Hello blog readers or Ahlan as they say in Arabic,
I normally do quick posts from my phone but today I thought I'd log on and write a more detailed update.
Life in Oman is great, it's been only four weeks but I'm fairly confident Rossella and I will enjoy our time here. Unlike other Middle Eastern countries the community is well integrated with Europeans, Asians and Omanis working and living together without a strong feeling of class divide - it does exist of course but not to the same degree found elsewhere and is largely as a result of economic imbalance between different countries around the world.
The weather is fantastic - every day is sunny and hot although luckily it has in general stayed below 40C which is rare this time of year. I'm looking forward to the winter when the haze will clear and the temperatures will be warm (i.e. less hot).
Muscat is an interesting City and much slower paced and easy going that Dubai. It's also a far more attractive city with a beautiful coastline on one side and mountains on the other. I've not yet ventured out of town but hope to do so in next few weeks with a trip into the mountains with a 4x4.
Cost of living is varied and you can live as cheaply or costly as you wish. The usual western shops are here such as Fat Face, Mango, Banana Republic etc which charge western prices or you can shop for significantly less with reasonable local brands. The cost of petrol is incredibly cheap at about the fifth of the cost of the UK and you can buy cars tax free... I've already been to see the Porsche and Audi garages!
That's all for now....
Simon
2 comments:
Try and avoid Ramadhan (which is September this year ) for your travels out of Muscat – opening hours change and long distance drivers are less alert.
The gorge at jebel shams, is well worth the drive and on the way back take a look at the underground caves. We went wadi bashing as well, which would have been great if I hadn't been uncomfortably pregnant at the time!
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