Oman Sunday 12 May

We arrived in Ruwi yesterday afternoon.  

It was a 6-hour bus trip from Dubai.  Ruwi is 7kms from Muscat, Oman’s capital where most of the sights are.  We chose this hotel from Trip Advisor only because it was within walking distance from the bus stop.  The hotel is comfortable but with the heavy traffic between the different areas, it is a bit of a hassle to get around.

This morning we took a taxi and viewed a few of the city’s sights.  Rocky outcrops surround this part of Oman.  In fact it was carved out of a mountain.  It is amazing scenery.

We were keen to get to the beach by mid morning as it was getting hot so Salim, the taxi driver suggested Qantab Beach.  It was 20kms away from Muscat over steep long winding roads.  The beach was spectacular.  It was in a resort called Oman Dive Centre.  The entrance fee was 2 Rial ($5) each.  We spent the afternoon there enjoying the crystal clear waters of the Sea of Oman and swimming amongst the schools of fish.

This evening we went back to the Mutrah area to walk through the local souq (market).  We had dinner at a café in front of the souq overlooking the port.  A dinner of green salad, hummus, pita bread and doner kebab chicken – the local fare.  The hummus was really good.  Then we had to sit in a taxi with heavy traffic to get back to the hotel.  Most people venture out at night because it is cooler and all the shops shut between 1 & 4pm hence more traffic on the roads later in the day.

I hope you have noticed the quality of the photos has improved.  Jim has enjoyed being the photographer but unhappy with the limitations of the iphone so we decided to splurge and bought a camera in Dubai before we left on Saturday.  Jim needed a project so now he can play with the camera and master its functionalities.

PS. No Skyping allowed in the Sultanate of Oman - site is blocked due to be social network being unsuitable but Facebook is allowed ????????

View from our hotel window

Old Muscat

Oman Dive Centre - I was unaware of this being taken 

And this - Jim very rarely lets me takes photos of him

Secret mens business outside the souq

Souvenirs, inside the souq (local spelling)