Muscat

Having been to Bahrain before, I expected Mascat to look similar. Wrong. Completely. There are no high buildings because of government regulations.

There are quite a few places which are worth visiting – by day AND night. Besides the palace of the Sultan, one should go and see the harbour.

A place I especially loved is Muttrah. One can go there shopping really well and bargain. I got my Abaya (black Arabic dress) there.

Changing the topic, one can eat super delicious food in Mascat. Slight influences from India and Africa are definitely noticed and one should be prepared for spicy food. Chili, curry, casava (right spelled?!) and many more mix up with traditional Arab dishes. As it was Ramadan, we usually started with Iftar which is for breaking the fast. Usually just a snack but for Europeans it looks like a single meal:

OR:

Even before you start Iftar, one eats 1 or 3 dates. That’s tradition. After that, people go to pray and afterwards there comes dinner. Well, when you think you are already full, the meal has not even started. 😉

Switching from one pleasure to another one, let’s talk about the beach. There is a wonderful one at Qantab which is close to Mascat. The place is pretty hidden and for foreigners not easy to find. When you go there, rent a boat and just relax on one of the beautiful little hidden beaches aside the “big” one. And don’t forget to jump in the water and enjoy life!