Wednesday - March 30, 2005
Oman: Muscat and Salalah
<>Because we left Dubai 8 hours later than scheduled, the Captain had to use all the speed that the QE2 can supply to get us to Oman on time. We passed through the Straits of Hormuz to arrive at Muscat on the North shore, the smallest capital city in the world. Amazingly, we were just a half hour late. Oman is known as the Land of Frankincense, as it has been exporting the scent for centuries. It is a relatively unknown land in terms of tourism, and made us think that this must be what Dubai was like before it began its tourism boom. I think it is the very first country we have visited where we did not see a McDonald's, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, or a Seven-11!
We received a warm welcome in Muscat by the brass band that was playing on the pier as we sailed into port. The port was about a kilometer out of the city center and the ship was not allowed to run a shuttle due to strong opposition from the cab drivers, so one had to be prepared to bargain to get a reasonably priced ride. But I'm getting to be pretty good at this game by now, so I managed to get the price down from $10 to $5 for three of us. Still highway robbery (literally), but better than the first offer.
We were very impressed with Oman. In Muscat, we visited a great museum that had wonderful displays on the Omani landscape, the history of the Omani people and their dress, homes, and ways of life. We stopped for a look at the two forts that guard the east and west sides - these were built by the Portuguese in the 16th century and are still used by the police, the army and the Sultan's Royal Guard to this day. The Sultan's palace is just across the road from one of the forts, facing the waterfront. It is quite an impressive complex.
The thing we most enjoyed doing in Muscat was just wandering through the souk. It is an absolute maze of shops selling silver, gold, antiques, pottery, fabrics, frankincense, and heaps of colorful fruits and spices. I purchased a silver kohl container on a silver chain that I thought was particularly pretty, but somehow managed pass on the singing camel! Don't laugh, but I was sorely tempted to buy one these stuffed dromedaries that would sing either of two Arabic songs when pressed in a particular spot. Where else in the world could you expect to find something like this? Or want to?
After a relaxing day at sea, we arrived in our second Omani port, Salalah, on the southern coast. I did not have high expectations for what we might see here because it is a small place, but we were very pleasantly surprised. We booked a tour, thinking that there probably wouldn't be many opportunities to explore on our own, but when we drove through the dock gates on our tour buss, I was amazed to see about 50+ taxis waiting for fares. We figured that every taxi in Muscat must have driven the 620 miles down to Salalah while we were at sea! As it turned out, our guide and the tour we took were both excellent. We stopped in the desert area to see how the sap is taken from the Frankinsense trees before heading along the coastal road past superb beaches sheltered by cliffs. The pure white sand lapped by clear blue water is a beautiful sight. Then we headed inland and up into the mountains to visit the grave of the prophet Job. As we headed higher and higher, we passed herds of camels and saw the houses that the Bedouins now live in. It was a beautiful and fascinating drive. Temperatures in Salalah, by the way, were very pleasant because the summer monsoon keeps the southern part of Oman cool and green while the rest of the country is sweltering.
Mike and I have decided that we would like to spend more time exploring Oman. There are many other interesting areas that we never got a look at, and the waters are supposed to be wonderful places for snorkeling and diving. As in Dubai, we found the people to be very friendly and the efforts to modernize the country are very impressive. For example, all of the roads we travelled were much better than anything we will find in Michigan! The Sultan has made roads, schooling, health care, communications, and diversification of the economy top priorities for his administration. I think we could learn something in more than one of these areas.
In case you think that we were driven out of town by angry natives waving swords, I should explain that the last photo I have included is a shot of the dancers and musicians (including a bagpiper and a fellow blowing into a conch shell) who entertained us as we waited for the last tour bus to get back and for the crew to pull in the gangways and the tugs to pull us away from the dock. We now have three days at sea as we sail into the Gulf of Aden and up to the Red Sea to Aqaba, Jordan. For us, this stop and our excursion to the ancient Nabatean city of Petra is one of the main, if not The, highlights of the cruise.