While researching for places to go to during the recent Holi and Good Friday long weekend, I recalled the favourable reviews given by a couple of friends who had recently visited Oman. With only a 2.5 hour flight to Muscat, and the weather still not being too hot in March, it seemed an ideal candidate. I booked onward flights using miles, and the return fare was only 5k per adult. Ishaan was still under 2 years and all our tickets put together costed less than 20k!
One of Jyoti's friends from her Delhi days, Aditya, had now been living in Muscat for a decade. The two tried to see if others in their gang could also visit around the same time and constitute a nice reunion, but due to prior commitments no one else could make it. Initially we had planned to stay in a hotel, but Aditya insisted it would be more fun if we stayed with them.
The visa process for Oman is a bit complicated. If one applies in Mumbai itself, it has to be done through a travel agent who also has to handle your hotel booking, airport transfers and at least one tour booking. And it costs a staggering 11-12k per person ! Alternately, someone staying in Oman could sponsor your visa - but the latter has to show a family relationship with the applicant. So Aditya got an application made through a friend who shares his last name with Jyoti, and then got Ishaan and me added to it. A day before departure, we realised that my nationality in the visa was stated as Singapore - it was a clerical error, as my Indian passport was issued in Singapore. Thankfully an update was made by the authorities in a couple of hours, and Aditya sent us the updated scans of the visas.
The visa process for Oman is a bit complicated. If one applies in Mumbai itself, it has to be done through a travel agent who also has to handle your hotel booking, airport transfers and at least one tour booking. And it costs a staggering 11-12k per person ! Alternately, someone staying in Oman could sponsor your visa - but the latter has to show a family relationship with the applicant. So Aditya got an application made through a friend who shares his last name with Jyoti, and then got Ishaan and me added to it. A day before departure, we realised that my nationality in the visa was stated as Singapore - it was a clerical error, as my Indian passport was issued in Singapore. Thankfully an update was made by the authorities in a couple of hours, and Aditya sent us the updated scans of the visas.
Our flight departed from Mumbai at 10 pm and due to the 1.5 hour time difference, landed around 11 pm local time. There was a long queue for immigration. Jyoti waited in the line while I sat on a nearby bench with Ishaan nicely asleep in my arms. 15 minutes later a co-passenger suggested that families needn't wait in queue and when Jyoti requested an officer, we were bumped upto the head of the queue. When we met Aditya at arrival and narrated the incident to him, he said this was typical of Oman: folks were nice and babies were treated specially, but they were lazy too and one just had to nudge them to get their attention. His home was only 10 minutes away and we got a warm welcome from his wife Ranju.
The next morning we got a nice glimpse of Muscat as Aditya took us for a drive.It was situated right between the sea and the barren mountains. The roads were wide, and the buildings either white or the color of sand. There were some modern glass buildings, but a majority of them, especially the important ones, were a mix of Middle Eastern and classical architecture - domes and minarets fused with Corinthian columns. Jyoti instantly fell in love with the place, and remarked, by comparison, that Dubai, just a few hours drive away, was such a concrete jungle .
We visited the modern Sultan Qaboos Mosque, named after its current progressive monarch who has been in power for decades and is widely considered the force behind the country's modernisation. The mosque is one of the largest in the world, and it's beautiful interior contains the second largest chandelier ever made. The mosque's grounds were huge, and Ishaan and Aditya's daughter Avani had a blast running around.
For lunch, Aditya suggested a local Indian joint having a great biryani and Jyoti wasn't about to give up a chance for some. We stuffed ourselves with kebabs, paneer, dal and biryani. A much needed nap followed the heavy meal.
In the evening we drove around a bit near the seaside. Working as a risk officer in Bank of Muscat, Aditya's knowledge of companies and politics of the Middle East, especially the Gulf countries, was prolific. In a day, we seemed to know as much about Oman as it would have taken us weeks had we been traveling independently. For dinner, we headed to Kargeen garden restaurant - the evening fare included falafel sandwiches, lentil soup, a Yemeni vegetable dish, some crispy delicious Yemeni bread and sheesha. The ambience was top notch - the evening air had a little nip, pretty lanterns lined the pathways and hung from the trees, and locals and expats enjoyed a lively conversation. I wish there were more garden restaurants in Mumbai, but where's the space and where's the clean air ?
The next morning I went scuba diving. Aditya dropped me to the dive school situated at one of the numerous bays in the Muscat area. The site was 15-20 minutes by boat from the mainland, and the boat ride through the blue water surrounded by barren hills was a delight. Unfortunately there had been some unseasonal rain across the country the last couple of days and thus the visibility was quite poor. Moreover, the coral at the reef was neither plentiful nor colourful and I got bored in the water after a while. The others in the group were quite enjoying the dive and when we surfaced after 50 minutes of water time, I was feeling a little sick and skipped the second dive which was in the same area. As a consolation, a couple of the dive instructors on the boat were hilarious and I had a few good laughs. The boat ride on the way back was rough and we had water spraying all over us no matter where in the cabin one was seated.
I took a pre-arranged taxi back to Aditya's place. The rest of them had decided to laze around in the morning and "do nothing", which works quite well for Jyoti on her vacations. We had delicious home made lunch, and then relaxed for a bit more.
Ranju stepped out for a bit in the afternoon to run some errands and brought back some falafel rolls. They were made just the way I like them - sans any salad, just a filling of falafel balls and tahini.
In the evening we headed to the famous Muttrah souk, the oldest market in Muscat, situated right off a crescent shaped bay. We bought a coloured glass lantern and a glazed earthenware pot with a distinctive Omani shape. It struck me that as Ishaan was running around obstructing other pedestrians, everyone still had the inclination to make way for him and smile at him.
For dinner, we went to Rumba Latino at "The Cave", a group of restaurants built inside a natural cave with some man made extensions. We ordered nachos, tacos, arepas, enchiladas and a couple of fusion dishes. This was the best food of our trip so far. We wished Mumbai would have a Mexican / Latino restaurant just as good.
The next morning, Aditya took the three of us for a half day trip to Nizwa Fort, about 1.5 hours away. Avani wasn't well so she and Ranju couldn't join us. It was a picturesque drive through a wide highway cut through the hills. We first spent some time at the well known Nizwa souk and bought a clay jar. The adjacent fort and castle weren't mind blowing for someone who's seen plenty of them in India, but they contained some interesting exhibits and the tower provided a good view of the town and the surrounding hills. We had an Indian lunch again at a local restaurant and headed back to Muscat.
In the evening, before we headed out to the airport. we went to a coffee shop by a seaside promenade. Aditya and his family were flying to Mumbai as well the same night for a vacation in Coorg, albeit in a flight just tend minutes after ours and thus we headed to the airport together.
There is a lot more to Oman than just Muscat. Given time, one can go and stay in the mountains and trek, or stay at one of the numerous beach resorts along the coast. Nevertheless we had a fun three days, especially thanks to having a friend show us around. It's not a country that needs to be put on a bucket list,but if you live within a few hours of it, it's definitely worth a visit.
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