Last Thursday, my friends and I headed to Oman. Oman is a neighboring country to the UAE. The flight is a reasonable one hour to Oman's capital of Muscat and the flights are not expensive (75 us$ each way). Note: I found it cheaper to buy two one way tickets than a round trip ticket, weird but true.
I had some issues at immigration, in my UAE visa picture I have my natural short hair and I am sporting some long braids right now, so the guy at the desk was confused and called over his supervisor. The supervisor gave him a look like that is the same person and I was on my way. #travellingwhileblack
We stayed to the beautiful Crowne Plaza which had a stunning view.
After a few hours at the pool and enjoying a beautiful sunset, we headed to the Souq, aka traditional market.
Here I am at the Souq. There was so much to see and buy. I loved these lamps but didn't think I could carry them back to the UAE with my baggage allowance.
Here are a few things I purchased:
The flat things at the back are pillow covers and yes, those are Christmas ornaments in the front
The next day we did a hop on hop off bus tour.
It was great there is a narration along the way that explains the locations as you pass them (my friends and I are convinced it must work on a GPS). My favorite stop was the Muscat Opera House.
Beautiful craftsmanship. It was only built in 2011 with marble imported from Vienna and wood from Burma. The walls are hand painted with gold and the whole building is stunning. I would live to come back and see a ballet it an opera here.
Another great stop was the Marina.
None of the taxis in Oman have meters I found this interesting, so you always have to bargain the price.
Love this picture by the beach.
Omani food is similar to most middle eastern dishes.
From the top left going clockwise we have: prawn masala, chicken masala, green salad, BBQ mutton, pita bread and hummus.
If you are living in the UAE and are looking for a quick weekend getaway head to Oman, you will not be disappointed!
Okay, that is the funniest hash tag/ customs story I have ever heard! Lol, you are now on my blogroll.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Love allll the pictures. Your adventures are inspiring. Makes me wanna do some traveling that's actually outside the country. squeeeee!!
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