Muscat

We had a slower start today and then set off back to Muscat on the posh new dual carriageway most of the way. We passed Izki and remembered the fantastic Eid celebration we spent with Abdulaziz (who worked for Steve) and his family. Lovely cool shady palm plantation, generous hospitality, meeting all the family and surveying his land, meeting his donkey....and finally joining the rest of the community for singing and dancing...a great day...and the first time we had seen Omanis in all their brightly-coloured finery celebrating their great days.

We took a detour to visit Fanja, which was always on our way to the interior and several times we did a "wadi bash" along that wadi, usually very wet and we often got stuck. There was water in the wadi today and the hills were green. They had had lot of rain...we stopped and had a wander meeting the locals and admiring the pottery and other craft items. Not many tourists stopping there...we were a bit of a novelty...as in the old days. We did however see quite a few tourist groups in 4WDs and in coaches and even later saw a cruise ship in the harbour at Muttrah! Tourism has become big.

The capital area has totally changed since we lived there - huge amounts of construction and many new roads - we got lost more than once. So it was good to head off down memory lane....to the PDO camp, where little had changed...the school where Kathryn and David went, to have a look at the house we lived in...no 1 Heima Road..and the wadi below where the children played...afterwards we walked along the Qurum beach. Steve looked at birds and I found some lovely shells.

Later in Muttrah we stopped on the Corniche and visited the souk, did a bit (only a bit!) of shopping , and then as it got dark we wandered round Muscat and admired the extensions to Sultan Qaboos' palace..with lots of other new construction as well - finance ministry, new museum....we were able to get quite close...and finally on again to the luxury Al Bustan Palace hotel...where, as we used to do, we went in and had a wander round...