, Part I

If I had to pick, I'd say the most fabulous thing about living in the UAE is having the ability to visit the exotic countries around it, if even just for 12 hours.

The reason for this trip was to extend my tourist visa. I still don't have a visa thanks to a few mishaps with our marriage paperwork (too uninteresting to elaborate, but I have advice for you if you're married and thinking of a move to the Middle East!) A tourist visa is good for 30 days (we pulled some strings to double that) and leaving the country bought me another 30. Expats hop a quick flight to Oman or Kuwait or Bahrain, get stamped, then turn right around and come back. These "visa runs" are a regular occurrence here, but for anyone that knows me, flying to a new country and staying for 45 minutes is just not an option.

We left our apartment at 6:00 a.m. to catch the 50-minute flight to Muscat, the capital city of Oman (with full meal service. Seriously, it was like the 1960s. Those flight attendants were runnin') For the record, this is the last time I take a trip without an good old fashioned guide book, either on my Kindle or of the dead tree variety. We had no Internet access and very little idea of where we were going and what we wanted to see. I'm appreciative that Omanis live up to their reputation of being some of the kindest people in the world. Those we met seemed grateful that we were there and happy to help us find our way, and it occurred to me that this might have been my first time in a country that is not accustomed to American tourists.

The day was genuinely one of the best I've had since we moved here. Muscat is a true taste of Arabia, quite unlike Dubai, with no sky high buildings, metro lines, or shamelessly expensive cars in sight. A few observations:

1. The taxis have no meters. It is entirely up to the driver to throw out a price. This is unfortunate for two white people completely unfamiliar with both the geography of the city and the currency. We were unquestionably ripped off (many thanks to our server that evening for sarcastically pointing this out.)

2. Muscat is home to the most fabulous souk I've seen so far. The entire place smells of frankincense and scented oils, and while the guys still hawk pashminas and cheesy trinkets, there is also a fabulous selection of spices, gorgeous perfume bottles, and antiques. Antiques! It was the souk experience I had always imagined. Here I am with our fabulous new old antique copper pot (focus on the pot and not the hot, hungry, dehydrated girl in the photo.)

The man at the shop even offered us a cup of Omani coffee before we left. I knew embarrassingly little about Oman when I got there, except that you should never refuse when an Omani offers you coffee or tea.

3. The landscape is absolutely stunning. The water is crystal clear and the mountains surrounding it, all dotted with forts and lookouts, are spectacular.

4. The Sultan, Oman's ruler, looks like the Sultan in Aladdin.

So Arabian, right? He's been ruling now for 40+ years and has a yacht the size of Wyoming (anchored in the harbor for visitors to see.)

Here we are in front of one of his many palaces. I think it looks like it belongs in the Jetsons if the Jetsons lived in the outer space version of the Arabian Peninsula.

We can't wait to go back and spend some more time in and around Muscat, preferably with our own car so we don't have to haggle our cab fare. Next I'll write about the time we spent at The Ritz-Carlton Al Bustan Palace. Because a hotel that fabulous merits its own post on any blog of mine.