Visa Pilgrimage to Muscat

Why Muscat, Oman? Well-- it seems that when you have a 30 visit visa to the UAE you can either get a 30 extension for 800 Dh, OR you can take a little trip to Oman for 290Dh. (the roundtrip bus ticket was 90Dh, and my one day pass to Oman 200Dh) So I thought- "I'd like to see Muscat!"

The online info was pretty sketchy, no one said WHERE the bus station to Oman is. I found a taxi driver who drove around until he found an Omani Taxi stand. These taxi driver's shook their heads sadly. "Seven O'Clock, bus left at Seven." It was now 7:20 am. They offered to take me to Muscat for only 600 Dh one way. "No, I'll take the bus." I declined politely. The ticket office was a tiny little staionary store that didn't open until 9 am. Hmmmm I took a stroll up the block and found "Malik's Restaurant" and had the most amazing chicken stew with fresh flaky flat bread and a hot cup of tea for only 9Dh ($2.45) It was the best food I have had in the UAE. Then I went back to the stationary store to wait.

A little sundried taxi driver shuffled up to me. "I take you Oman." I said "no" about six times, then he found a plastic chair for me and made me sit in it to wait for the bus station to open. Then he asked if I wanted a cup of tea. I hesitated, tea sounded very nice. "Ok!" I smiled. Tea is only 1 Dh, so I felt I could safely accept a cup of tea without feeling obliged to him. Then he made me follow him back to Malik's, his rapid shuffle the walk of a man who felt important. (He reminded me of Prabaker, in the book Shantaram) Shocked glances told me I had made a serious error in cultural judgement. I was led to a corner table and two cups of tea were served. It was too hot to drink quickly, so I had to sit for a few minutes in shy silence while the taxi driver smiled adoringly across the table, proudly displaying his solitary front tooth. He was so cute. I decided to let it be my fate to allow him a moment of infatuation. He asked me where I was from, etc etc. Our conversation was simple, and punctuated by shy smiles. I realized he was courting me, but what could I do? After our tea, I meekly followed him back to the ticket office. Blushing as I felt the other men staring at me as we left. He gave me his phone number.

The next morning I took a taxi at 6 am to the Oman Bus Station, and that is where I met the Muscat sisters. These two grandmas adopted me on the way to Muscat. They guided me through the trip. One of them was pretty old, and tiny. When she got on the bus in her black abaya, I thought, "Oh isn't she cute!" Then she whipped out a cell phone and started double-thumb texting as fast as a junior high girl from California. After the border crossing, which was smooth, we were searched at customs. The drug dog was a tail wagging springer spaniel, it was very perky and enjoys its job!

Once we were in Oman, the terrain became more hilly and rocky. The highways were landscaped with green grass, trees, and beautiful flowers almost the entire trip to Muscat. People seemed to make an effort to grow flowers in their yards, but between homes it was dry and sandy. Instead of large murals of the Sheiks, we were treated to many different portraits of the Sultan of Oman. Instead of a fierce and powerful leader, he seems more gentle and benevolent. His likeness is EVERYWHERE from car dealership billboards to, of course, the money. Signs on businesses were in both arabic and english, some of them I took note of:

Horsemanship Requirements
Gulf Beauty Saloon
Fish Marketing
Polyglot Institute
Hassan's Green Chilly
Hassan Amir Khalid bin al Moussa Foodstuffs

The city of Muscat was pleasant, and the people were very polite to me. I ate at KFC, because it was across the street from the bus station, and many businesses were closed because it was the middle of the day. At KFC I had two gentlemen give me their phone number, and the manager wouldn't let me pay for my food. One of my suitors asked where I am from, and his eyes lit up when I said "America." "I am going to study in America, you can meet me there!" he announced. Mind you, I wore a very modest blouse that shows NO cleavage and was not tight, and I wore a scarf around my neck. I had on baggy black trousers and was trying NOT to look like a rich American. LOL, I guess I look foreign and there is not anything I can do about that, other than behave like a respectable woman, and stop having tea with taxi drivers!!!

The bus was packed on the way back to the UAE. I counted eight Europeans who were making the trip for the same reason as I. Most of them had spent the previous night in Muscat, and were now returning to Dubai. Crossing back took longer, because we had to stop at five different checkpoints and show our passports. I think they were looking for men from a specific country, because they kept hassling two of our passengers. I saw the bus driver slide money into the hands of two policemen at one of the checkpoints. They still searched us fiercely and hassled the two suspected passengers. I don't think it was for show. I wasn't worried, well, because I am not a terrorist. I had carefully packed my purse with non-violent items (no pocket knife or metal nail file) just as if I were going to fly.

The most annoying part of the trip is the driver insisted on keeping it as cold as Siberia. All the passengers were shivering, and every time we stopped they would put on another layer of clothing. We begged him to turn off the A/C, but he stubbornly ignored us. When we finally arrived in Dubai and disembarked, the two girls from Germany looked like homeless women, with several dresses layered over their jeans and more than one sweater on. I would have taken a photo, but I was too exhausted to do more than smile.

It feels so GOOD to be home. I missed our flag and our Sheiks. Long live the UAE!!