Nakhal

Nakhal is 1/2hour ago from Barka. It is localised in a palm grove and there is a hot spring spot. The city is just beautiful.





There is also a fort in Nakhal much more interesting than the one in Barka because it is bigger, and all the rooms are presented with traditional fourniture than you can touch. You feel like a real Omani living in the fort.



Moreover, there are not much tourist (we were almost alone in the forts). so it is very pleasant to feel like you're among the very first to discover the country.

Barka

Barka is a small city one hour ago from Muscat. Its points of interest are the fish market where the fishes put up for sale are coming straight from the sea.



There is also a small fort newly renovated. You have a beautiful view of the city from the fort.

Cinema in Muscat

If you want to go to the movie theater there are good ones in Muscat. Here is a example : the shati plaza cinema



The movies proposed are very new (sometimes more recent than the ones proposed in France) and in english. The building itself is new and luxuous. The price are about 5Ryals for 2 entrances.

Christmas in Oman

It is strange to spend christmas outside your country. Fortunately my wife has rejoined me in Oman so we've spent christmas together. We went to the Kargeen cafe which is not a luxuous restaurant but the ambiance is great : very nice restaurant, nice sofa, nice music (chrimas songs), nice lights...

We've liked the feeling to celebrate chrimas in flips-flops and smoking shisha :)

Alcohol

If you're coming to Oman and are worried that you won't be able to buy alcohol once in the country, here is little info :
- you can drink every alcohol you like in the hotels bars
- At the aeroport, just after you bought your visa but before you get out of the arrival room, you have a duty-free where you can buy 2 bottles of your choice.
- Once you have your resident card, you can seek a sponsorship for getting a license to buy alcohol. Then you will be able to buy alcohol in the dedicated shops of Muscat.

Muscat beach

One of the most popuplar activity of the Omani peaople on the week-end is to make barbecue on the beach. The beach in muscat is well equipped with barbecue and everybody can do its own one.



Playing football is also a very popular activity for the young Omani

On the other hand, swimming in the sea is not very popular. I haven't seen a Omani going to the sea for swimming. So you might feel alone in the water. But the sea itself is very blue and confortable (no rocks, only sand).

Oman Flooded

Today I've visited one of the big Malls of Al-Qurm, and as i was going out of the mall to get back home I've been very suprised : the all place was flooded !
The rain did not been heavy during the day in Muscat but I think it had rained a lot in the rest of the country and the "Wadi" came suddently out of its riverbed.



I've talked with a Omani guy who told me it was the first time he've seen this happening.



I had to walk back to the mall with dirty water to my knees, then I've been stucked 4hours in the mall. I had the feeling to be in the movie "the army of the dead". hopefully, I find a colleague in the mall and we've stayed sit in a coffee waiting fot the road to be open.



Well, that's not the knid of situation i was expecting to deal with coming in Oman !

Easy food

One of the greatest benefit of Oman is the price of the food. Restaurants are cheap, just as "take away" food. Here is an example of a single man take-away meal :



Two delicious libanese sandwitches and a freshy fruit juice is only 1,400 Ryals, which is equivalent to 3€ !!!!

Another example here for the ones more used to occidental fast-food :


KFC family menu (4people) is only 7 Ryals, which is about 14€ (so it is 3,5€ per person again).

I haven't pictures from restaurant, but it is approximatively the same prices and some places are just very nice.

Crowne plazza

This is the swimming pool of the Crowne plazza hotel in Muscat. One of the 4 Luxuous hotel in Muscat. It is a bit far from Al-Khuwair where I am working but is has a very nice view on the main beach of Muscat.


I will probably take a 'Gold' member card' in this hotel for Gym and Swimming pool. The prices are equivalent to a gym club in France if you take the 6 months membership (about 40€ per month per person if you are a couple).

Ruwi

This is the building were I have a lot of my professional meetings with an Oman company in Ruwi. The building is impressive because it doesn't look like to any other building in France. The Omani people dressed in white tunics are evrywhere inside, and it appears that they are in fact funny boys. They make jokes and and speak very well english (better than me sometimes).

Lulu supermarket

The next morning was still hard, with “what I am doing here ?” ideas. But got better at the office after my first coffee. My company has given me a car, it’s cool. And also a flat. The flat is very ok but it is located in south “al khuwair” near the office and I would prefer to be somewhere more nice looking.

Also my first visit to the supermarket Lulu at night. It was a very suprising moment. Since I arrived in Oman I thought there were only small/medium shops without a lot of “cachet”. But I arrived in front of this giant building with neons evrywhere. The parking is made of sand and rocks. It is like a giant LasVegas warhouse in the desert.



Inside, the supermarket was very luxuous with all the products you can imagine. Also the refreshing sensation of overcrowed places. A big mix of people inside : Omani people, Indians, chinese and occidentals. Good to see you are not the only occidental here. Good to see also that only Omani women are wearing the veil. Also It was good to make shopping again. As a well conditionned man, I was happy to get back in touch with consumption. Here is a sample of my shopping :

Day 1

First day was hard. Travelling during the night by plane from France, arriving saturday morning, going to the hotel and then directly to work.

The same day, I’ve discovered all of my new environment :

- Oman : suprising country were all the men are dressed with the same white tunic, and little funny hats.

- Muscat, the city : typical arabian style houses, big antenna on the roofes, and roads everywhere. The district Al Kuwhair, where my offices are, is not very charming but useful (lot of shops)

- My office : an old dusty building (full of cockroaches) where my offices are. It doesn't look like that I'm working in a top world class company...

- My colleages : a bunch of friendly engineers

- My hotel : Safeer international is clean and spacious, but no swimming pool, no bar, … The managers of my company are really stingy