Muscat, Oman

Have just spent three days in an amazing place called Oman. It's the country next to ours and while some things are the same, some things are VERY different. The environment for one - it's very hilly and Muscat itself is spread out over inlets around the water. The climate is much warmer (although UAE is nothing to scoff at) and the people are very friendly.
We headed over Thursday night and relaxed that night - pretended it was Xmas Eve, not Xmas Day so that we could do Xmas properly on Friday. Friday was a day of exploring - Muscat has a lot of history and is big on it's forts - they're everywhere and in many sizes! The beach was close to the hotel and was great to walk along - so much happening everywhere. We also went to the souq(markets) - amazing - carpets, silk, silver, incense - goodies as far as the eye could see. Yes my purse was hurting afterwards but so worth it! The sights, sounds and smells were amazing.
There were plenty of great places to eat - Xmas dinner was in a nice Italian restaurant. Very authentic food and added to the holiday feel.
Saturday we explored a bit more and visited the Grand Mosque. As you have to cover up when there, I had to change into a skirt and long sleeved top in the car park (had been too hot to wear it all morning) and then wear a head scarf. I look so different all wrapped up and am so glad I don't have to do it all the time. However the mosque was simply amazing. It's huge and took 12 years to build. the carpet is the biggest in the world but hard to get a true picture of how amazing it is as it has blue sheets down over half of it for tourists to walk over. Took many pictures here.
We also dabbled in a bit of rug shopping for my sister. I couldn't choose so we got the two I really liked - she likes them too! Luckily I didn't have to do the bargining as I'm just no good at it - used to paying the price I hear I guess.
On Sunday we came home a different way and went through Nizwa where stopped for a while. This is the old capital of Oman and has an amazing fort and souq right in the middle of it. However as much as it's meant to be geared for toursits, some things need improvement - like nearby eating places, signage and toilets! These things would make the experience much nicer. However I still manged to be in awe of the histroy and the shopping was still great!
The drive home from there seemed very long and much of the same - imagine driving through the Desert Road in NZ for 3 hours with a few less bends. Was quite tiring. However did get a second wind when home - so much unpacking of shopping to do!
So a recommended holiday for anyone considering it - plenty to do and see. The next holiday is in three weeks - home to NZ for 10 days - very excited!