Mall of Oman will also launch the largest indoor snow park in the sultanate next year, spanning over 14,000 square metres.
In September, the mall will feature Dino World, an interactive dinosaur experience. In collaboration with EventBox, the new family offering will showcase the history and evolution of dinosaurs, life size dinosaur installations, a “roaming dino” interactive experience and augmented reality."
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-ae/money/news/mall-of-oman-country-s-largest-shopping-destination-opens-in-muscat/ar-AAO1kK4?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531 ( accessed 3.9.2021)
So in plain English it's like Dragon City , Mall of Dilmunia and Thai Mart in Bahrain which all opened before they were finished. Mall of Oman is not finished yet, but it's opening anyway! Well I guess it's worth a look.
The good news was I did not have to do Quarantine in Oman as I first thought but the bad news is that I could not stay at the Ramada hotel at Qurum beach.
Ramada Qurum Beach Hotel - Muscat (ramadamuscat.com)
I booked this two months ago on Booking.com and they left it until 2 weeks before my arrival to tell me they had not managed to make the booking through their associate company. I tried the hotel direct but it was full so booked at the hotel I stayed on my last visit with Gabby in 2019 where I fell in love with the pink Flamingos in the pool.
Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC- 2019
You can find out more about the hotel here:
Sadly many of the original staff ( and the flamingoes in the pool) have left and although the hotel was very busy their F and B Manager told me it was mostly Omani's due to COV 19. He said the Convention Centre had only just opened, and they have had little business trade ( which the hotel was designed for) over recent months. I just love the big modern rooms and as I am here for 2 weeks they have given me one with an excellent view of the pool and the Wadi. Over the last two years the gardens have blossomed and I enjoyed my 6 am walk taking photos. It is 4 degrees cooler than Dubai and they have a lovely pool so I had a rest there before lunch.
So lets bring you up to speed on a chaotic 24 hours leaving Dubai and arriving in Oman. I went for dinner with Mahryll at El Batangueno and as I ate it felt that I had just had an injection in my mouth at the dentist- the left side was numb . I went to bed early and was woken at 2.30 am by my morning call and showered and took the taxi to Dubai Airport- terminal 3 as it said on my boarding pass and email ( see below)
| Itinerary Details for: WY 602 : Dubai International Airport (DXB) - Muscat International Airport (MCT) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Departs Sat, 11 Sep 2021 05:25 Arrives Sat, 11 Sep 2021 06:40 | Terminal/Gate TM3/GATE | Zone 3 | Boarding 04:25 | Status On time |
However there was no trace of my flight ( only Emirates and Fly Dubai) so I had to get another taxi to terminal one ( which due to the minimum fare of 22 AED for Airport taxis) was as expensive as the taxi to the airport! The flight check in was very short staffed and a big Indian family of 7 with 7 trolleys full of luggage pushed in front of me . There is so much pressure on the check in staff to comply with COV 19 but I was very organised with my passport, vaccination details , PCR test, medical insurance , hotel details and onward flight details that once I got to the check in I was though in 5 mins. They were so busy checking my COV 19 paperwork and the boarding time had been reached ( 4.30 am) that they omitted to charge me for excess baggage! I headed to the SMART gate which was so smart it picked up I only got a 30 day visa on arrival and had been there 60 days ( in my defense they never asked me how long I was staying!) so I had to go to the not so smart desk and then the fines office and pay 200 bd fine! ( 400 GBP). Then I ran to the gate but set off the alarm so had to have a special search due to my Titanium leg. Strange how that only happens when you are late for a flight. I ran through duty free to the gate ( the last one in the building and as its the older terminal there are few moving walkways.
One of my favourite photos of Muscat- on the wall at the Crown Plaza
I boarded with seconds to spare at 5 am and then having paid for a quiet seat on my own up front ( of economy - Business was empty) the Indian family came and took all the seats around me continuing some family argument that had started between check in, Duty free and the gate. The Hostess tried to move them to their right seats but they refused , saying they would move if someone had paid for the seats. The hostess gave up, being outnumbered, and after several attempts to get them to put their bags up ( they were on the front and second rows of economy), put their masks back on, put their seats upright and put their seat belts on etc. I decided it was best to pretend to be asleep as they continued shouting at and hitting eachother and eating their way through bags of food. It was a noisy night and reminded me of being in Awali!
One of the many beautiful flowers at the Crown Plaza
When we landed at 6 30 am they told us to remain seated and we would disembark row by row, to maintain social distancing. I really felt sorry for the hostesses who were crushed in the rush to exit. Finally I deplaned and took a long stroll through the new Muscat International airport which will one day take 20 million passengers a year, from 29 air bridges ( according to the in flight entertainment).
In my research I found :
"Oman Airports Management Company SAOC (OAMC), a closed joint stock company owned by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, is carrying out an expansion plan of the airport. The project, costing $1.8bn according to the latest government figures, includes expansion of the existing terminal and the construction of a new terminal.
The expansion will be carried out in four stages. In the first stage the passenger capacity of the existing terminal will be increased to 12 million passengers. In the second, third and fourth stages the capacity will be further increased to 24, 36 and 48 million passengers respectively.
Oman Arab Bank, Europe Arab Bank and Arab Bank provided a $410m loan for the expansion project ."
Source: https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/muscat-airport/ ( accessed 12.9.21)
I hope they sort themselves out soon as they could not handle 200 passengers let alone 20 million. We headed to the baggage reclaim but it was boarded off and some nice men in Omani dress told us to register. They kept asking if we had been vaccinated and had our PCR test , had we registered and paid to register . There were 5 registration desks but the maarte lady at desk 2 told us to go to 3, 4 or 5 before we went to her. More people kept pushing in , desk one was closed and after 30 mins one of the officials asked if I had cash and I said yes - so he sent me to another desk to pay for my registration ( which I skipped) and I was finally able to collect my bags and go through customs. New airport, 7 am ,bored customs men, so of course they asked to x-ray my bags ( all that pasalubong , stolen coffee and hotel soaps and shampoo/ shower gel) and finally after a one hour flight and two hours to get out of the state of the art new airport and I was a free man.
Crown Plaza Muscat OCEC
I had a taxi to the hotel ( "why are you staying out here sir? " is never an inspiring question from the taxi driver after 5 hours sleep. ) I checked into the hotel- the receptionist asked if I was there for Quarantine- but I confirmed that I was there for a vacation! However the room was ready at 9 am and was excellent and after a couple of calls to check my email address and if I liked the nice room she had given me ( would have been better if she had called me Mr. Porter instead of Peter ) I unpacked and headed down to breakfast which was amazing.
My amazing room with beautiful view, and so quiet
By then my face had got worse with my left eye watering and unable to close and the left side of my mouth was drooping and as I drank coffee, orange juice and water it dribbled down onto my tee shirt ( no, Corleen, more than normal!!) .
My first breakfast in Oman- loved the free water bottle and then cloth napkin, disinfecting sachet and salt and pepper and proper cutlery!
I sent a video of my face to a nurse friend in Bahrain who diagnosed Bell's Palsy and told me to get to a hospital quickly.
How my face looked at my first breakfast in Oman
I rushed to a taxi and within 30 mins was in Muscat at the Aster Al Raffah hospital where I was speedily processed from doctor to specialist to CT scan and blood tests before lunch at the hotel. After a quick lunch we headed back and the Specialist conformed it was not a Stroke but was Bells Palsy and explained the disease and what I needed to do. I was then given a prescription for Steroids, eye drops different metformin tablets and gastro tablets and a bill for 300 Bd ( 600 GBP) . She commended me on my fast action as if the disease is caught in 72 hours there is a good chance of recovery. Gilbert, I am forever indebted to you!
If, like me , you had never heard of Bell's Palsy you can read more here:
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Bells-Palsy-Fact-Sheet
Aster Al Raffah hospital, Muscat
I had a long sleep at 3 pm, then dinner in the hotels amazing Thai restaurant ( I accidentally gave the waiter a big tip when I had my soup at lunch time so he moved the reserved table for 4 from their window table so I could have the last window table!) .
My chicken soup for lunch
I dribbled my way through Chicken Satay, Pad Thai and mango sticky rice and used my metal straw for the water! The food was amazing and the service great and finally I headed back to bed at 10 pm.
My new medication for Bell's Palsy
My next job was to clean my shoes and send my washing to the hotel laundry ( no cheap laundry within walking distance from this hotel like in the Dubai hotels!!). Then I headed downstairs at 7 am to tackle breakfast, which is now included in my rate ( for 2 people!) .
The hotel pool and Wadi bar at 7 am
This time I took my camera and after some shots in the grounds took photos of the amazing buffet of smoked salmon, capers, olives, Laban, Hummus, muesli, 6 fruit juice's, coffee, fresh frits and lychees, all kinds of eggs, croissants, toast, jams, honey and too much more to mention.
Just a fraction of the amazing breakfast buffet
I chatted with the Phillipino supervisor and the coffee lady ( who was very impressed I knew she was from Myanmar and had eaten in a restaurant serving food from Myanmar last week in Dubai ( thanks Kway!)
My " continental" breakfast with melon, lychees, Laban , Olives, smoked salmon and capers, muesli, coffee, water, orange juice and toast with honey
After updating the blog at 9 am I headed down to the pool for a swim at 11 am and to sunbathe before having Caesar's salad for lunch. Then I had a Thai massage in the spa before taking a nap from 4- 6 pm.
My recent medical emergency has reminded me we are all vulnerable , and being overweight, unfit and diabetic with high cholesterol and a hip replacement and soon reaching 61 years old I am in a high risk category. So for the next month I will concentrate on exercising , eating more healthily and loosing weight . I had the battery replaced in the scales in my room and I am now 120 kg. I hope to be 112 kg before I leave Oman.
Love the location of the safe in the room
I love the crown Plaza room design and view. It's so easy to use the safe when its in the top drawer rather than buried in the base of the wardrobe bolted to the floor, and the desk and light by the window with a proper office chair is great for blog writing! Perversely this is my 3rd hotel room in 6 weeks with out a working kettle. This one had no kettle at all- but the young maintenance guy soon replaced it ( with a very noisy one ) and changed the battery in the weighing scales. He was however unable to fix the electric alarm clock which has the wrong time ( by about 6 hrs.!) . He promised his friend would fix it the next day and in spite of me reminding him at 8 am he forgot to do so! He still has not done it a week later!
A mural in the hotel near the restaurants - very Instagramable!
So that's you up to date, day 60 of 90! And now I deserve a swim! I have been looking forward to being able to lie in the sun after the heat of Dubai. However as it was nearly noon it was hot and humid and there was a family of noisy kids in the hotel pool so I went in for lunch at noon.
My amazing steak at Le Petit Belge at the Crown Plaza
By dinner time I had a craving for a steak and the hotel staff told me they did a great steak in the hotel Bar called Le Petit Belge . Imagine the Sherlock Holmes bar in Bur Dubai ( read my earlier blogs from Dubai) but with MTV and hip hop music and ultra modern. The waitress , Elizabeth, had been there since the hotel opened in 2018 and looked after me very well and , they were right, the steak was superb! They have an outside balcony and the night time views were spectacular.
The night time view of the pool and Wadi Bar ( still closed)
Next to the Petit Belge is the hotel business centre and conference rooms and as it was 10 pm by then I took a sneak peek and took some photos of the amazing canvas prints of Oman that adorn the hotel walls.
One of the amazing photos on the walls at the hotel depicting Omani life
Finally I collapsed exhausted in bed at 11 pm and , of course ,woke up at 2.30 am having another bad dream before taking my steroids and other meds. I headed out at 6 am for another walk in the hotel grounds . I had breakfast at 7 am and then a swim and sunbathe and headed back to hospital at 10 am. After that I went to the new Mall Of Oman, and although it is an amazing building , as I predicted its only half opened. There was an amazing interactive Dinosaur display so I took lots of photos and videos for a friends son in Bahrain who is Dinosaur mad .
The Dinosaurs take over the Mall of Oman
After a coffee and meryenda ( healthy) at Paul the Bakers temporary food cart ( the permanent one is still under construction!) I set off to find the 19 cinemas ( not yet open) , Ski slope ( not yet Open) and exciting shops ( not yet open). However there was a Carrefour ! As I looked at the names on the opening soon boards ( Nike, Vans, Vodaphone etc. ) I realised I could have been at any Mall in the world!
They even had Baby Dinosaurs
Next stop was to collect my Phillipino friend Mark in his lunch break and then we went to Avenues Mall ( nothing like Avenues in Kuwait or Bahrain!) and had lunch at PF Chan's. After that I headed back to the hotel for a session in the gym on the walking machine for 30 mins and have a swim.
The man in red at the Crown Plaza Gym
I am really lucky to be in such a well equipped hotel . They have a Spa here so I had a relaxing massage from their new Thai Masseuse, Anna . The next day I had a lovely healthy Thai lunch in the beautiful gardens of the hotel and Anna and I had my favourite Mango and sticky rice.
Papaya salad at Charm Thai at the Crowne Plaza
After a while when you are retired and on 3 months vacation the days merge into one another with blood sugar checks, insulin injections, breakfast, swim, gym , lunch , sleep and dinner . The specialist at the hospital , Dr Dalia suggested I get out of town and visit some Omani tourist spots so on Thursday I hired a taxi and we headed out of town on a 90 minute journey through the mountains to Wadi Dayqah Dam.
The drive and scenery were spectacular, we stopped for water and juice on the way and then went to the visitor centre and headed back to Muscat. I was amazed by how they had blasted the road trough the mountains and then put in arrest fall nets and concrete to prevent landslides. The driver explained that when it rains heavily they have to shut the mountain road for a few hours as it becomes too dangerous. However now in September all the wadis are dry as they wait for the winter rains to fall.
I promised Gerda the historical perspective on the damn so my research discovered that:
"Wadi Ad Dayqah is one of the famous tourist attractions in Oman and one of the largest wadis on the Arabian Peninsula.
The wadi plays as a source of irrigation and protection for the surrounding villages, due to its reduction of the number of flash floods in the area.
120 wadis cover the path of Wadi Ad Dayqah, stretching from Wilayat Dima Wa Tayeen in Al Sharqiyah North Governorate to Wilayat Qurayyat, Muscat. It is one of the year-round flowing wadis"
I found this picture of the dam when it is discharging water on the internet
Moreover, as JJ taught me to say when linking ideas ....
"Wadi Dayqah Dam is considered the biggest one in the Sultanate of Oman. It was built in 2012 to collect the rain falling from the high peaks and to control the water flowing volume through the narrow torrent, to the villages below.
Being a reflection of Omani impressive engineering, it has a storage capacity of 100 million cubic meters of water. The storage lake covers an area of 350 hectares, extending about 6km from the main body of the dam.
The dam comprises two dams: the major one is 75 meters (246 feet) high, and the minor one is an earthen dam 48.5 meters (149 feet) high.
The main dam has a tower for water drainage. The dam lake is 8 kilometers (5 miles) long. The dam has the capacity to hold about 100 million cubic meters (more than 8,000 acre feet) of rain water.
Atop the dam, there is a picnic area with great views for visitors to enjoy the spectacular Omani nature."
Source : https://www.memphistours.com/Oman/Oman-Travel-Guide/Oman-valleys/wiki/Wadi-Ad-Dayqah ( accessed 17.9.21)
Having lived in Bahrain for 11 years I am not able to cope with long journeys like this ( km and 3 hours driving) so when I got back I had chicken Korma in my room and slept for 4 hours!
And that brings us up to date at the end of a very eventful first week in Muscat, Oman
Please return next week for more!
Until then this is the British Kabayan signing out from week 9 of his 12 week vacation imploring you all to stay safe, keep your distance and sanitize regularly! If you are not yet Vaccinated please get vaccinated or you will not be able to enter Oman!
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Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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