Since we’ve arrived to Abu Dhabi, almost anyone we spoke to
has raved about visiting Oman.
So for Eid Al Adha, a Muslim holiday in October (a nice 4
day weekend), we decided to fly to Muscat, Oman with another family, which are
becoming our travelling “mates”. Michael
is from Australia, Karen from South Africa and their children Logan and
Imara. Logan, 3 years, shares the same
birthday as the twins. Imara is just a year old and is such a trooper. Kids get
along great as do the adultsJ Michael was
a good person to travel with as he is in the ship building business and
frequently is in Muscat for work.
A little information about Muscat and Oman, courtesy of
Wiki:
Muscat is the capital of Oman. The metropolitan
area spans approximately 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi) and
includes six provinces
called wilayats.
Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman
in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development that has led
to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society. The rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains dominate the
landscape of Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea
along the Gulf of Oman and is in the proximity of the strategic Straits of
Hormuz. Low-lying white buildings typify most of Muscat's urban
landscape, while the port-district of Muttrah,
with its corniche
and harbour, form the north-eastern periphery of the city. Muscat's economy is
dominated by trade, petroleum and porting.
Muscat's economy,
like that of Oman, is dominated by trade. The more traditional exports of the
city included dates, mother of
pearl, and fish. Many of the souks of Muttrah sell
these items and traditional Omani artifacts. Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has been
central to Muscat's economy since at least 1962 and is the country's second
largest employer, after the government.
The currency is
called Omani Riyals and its conversion is approximately 1 riyal to 2.4 Canadian
dollars. Overall, we found Oman to be
slightly more expensive than UAE.
It was only a one hour flight but due to the busy
weekend, the airport was pretty crazy which resulted in the kids having to hang
around for over an hour....thank goodness for IPad!
Although Oman is known for its mountainous areas and is
great for desert camping, we decided that our first time in Oman would be a
little less adventurous and we’d stay in a hotel. We stayed in Crown Plaza, a nice hotel that
is perched on a hill that has a beautiful view of the ocean and beach. Also like most hotels in the gulf, it came
with all the amenities that one would need including 4 different restaurant
options. The kids enjoyed the pool and
we were a short walk down a flight of stairs to the beach. It was an absolutely
wonderful holiday because we were able to plan our activities around rest times
needed for the children….who am I kidding, for all of us!
You can’t go to Muscat without visiting the Muttrah area,
including the corniche and the old souk.
We toured the Souk in Muttrah. It was quite big and interesting. Carmen
of course came away with a souvenior and the kids got some trinkets as well
(including Trace’s new local attire). It
is nice having some keepsakes of our travels.
While at the souk we saw some goats being walked away. We understand
that goats are sacrificed as part of the Eid celebrations, so we weren’t sure
if these goats were going to be part of the ritual. We wanted to follow and
check it out, but decided against it….probably would have been too much for the
kids to see….
We spent one day at the Shangri La hotel. It is a
beautiful resort up in the mountains just outside of Muscat. We had lunch there
and then snuck into the resort amenities. J The kids had fun at a spray park and then were
able to take a sunset camel ride on the beach. Trace was not convinced, but it
happened so quickly that he couldn’t argue and ended up really enjoying it.
Logan, however, could not be convinced! Rafielle is the more adventurous one,
so didn’t need any convincing and we could hear her laughing as they trotted
off.
The highlight of the trip was a dolphin viewing excursion.
About 5 km off the coast of Muscat was an area known for schools of dolphins. Hundreds of dolphins were jumping and playing
about. Our guide figured about 400 dolphins were in the area and the population
can be doubled at other times of the year. These dolphins were much smaller
than a typical dolphin. They are called spinners as they are often jumping and
spinning out of the water.
The boat ride also took us along the Mucat coastline. It was very pretty
and I can remember thinking that life is good, however, by the end of the trip,
life was just too hot!!!! Everyone needed off the boat before we started
getting sick! Yes, even Carmen was too hot!!!!
Another highlight was a hike up Riyam Park. Karen and Michael are adventous people and had
researched this “easy” 2km trek. It was literally on the outskirts of the city
so we agreed to go. Well, it was a lot more than a little trek and mommy had a
few near heartattacks with the kids scaling rock faces and shimming down
boulders. It took about 2 hours to go the 2km, just to give you an idea of the
terrain, but it was awesome and the kids did great…all of them, including baby
Imara in a backpack. The kids sang songs and I think they had to be so engaged
in their climbing that they didn’t have time to complain about being tired or
bored. It was beautiful as we completed the hike at sunset and walked through
town as the call to prayer began. The kids ended the trek with an ice-cream
treat, which they were thrilled with and the adults, well, we must have been in
the right mood because our night didn’t end with the trek, it had only just
begun! It ended in the hotel pub much later. We have a funny picture of the
baby monitor on the bar, of course, unable to pick up reception, but making us
look like responsible parents! We did check on the kids sporadically…honest!!!!
Sleep was pretty much guaranteed for them after the day they had!
It really was a great trip and nice city. We do want to
go back to Oman again, but next time we’ll try the camping and do some more hiking
in an area called Nizwa….especially now that we know the kids can manage the
trekking!
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| Patiently waiting in Muscat airport |
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| Awesome dolphin watching |
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| Parenting 101 |
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| Look at Rafi, she's being brave! |
