In November the Omani's celebrate National Day/National Week in honor of HM the Sultan's day of ascension to the throne. They decorate with lots of lights and congratulatory notices.Don and I went shopping at the Muttrah souk last week, preparing for our trip home next week. It was the end of the Omani celebration of National Week, so the lights were up everywhere.
The souk is located on the water and it gave us the opportunity to take some really neat pictures of the street along the water as well as the boats on the water and the coastline as it curves around. I had to get out of the car to take the pictures then run to catch up with Don as he drove off because there wasn't a place for us to pull over. I guess I'm lucky he didn't just drive off without me! I did get lots of strange looks as I literally ran to catch up to Don because women here don't do that!
You may not be able to tell, but the roadway is completely full of cars. Omani's love to come out in the cool of the evening and enjoy the sea, the company, the sights. Stores here in Muscat typically stay open till about 11 p.m. to take advantage of the nocturnal habits of its citizens. (My mother-in-law would be in shopping heaven here as she has always insisted that retailers should keep the shoppers' hours!)
The weather now is gorgeous! We are still swimming during the day, although they do run a heater for the water now. The walks along the beach are still warm enough and humid enough to keep you warm! Sitting out on a patio at the beach to eat dinner is a pleasure since the breeze off the ocean is usually cool; I actually enjoyed wearing layers outside for the first time since getting here! We're going to try and hit the souk one more time before coming home for Christmas; I'll try to remember my camera to take some nighttime pics inside the souk for you!
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| On the right is the seawall; the left is the street (same one the Starbucks is on--see earlier post) with festive lights strung along the roads. |
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| Dhow outlined with lights; cruise ship in background |
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| Coastline. You can see the red, green and white lights better from this view. (Omani's national colors!) |
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| Close to the souk; you may not be able to tell from the picture, but this is a happening place! |
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