Muscat the capital of Oman
Impressive views of dry, barren landscape while flying into Oman. Crazy, 2-hour lineup to get into the country unless you paid a VIP fee of 20 OMR (~$70 Cdn). Needless to say, we waited.
 
Picked up our rental car and headed for a lovely B&B near the beach. Dinner was tough, burnt mutton kebabs and a cob of corn at a BBQ stand on the beach; not a great introduction to Omani food as meals since have been fantastic.
 
Next day, did a drive along the coast to Al Bustan. Saw the good ship Sohar (a ship that sailed from Oman to Guangzhou, China) on display in a roundabout then circled back thru Muttrah to the beach at Shatti Al Qurm. Quick peek at the Opera House, then lunch overlooking the Gulf of Oman. Back to the B&B for a catch up / jet lagged nap (took us 32 hours to get here, 16 of them on planes) then a dip in the pool. Dinner at a fish restaurant nearby.
 
Next morning, drove to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The main prayer hall was stunning, floor covered with a gigantic Persian carpet and an huge dome above. Crystal & gold chandeliers and marble everywhere. It can hold 20,000 worshippers. Had Omani tea (flavoured with cardamom) and dates at the Islamic Friendship area. These are offered in hospitality whenever you stop anywhere in Oman. Chatted with a lovely Omani lady about Islam and her country.
 
Tried to visit the Al Mouj area on the beach for lunch but instead ended up at a traditional Omani restaurant near the airport called ‘Rozna’. Excellent food and got to watch a lady making Omani bread which is quite the process. (Scroll down for the YouTube video!) Late afternoon swim back at the B&B and a light dinner nearby.
 
Overall, the weather has been MUCH hotter than we expected. Always sunny, humid, and temps in the high 20s, hard to handle after leaving minus 4 in B.C.
 
Here’s a link to some Muscat pix on Flickr
Muscat, Oman
Muscat, Oman
6 photos

Making traditional Omani flatbread at Rozna Restaurant

Watch on YouTube; traditional flatbread being made at Rozna in Muscat. Not quite sure how long crushed potato chips have been a traditional filling though!

Our review of Rozna Restaurant is on TripAdvisor. TA deleted it for being “promotional”. We have no connection to Rozna Restaurant, have never been there before, are are unlikely to go back. Apparently, TA deletes about 9% of all reviews, so some real ones get caught up in the process. Here’s the now deleted review, including the link to the video above which was (apparently) a problem:

Rozna Restaurant, Muscat

A great meal in a unique setting

You sure can’t miss this restaurant; it’s built as a traditional Omani fort! It’s absolutely huge but they have covered it in with a giant skylight so that it can be air conditioned (and to keep the birds out). The effort to mimic an old fort was carried through to the washroom, where the water came in through a stone “falaj” (Omani irrigation system).

Traditional Omani foods from an extensive menu, and everything that we had was delicious. Servers in local garb helped interpret the menu and made helpful recommendations.

Omani flatbread was being made and served during lunch; see our video at https://viaduct.ca/100countries.info/2023/03/09/muscat-the-capital-of-oman#rozna

We followed a hot tip from our guesthouse and went for lunch rather than dinner. Apparently it can get pretty busy in the evenings (as other reviewers have noted) but we were seated without a wait in the afternoon.

A little way out from the centre of Muscat, but well worth the drive!

(All reviews or contributions to TripAdvisor that we’ve made over the years will be under our TA username: 100countries_info )

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Muscat the capital of Oman