You would think that I (being raised on an island in the middle of the Pacific with absolutely nothing else in over a thousand miles) would not be subject to 'Island Fever." But oh man. Bahrain is a tiny island. It's flat. The cab fares are insanely high. The drivers are insane. And when you work EVERY SINGLE DAY, there's not a whole lot of variety in the activities and experiences that are accessible. So one weekend, I totally blew off work and flew to Oman for the day. I left on a 2 am flight and returned around midnight. It was exhausting but a much needed change of scenery. First, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise on the beach, followed by a terrific breakfast at the Intercontinental.
Then, I had the hotel concierge help me negotiate a cab over to the Grand Mosque. Cab fares are standard but not published in Oman, so you have to know what the fare is. It's a lot less stressful of an experience than it is in Bahrain, where you never know who's going to attempt to rip you off. (And in Bahrain, if a man calls the police on a woman and says she's been cursing or attacked him, guess who's going to jail? Although I imagine it's the same in Oman, I also feel like it's less likely for someone to lie to the police about a foreigner out of spite.) Anyway, this mosque is much larger than the one in Bahrain. There is no way I could come close to capturing the beauty and intricate detail here.
But, it was hot and I had to wear a scarf to cover my hair, plus long sleeved shirt and slacks... so after walking around for about 45 minutes, I was ready to head back over to the resort area. After killing 2 hours of my life trying to figure out how to do it, I jumped on a Red Bus Tour. I pre-purchased the ticket online, because it seemed much more economical than commissioning a cab for the day. Just so you know, you have to look for the tour agent OUTSIDE on a sidewalk at one of the predesignated meeting areas... which is not every stop... a detail that is not readily apparent on their website. (In Muscat, stop #1 and stop #3 are the only places you can start your tour.) Sheer dumb luck, the Intercontinental was next to a shopping area that had a Red Bus stop WITH an agent. The nice people at Costa Coffee figured out that I was clueless and pointed me in the right direction. I was a little disappointed to be starting on the tour with most of my morning already gone, but the self paced tour ended up being a pretty convenient option for what I wanted to do. More on that later...
Please visit our Etsy store for Hawaiian beach glass jewelry, limited edition artisan jewelry and more!
Then, I had the hotel concierge help me negotiate a cab over to the Grand Mosque. Cab fares are standard but not published in Oman, so you have to know what the fare is. It's a lot less stressful of an experience than it is in Bahrain, where you never know who's going to attempt to rip you off. (And in Bahrain, if a man calls the police on a woman and says she's been cursing or attacked him, guess who's going to jail? Although I imagine it's the same in Oman, I also feel like it's less likely for someone to lie to the police about a foreigner out of spite.) Anyway, this mosque is much larger than the one in Bahrain. There is no way I could come close to capturing the beauty and intricate detail here.
Please visit our Etsy store for Hawaiian beach glass jewelry, limited edition artisan jewelry and more!
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