rivlinm

Thanks. It seems these destinations are really becoming popular. Such a shame Siosepol had no water.

My pleasure. Thanks!

Thanks again! That bridge as simple as it is, was so calming, especially under the stars.

Thanks! Iran really lends itself to outdoor adventure with a mix of climates and regions. Riding a bike across the country would be unbelievable. Did they ever write up a report or have photos?

Thanks! The food was really good if that's what you mean by delicious. It was fun to read your Estonia trip too, but we visited the islands (kardla) rather than the Russian border.

Thanks! I had such a blast, it just went too quick! This writing takes forever! Sorry for the suspense.

I don't think you would have any issues as long as you follow the rules. My experience was no different than catching a grouchy TSA agent on a bad day: Annoying (if not funny) but 5 minutes later doesn't matter.

Also I'm not sure if being stuck in Iran would be the worst thing ever. (Not Evin of course)

Thanks! It's my best yet, although only so far.

I had planned to upgrade to a 5D with 24-70 f/2.8, but decided against lugging that gear around and stuck with the powerful but compact s120 P&S. It has many limitations, but is still very versatile.

farbster

Thanks for doing such a great trip report. This was a great combination of excellent photos, commentary and a really interesting place.

I realized I've been on FT for quite a while when I identified the flight you wanted on AV as one of those LM tricks everyone was so fond of... I saw that one, but could never use it

travelincurator

Did you use a cellphone or wifi while in country?

btbx11

I have a feeling the beer in question was N/A because it was served in a public place. The alcohol ban is strictly enforced in such places. That said, it is VERY easy to get a drink in Iran. Home brewing, winemaking, and even distilling is legal for non-muslim consumption at home. This in addition to black market imports leads to a huge supply of alcoholic beverages, and private consumption is commonplace. I have many colleagues in Iran - Muslim and not - and more of them drink than do not.

greg5

[QUOTE=rivlinm;24529639]

Breakfast view; I’m not so sure this would ever get old

What is the compound on the right side of the picture with the wall and towers? It looks a bit like a prison.

Great TR!

Calchas

Whether you can use your cellphone and SIM card will depend on whether your network provider has an agreement with the local Iranian provider. The Iranian network is state owned which might cause problems in some jurisdictions.

rivlinm

Woke up the next morning to another blue sky over Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and partook in breakfast on the Gold Floor lounge.


Gold Floor Breakfast

We had an evening flight to Muscat but needed to decide how to best use our last day in the capital city. Originally I had planned to visit the falcon hospital, but neither of us were enthralled by that idea day of. That left us with three options: mostly incomplete Saadiyat Island; the F1 track and waterpark on Yas Island; or environmentally-friendly Masdar City. All three had their pros and cons, but we ultimately decided seeing Saadiyat Island best fit our interests. I’m not really the waterpark type and I wasn’t so sure Masdar City actually offered anything of value besides walking around some Jetsonian city streets. We ended up being happy with our decision; but who knows what we missed out on. With a destination set, we hailed a taxi and headed toward Abu Dhabi’s mega-cultural development.


Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters

In what I suspect is an attempt to boost Abu Dhabi’s tourism and compete with the allure of Dubai, Saadiyat Island will be a hub of commercial, residential and most importantly cultural facilities. Currently a few hotels and resorts exist along with a museum showcasing the future of the island, but also serving as a sales pitch to invest. Eventually the highlights will be the Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Just after passing Zayed Port you begin to see never-ending construction of the island’s future destinations. Our driver dropped us off in between the Manarat al Saadiyat and the UAE Pavilion. With no taxi queue or other facilities in site, we began to wonder if we had made the right decision.


Construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi

The UAE pavilion was originally built in Shanghai for the 2010 World Expo and was relocated to its current home on Saadiyat Island to house special exhibits and events. Its design represents two sand dunes in its sun baked golden color. It was not currently open to the public.


Front of the UAE Pavilion


UAE Pavilion


Side of UAE Pavilion

Across the street was Manarat al Saadiyat, literally ‘Palace of Enlightenment.’ Another multipurpose exhibition venue, it is currently showcasing the master development plan of the island along with a small sample of the works to eventually be housed in the Guggenheim Museum down the street.


Manarat al Saadiyat


Entrance to Manarat al Saadiyat; Today will end?


Façade of Manarat al Saadiyat


Exhibit 1: Saadiyat sales pitch


Master plan of the island; Guggenheim lower left, Lourve lower right, Zayed National Museum upper middle


Multimedia experience


Zayed National Museum model


Bus crash


Exhibit 2: works bound for the future Guggenheim Museum


iPod Touch audio/visual tour


Gallery floor


Arabic shadows

One of the last displays was a small enclosed room with mirror covered walls and LED lights dangling from the ceiling. The unique feature was the small meandering path from one side to the other with water on each side. While the lights are bright, the reflectivity of the mirrors and water makes it impossible to see. Let just say even with the guidance of the staff there was a splashdown just after I exited. They admitted to this being a daily occurrence with one patron even grasping for the suspended lights on their way down and causing some damage before their eventual bath.


Light up slip and slide

Neat exhibits and I suspect after they stop postponing the expected completion dates the island will really put Abu Dhabi on the map culturally. As of now one of the big three museums is expected to open each year until 2017; with the surrounding developments by 2020. If that comes to fruition is anyone’s guess. We luckily found (i.e., accidently stole from someone queuing in the AC of the museum) a taxi and headed back to Bab al Bahr to pack our belongings and have a snack in the lounge.


Afternoon tea

With a few hours to kill we walked around the grounds of the property and wandered over toward ‘The SOUK’ on the property of the Shangri-La.


Bab al Bahr entrance


Bab al Bahr


Hide and go seek with Sheikh Zayed Mosque


Venice of Abu Dhabi; Shangri-La

Our hotel had suggested we experience The SOUK, but clearly they didn’t understand our interests. It was nothing more than an empty high-end shopping mall.


The SOUK

With our fragrance shopping done (or so we thought) for the trip we decided why not enjoy one last over-indulgence of canapés in the lounge before heading to the airport to eat again at the Al Dhabi lounge.


Gold floor Canapés


Sushi


Hot selections


Playing whack-a-mole on the taxi ride to AUH


Farewell UAE for a few days

Security just to access the check-in desks was a short line (~10 people) but still somehow managed to take 30 minutes for some unknown reason. The moment we got through, they opened up about 5 other lines. Check-in for BA73, a 5th freedom tag flight from AUH to MCT, was a breeze and we were in the Al Dhabi lounge in no time.


Al Dhabi buffet; same lounge as earlier in my trip

Neither of us had any interest in eating any more so just used the down time to make a few calls and eventually headed toward the gate which was over packed with a flight to India.


Bus gate!


Boarding BA73; 777-200

BA flight 73
Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH) to Muscat, Oman (MCT)
Depart 21:30, Arrive 22:50, Time 1:20
Boeing 777-200, Seat 31JK

The flight was maybe 50% full, with most passengers connecting from London, and the passenger in our set of three seats decided to find an empty seat elsewhere leaving us an open middle. The aircraft seemed very new (for a 20 year old bird) and the IFE had a great display for economy; although one hour isn’t enough to really take advantage. The service was nearly non-existent with pre-poured cups of water offered about mid flight. Normally about a 45-minute journey, we spent 80 minutes in the air due to ATC.


Post departure beverages


Finally an airline displays in-flight data in a somewhat logical format and not just 3 stats per page


Roughing it in economy


Deplaning

Not before long we were off the plane and on the bus to the terminal. At this point the mad rush began. Imagine 100 Brits racing from the bus to queue for their VOA. At this point I had made a mistake but was saved by an earlier mistake. I had expected to take out some cash form an ATM before paying for our visa, but there were no ATMs available and the VOA cashiers desk took cash only. Very fortunately I had taken out an extra 100 AED before leaving for the airport and was able to pay for the two 5 OMR (10 AED=1 OMR) 15-day tourist visas without a dirham to spare. I really don’t know what would have happened had I not had the 100 AED. I did have 6 Benjamins I could have broken if absolutely necessary, but that wouldn’t have been ideal. Curious what happens if you land with no cash.

The visa process certainly wasn’t expeditious but I’d say within 20-30 minutes we were officially, but not very cordially, welcomed to the Sultanate of Oman. Little did we know what the next 2 hours would have in store! Not wanting to hire a driver for ~$150 USD daily I decided to hire a car and found Europcar to be the best value at ~$140 USD for unlimited kilometers. The rental process was easy and I only needed one credit card (amex plat), passport and drivers license. Although I was advised to have an IDP (international drivers permit) and a sign on the rental desk stated so as well, it was never requested. I had an expired one with me just in case. While the car was being fetched I bought a GB of data (plus one bonus GB during the wee hours of the night) and SIM card for 7 OMR (~$18 USD). There were three major carriers but I selected FRiENDi based on having no queue. While waiting my mom began her fascination of the dress and behavior of the Omanis.


Omanis buying SIM cards


Our Mazda 2

With our car ready and SIM loaded we easily found our way out of the airport as we headed toward the Mutrah Hotel. One problem: the SIM had not yet activated. So while I had a push pin loaded on our destination and some high level maps cached, we were driving blindly into the abyss. Being dark (old eyes), and technologically green, my mom was limited in her usefulness as navigator. The first half of the 30-minute drive went as planned until decision time. As we neared the destination I had to pick option A or B from a city wide view. Option A seemed like the right call as we drove along the corniche and got a nice feel for the layout of the city. About 2km away I realized we had made our first mistake. The road I had planned on taking was a one-way route and there was no easy alternative to enter Mutrah from the city. (Picture medina like streets winding between buildings and geography that had existed long before the roads). With a brief stop in a dark ally (imagine my mother’s anxiety at this point) to regroup and plan phase two which involved a good amount of backtracking out of Muscat we headed around the city to attempt entry to Mutrah from the south. After a series of wrong turns and long detours to get back on the right path we were within 500 m of the hotel but again, another one way street was preventing us from much desired sleep. (01:00)

At this point my mom was terrified, and I was growing increasingly frustrated having to blindly navigate the, fortunately empty, streets far longer than I had anticipated. Thankfully as I pulled off to park and walk to the hotel and ask for advice our first taste of Omani hospitality saved the day as a gentleman noticed our despair. After explaining our tumultuous last hour exploring Muscat and Mutrah he confirmed my suspicion that the maps we were using were outdated and the hotel is indeed difficult to find without knowing the proper location to pull a U-turn and right the sinking ship. His explanation wasn’t quite sinking in and he decided it was best to drive ahead of us and point us to the street we needed to turn down. We were extraordinarily grateful for his help and as fate would have it, we would figuratively cross paths down the road later in our trip. (I’ve literally always wanted to appropriately use figuratively in a sentence.) And with about an hour delay (90 minutes rather than 30) we arrived at the well-regarded Mutrah Hotel. And as a sign of things finally on our side, there was one parking spot remaining!

Certainly a step down from our suite at the Bab al Bahr, but with our agenda in Oman, we would hardly spend a waking moment in the room. Now that I wasn’t driving I had the chance to properly set up the 4G service and load maps for tomorrow morning. For the record, at the time of my trip, Google Maps does not offer turn-by-turn navigation in Oman. Also, as I knew, maps in Oman cannot be saved for offline use. I found another app, Sygic, that offered a 7-day free trial of maps in Oman with turn-by-turn navigation and between the two we survived driving around the Sultanate.

Check in was a breeze and before my mom could discover there was no hair dryer, I was asleep. What a first few hours in Oman.


Mutrah hotel; later that morning


Mutrah green rooms


Mutrah deluxe double


Bathroom

rivlinm

Thanks, and to think when SAW bit the dust I almost scrapped the trip!

My t-mobile (USA) sim was as good as dead in my phone. I could have gotten a local SIM but didn't see the need since every hotel had moderately good wifi.

While many sites are blocked the only two I desired were twitter and the occasional western news article. I used VPN from time to time when I wanted those services. Speeds were not blazing, but also not awful.

I'm not sure I would say it is VERY easy, but I got the impression if you want it, there is a way to find it, although possibly for a high cost. The Iranians I spoke with led me to believe it's accessible, but not without hassle or expense. You can't just get in your car and drive to CVS...that's very easy!

It was indeed a government facility, but I think more defense than judicial or prison based. Google maps lists it as General Headquarters.

Exactly, thanks for chiming in. In Isfahan a Chinese businessman asked the hotel how to acquire a SIM and the process seemed straightforward but he had to put down his entire hotel bill in cash to reclaim his passport, which was needed for the SIM buying process. Another reason I didn't bother.

mpkz

Shame about the line for the visa - and even worse, you could have skipped it completely! Oman and Dubai have a joint visa facility and since you flew into DXB, you could have entered Oman visa free.

As for Omani hospitality, they are super nice... if you're from a rich country or in some way "civilized" by their standards. I was taking shared taxis there and the drivers would invite me to sit up front, would give me short rides for free and so on, but would shout at people from the Indian subcontinent, make them sit on the back seat when inviting me up front etc etc.

Anyway, for the third time, great report. Looking forward to the rest.

pixitha

Nice, I wish more airlines would do this. Having to stare at a screen for 10 minutes waiting for the 1 piece of info you want to see scroll by is very annoying.....esp if you lazy and need mph instead of kph or something.

Amazing TR BTW!

Calchas

Even the latitude/longitude and aircraft reg number is there. Obviously they knew a few aircraft geeks would be interested.

rivlinm

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly regretting hiring the car when I woke up less than 6 hours after last night’s melee. With just three days to see Oman I aggressively loaded our itinerary to maximize our time and minimize sleep. Today was the latest we would sleep in and we were on our way by 08:00. Leaving Mutrah (with maps) proved to be much easier than entering (without maps). Our first destination was Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.


Fantastic freeways across Oman

Located just off the main freeway (1) connecting the airport with Muscat and Mutrah provided just the confidence booster I needed as we breezed through traffic and pulled into an empty parking lot. I later discovered we had parked in an overflow lot but that itself proved to be a blessing as traffic was very congested in the main lot when we tried to leave. Worth the extra 2 minutes of walking.

The Mosque itself was ordered in 1992 by Sultan Qaboos himself and was completed in 2001. The entire Mosque has a combined capacity of 20,000 worshipers, and the men’s prayer hall is home to the World’s second largest carpet, another Iranian masterpiece. Just beside the central musalla is a much smaller women’s prayer hall. Prepared this time, my mother didn’t need to rent any cover and put on her hijab as we entered.


Short queue to enter the Mosque


Just inside the Mosque


Beautifully manicured gardens overlooking the SE minaret


More flora


Entrance to the women’s prayer hall


Women’s prayer hall


Woodwork


Covered walkway surrounding main courtyard


Primary 90m minaret from center of complex


Entrance to main prayer hall


50m main dome

When you enter the main prayer hall you are guided down the center of the hall where everyone demands a photo in front of the qibla before walking back down the left side along the wall to exit. We did our own tour guiding, but there were ample tour groups we were able to leach on to and pick up bits and pieces along the way.


The main attraction


Walking the blue carpet


Qibla; designed by Iranians


Chandelier


Underneath the chandelier


Up close


Looking back from the Qibla


Individual chapters of the Quran


Natural light entering the prayer hall


Complete dome

Back outside we walked the perimeter enjoying the beauty and solitude as very few visitors ventured this far. Not to mention the refreshing chill of the marble on our feet.


Walking around the complex


Exterior of the prayer hall


Abultion


Backside of the complex


Covered walkway

On our walk back out, after about 90 minutes of sightseeing, the mosque was noticeably busier. Many were less respectful in their dress and behavior than expected. The entry and exit were through the same small alcove and it was overly congested.


Bath time


Latecomers entering the complex


Mass chaos

With no trouble at all we were back on the freeway and headed to Nakhal to see one of the nearest open forts to Muscat. It wasn’t long however before a traffic circle labeled on the map didn’t exist any longer and took us off course. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue but I found it near impossible to pull a U-turn with ease anywhere in Oman. This faux pas set us back maybe 30 minutes and gave us a nice tour of some small villages just beyond Barka.


School bus or prison transfer?


I may as well have used Apple maps

Eventually we found our way to Nakhal and the fort was impossible to miss and offered plenty of parking. Entry was 1 OMR (~$2.65 USD) for both of us.


Nakhal Fort

The fort dates back to the Pre-Islamic era but has undergone many renovations and additions since it was first built surrounding an exposed rock surface. Currently it is home to a rather scant museum. It was oft used as protection for trade routes crossing the region on the way to Nizwa. The majority of the visitors today had come via a coach from their cruise ship.


Inside the fort looking southwest


One of the towers


Omani flag


Overlooking the fertile city of Nakhal


Date palm trees


Built on a rock


Climbing to the top

Since we skipped breakfast we were getting really hungry at this point. The options near the fort were not plentiful, nor inticing, but we settled on a Middle East style fast food joint. At least our first 5 choices from the menu were not available so we settled on a chicken club with about 12 fries. Fortunately both of our meals were no more than 2 OMR and we were on our way back to Mutrah to continue with a walking tour around the corniche. But as you guessed, not before two or three missed turns/roundabouts. Yet we somehow remained on schedule.


Tasty Tea


Chicken club


A roundabout that actually exists!

Rather than continue to add to the madness of driving, when we had a hotel so close to the corniche and Al Alam Palace, we decided to see Mutrah by foot along the way. About half way, a taxi honked and we figured we could save some time by riding the remaining ~5km, but it ended up costing 3 OMR (~$8 USD).


Sitting on the streets of Mutrah


The one-way street I wanted to disobey so badly the night before


Overlooking Fort Mirani (foreground) and Fort Jalali (background) from the edge of Mutrah


Omani taxi driver

Our driver dropped us off right in front of Al Alam Palace which is sandwiched between Fort Mirani to the east and Fort Jalali to the west. Neither fort is open to the public (Omani museum for dignitary visits) but they certainly contribute to the general beauty of the palace with the Gulf of Oman in the background. The two forts were built in the 16th century by the Portuguese but were overtaken multiple times by the Ottomans, Persians and finally the Omanis. Fort Jalali was used as a prison as recently as 1970 but has since been restored.


Fort Mirani


Fort Jalali

Al Alam Palace remains a mostly ceremonial palace to welcome distinguished visitors to the Sultanate and is also closed to the public. The surrounding grounds are open and welcoming to those wishing to see the palace up close. My mother even struck up a conversation with one of the guards to inquire about the health of Sultan Qaboos. With his health in decline he spent the better part of last year in Germany receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment, but just yesterday returned to Oman and walked under his own power. The palace itself is rather unique in its 200 year old design and certainly contrasts anything else in the country.


Open grounds approaching Al Alam Palace


Al Alam Palace just outside the front gate


Palace gate


Palace complex and garden

Not being able to further explore any of the three historical sites we found a taxi willing to take us back toward the cornice where we could see the Sultan Qaboos Port and the souq, which would be like no other souq I have ever experienced.


Road approaching the corniche

The corniche is maybe 1km long and didn’t smell all that pleasant. The far east 1/5 was blocked off for construction but that didn’t detract too much from the unique view of the pristine white buildings sharply contrasting the red rock which extend to the blue sky above.


Muscat corniche


Looking east


Sultan Qaboos Port


Looking west

It wasn’t quite dinner time, but we had only eaten a measly chicken sandwich in Nakhal so we stoped for a small snack while soaking in the atmosphere of the corniche. A mango smoothie and tabbouleh did the trick. It even came along with the local cats who crept in waiting for their chance to eat.


Pre-dinner dinner


Tabbouleh


Mango smoothie


Dinner for the cats


Locals coming to dine; must be good

Up until this point my mom had resisted the urge to shop but I figured taking her to the Mutrah Souq would be the end of that. Boy was I wrong. I’ve never seen her avoid shopping like this before. As a child if I knew how effective frankincense was, I could have avoided many painstaking trips to the mall. They mostly sought to sell to women and certainly were pushier than any bazar in Iran, but wouldn’t follow you for 15 minutes like Egypt. If you were not interested you just kept walking.


Mutra Souq


Inside the souq


Primary spokes of the souq


Salesmen


Frankincense


Worse than the perfume section of a Macy’s


John Cena is a world wide legend


20,000 Leagues Under the Sea costume

The souq traversed about half of our route from the cornice back to our hotel, so when we finally escaped the stench, we just walked the short distance back to our hotel to clean up for dinner.


Selling outside the souq


Traffic stop


Playing ball against the wall


The streets of Mutrah


Sultan Qaboos is a popular dude

Refreshed after a busy day out and about across greater Muscat, and knowing there were not many restaurants in Mutrah, we just crossed the street to a small diner which mostly specialized in preparing to-go orders as drivers slowed down just enough to grab their dinner and hand over money. We were treated like kings as they rushed over to clean one of the two tables on the side of the street. Wanting my mom to experience some more Middle Eastern cuisine I ordered a mixed grill, shawarma and water. Apparently on special today was free hummus, salad and chicken soup. Total bill: less than 3 OMR (~$7 USD). Stuffed and exhausted I loaded up tomorrow’s maps for the drive toward Sur and went straight to bed.


Mixed grill


Shawarma for 6


Today’s freebies: 1


Today's freebies: 2

DL17

Love the new pix. Thank you

AMRivlin

A very enjoyable read. Thanks.

JohnSydney2000

Have enjoyed your whole report immensely!
Thank you so kindly for presenting so beautifully your travel experiences. John.