We returned to the Mutrah Souq today to purchase a couple of shirts, then put the car in 4WD mode and headed out to Wadi Mayh, in search of date palms, feral donkeys, straying goats and tiny villages. Getting off the tarmac onto a dusty gravel track was good practice for the major trek ahead of us tomorrow, as we leave Muscat behind us and head down the coastal road to Sur.
We could take the inland road and be there much more quickly, but the coastal road is reputedly stunning, so we’re opting for that instead. We’ve been told that a 4×4 vehicle is essential for this trip, so I’m curious to see what the terrain will be like.
Anyway, we stopped at a village on the way back from Wadi Mayh and introduced Eloïse to some little girls who were playing at the side of the dusty road. From the reception we received, it was clear that no tourists ever drive into this village.
I’ve said it before, but I feel the need to say it again: the reaction from people when they see a lily-white, red-headed baby is extraordinary. It must be an even rarer sight than I imagined it would be.
Today, for example, in the Souq, a trio of Arabic women asked if they could take Eloïse’s picture, and we always oblige such requests. They whipped camera phones from their abayas and proceeded to snap away, touching her red hair and pale skin as they did so. “Beautiful, beautiful!” they enthused.
It’s hard to approach a Muslim woman in traditional clothing, so Eloïse forms an effective ice-breaker between us and a section of the population we’d otherwise likely find no way to interact with.
We returned from the wadi in time for some swimming pool fun before dinner. This time, we dined at the authentically Omani Bin Atiq restaurant.
As in the UAE, there are so many immigrants in Oman that finding a restaurant that serves true Omani cuisine (rather than Lebanese, Indian, etc.) is something of a challenge. Bin Atiq thankfully rises to the occasion.
It’s a bit of an unusual place. Rather than one large dining room or a couple of smaller ones, the place is divided into many small rooms, each with its own door. As such, it feels more like a small motel than a restaurant.
You leave your shoes at the door to your room and enter inside. The room has a carpet and several cushions. There is no furniture, but there is an ancient air-conditioning unit and an equally ancient television set, which you can watch while you eat. The door is closed behind you, opened only when your waiter enters to take your order and serve your food.
As you might imagine, traditional restaurant ambience is totally absent here. People-watching is impossible. On the other hand, you get the privacy of your own room, your small baby can go ballistic without anyone else being annoyed or even noticing, the room is totally smoke free, you can breastfeed without offending anyone, etc., etc. And it’s yours for as long as you want it, so it’s great for a real family get-together.
The food, which almost becomes secondary to the experience, was very good. I was grateful for the opportunity to eat some real Omani food.
Tomorrow, we leave Muscat for Sur. We’d really like to stay overnight somewhere along the way, but all sources agree that there is no accommodation along the entire route. Camping, then, is the only option, but we have no gear with us. So, it’s onward all the way to Sur, whether we like it or not.
I’ve no idea when we’ll next have Internet access, so this may be our last update for a while.