Visit to Muscat, Oman

Last weekend we took a little trip to Muscat, Oman. It is an hour flight from Abu Dhabi on the Arabian Gulf and a very beautiful seaside city. We stayed just a little walk from the beach and it was just breathtaking how gorgeous the city is. It is very different from Abu Dhabi's craziness and big, tall buildings. Muscat is set between the sea and the mountains and the buildings are mostly an exquisite white. We hired a guide to take us around the city since they have no street signs or addresses to follow and we would have just ended up lost and probably frustrated. He was so great! He was every bit as curious of us as we were of him. His name was Omar and had lived in Muscat his entire 38 years. He has 5 children, the oldest being 11. He was dressed in the common dishdash (white robe) and hat. There is a picture of him and others of Bob at a Souk being fitted for his own dishdash, hat and scarf wrap. They loved it that he was willing to be outfitted and really took great care in showing him how to put it all together. We went to a wonderful Muscat museum, the Sultan's palace and had dinner in a fabulous Turkish restaurant. I wish you could all experience the graciousness of the people, and the wonderful tastes and smells of an array of middle eastern foods... it's amazing! Our guide took us to the mountains where there is a extremely posh hotel. We wandered around and it was stunning and VERY expensive. The people were sunning by the elaborate pools and swimming in the private beach area. The water was so warm, green and clear as the sky was blue. We then went and spent the rest of the evening at the beach where we did what we usually do; I collected shells and ran in the water and Bob took pictures :-) We left Muscat with hopes of returning as there were many sights we didn't see. Our flight was scheduled for midnight but was delayed so we didn't get home until 4am...yikes! I think Bob was a little tired the next day as he left the house at 6:45 to be able to teach in another city...oh my! It's a crazy life but...our life!