Day 92 - Muscat Oman : Dolphins, Turtles, And Yes .. Another Market (Souk)

 

Wow! Oman was a total surprise. I'd labeled it as a country we were stopping in because it was between India and Dubai, but that was not the case. It's now on our list as a "place to revisit." We found it clean, quiet, well organized, and definitely biased towards catering for a luxury trip. Today's excursion was for dolphin watching, snorkeling with fish & turtles, and then, of course, a quick stop at the local souk (market).

But first - Oman, and specifically the city of Muscat. Muscat dates back to 100 BC when it was first settled as a trading port for the sea portion of the many trade routes to and from India, originating in the Middle East and Europe. The origin of the name is disputed, meaning variously place of letting fall the anchor, inflated animal hide or (my favourite) strongly scented. I like that last one, as Muscat is ground zero for frankincense - it's everywhere. There is even a large burner on a hill, perfuming the entire area! The origin of Oman is quite simple - that means sea people. 

Given its strategic location, it has been invaded, "protected," and fought over many times in the past 2500 years. In the 3rd century, it was part of the Persian Empire, but by the 7th century, it had come under Islamic influence and remained that way until the Portuguese arrived in 1507. In a predictable fashion, they decided to conquer the city, and the resultant battle destroyed almost the entire city. The Portuguese, Turks, and Persians battled for over a century before the local Omanis gained control in 1648, and the Portuguese formally surrendered 2 years later. You can see forts and mini castles everywhere. There are over 500 dotting the landscape in the 40-50 miles of cliffs surrounding Muscat.

Over the next 30 years, the Al Bu Sa'id dynasty gained ascendency, and that bloodline has ruled Oman ever since. The country is an absolute monarchy, so whatever the Sultan and his family say happens. The balance is free healthcare, housing, and education; they'll pay for citizens to attend Oxford or Harvard, for example). By Arabic standards, as viewed through Western eyes, it's on the progressive side in that women (outside of religious environments) are not required to wear headgear or full-body dress. Many do, but many don't. They're also proud to point out that they have two female ministers of state.

Onto our aquatic wildlife trip. A short 15-minute ride through Muscat took us to the Marina Bandar Al Rowdha on the southern coast. There's a pickleball club there, too - the sport is spreading! From there, we headed straight out into the Gulf to go dolphin-watching. And yes, we saw dolphins. Hundreds of spinner dolphins. In Florida, if we see a dolphin, it's "hmm. OK," and it takes 4 to 5 to get us really excited. I've never seen this many. They're drawn to this particular location by food. So we saw the darker side of dolphins as they were hunting sardines and tuna. On a few occasions, we saw their prey leap out of the water to avoid being eaten. 

We then returned to an inlet and a bunch of islands named Khawr al Khiran (I think) to go snorkeling. Interesting location as it's about 1/2 mile of the tropic of Cancer line. The water was warm, although visibility could have been better as some silt was present in a very gentle current. However, there were plenty of fish around, particularly the black and yellow variety (multiple species), needlefish, parrotfish, and some 2-3 foot long sea turtles. Overall, it was a pleasant hour. We then motored back to the marina along the coast, passing a few arches and some high-end resorts such as the Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace Spa and the Barr Al Jissah Shangri-La. All with plenty more construction happening.

After bribing the tour guide, our final stop was a short 15 minutes at the Mutrah Souk. It was noisy, full of spice and scents, and had a bunch of stores mostly selling the same shirts, perfumes, bags, and souvenirs. It felt more of a touristy place and less of a local one—although some of the side alleys were way more interesting.

The executive summary is that Muscat, Oman, was indeed a surprisingly good bonus stop, and I'd love to come back and not only stay at one of the luxury resorts but also investigate the forts, museums, and inner desert area. 

Nest up is Dubai. We'll be in the desert for that one, racing through dunes and riding camels.