First, we flew to Dubai. We wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Why were so many rappers singing about flying there for the weekend? (Well I only know one. Justin Timberlake sings about it and for that I am ashamed.) To be honest, I don't really see the appeal of the city. Everything is new and expansive. You can't walk anywhere. The free, public beaches were the only thing that really appealed to us. Since, most of the people in Dubai aren't native, we fit right in when we went to the beach. Plus, we went to one which is nicknamed the "Russian" beach and it felt like we were hanging out in an alternate, sunny Moscow. It will be interesting to see the progression of Dubai.
From Dubai, we took a bus to Muscat, the capital of Oman. It is amazing to see that a country that had very little infastructure could grow so much after only 4o years. The current Sultan overthrew his father in the 70s and since then, he has tried to modernize the country. Now, there are paved roads, everyone has a higher standard of living, and they participate in global economics and politics.
We went snorkling and sightseeing in Muscat. Then we took a guided tour for three days to the mountains. It was interesting to see mountains without trees. I've seen pictures of it but it was really surprising. Also, it was funny to see goats roaming the hillsides. They are expert climbers. Unbelievable. Not to mention, they are really quite good at stealing your lunch. That is what they did to Todd and I! Who knew that goats were so agressive. Lesson learned.
Our guide was a really nice man. He spoke Arabic, English, and Swahili. Apparently, Oman had some involvement in the slave trade, so there is a close connection to Africa. The people in general in Oman were quite nice. We never felt harassed and they respected us. Of course we had almost no interaction with women, which is too bad. Todd did, however, make some young girls run from him when he came close to where they were sitting. He wanted to use the ATM but I think they thought he was going to grab one and haul her off! It was really quite hilarious. :)
This certainly wasn't a backpacker's holiday. We saw very few Americans that weren't military but I would recommend it. It was a great, safe place to see Arab culture. Plus, it is a fantastic break from the cold if you are living in a northernly country.
