Oman used to be a well kept secret.

Described as the ‘jewel of the Gulf’, a vibrant, beautiful country, Oman developed rapidly thanks to its vast oil supplies. Now it is making use of the many tourist opportunities available to it. Beautiful hotels have appeared along its shorelines and suddenly more people are visiting this special place.

However a brief encounter often does not always knowledge of a country make.

Oman does not suffer from social poverty, high crime levels or other social problems such as drugs, homelessness or youth delinquency.

At least not outwardly.

Whilst it is true that Oman appears a safe country, it is also true that there are strict restrictions on what the Omani press is able to report.

The Telecommunication Act Article 61(3) makes it a criminal offence (punishable by jail time and/or fines) to publish anything “contrary to public order and common morals”. It has also been deemed illegal by the courts to criticise in print Government officials under (again, criminal not civil) general anti-defamation laws.

Surely any country would appear safe if its crime were not reported.

Everyone is aware of crime in the UK because of the abundance of stories in the UK press exposing it.

This attracts a different sort of criticism, such as accusations that the press is guilty of negative sensationalism in a shameless bid to sell content. Regardless, the UK press operates without restraints.

This freedom is unfortunately lacking in Oman’s press.

Bloggers in Oman’s community are beginning to challenge this. Anonymous and free from the censorship which stifles official news sources, these bloggers are bringing important issues to the public’s attention.

Muscat Confidential, http://muscatconfidential.blogspot.com/2007/09/omani-corruption.html describes, amongst other things, rising corruption in the country.

This blog is proof of how citizen journalism is helping to defeat efforts by authorities to control press freedom.

Lets now hope that Omantel, the country’s internet provider, does not block these sites.

If so, let other blogs simply fill their place.

Hi,

New job for Pipeline Engineer – Muscat, Oman

• Provide detailed engineering input during all design phases, including interpretation and challenge of standards.
• Experience shall encompass oil, gas, water, multi-phase pipelines of all classes, greenfield as well as brownfield expansion of existing pipeline networks.
• Experience of shutdown tie-in work to existing lines is required.
• Fully conversant with pipeline design codes (API5L, API6D, NACE, ANSI/ASME B31.4, 31.8, VIII, IX).
• Experience with GRE pipelines, hot tapping and stoppling of pipelines.
• Degree in discipline specific engineering (B.Sc./M.Sc./B.E. / B.Tech.) is required.
• A minimum 8 years oil and gas engineering experience.
• Experience in front end, detailed design required (minimum 6 years experience in an engineering design company).
• Conversant with relevant international standards.
• Experience with Company and/or Shell Group projectsand standards (SPs / ERDs and DEPs) is strongly preferred.
• Field experience in construction & commissioning strongly preferred.

Please send us your latest updated  resume with current, expected salary details and  required time to join to  kbschennai@kbsconsultants.com

Further Information:

KBS Consultants
Flat H,Kulothungan Apts,
No, 5 Natesan Road
Ashoknagar,
Chennai 600 083.
India
Phone: +91-44 2489 5341 / 2371 9622

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Muscat Grand Mosque Oman

Clean and Bright ...

Sultan QaboosGrand Mosque during Night

Inside Muscat Grand Mosque Oman

Prayer Carpet

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the main Mosque in the Sultanate of Oman.

In 1992 Sultan Qaboos directed that his country of Oman should have a Grand Mosque. A competition for its design took place in 1993 and after a site was chosen at Bausher construction commenced in 1995. Building work, which was undertaken by Carillion Alawi LLC took six years and four months.

The Mosque is built from 300,000 tonnes of Indian sandstone. The main musalla (prayer hall) is square (external dimensions 74.4 x 74.4 metres) with a central dome rising to a height of fifty metres above the floor. The dome and the main minaret (90 metres) and four flanking minarets (45.5 metres) are the mosque’s chief visual features. The main musalla can hold over 6,500 worshippers, while the women’s musalla can accommodate 750 worshippers. The outer paved ground can hold 8,000 worshippers and there is additional space available in the interior courtyard and the passageways, making a total capacity of up to 20,000 worshippers.

A major feature of the design of the interior is the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. It contains, 1,700,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce, and brings together the classical Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan design traditions. 28 colors in varying shades were used, the majority obtained from traditional vegetable dyes. It is the largest single piece carpet in the world. The world’s largest hand-woven carpet was produced by Iran Carpet Company (ICC) at the order of the Diwan of the Royal Court of Sultanate of Oman to cover the entire floor of the main praying hall of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (SQGM) in Muscat. The carpet measures over 70 × 60 meters, and covers the 4,343 square meter area of the praying hall, all in a single piece. The chandelier above the praying hall is 14 meters tall. The Mosque is built on a site occupying 416,000 square metres and the complex extends to cover an area of 40,000 square metres. The newly built Grand Mosque was inaugurated by Sultan of Oman on May 4, 2001.

LET THE FUNGHI BEGIN!!!

I discovered this “wild mushroom” dish in Italy a few years ago and to me, it exemplifies summer – I love to serve it warm in a bowl, with toasted baguette slices – accompanied by a glass of Muscat wine

While shopping at the Epicure Sale a couple weeks ago, I found a container of “Sabarot”, mixed forest dried mushrooms. “Bospaddestoelenmelange,” they’re called. It was only $19.99 for a whole pound!  Then I turned a corner and found these lovely bottles of Muscat on sale for $14.99…the first thing that came to mind, was that I had to make “wild mushrooms, braised in Muscat and heavy cream.

I know it’s nearing the end of autumn, days away from Winter Solstice, but when we were headed up the coast last week, on our little getaway at the beach, I decided to make some in advance to take with us – it felt just like summer in December!

I’ve served this dish several different ways now over the years – My favorite, is like I wrote before, in a bowl, surrounded by toasted baguette slices, but it’s also delicious rolled up in a puff pastry sheet, sliced and baked – like “wild mushroom swirls.”

It also makes a delicious cream sauce, over pasta!

BTW…another Epicure Sale will take place NEXT week – I’ll post the details soon!

“Bospaddestoelenmelange” – Wild Mushrooms simmered in Muscat and Sage infused Cream

1 pound mixed mushrooms – Portobellos, Porcini, Chanterelles, etc, chopped  (I used a cup of dried, reconstituted  mushrooms, mixed with a 1/2 lb. “Baby Bellos” and one Portobello mushroom)
1 large shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 1/2 cups Muscat Wine
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
6-7 Sage leaves
Kosher salt and pepper – to taste

toasted baguette slices for dipping

If using dried mushrooms, soak them in 1 cup of warm water for 30 minutes, strain and chop them, but reserve the concentrated water for the “braising” of the mushrooms.

In a deep skillet, over medium heat, lightly saute the shallot and garlic in the Olive oil and butter.  Add the chopped mushrooms and continue to saute.  Add the Muscat wine and the reserved water (from reconstituting the dried mushrooms.)

In a separate saucepan, heat the cream and add the sage leaves. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Using a strainer, pour the cream into the mushrooms and discard the sage leaves.  Add Kosher salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the mushroom mixture, until the cream reduces and the mixture thickens, about 10-15 minutes.  Serve warm with the toasted baguette slices.  Cheers!

We spent the long Eid weekend in and around Muscat.  This post is a little late – but I hope you enjoy the images from out trip.  It makes a nice change being on holiday with my camera and not on business.  This was a good four days with the family and all we did is explore this beautiful part of the world.

After an initial hiccup with my wife’s health, we were off to a great start.  We stayed in the hotel on the first day enjoying the pools and the fantastic beach.  We turned in after watching one of the nicest sunsets I’ve witnessed for a long time.

The beautiful mountains, which provide the perfect backdrop to almost every seen in Oman, were one of the star attractions for this visit.  Not only because I’m a man who has loved mountains all my life, but because it’s time to impose this on my children.  I had promised them a new experience; which in Kuwait seemed to only worry them: ‘What if we fall off?’ they kept asking.

I arranged for a car and a local driver to take us to Nizwa.  There we would see the fort and the old souq before exploring the areas near-by.  The journey was long but easy.  The scenery  was interesting and varied.  The mountains were imposing and proud.  From time to time, we even caught glimpses of every-day-life when we spotted children playing outside houses, goats grazing around their shepherds, and speeding motorists rushing from town to town for their Eid visits.

We stopped a few times to get some shots of the more interesting spots.  Nizwa is a lovely town with a very prominent fort.  The market was not fully open, but pottery seemed to be their thing!

As we left Nizwa to explore the surrounding areas, the mountains were there again decorating our journey.  We managed to get tickets to visit the Al Hoota Cave.  This turned out to be a nice bonus to the trip.  There are bats inside, eight-eyed spiders… and blind fish! No photography is allowed in the cave – even if some people were rude enough to do it.

To me, this was the highlight of the trip.  Masfat Al Abreen is a community living on a mountain and extending their dwellings down the whole valley.  They get fresh water year round from the top of the mountain, and have therefore used it to irrigate their plantations of vegetables and fruit.  As soon as you enter this place, you will forget where you are!  I plan to one day return and trek all the way down – which I hear takes more than an hour.

We also saw the town nearby with many old houses.  Some had been abandoned – but others on the same street were still in use.

Our driver knew his way around this place and he drove us into this date-palm farm.  The picture that follows it is the same farm from a distance!

The final day was spent in Muscat’s Souq Mutrah and around the Corniche.  We closed the final day with a relaxed evening walk to have coffee with Omani friends.

Oman is truly a wonderful place. It’s well organised, tidy, clean, safe, interesting, beautiful and its people are very kind.  We look forward to going again soon.

My dads being residing in Muscat for the past 32 yrs and still counting ,as of me I did my schooling here and got down to Chennai for my bachelors and now back in Muscat job hunting. The last trip was 5 yrs back and the Muscat at that time was something very much different from what it is now. I would forget my way back home due the sprouting of new giant flyovers, new roads, radars, signals and the disappearance of some wonderful roundabouts. This one-time bastion of bohemianism even sleaze, has transformed into a premium meeting and dining haunt for the glitterati of Muscat. The richly laid coffee shops of Shatti-Al-Qurm no wonder catch the attention of page3 editors with celebrities flocking in and around there.”We have to make sure that a person having 2 cups of coffee normally feels like having the 3rd and 4th cup as well. This develops our rapport with the customer and our business as well.” says the manager of one of the shops there. From warming up corporate meetings to gracing coffees of a diplomatic mission, the thousand-year-old beverage, coffee has really come a long way. In India tea and coffee are available at street-side shanties as well as five-star hotels. Back in India a typical tea coffee shop will have some three benches laid inside the shop which cannot be populated more than 7-9 people n two benches outside the shop depending on the area the shop is laid on and regulars over there wouldn’t have to be worried if they missed their last mornings or two days earlier newspaper as you will find them there lying and people gossiping about some issue that’s making a hot topic which ranges from cinema, sports, politics and goes on endlessly. Well the scenario over here back in Muscat now is mammoth different from the one in rural India. Enter the coffee bar, through 2nd Cup, a chain that now operates over a hundred outlets worldwide. With air-conditioned comfort and modern decor, it modelled itself after the US coffee chain, Starbucks. Then came a flood of coffee brands, such as Cafe’ Coffee day, Mocha and Costa Coffee, each vying to lure consumers with cappuccino, caramel, espresso, Americano, latte, Italiano and other flavours from around the world. Coffee has always been more than just a drink. It has long been the excuse for that first date – a hesitant, much-deliberated-over question for a teenager. It was also the fuel for intellectuals in the 1970s, who brought out anti-bourgeois literature, raised storms over injustices committed and vowed to change the world, all over a cup of coffee. Now, drinking coffee is a lifestyle statement. It is a wifi-connected chill out zone where you pay 10imes what the cup actually costs because in a whole new culture of disposable incomes and shrinking spaces, social life is like Prufrack’s, measured in coffee spoons.
Note:this article wasz published in de ‘Y’ magazine a weekly in Muscat,Oman

The detention of the men was made public yesterday by Britain’s Foreign Office, though the officials said that they had contacted the Iranian authorities on November 25. The sailors have been identified as – Oliver Smith, Oliver Young, Sam Usher, Luke Porter and radio DJ David Bloomer. They were heading to Dubai to join the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race.

The current detention is expected to fuel tension between Iran and the West. Iran and Britain have not been at good terms given the Iranian accusations in past weeks on Britain of specifically trying to derail their elections. Britain has been vocal about its stand against the proposed work on 10-nuclear reactors being planned by Tehran.

This is not the first incident in recent times when Britons have been captured by the Iranian authorities while at sea. Iran took 15 British service personnel including the Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines, from the frigate HMS Cornwall, hostage on March 23, 2007 and held them for 13 days. The service personnel were taken hostage at gunpoint and accused of straying into their waters.

Update 1:

Iran seems to have a tough stance on the current issue:

Iran will take serious measures against five British yachtsmen detained in the Gulf if it proves they had “evil intentions,” a close aide to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday.

Source: reuters.com

Oil prices rose by over $1 on fears of a diplomatic crisis shortly after news of the detainment was made public on Monday.

“The judiciary will decide about the five…naturally our measures will be hard and serious if we find out they had evil intentions,” Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie, the president’s chief of staff, told the semi-official Fars news agency.

Source: reuters.com

Update 2:

Iran has finally decided to release the five sailors. The British Foreign Office confirmed the release of the men, who went off the international waters on Novemeber 25, while traveling from Bahrain to Dubai.

“After carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. “After obtaining necessary guarantees, it was decided to release them.“

Source: AFP/Google

The men would be released in the international waters in presence of the team’s officials.

NowPublic

Most every office dweller has it. The bottom right drawer of their desk is where they keep their Stash. You know it – the snack drawer. Mine has peanut butter and kavli. Nuts. Iced Tea sachets. Bengal Spice Tea. Chocolate for The Bad Days. 

 But my friend and colleague, Rolf, has sardines in his drawer. Lets say that again: SARDINES! So when National Sardines Day came up on our list, I new that I had to blog about this day with Rolf’s help. Could little cans of oily fish really be Stash-worthy?  

 If you are like me, you maybe have only had sardines a few times in your life – or never at all. So here’s a few facts for the speed dating round of today’s post: 

• The powers that be in the fishing industry cite 21 species that may be classed as sardines. 
• Sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help maintain a healthy heart and reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Sardines are also a good source of vitamin D, calcium, B12, and protein.
• Happily for a tuna eater like me, Sardines are extremely low in contaminants such as mercury, as they are on the bottom of the food chain. 
• Canned sardines in supermarkets here tend to be of two varieties – the “brisling sardine” or round herrings. Brislings are much smaller fish (smaller than your pinky) and are about 2-3 times the price of the same size can of the larger round fish (about the size of your thumb). 

 For National Sardines Day I made a sardine pasta – inspired by my love for anchovies in pasta. What follows below is my adaptation (improvement!) of this Epicurious recipe.   

I was fortunate to have two dining companions for this meal: Mr. Sardines himself, Rolf, and Rumon (who has previously guest blogged for 365foods). Rolf added to our salute to sardines by contributing a few cans of sardines for snacking and some triscuits (which we ultimately decided were too strong tasting – look for a plain cracker for your sardine snacking needs!). Rumon took himself off to the liquor store and after inquiring “what do you recommend for sardines?” came back with a bottle of Muscat. 

This dish was a success with the fellas – Rumon commented that he liked the sharpness of the flavors. Rolf ate his second serving after adding the leftover sardine oil from the snacking sardines. We all commented that this dish smells a LOT more pungent than it tastes, the flavors are surprisingly delicate. We decided that this dish made us think of a grotto restaurant carved out of a cave on an island in Italy, where you can hear the sea. The tables are covered in red and white checked cloths, there is a single candle on the table and a nice bottle of wine on hand. It’s simple but satisfying peasant food. 

The day’s surprise for me was that I liked the simple brisling sardine on crackers. They aren’t fishy, and the texture was soft but not too soft. In fact, maybe I’ll keep my last can of sardines in my Stash. 

Pasta with Sardines

This is a very quick pasta–not more than 20 min start to finish 

3/4 pound linguini
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup drained capers, patted dry
1 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from a baguette – powdery store bought ones won’t do!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
3 cans sardines in olive oil, two lemon, one hot pepper
4 garlic cloves
parmesan
fresh lemon

 Cook linguini in a pasta pot of well- salted boiling water until al dente. This is not a saucy pasta dish, the noodles are front and centre, so it’s important to use good quality noodles. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Fry capers until they “bloom” and are just a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Toast bread crumbs in same skillet, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with capers, dill, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Open the sardine can and discard the oil from one of the lemon cans. If the hot pepper sardines have large pieces of jalapenos, remove them and chop finely. If you’re using regular (less expensive and larger) sardines, cut each sardine in half. If you’re using Brisling sardines, you can add them to the pan whole. 

Add sardines and peppers to skillet with their oil over medium-high heat, then force garlic through a garlic press into skillet. Gently sauté until sardines are golden in spots around edges, about 2 minutes. Much like anchovies, the sardines will start to break down with the heat, so you’ll have sardine bits at the end of this, not whole fish bodies.

Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to skillet with cooking water and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss until pasta is coated and sauce is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with seasoned crumbs, and liberal amounts of fresh lemon and grated parmesan. 

Serves 3.

Me, Meet Self

We spend a considerable amount of time socializing, getting to know the people around us: family and friends. However, there is this one person that we avoid being acquainted with…ourselves. The fear of exposing one’s real self has made shaping lives terribly difficult and targets even harder to achieve.

A question always arises when you compare yourself with others: why are you not one of the “lucky” and successful people around you? Well, they are not lucky, they just found a way that granted them the steering wheel of their life. How? They made the effort to take the self-discovery path, to know who they really are.

If you’re dying to be in their shoes…or sandals…or crocs, get to know yourself. No that does not require you to stand in front of a mirror and say: “self, meet me. Me, meet self!” If it were that easy, there wouldn’t be one person on this planet that is not successful, rich, famous and happy, everyone will simply be perfect and of course, mirror business would be booming. I’m sorry, I do not mean to burst your bubble but that is not the case. There are numerous ways by which one learns about himself.

Ask yourself

Who am I? What are my purposes and goals? What are my motives?  Am I satisfied with where I stand in life? What are my strengths and weaknesses and how do I plan on working on improving both?

Most people underestimate those questions and do not realize that the answers will grant them the power and confidence required to achieve what seemed to be unachievable.

Listen to others

Listen to what others think about you and the feedback they provide you of your emotions, reactions, attitude or personality in general. The challenge is in not allowing negative feedback to put you down. For example, if someone comes up to me and says, “Buthaina, I hate everything about you!” My reply? Nothing offensive, there’s no need for beeps or censoring here, just a simple, plain ‘why?’ Remember, your goal is to do some effective self-discovering, so listen!

Digest!

Yes, digest. The higher your metabolism is, the faster you’re going to digest what you ingest, so make haste, for life is short. Excuse my biological terminology. Process the input you receive effectively and tirelessly. Do not get cold feet when you fail to process it correctly or if it takes too long, it is nothing but normal to not succeed the first time and it is definitely not an over-night change.

Enjoy the fruit!

Fruit cost money. You pay for something that would last no longer than 30 seconds in your mouth. However, the fruit of the long self-discovery journey leaves you confident, outgoing and willing to try new things for, perhaps, ever. By this stage, you are well acquainted with yourself, you know what to do and what to avoid and most importantly, you know the best way to achieve your goals because you know what works for you and what doesn’t.

Happy self-discovery journey!

By Dian Hasan | November 18, 2009

What would a resort stay experience be without a pool? Unthinkable for today’s travelers. They’ve come a long way, playing a central role in creating a distinctive experience and the common denominator as a social hub. Integral to a hotel’s brand identity. Here’s a glance at some of world’s most gorgeous resort pools, sharing the same traits regardless of their locale: sexy and chic!

Am avut sansa sa comentez meciul Oman-Brazilia, dar nu despre partida discut. Interesandu-ma ce este cu acest sultanat al Omanului, am aflat atatea informatii ca aproape m-a convins sa-l vizitez cu proxima ocazie, cand voi face rost de vreo 1000 de euro, bineinteles. Ca suprafata e mai mare decat Romania, are doar 3 milioane de locuitori si doua milenii de istorie (aici m-a dat pe spate). Muscatul este capitala (deja aud o reactie de dezamagire din partea bautorilor de vin). Deci, Muscatul are vreun milion de locuitori si niste plaje superbe. In plus, e unul din cele mai sigure state din Orientul Mijlociu. Daca nu-ti convine marea, poti da o fuga in desert sau de ce nu in tarile vecine, Yemen, Emiratele Arabe sau Arabia Saudita. Ce sa mai, e o tara interesanta, pe care sper sa apuc sa o vizitez. Astept si alte recomandari …

P.S.: Pentru cei care vor sa vada rezumatul meciului comentat de mine, mergeti AICI.

Sultan Qaboos mosque (Muscat, Oman)

Cargado originalmente por sana banana nana

The third largest mosque in the world, hosting the largest woven persian carpet in the world.

The complex is built over an area of around 40,000 square metres.

five minarets stand symbolising the five pillars of Islam.

in 1992 (Islamic year 1412 hijri) the Sultan issued instructions to build the mosque. It wasn’t completed until 2001!

FREE admission,

Visiting hours for non-Muslim sightsee’rs are restricted according to days, prayer times & Islamic festivals.

DRESS CODE: women-cover your hair and dress in loose long sleeved/ankle covering clothes.
men- T-shirts are fine, don’t wear shorts.

Local tour operators can arrange your visit & offer more guidance and details of the building & customs.

Forget poverty, hunger, diseases and the world financial crisis for a change. Think about the well-off people around the world and how they suffer. Not your everyday-article? Well it’s time to put this issue under the spotlight. I chose to narrow this to a problem most private school students suffer from: stereotyping and generalization.

Recently, ‘Darayesh’, a series that was broadcasted by Oman TV during Ramadhan presented this issue in a very provoking and infuriating way. In a nutshell, it portrayed all the “cheating” and “deception” that occurs in private schools. Also, it stated that most private school students get underserved and “easy” grades. According to the events of that episode, out of 30 students in one class, 10 achieved 100%, 10 99% and the remaining “unlucky ones” achieved 95%. Not only did this episode degrade and abase both students and administrations of private schools but it also directly deprived students of their grades’ credibility.

Many parents enroll their children in private schools at the early stages of their education only to move them to a public school when it is time for the most critical stage, grade 12 or ‘Thanawiya Amma’. Parents do that for two reasons: 1) they want their kids to attain good (English) language skills and the basis of education in general and 2) because they realize that public schools tend to be generous towards students in terms of grading.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for good education, despite the type of school and as long as it provides its students with the fundamentals of proper and contemporary education. However, I think the way the media presents the image of private ones can never be justified and is certainly fallacious especially when they choose not to accurately compare the two.

A question arises from here: if the media’s claims are off beam, then what does the media base its accusations on? People have the tendency to label and categorize people in order to make their lives easier…and other people’s lives harder. Unfortunately, in Oman, private school students seem to be the main victims of stereotyping. Sadly, accusations do not stop with grades but also extend to questioning other aspects of their lives.
Myth: Private school students do not speak Arabic. Arabic is the first language of most students and is the language that is spoken nearly all the time in school, at home and on the street.
Myth: Islamic Studies is taught in English. It is taught in Arabic. What’s next, Arabic taught in English?

Myth: They are the group that is notorious for cheating. Very offending, especially when the first sentence a public school teacher who invigilates Thanawiya Amma exams says is “you private school kids are known for cheating.” Cheating is everywhere. I’m not denying the fact that there are some students from private schools who cheat, but that does not mean that cheating is an exclusive characteristic or trait to private school students.

I saved the best for the last:

Myth: Omanis that go to private schools are either not Muslims or are generally not committed to Islam (they are usually referred to as “free”.) I remember going on a school trip to SQU a few years ago for an exhibition when a group of public school students approached us for a little chat. Everything went well until they innocently asked us whether we are Muslims or not. I wonder what other questions they would have asked if we didn’t have the Hijab on our heads.

Those examples are a drop in a bucket. I urge all people to think open-mindedly and without bias to stop this deceiving image of private schools from spreading.

#6 Margarets Hope Muscatel

Dry Leaf: Not much to look at but the aroma of a nice moscato wine is amazing.

Wet Leaf: Again, no beauty pageant winner but now that wonderful moscato has transmuted into a rich Canadian ice wine.

Brewed: A tawny liquor produces a tea that can stand up to the finest wines of the world. Muscat forward, muscat mid, and muscat long after. It also rivals any perfume I’ve ever encountered for sheer intoxicating scent. There’s a slight hint of anise or black licorice buried deep in there which adds even more allure.

This is one of teas from the grouping that sings to me, and that I was looking forward to like coming home to an old friend. I often bypass the Darjeelings and many black teas in favor of more delicate and subtle teas like yellows, light greens, senchas, and gyokuros, but the muscat quality of this one is what makes me return a few times each year no matter what season or mood. It’s everything I want in a Darjeeling. I once had a Mlesna brand teabag which was actually “ice wine” flavored Ceylon and it struck me how all the added flavorings in the world can’t get you anywhere near the natural flavor of this tea. It’s magical and it is, and will firmly remain, in my own personal top 10 teas. I can’t speak highly enough of this tea, and it is a pleasure I hope any tea drinker experiences again and again.

It’s been 7 months since we arrived in Muscat, Oman and 7 months of being a stay at home mom. It’s something new to me as my morning now starts as early as 5:45am. I’m not so much of a morning person but since the school started for Isabel, I managed without a blink. Breakfast and packed lunch is prepared beforehand, I just reheat it in the morning and around 7:20 am Sherwin and Isabel leave for office and school.  The little girl goes home around 2:30 in the afternoon and we sit for a late lunch. We do homework right after so she can have time to play, read or watch Barbie DVD. The husband comes home around 5:30 and about that time our dinner is served.

What happens in between, well are my daily chores that includes napping, surfing the net, playing Wii, reading a book or watching TV.  

It may sound a routine but this is how it goes; almost, except on weekends. The husband plans on something that spells F-U-N every week.

O Oma era muito poderoso, muitas das batalhas que houveram na Africa dos Arabes com os Portuqueses eram eles. O Sultao dominava ate Zanzibar, e foram muito ativos no trafego de escravos. Hoje e um pais muito rico, devido ao petroleo e ao gas. O Oman e um Sultanato, e o Sultao manda em tudo. Apesar de grandes riquesas, nao existe uma divisao de dinheiro com a populacao, que os deixa descontentes (Outros paises pagam “mesadas”para seus cidadaos).

Ainda no Yemen, voamos da Ilha Socotra para Mukalla. O aeroporto e bem afastado da cidade, e pistas modernas mostravam que nada de muito antigo por aqui. A cidade e cortada por um canal, e tem um morro bem no meio. Totalmente diferente de Sanaa, desde o clima, que e bem mais quente, ate todo o estilo, que e mais moderno. Fomos direto numa cia de onibus, para comprar a passagem para o dia seguinte. Chegamos la e so tinha tres onibus por semana. Nao tinhamos tempo para esperar. tinha um onibus que ia ate outra cidade, a poucas horas da fronteira que saia naquela noite. Parecia perfeito, mas so tinha um lugar e nao estavam aceitando nossa autorisacao da policia de Sanaa, tinha que ter carimbo da policia de Mukalla. Segundo eles, so abriria as 8 da manha do dia seguinte. Falaram de outra cia e fomos tentar. Tinha lugar, e comentaram que a policia tinha um plantao 24 hs. Fomos la e rapidinho conseguimos a autorizacao. Deu tempo para tomar um sorvete em uma sorveteria dividida em area para homens, mulheres e familias. Notei que todos os lugares que estavamos indo eram so para homem, por isto nao tinha divisao. Estrada muito boa, beirando a costa. Viajamos a noite toda e de manha chegamos em Al-Gaydah (nome sugestivo). Uma batalha para se fazer entender. Parecia que nao tinha transporte ate a fronteira, e nao tinhamos como contratar um so para nos. Fomos ate um hotel, para tomar um cafe e encontrar alguem que falasse ingles. Conversa com um, com outro e descobrimos uma van de Sauditas que sairia dali a pouco. A van chegou, cheia de pessoas vestidas com trajes tipicos, parecia que seria tenso. Nao demorou 5 min e tava todo mundo cantando, batendo palmas, super divertido. Ja a algum tempo tinha deixado de ser plano e passavamos por montanhas e tuneis, mas agora viajavamos na beira do desfiladeiro, e nao tinha como nao comparar com a paisagem da California 1. Asfalto perfeito, e placas indicando lugares para banho, criancas, tartaruras, mergulho. Muuito estranho. No meio do nada, lugar que nunca recebe ninguem, nem locais, mas a estrutura ta pronta. Visual muito bonito ate a fronteira. Chegando no pequeno posto de imigracao, peguei meu visto mas queriam que eu pagasse com a moeda local. Comentei que nao tinha nem entrado no pais, mas que tinha USD. Ele aceitou mas nao tinha troco. O motorista acabou pagando e acertei com ele depois.

Mukalla

Vista da estrada

Em Oman a paisagem de montanhas continuava, agora ate mais altas, chegando ate a ter alguma vegetacao. Perto de 3 hs depois estavamos passando pelas famosas praias de Salalah. Esta regiao fica cheia na epoca das moncoes. A regiao fica mais fria, verde nas montanhas, e um verdadeiro oasis. Os Sauditas vem aos montes, assim como o pessoal dacapital, Muscat. Salalah e estranha, espalhada, com construcoes e quadras desorganizadas. Foi nosso primeiro contato com Oman, e deu para ver que os precos eram estilo europeus, se nao mais caros. Um Rial vale 2,5 USD. Para poder circular dinheiro de menos valor, nao dividem o Rial em centavos, e sim em Mil!! Tivemos boa parte da manha e toda a tarde para conhecer o lugar, mas como nao era epoca de moncoes, decidimos pegar um onibus ja no dia seguinte para Muscat. Jardins, postes, pracas, monumentos e imponentes Mesquitas mostravam que o dinheiro tava sobrando por aqui…

Salalah

Mesquita em Salalah

A Viagem ate Muscat, depois que se afasta de Salalah, e monotona, deserto de areia dos dois lados, KM e mais KM sem alterar. Deu para adiantar bastante o novo livro que estou lendo, What is the What (historia da tragetoria de um refugiado do Sudao ate o Exilio na Etiopia, Quenia e EUA). Um bom tempo depois, ja perto de Muscat, iniciavam as autopistas, cheias de aneis rodoviarios, tudo com velocidade de 120 km/h permitida, mesmo perto da cidade. Jardins, pracas, e tudo mais instalados e sendo implementados. Logo apareceram Mc, Pizza Hut, papa Jones, Hardees, Star B, Subway Burger K, e tudo mais que tinha direito. Passamos ao lado da grande mesquita, onde esta o maior tapete sem emendas do mundo (adoro estas manias de grandesa…hehe). Chegamos no centrao, parte comercial. Tudo novo, nao ocidental, mas sem estilo. Vimos que nenhumas das solicitacoes de couchsurfing tinham sido atendidas., entao saimos em busca de hoteis. Nao foi facil, mesmo os mais simples (que aqui tem ate ar condicionado) estavam fora do nosso orcamento. Um pouco mais afastado achamos um que poderia ser uma opcao, mas decidimos comer algo e checar o Couchsurfing denovo. Estavamos sentados na rua e acabamos conversando com um Paquistanes (ta cheio de indiano, paquistanes e filipino) que deu dica de 3 hoteis baratos perto da marina. Fomos para la e os hoteis nao eram mais barato que o que tinhamos achado, mas a regiao bem mais simpatica, entre morros com fortes antigos, e perto do mercado tradicional dae Muscat. Tudo reformado, com cara de novo e iluminacao colorida. Muito artificial para o meu gosto, faltava um pouco de vida, mas tinha que reconhecer que a regiao era muuito melhor para ficar.

Dia seguinte cedo fui fazer a barba, que nao cortava desde Nairobi. Enquanto isto o Guru entrou em contato com um Couchsurfer que foi nos buscar e nos levou para cima e para baixo. Conhecemos o que restou da cidade velha, um dos palacios do Sultao, algumas praias e fomos almocar num restaurante indiano. Ele e indiano mas mora aqui ja faz mais de 15 anos. Fomos ate a casa do Suresh para conhecer a familia e ficamos conversando um tempo. Ele tem uma boa condicao de vida e viaja com bastante frequencia, tinha se cadastrado no CS uma semana atras. Fomos para uma praia mais Up Market e paramos no Star B. caffe. Tinha perguntado sobre vilas de pescadores, algum lugar charmoso. Ele me levou numa “vila” onde 90% das casas sao novas, com bons carros na garagem. Ser pescador aqui e facil… Teve um ciclone a alguns anos atras e o governo construiu novas casas para todos os afetados, e nao e coab nao!! Ainda visitamos o mercado tradicional, que fora na epoca do final do Ramadan, e bem pra turista, e tomamos um suco no calcadao.

Roupas de Praia

Parece que ele gostou de ajudar agente, e arrumou um funcionario para nos buscar cedo para nos levar ate a area das embaixadas, pois o Guru tinha que buscar uns vistos. Neste meio tempo outro CS respondeu nossa mensagem e combinamos de nos encontrar. Desta vez era um Omani mesmo, que veio no seu mais tradicional traje tipico. Comecamos a conversar e ele adorou nossas historias, na verdade nos achou uns malucos. Ligou para outro amigo dele, bem gente boa, que viaja bastante. Acabamos fazendo outro tour com eles, visitando nascentes de aqua quente que sao canalizadas para banhos publicos, comendo o nosso “espetinho de gato” que e comida tipica por aqui, indo nos bares com musica onde os arabes enchem a cara sem ninguem reclamar, alem de monumentos e outras atracoes mais previsiveis. Os dois sao umas figuras, e tao fazendo aula de Salsa, so pra interagir com a mulherada. Haha Nao adianta, no mundo inteiro e a mesma coisa, as mulheres vao dancar porque gostam e os homens por causa delas…

Mais CSfers

Neste meio tempo passei num escritorio da Emirates, para comprar passagem para Malasya, via Dubai, desta forma pegaria o mesmo voo que a Bibi. Eles comentaram que se a espera para coneccao fosse maior que 8 horas, eu teria direito a transporte, refeicao, hotel e eles providenciariam o visto. Que beleza. Na verdade nunca tive interesse em conhecer Dubai, mas “de graca ate onibus errado…”

Minhas pesquisas na internet apontavam precos mais baixos que na “loja”. Ao questionar porque, falaram que deveria ser pela taxa de administracao, e que na internet eles sempre tinham promocoes. O preco estava bom, e comprei pela net. Chegaria em Dubai as 5:50 da manha e o voo para Malasya seria as 3:10 da madruga do dia seguinte. Fui num voo vazio para Dubai. Nem me preocupei quando nao tinham o tal Voucher no chek in, pois falaram que tinha um guiche especifico la na chegada.