Travel, life, loves and laughs.
At the base of the Western Hajar Mountain range, near Jabal Akhdar in the northwest of Oman, sits Nakhal, a town that is set amongst date plantations and dominated by the dramatic Nakhal Fort. The fort itself is believed to date back to the pre-Islamic era while the towers and entrance way were constructed during the reign of Imam Said bin Sultan in 1834. … Read the rest
Wadi Aday and Yiti, the nearest town, is an off the beaten track, yet comfortable 1 hour drive, south of Muscat. So the day hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far. Not that I can complain – I spent the morning at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque while my husband ran the kids around in 40+ degrees Celsius at the nearest park and then got picked up and taken to lunch. … Read the rest
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is a truly inspiring place both architecturally and spiritually.
It was a very quiet Monday morning when I visited due to Eid and the public holiday. I approached from a side entrance near the car park and was redirected to enter from the main entrance at the front.… Read the rest
Wow! The Royal Opera House is a spectacular sight and I think we caught it at its best light with the pink hues of sunset reflecting off the sparkling new marble. It’s new, with construction only completed in 2011. It’s also grand, and while the main concert hall has capacity for 1100, there is also an auditorium, an art centre, retail and restaurants contained in the complex all set in beautiful formal landscaped gardens.… Read the rest
We were keen to go snorkeling whilst visiting Muscat and had heard excellent reports of the experience. After some research, Bandar Khayran was top of the list of destinations and I proceeded to book an 8 hour Bandar Khayran snorkeling tour with a local company through our hotel (the Coral Muscat Hotel). … Read the rest
The walk from the watchtower near Riyan Park to Al Alam Royal Palace is about 2.5km. It’s a really pleasant walk (even in the heat), along a bay through the old city Gate (also a museum) and down through the old town.… Read the rest
There are many watchtowers in Muscat. Just take a drive and see how many you can spot, perched up on rocky outcrops surveying the surrounds.
This particular watchtower (restored Portuguese) isn’t particularly large or exciting, containing all of two cannons and nothing else, but the steep climb is worth the spectacular views both back towards Mutrah and out across the next bay towards Old Muscat.… Read the rest
Mutrah Souq is a delight to the senses, a chaotic mix of sights, sounds and smells. Enter from the Corniche, near the traffic lights where pedestrians can safely cross over and make your way up the main covered corridor. Be sure to look up as there are a couple of spectacular colored ceilings, both glass and wood.… Read the rest
I awoke this morning to a cup of tea on my nightstand, followed closely by a glass of muesli with fruit & Laban. This doesn’t happen very often but this morning my husband had been up for half an hour playing with the boys and had been kind enough to ease me gently into the day.… Read the rest