Oman

March 2014: We had a long weekend, and decided to see what Oman was all about. Trevor has a friend who's parents lived in Oman, and his friend was visiting them, so we met him out there. His parents graciously offered to put us up for the weekend, which was incredibly generous, so we stayed with them on a compound. It was a beautiful gated community with all you could possibly need. We got to see a lot of Muscat as well, but spent a lot of time just relaxing and catching up with a friend.

highlights

. Beaches . Low buildings . Mountains

lowlights

. Not enough time

white buildings

When we saw Oman in the daylight, I thought it was so beautiful. All of the buildings are white (not the yellow, sandy-ish colour in Kuwait), and there are no skyscrapers (on purpose). It made the city look bright, clean, and inviting. 

mountains

The mountains in Muscat are right in your face. It is quite a different landscape than what we were used to in Kuwait, and definitely a welcomed change. Structures are built right into the mountains, and driving through the mountains you see landscapes that make you feel like you're on the moon.

beaches

The beaches in Muscat are incredible. There are plenty of them, so you won't have a problem finding one. There are private beach clubs that you can probably pay to get into for the day (our friend's parents had a membership), so in those you can get a tan and not have to cover up. There are also public beaches that are big and wonderful for walking along.

other things to see in oman

We only had a weekend, so we definitely did not get enough time in Oman. This is the one country I would love to go back to, because there are so many places and things to see that we didn't get the chance to on our weekend. Here are just a few more ideas if you are heading to Oman.

• Wadi Shaab - this is only about a 2 hour drive from Oman, and every friend we know who has visited Oman has gone here and couldn't say enough great things about it. A great day trip.

• Royal Opera House - this is a fairly new building, and is apparently beautiful on the inside. They host many operas, ballets, and other arts and culture events.

• Souq and Mosque in Muscat - there is a really neat souq, as well as a mosque we drove by that I would love to see the inside of.

• Forts - apparently there are a lot of forts around Oman, so I would recommend visiting one.

• Salalah - a very cool city which was once the capital of Oman. A lot of people visit here in the summer, where it gets monsoons.