Muscat, Oman

My most recent trip took me to Muscat, Oman. It is a wonderful place...quiet, very clean, with friendly people and much to see and do. The weather in January is a mix of sunny days and comfortable temperatures (by Western standards), along with some rain and cloudy days as well. Some of the people said I must have brought the rain with me as a gift to their very dry land.

The photo above is one of the many (hundreds?) of defensive towers that dot the landscape around Muscat. The banner on the rocks below contains the colors of the Omani flag.

I rented a car at the airport for one week and the rate was about $20 USD per day. Driving is safe and the roads around Muscat are well-maintained and modern. There are many roundabouts instead of intersections; this setup seems to work well.

The food was delicious. Rice, bread, fruit juices, chicken, lamb, fish and seafood. I did not go hungry.

Muscat has, in my opinion, lots to offer. The souks are as good as the ones in Cairo and Dubai, the character of the people is honest and friendly, and there is always something else to do or see that makes you glad to be there.

My visit coincided with the playing of the Arabian Gulf Cup, a soccer tournament featuring the national teams from every country around the region, including the host country Oman. Oman ended up winning the cup in a stunning upset match against Saudi Arabia. It was apparently Oman's first cup championship title in 40 years. I felt fortunate to be there when it happened.

A piscine sculpture located along the corniche in Muscat.

Me, along the corniche in Muscat.

There are many dhows plying the waters of Oman. Their hulls are made of teakwood and the construction design has remained the same for centuries. Of course, most modern dhows are driven by modern engines rather than sails.

This old fortress stands high on a hill above the Port of Muscat. Someone told me it was a jail at one time.

This mosque is situated along the corniche in Muscat. I snapped the photo just as a wave crashed ashore. Pedestrians along the seawall need to be watchful or they can get soaked.

The mountains come right down to the sea just to the east of Muscat. This is the headlands area, where the coastline turns to the southeast. The Gulf of Oman is the water in the far distance and the Arabian Sea is off to the right.

I took this photo in the Omani-French Museum in Old Muscat. It is a diorama depicting ships entering the harbor sometime in the early 19th-century. The museum is housed in the old French Consul's residence and has a lot of interesting artifacts on display. Well worth the 1 rial admission.

This is one of the old fortresses at the entrance to the harbor in Old Muscat. The crews of visiting ships have a long-standing tradition of writing on the rocks. Some of the grafitti is two centuries old.

This mosque is adjacent to the Sultan's palace in Muscat.

This ship (the big white one, not the dhow in the foreground), is apparently the royal yacht of the Sultan of Oman.

This structure is a huge replica of an incense burner.

This was the only camel I saw during my short one-week visit to Oman. There are many more of them, but Muscat is not a place where camels, horses and mules share the roadways with the cars, buses and trucks.

Here are some photos of the Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman. Early morning is the best time to visit if you want to take pictures. Entry is forbidden after 11am in order to prepare for the midday prayers.

Me at the entrance to the Grand Mosque in Muscat.

London, England

I spent the latter part of November and early December in London. Here are some of the photos from my visit.

Of course I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. This photo is of one of the royal carriages arriving at the palace during the ceremony, which occurs every other day at around 10:30am during the winter months (instead of every day as it does in the warmer months).

During the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth left on an errand.

Royal flag atop Buckingham Palace. That's a film crew recording the changing of the guard.

This is the Natural Science Museum in London.

Another view of the Natural Science Museum.

Here's a close-up of Big Ben. I photoshopped out the security camera that is mounted on the tower in the foreground.

The Houses of Parliament are on the right, Big Ben is in the tower, and the Millenium Eye is in the distance.

You know you are in England when...

Westminster Abbey.

Harrods, or as it is sometimes referred to by the locals: "Horrids".

This is a view looking eastward down the Thames. The Millenium Eye is on the south side of the river and off in the distance, tied up to the north bank next to the first bridge, is the HMS Cutty Sark.

This guy "Churchill" was apparently someone of note to the English.

A little restaurant called "Bumbles".

Piccadilly Circus.

The ubiquitous London cab.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Some photos from my mid-October visit to Dubai, the place where all that money you spend filling your gas tank ends up going.

This wasn't my rental car, but there were certainly a lot of these types of vehicles on the roads of Dubai. Actually, I didn't have a car of my own on this trip. The hotel had a Rolls-Royce limousine waiting for me at the airport when I arrived. For the most part, I relied on the city taxis to get around.

A few words about the city's taxi drivers: Many don't know their way around town. Every cab I got into had GPS, but not a single driver (of at least 12) had the device turned on. The meters run on distance, not time, so a driver will sometimes refuse to take you somewhere if he knows the traffic will be heavy getting there (which is often the case). If you will need a receipt, make sure as soon as you get inside the cab that the driver can provide one. Keep those items in mind and you should be okay getting around and the fares are very reasonably priced.

I don't usually post pictures of the hotel rooms I stay in during my trips, but this one was so nice. The hotel was The Monarch, evidently a new place located at 1 Sheikh Zayed Road. Definitely five stars.

This is a little glimpse of the interior of the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

Here is a shot of the indoor downhill skiing facility that is part of the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Inside, it's a frosty, snowy winter wonderland. Outside its walls, the desert sun makes daytime temperatures soar above 100 on any given day.

This waterway is called Dubai Creek. The boats you see in this picture are called "abras" and people use them to get from one side to the other. The fare is 1 dirham (about 27 cents US), which is collected by the pilot sometime during the three or four minute crossing.

Dubai has a large, modern commercial port that services container ships. At the same time, the old port is still very active and this ship is typical of the ones that berth and unload at the city's dock. These ships ply the coastline, some of them coming all the way from the East African cities of Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar.

Pistachios from Iran. Probably not something you can find in your market in America. As a matter of fact, my flights into and out of Dubai both flew directly over Iran.

There's a little district in Dubai where you can go into shops and buy various spices from around the world.

These next photos are of the inside of the new Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. My outbound flight was one of the first to use the terminal, which opened the week I was in-country.

This is the Airbus 380-800, the world's largest commercial passenger aircraft. It was parked at the next gate over from my jet, a relatively "small" Boeing 777-200LR.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Back to Paris

I was only in Paris for 8 hours between flights, but that's ample time to take the train into the city and see one or two attractions.

That's me, looking a bit rumpled and tired in front of Notre Dame Cathedral after a 10-hour red-eye flight and no sleep in over 24 hours.