Upon landing in Muscat at 2325 I made my own way to Ammi and Salome’s place. They had kindly done some of my laundry during my few days away. Unfortunately I must have left a piece of tissue in one of the pockets and it left bits through the load, but Salome tidied it all up.
With my impending departure from Oman, some things are amusing upon reflection:
- Many country roads are stained with camel pee. It serves as a useful reminder that the animals are around and to drive carefully.
- Country stores often have the signage “Foodstuff and Luxuries”. I thought the latter referred to perfumes and chocolates, but I was told it really means things like soap and detergent.
In summary, Oman is a great country … it has the heritage, soul and characters that its Gulf neighbours seem to have lost. It seems to have a balance between the bling-bling of the Gulf and the somewhat medieval nature of Yemen.
As an independent traveller there are a few frustrations though:
- Accommodation is expensive.
- Taxis are expensive but fortunately shared taxis and longhaul buses are cheap. And rental cars are reasonable.
- Its best attractions are far from town … many sights are only possible by chartered transport which will be expensive unless shared with a few other people.