Spent last weekend in Oman in the tourist area of Muscat. It has been so much fun having Chris around this whole time and actually being able to take a little vacation together. Now, I wish I could write lots of things about Oman but the trip was ill planned so this is all I can say: I heard Muscat was beautiful and only 3-4 hours away by car, that it has more history than the UAE, that the people are nice, that it feels more "real" and that the diving is great so obviously it has been on our list of things to do since we got here. So, on New Years day Chris told me to look into staying there and he gave me the names of the two most popular hotels. Well, they were both booked and about 500 USD a night so things were not looking great. Then I remembered the reward points that we had from living in the Radisson for almost 2 months. Well, the next day we were in the car as soon as Chris could get out of the office with no map, no information other than our reservations at the Radisson. I actually thought we were going north of RAK, one of the emirates here but we were actually crossing east over UAE into the bigger part of Oman. Luckily the roads were well marked and the only obstacles were lots of roundabouts, speed bumps and random pedestrians crossing the "highway" there. It was dark when we got in but we loved it immediately. The most remarkable difference between the UAE and Oman is that there are lots of locals there, they just have a much bigger population. Their lusher and mountainous landscape has also maintained more physical history when compared to the harsh desert of the UAE that until very recently was made up of mostly nomadic peoples. We went out for a relaxed dinner and actually had a local waiter, a refreshing change from the labor situation in Dubai and then we headed downstairs to a full bar rocking out to a Filipino band. The next morning we woke up to sunny skies nestled in breathtaking mountains. We went outside to the patio for a free breakfast (worth mentioning because hotel rooms in Dubai come with NOTHING) and were shocked by the number of Americans dining with us. There are hardly any Americans in UAE so it was noticeable. The trees and relaxed vibe reminded me of hanging out in old colonial haunts in Ghana, it had a very old school expat feel to it. It is crazy how fast you get used to the newness in Dubai, the Radisson seemed old and I am sure it isn't! We got in our car after breakfast and headed out on a beautiful drive across town to the dive club. Chris went for a dive and I did a refresher course in the pool. I have to say: I have really given the diving thing a lot of effort but I am still not sure if I like it. It has been a while since I have done it so now it feels new all over again...oh well. I am thinking about just taking the whole course over again here so I can get the full open water certification and feel more comfortable again. Anyway, Chris enjoyed his dive and the next day we went snorkeling off a boat. There were tons of fish, I wish I could name them all but I am horrible at that! Then it was back to Dubai. It was so nice there and it was so easy to wish we lived there, it seemed so much more authentic and mellow. I would love to live somewhere with great hiking and walking closer but it is not so far away. The roads were also even more confusing there if you can imagine. Less construction but the signs, maps and roads just didn't match up and don't forget we were also constantly avoiding the random guys on their bikes or guys running across the road. On our way home from an amazing meal of tapas on Friday night I had a moment of pure bliss. Chris was asleep a little bit next to me and I was thinking how great it was that our taxi driver was Omani and that he actually knew where he was going, we didn't have to direct him. Honestly, as soon as I thought it I picked up on a subtle vibe in the car. It was that feeling of someone being lost but he didn't speak much English so I just relaxed thinking he probably just knows a better way to the hotel (we never once found the same route twice)! and then we seemed to be in the desert. Brief moment of American paranoia thinking maybe he was kidnapping us and then 30 minutes later, many long and wordy phone conversations in Arabic later we managed to find our way back to the hotel. We were tired and dizzy from all the roundabouts but safe and sound. He apologised and only charged us what the fare would have been without all the confusion. So I guess the taxi situation is the same everywhere and you get what you pay for. Here an expensive taxi ride is 13 bucks and in Chicago they always knew where you were going but it cost a lot more!
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