Oman An offbeat Gem

My interest in visiting offbeat countries continues. I don’t know whether it's my passion or my wish to increase the count as far as the number of countries I have visited goes. Offbeat is an abused word these days so the real meaning often is lost. Offbeat according to me has been where I get a smaller number of tourists, the landscape is amazing but not popular. Every country has an offbeat location hidden in it. I recollect when I went to Italy, besides visiting Venice, Florence, Vatican city, Milan and other cities we carefully listed down Alberobello. We took a 3-hour train to reach this small commune in Italy and when we got down the station master was kind enough to give us a local map as he said no tourists visit this hidden gem. It turned out to be a really good one. Oman attracted me because of 2 reasons – Its wadi’s wherein one must swim to reach a waterfall , Its beautiful beaches with Turquoise waters. A USA 10 years visa becomes an advantage if you are visiting Oman. One gets a visa on arrival at Muscat. These days it takes 50-60K INR even if you visit places like Goa. I have stopped travelling in India apart from the Himalayan treks which I go to. It's prudent to use that money to cover some nearby countries which do not see tourist exodus.

We took the Oman Air (Mumbai – Muscat) direct flight. My learning was - Grab your ticket early. We got a superb deal when we both got return tickets for 15K (More money is required if one travels Pune to Delhi) Follow some basic rules and try to fly out on Wednesday and Thursday.  Oman Air was a decent experience. It’s a wet airline and they do serve all types of alcohol; nonveg food and they have inflight entertainment. We never came to know how 2 hours 30 mins went. My immigration to Muscat was a smooth process but my wife Purva faced several questions. It gets slightly tricky if your spouse does not hold a USA Visa. The immigration officers out there are from Royal Oman police (Actually Oman Police does your immigration), and they are not fully aware about the super exceptional scenarios under which Purva’s case was falling. I have a habit of carrying printouts of the communication I earlier had with Oman Royal Police and those who came to the rescue.

 

We had booked a hotel in Ruwi which is old Muscat, since it's closer to all sightseeing attractions. One thing which we observed on the way from Airport to the hotel is that Oman barely has any public transport. The buses are very few and don’t comply with timings. There are no metros, rails, or shared taxis in Oman. With 1 Omani rial equaling 226 Rs, It becomes even more important where you stay. The flip side is that Omani people are very nice and gentle. One country where I see a lot of hitchhiking was Oman. It's not that normal in Muscat but the moment you leave the city center people will help and give you lift. People speak Arabic but there are a large number of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian workers on streets who can help you since they speak Hindi. Proper Omani people struggle when it comes to Hindi but then Google translate comes handy. The country exports 91% oil followed by Dates. It’s a superrich country and the crime rate is zero. Petty crimes don’t take place since punishment is harsh and administration is ruthless. It's my way or highway attitude. Muscat is a beautiful city, and all sightseeing attractions can be covered in 2 days.  Mosque has strict visit timings for Non- Muslims , so I would have half a day stretched.

I like the Al Alam Palace in Muscat. As I said, Omani people are good. One local person approached us while we were taking pictures to visit the backside of the palace, where the view is beautiful, and one gets to see the Gulf of Oman. The place should be visited in the evening when it's pleasant. The view was amazing, and it was my kind of attraction wherein I could soak myself in the beauty of the ocean with a nicely lit up palace in the background. No version of iPhone can do justice to what a human eye sees but still sharing some pics.

There are quite a few decent attractions nearby. The blue tiles on the mosque look lovely when the streetlights are up. The local people do get into a conversation. We came to know that no one in Oman can keep their child’s name – Qaboos , since that was the name of Sultan Qaboos who ruled Oman for 3 decades. One needs special permission from the Omani government which one never gets. I had read about Sultan Qaboos and was quick to share that he did his studies from Pune University which is my hometown. We visited the sultan Qaboos mosque (World’s second biggest) and I immensely loved the world’s longest carpet ( women from Iran worked on it for months) and a huge chandelier which is right in the center. As far as external beauty is concerned, I loved the Shaikh Zayed Mosque which is the world's biggest and is in Abu Dhabi.

My love for cinema and Bollywood never dies. I had never been to an opera house and the Royal Opera in Muscat was a feat for me. The entry fee is quite steep for a 15 mins conducted tour plus they accept only credit cards (Slightly weird but again that’s how it is ). The Opera house is royal as the name suggests. They have moving floors and just like we adjust our car seat, the floors can go back and come ahead. The Sultan watches the opera from the royal chamber which obviously has the best view.

 

We had planned a full day excursion to Wadi Shab and Bimnah Sinkhole from Muscat. It's 3 hours from Muscat and with the first 2:30 hours through desert and last 30 mins right besides the sea. Turquoise water is what one gets to see. For a moment I felt this is as beautiful as Maldives. We Indians are not good when it comes to camping. I realized that when I saw some Europeans staying in their makeover tents. Camping is free and super safe in Oman. You can camp in the desert or besides the beach in the designated areas. Wadi Shab area is known as the Grand Canyon of Oman and is simply amazing. The long walk to the gorge needs a lot of trekking and finally one must swim for 45 mins to reach the cave. The views are amazing and the scenery breathtaking. Every country brings some memories and teaches us a few things unknowingly. It is these experiences that make one a better traveler. Oman has an image of being a dry country, probably that’s how my blog has come out, but I will say the places we visited were a visual treat for the eyes.