Muscat, Oman (Itinerary)

From Dubai, we sailed quickly through the Straits of Hormuz and were already docked in Muttrah, the port town for Muscat when we awoke. Looking out from the ship's top deck, it was a nice sunrise from behind the rugged coastline.

 
From the ship, the town looks interesting, but we knew that the fort was closed to the public. Too bad. That would have been interesting.

The port is named after Sultan Qaboos, the ruling monarch here. When we were allowed off the ship we were herded through this round building.

 
We were among the first on shore and passed through that port building and boarded the port shuttle bus, but when the driver pointed out the fish market just outside the port gates, we jumped off the bus and were the only passengers to do so.

 
A mosque across from the fish market. This fish market had a different feel than others we'd experienced.

 
For one thing, there were rugs under the fish. This man talked to Dean about how the Americans "own" them. He was not personally hostile to Dean, but he was clearly not happy about the situation.

 
Young and very old men worked at cleaning the fish behind a tiled chest-high wall.

 
As we walked away from the fish market, I saw someone with a wheel barrow of potatoes.

 
We walked through an unmarked door covered with wide plastic strips into an orderly produce market.

 
This man demonstrated to us the difference between Omani and Iranian oreganos. He charges 3 times more for the local herb and asked us whether we thought it was worth it. Oh my, his local oregano had so much more aroma and flavor. He knew we were not customers, but he obviously took pride in his craft.

      
We never did find out what these palm frond structures were for. We left the market area and walked along the shoreline walkway. This sculpture is in a traffic circle near the port.

 
Small pavilions with fancy domed roofs were built into the sea wall every hundred yards or so.

 
The building next to a mosque was festooned. Note the calligraphy on the mosque used as decoration, not depictions of people or animals, which could be considered idols.

 
New building was going on and people in various garb walked along the seawall, too.

Interesting fish carvings adorned the sea wall.

 
We walked past the Muttrah Souk, which is where the shuttle bus would have dropped us off if we hadn't exited at the fish market.

 
We walked by the large fort, because we knew it was closed.

 
We walked for a couple of miles on this pleasant walkway, with sculptures, fountains and more, out to this observation tower shaped like an incense burner. Dean read that there were 100 steps to the top and that the view was great. It was closed and people working nearby said it had been closed for some time. If you look closely you can see it in our sunrise photo.

 
We came back to the souk to look for a money changer. There wasn't much else here that interested us. It was designed to attract the cruise ship shoppers.

 
After obtaining some Omani rial, so we could take a local bus, we walked out the back of the market.

We walked past a boys school.

 
They gathered at the gate to talk to us.

 
This unsmiling sewer said it was okay for me to take his photo.

Above the town, someone has created an oasis behind a makeshift fence.

  
White veins of rock streaked across the rugged mountainside.

 
We started walking the couple of miles over the hill to Muscat, the capital of the country and the home of the ruling sultan. We were expecting a baisa bus to come along, but an earnest young man picked us up and took us to the center of the city.

 
While Muttrah, the port town was a little seedy and worn, Muscat was clean and tidy in every respect. The blue and gold building is the main entrance to the sultan's palace.

 
We took a self-portrait in the royal medallion on the palace gate. These circular gardens were to the right of the palace.

Note that half the mountain behind this building has been cemented over:  maybe to stop falling rock or maybe to build a secure fortress or shelter.

 
A portrait of the sultan stares out through an open door of one of the government buildings.

 
An elaborate cannon installation above the city. We started walking up the hill toward Qurum, the town where the grand mosque is located. We were going to flag down a baisa bus.

 
Looking back over Muscat...