Muscat – unsurprisingly stunning – The Lockdown Travel Guide

Muscat, frankincense, spices, the hijab and a tight spot.

Maria’s view

Muscat is the capital of Oman and despite of the fact that I was struggling with the heat every time I wasn’t either, in the shade or submerged in water, I can assure you that it is a city worth the visit.

First stop, where we spent most of the time, was the Sultan’s Grand Mosque, absolutely beautiful. Its whiteness made me feel calm and relaxed (I am not sure if it was that or the high temperature).
The mosque is quite big and every corner is a spot to take a great picture. Alex enjoyed taking pictures of the mosque and of myself too to immortalise how her Asturian friend (where we only have high temperatures in summer and not for a long time) was dying , jumping from one shadow to another.
To enter into the mosque, we had to cover our heads, we where prepared for it and I loved the fact that a man placed the scarves on our heads with a unique technique and style (I would never have managed to do it better).

In the mosque, you can find Omanis who kindly explain to you everything you would like to know, they are volunteers and very nice people. Yes, that’s true, I am not a shy person so I have an ability to talk to unknown people and try to know each other better.
I really liked the fact that they are not trying to impose their religious ideas, they are able to talk and discuss different views. The volunteer who spent most of the time with us, was lovely. He seemed curious and surprised about us, the two European women driving around the country. At some point, without any effort, we were talking about ourselves, religion was put to one side, at the end we are all humans beings with different cultures and ideas.
When we shared with the guy where we were staying , the hotel on the beach and the hotel we were going to stay in next, he seemed more excited even than us and he couldn’t stop describing the places and surroundings , he was very proud of his country and he loved the fact that we were having a great time.
At the end of the conversation we were invited to his house (we felt honoured) but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time for this although it would have been a great experience.

In the mosque, they have a visitors room which I couldn’t find more useful. Everyone was given a drink and sweets for free!! Although my energy was very low I could dance to express my gratitude for this, yaaay!!
They were giving us the Koran in any language you would prefer as a gift. Thank you Omanis, you are very kind people.

Alex drove around the city where we could see different spots and trust me, I was feeling much more comfortable in the car with the AC on.

Second stop, we were both excited about, the souk.
When I think of a souk, I immediately remember the one in Marrakesh which means noise, mess, different mixture of smells, kind of chaos. This is what I was expecting , so when we arrived to the one in Muscat, U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E , it was closed!! How the hell were we so so so sooooo unlucky!!. Everyone deserves a stop to eat, but come on!! why at the time we decided to be there? why? why?.
Anyway, we were walking around the narrow streets , empty, and luckily we found an open shop where Alex managed to buy some pretty things in there (I wasn’t in the mood for shopping).

On the drive back to our hotel, suddenly I needed a toilet (yes, I am a human, ok?) and we found a Starbucks. I am sorry but I am not a big fan of this American coffee shop, especially because I do not like the coffee in there. Ask Alex, who only drinks Italian coffee (unless she doesn’t have a choice) , she is the only human I know with coffee in her veins instead of blood, that’s the reason why she can’t donate blood , because she hasn’t got any!!.
So, the Starbucks was useful and I had the brilliant idea of trying some of the snacks that were offered. The savoury ones were ok, a mixture of salty chickpeas and fried lentils. But I also bought inedible brownies. I have never thought of an inedible brownie, how is that possible? Yes, it is possible, go to Muscat.

Alex’s view

Muscat…. ahhhh. To understand Muscat virtually, you need to envisage the smell. Frankincense permeates everything and mingles with spices and rose. It is a signature aroma intensified by the heat. Muscat is beautiful. No other way to describe it. In our day trip we had to be selective with our itinerary, so we limited ourselves to the Sultan’s Grand Mosque, the souk, and a drive around the city. We elected to spend time talking to people, as that is the only real way of understanding a culture, and with it, to experience the real city.

The Sultan’s Grand Mosque is a relatively new construction which combines elements of many of the great mosques in the world. You can see whispers of Cordoba, a nod to Iran, and a hint of others in its intricate rooms and decorations. It is a stark, luminous white marble statement, offset by warm, ornate interiors. It was also utterly empty. Maria and I are both avid photographers so the opportunity of taking shot after shot of fabulous architecture was truly sublime. Well, it was for me. Maria was slowly melting. We were both clad in the mandatory hijab, which was kindly positioned by a welcoming gentleman at the entrance. As the energy was sapped out of her step by step, so did the photos diminish. It was indeed a warm day despite the airconditioned rooms, the arched corridors and courtyards were indubitably humid. The striking memory of the mosque was the friendliness of the volunteer guides whose main driver was to explain the culture, the religion and demolish preconceptions. They invited tourists to free refreshments which enabled you, if you desired, to understand more about the culture and the religion. The literature which was gifted aimed at bridging the gap between reality and prejudice. It was truly refreshing, informative and not in any way uncomfortable. We left rather elated, with a spring in our step after many hours. Well, I had a spring in my step. Maria had more of an exhausted shuffle, even after some restful recuperation of which I have photographic evidence.

Let me tell you a bit more about Maria, aside from sleeping, she has an uncanny ability to chat to anyone and extract their life story, this is partially because she can listen (except to directions), and partially because she has an incredibly infectious laugh which makes absolutely everything twice as fun as it would normally be. So when a guide starts talking to her, they are loath to stop; as the dramatic reception of all their utterances, is irresistible. This is why we spent 4 hours in the Mosque… and know the names of the guide’s grandsons, the number of years he spent in the UK, his wife’s ulcer problems and his plan for retirement. We also had an invite to tea at his house, which we sadly could not pursue.

We were also delighted to have hired a car, or rather a truck, because although the hotel had a free shuttle to and from Muscat multiple times a day, the freedom of getting utterly lost attempting to find the high ground was priceless. I navigated on eyesight, following the sun and the inbuilt dash compass. This enabled us to meander the city and take in the main sites such as the Opera house, the coastline, some of the neighbourhoods, the palace, and finally settle on the souk. The meanderings also led us in the old town, culminating in the narrowest one way dead end, I had ever seen. Literally 3 cm to spare either side while reversing out, with Maria directing me. This suited both of us, as she felt helpful and I ignored her for the preservation of the vehicle.

The souk looked fabulously interesting and we were very much looking forward to it. We were greeted by a Cornish restaurant at its main entrance, obviously. Never been to a Cornish restaurant in the UK, so saw little reason to experience it here. Sadly, due to the aforementioned friendliness, by the time we reached the souk, we were just in time to watch every vendor close its doors for lunch from 13:30 – 16:00.

The day was utterly fabulous and Muscat and its inhabitants left a dent in our hearts.