Muscat, our home, Bhai would totally agree! When Baba shifted to Muscat, we did not know where this place was in the world map. I remember sitting with mamma trying to spot the small piece of landmass called Oman, on the hardbound Atlas we had at home. “It is not very far, see! It is right across the Arabian Sea” mamma said reassuring me that my father was just a hop, skip and jump away. After about year, Mamma, bhai and I took our first flight ever, to join Baba in Muscat.
The heat hit my face as soon as we walked out of the chilled airport lounge, “Oh re baba! Eto khub groom!” I exclaimed. Baba had come along with Harish uncle to receive us at the airport, Harish uncle laughed and said, “Beta ab toh garam chalu bhi nahi hua hai” it was April and the temperature had soared up to about 38 degrees; this hot land was going to be our home soon.
However, this trip to Muscat was along with Pradeep in the month of April (reminiscing back to April 1999), our first visit home after we got married; my parents had totally geared up with places to eat, chill and visit, as this was the first time their Jamai (son-in-law) was coming home. We picked up couple of Chicken Shawarmas from the famous and veteran restaurant called Istanboly on our way home, ticking the airport arrival ritual; I could literally see Pradeep and Bhai drool at the aroma and we all devised to take just one bite each; but who has ever been able to stop after one bite?? The perfectly roasted smoky meat layered with hummus and mayo and coupled with crispy hot french fries, Oh! A total heart-melter; they should totally dig the Lay’s ad, we threw the cover out in the bin as we reached home.
We were staying in Muttrah then and we decided to explore the area around on foot. Arabic countries are widely known for its sheesha, but I had never tried them in Muscat, no points for guessing, we were way too young to have tried them in school and also we were at home; so now seemed like a good time to give that a shot. We found a place which looked like a grocery store from outside, but as we entered we found ourselves in a scene from the Arabian Nights (the Alladin animation); the magnificent colourful chandeliers with low seating complimented with Iranian rugs and large side pillows totally brought the place together. The boys were elated with the TV broadcasting the FIFA friendlies and I was totally digging the dreamy set up. We called for a double mint flavoured sheesha along with a portion of Tabbouleh and the old style hummus with Khubz; even though I am a die-hard spice lover, I get awed everytime I try the mildly flavoured creamy Arabic food. After a hearty load up, we decided to catch the sunset and then the illuminated Souk (Arabic for bazaar). We walked up and down the well-kept hilly sidewalk to reach the corniche; it is essentially a curved pathway alongside the ocean offering splendid views of old Muscat with mountains in the backdrop on one side and ocean with a rich port culture on the other. You would always find this place crowded; the locals enjoy sitting along the marbled wall while the tourists love to capture insta-worthy images at the gazebos, and it offers an well-balanced regional and touristy traditions.
Muttrah Corniche
Muttrah Port and Corniche
After enjoying the salty sunset breeze and quite a chit chat; we walked back through the touristy alleys of the Muttrah Souk; it is designed in a Mediterranean style with shops hailing out with mounds of fragrant spices and countless intriguing chandeliers of various shapes and sizes; multiple jewelry shops selling silver vintage ornaments carved in the most intricate Arabic designs with many of them studded with the famously available aquamarine stone. The entire stretch of cobbled stone alley was heavily infused with the fragrance of frankincense and attar shops; so much so that when we got home, my mother could guess where we all had been.
Souq entrance Chandeliers at a shop in the Souq
Turkish House had been on Baba’s eat-out list for a very long time apparently and hence we landed there one fine evening; I was barely allowed to eat lunch and asked to starve quite a bit so that I would be able to eat enough to help finish the spread. There are huge aquariums placed at the entrance of the restaurant, some of the fish from the tank are on display to be ordered on a plate and cooked as specified as well; most of the working staff in this place hail from Lebanon and Turkey, so a warm welcome into a cosy corner is guaranteed. We were served a large portion of Turkish bread along with hummus to get started with deciding what to eat; as we ate the warm bread dotted with toasted sesame seeds; we ordered a portion of a kebab platter along with a large portion of grilled fish and Mutabal with a side of warm freshly baked Turkish bread. I do not have any full -fledged pic of the spread; as we rushed into eating as soon as the food arrived; the meat was deliciously tender charred to perfection and our fish came from the tank which barely requires a fresh disclaimer; bhai called for his favourite Mountain Dew while we washed down with large helpings of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Turkish bread
I was really looking forward to the desert camping trip at Wahiba Sands, since I have fond memories from my childhood visits; this place now commonly known as Al-Sharqiya Sands. Road trips have always been an integral part of staying in Oman; hence we are always road-ready with car pillows, blankets, movie DVDs and mamma always ensures the supply of truck load of munchies; so we set off for the 250 kms ride post a heavy breakfast later in the morning and targeted to reach Bidiya (pit stop before off-roading) by afternoon. We stopped at a small restaurant to grab light lunch; the clouds darkened quickly as we ate; “Omg! It’s going to rain” I exclaimed; “Don’t jinx it” Bhai said nudging me; I had jinxed it; the clouds quickly passed with the heavy winds. We got onto the road again and the beautiful chromatic sand now grew bolder on both sides of the road; the wind pressed hard against us and Baba shifted gear to reach Bidiya as quickly as possible.
At Bidiya, Ochre Sands on both sides
It grew immensely challenging to drive on the highway in the blinding sandstorm; there was barely any network on our cellphones to even navigate the route towards Bidiya exit; we all grew quite pale. Baba parked the car on the side for a couple of seconds to grab his thoughts and dialed the camp organizer for a 4-wheeler car to take us to the base camp, totally mitigating the risk of getting stuck in the desert. After a couple of wrong turns, we finally made it to the petrol bunk at Bidiya and thankfully the sandy whirlwind had also paced-out.
A small sandstorm
A dusty Toyota land cruiser gushed into the parking area and Ahmad waved to my father; he had come to drive us to our campsite into the desert and we were right on time for the sunset dune bash. A little insider info on dune bash rides, the tighter you are seated inside, the lesser tummy-churning jerks you would experience;
Ahmad and the boys
Baba called shot-gun and 4 of us stuffed ourselves in to the backseat as Ahmad revved into the desert. We spotted our campsite from a distance and Ahmad asked, “Soonsett drrive or go to camp?”; he continued without pausing for an answer, “Good soonsett today, no miss! Seat belt on all?” he turned back to check; the he shifted to the manual 4x4 gear as he accelerated up one of the taller dunes. We started climbing at nothing less than 75 degrees; all of us woah-ed as we reached on top; we halted there briefly for the gorgeous view, but the sandstorm was still playing into the desert. We got into the car after a few windy clicks and then off we went, gushing down the dunes, a heavy tummy rumble and it was quite a free-fall; mamma and I screamed our lungs out as the car landed safely; Ahmad happily took us for a couple of more such bashes and we stopped only when it grew quite dark for the undulating ride.
Our campsite before sunset Sunset from dune-top
My fam-jam
We spent the rest of the evening sipping Kehwa with Omani dates in a very Arabic style Shamiyana; there were some local performers play and dance to the notes of a Rahmani drum (traditional Omani percussion instrument); dinner was served soon as we had started to feel the desert chill. There was an elaborate spread of Omani and continental food; well charred chicken legs along with some locally sourced camel meat; a fresh crisp Arabic salad, Khubz, flavourful Kabza and the most important, hummus.
Our Arabic dinner at desert camp
As the night grew darker so did our interest in low light photography and we eventually found ourselves trying our hands at long exposure shots; bhai has a penchant for Astrophotography and a deep black night in the desert offered an ideal canvas. We perched ourselves out on the shamiyana stairs and anchored the cam-stand; we tried couple of long expo shots which were beautifully bombarded by twinkling airplanes and also attempted a few long expo light photos.
Picture
It is always recommended to climb up the dunes to catch the sunrise. I have never woken up that early in the morning ever for a workout session, but this was a sunrise; I would not have missed it for the world; a brilliant lung and core workout, nevertheless. Believe you me, the view was absolutely magnificent; every ounce of breathlessness was worth the effort. I tried my hands at clicking extremely amateur photos and the canvas got beautifully lit as soon as the sun was up and shining; the sand grew more ochre while the cobalt blue sky was dotted with clouds in perfect harmony.
A sunrise shot
A morning shot in the desert
Dad climbing up the dune Our campsite post sunrise
We headed out next for camel watching after grabbing a quick breakfast; the camels were kept in friable cages primarily to prevent them from straying away, however it was the closet they could be kept to the environment in a desert. There were more than 30 camels; some were really young; Bhai took great excitement in feeding them; while the older ones showed heavy disinterest in getting petted; I can only imagine their discomfort during any showcased camel rides. We did manage to get some cute snooty shots though.
The one with the camels
The snooty ones!
We rode back to Bidiya and then a long ride back home, reminiscing the beautiful expanse of the sparse desert. Oman has so much to offer; hence I will continue to write about the other gorgeous spots in my forth coming blog, stay tuned!
Expense Summary
Flights - INR 18,500 return fare per head
Additional Expense
Desert camp stay - OMR 20 per head per night
Recommendations -
Please do try out Arabic food as much as you can, you would not be disappointed even if you are a vegetarian; Falafel and Taboulleh are a must try
Do spend a night in the desert. I have been to the desert camp at least 5 times now and I would go back for a couple more if given an opportunity. It is a blissful experience
Do get your hands on a few grams of frankincense, you can carry a little part of Oman with you back home
When you are travelling around the city, do get a rental car from Europcar or other similar companies.