Muscat!

This past weekend Jimmy and I went to Muscat, Oman. It is a 5 hour drive from Dubai through mostly desert with not a whole lot to see but still different and interesting. Of course we had to go through the process of exiting UAE and entering Oman and return. I only have a few pics of that because photograhy is not allowed in the Visa and customs areas. And away we go-

Jimmy getting auto insurance. There is a building with a window you walk up to and provide papers for your car (rental, lease or ownership documents). You pay $100 AED and are given a certificate of insurance for Oman. You will be asked for this at the Visa office so you must have. It is easy to miss because it is a small building on the side of the road with one sign and is situated kind of beside but behind a gas station.

This is the "Visa Hut"! Here you must get your exit stamp from UAE in your passport. It is a trailor on the side of the road; you park in a gravel area nearby and stand outside in line. As you can see many people travel in and out of UAE to Oman; there are 8-10 people ahead of us and behind us and the line is constant. Fortunately the Immigration officers are very good at thier jobs and it moves pretty quickly.

Stamped and ready to go! After this there are several more security checkpoints and of course getting your passport stamped to enter Oman. The same procedure is required when you re-enter UAE. Again, the officials are quite proficient and it goes smoothly and quickly.

I'm not certain what this building is- it could be a palace, a mosque or a government building or something else.

There are many, many round-abouts along the way. A lot, but cetainly not all of them, have interesting statues, water features or gardens. I took as many pics as I could but I missed a few.

Round about pic. You can't tell from the angle but this is actually a four sided structure with the open gateway in the center.

Round about pic.

Round about pic.

Round about pic. This is made of ceramic tiles and is one of two at the same round about. The other one faces this one.

Round about pic. Very cool image of the world.

Round about pic.

This is a huge double gateway we passed through. We weren't at a border crossing so I'm not certain of its significance but isn't it beautiful!

Round about pic.

We finally arrive at the Al Bustan Palace Intercontinental Beach Club. It is an amazing hotel on the Gulf of Oman with a private beach, view of the mountains and luxury resort accommodations. There are 5 pools plus a childrens pool and lush tropical grounds to relax and enjoy.

Hotel lobby. The ceiling soars 8 stories to an intricately designed dome and spectacular chandlier. The camera just could not do it justice (although it may have had more to do with my photography skills!).

Another view of the lobby. The floor is granite and tile to include a very detailed mosaic.

Our room.

There is a sofa and desk area behind me and the door to the balcony. Beyond the bed is the bathroon which was gorgeous.

Opposite view of our room.

Our balcony overlooking one of the pools. All of the pools have infinity edges and are 4 feet deep. They also have shallow areas so you can sit or lay in the water and not be totally submerged.

Another view of the pool. The white area to the right is shallow and the two long block looking things to the left are perfectly contoured granite loungers. We laid on them and it was divine! As you can see the grounds are grassy and luxuriant and the mountain view is in the background.

Loungers to sunbathe are abundant and even an occasional hammock can be found to relax in!

Surely you didn't think I would let this opportunity get by. Fortunately Jimmy didn't have the camera ready when I nearly flipped out the thing in my zeal to climb aboard!

More of the grounds and lounging areas. In the background you can see the Gulf of Oman and the mountains. Unfortunately my camera lens fogged over because of the humidity and I didn't wait long enough for it dry before I took the beach pics so they didn't turn out so good.

The only decent pic of the beach. The dark area at the very back is black rock and the water

washes in. We were climbing around in the area and came upon several crabs! Not little sand crabs- I mean plate sized crabs.

On our way home we stopped for gas and saw some young girls going to school. They were laughing and giggling like school girls do.

The boys we came across were a different story! The young girls going to school were in the heart of downtown Muscat. These boys were in a very rural community far outside the city. The boys were also laughing and having a great time.

It is not unusual to see camels along the way. They are nearly as abundant as the cows in Alabama but they are there! We also saw goats along the side of the road  (not fenced in; just hanging out!) but I didn't have the camera ready.

Camels.

Camel gang! (I guess they call them herds, really!)

We relaxed and laughed and simply lived in the moment. You don't have to go to an exotic country or sail the high seas; next time you feel the warm sun on your face or catch the scent of sweet honeysuckle in the air- remember to simply live in the moment.

Much love to all my family and friends. I miss you all so very, very much. M&J