We just returned from an all-too brief summer vacation to Muscat, Oman. It was a perfect long weekend: a four hour drive to a gorgeous seaside town, a nice hotel, great food, and some relaxing pool time. In contrast to Dubai, Muscat has building height restrictions, a sleepy atmosphere, and lots of focus on the sea. The city is nestled in the rocks on the Indian ocean, with networks of coves all along bustling with life. I especially loved Matrah, with its seawall, ferry boats, and busy sidewalk shops. Our meandering drive out of town took us to a stunning new hotel development perched above turquoise bays, to tiny villages with house walls crumbling from repeated wash-outs, and down a narrow 20-mile road of hairpin turns to find a small city crammed into another rocky cove.
Yesterday's drive home was a bit longer, but today's sore backs are worth it...we drove from dramatic rocky mountains to dust-devils in the plains, with surprise oases dotting the landscape. The lush farms are filled with date palms heavy with nearly ripe fruit, the low walls protecting them from the miles of sand all around.
Sultan's Grand Mosque
yeah, it was hot out
date vendor
shopping in the souk, we lasted about 30 mins in the heat & humidity
Oman ferry & traditional fishing boat
Matrah shopping street
the causeway's a nice spot for a Starbucks
fishing boats
surprise town at the end of the road
village goats
rocky drive home
