MA330

Before I'll finish my trip report of KSA/Syria here's another one.

While the title sounds rather dramatic it wasn't nearly as bad as you might think. Last weekend I went to the Middle East again for another adventure but this adventure ended rather early...

This trip almost didn't start in the first place - my passport still missing and Turkey closed their borders and airports to Germans.

Less than 24 hours before my departure to Muscat my passport was still at the Russian embassy in Bonn. There was no way of getting it back in time on a Friday evening so I had to make use of the ICKurier, a special service used by time:matters which is a Lufthansa service specialised in the urgent international shipping of spare parts - or in my case in shipping of passports. My visa agency is located in Brühl, roughly 450km away from Hamburg. It just took about 6 hours to ship it to the local central station.

Picking up my passport with the Russian visa for Dagestan/Makhachkala at Friday evening, 10p.m.


Once I was back home I received an email from Pegasus Airlines stating that all flights between Turkey and Germany have been cancelled. That was just 12 hours before my scheduled departure to Oman. In fear of other countries cancelling their visas and flights to Corona-infected Germany/Europe I booked a night train from Hamburg to Frankfurt airport to catch a direct flight to Muscat on Oman Air.

Departure at 2:33a.m. including two stops in the middle of the night. Scheduled arrival at Frankfurt airport would be 8:12 for my 10:05 departure.


Second train of the night. Hannover-Hanau Hbf.


Frankfurt airport was almost deserted compared to other Saturday mornings - so was my flight to Muscat. Load factor was maybe 20% so you could just choose your own row. Everyone was very relaxed and boarding was completed around 45 minutes before (!) scheduled takeoff time. Pushback to takeoff was maybe 10 minutes.


Empty taxiways


Descending into Muscat.


Picking up my Camry Hybrid a few hours early. I tried to get an Uber in the first place but there was not a single one to be found anywhere in the city. Muscat airport was even more deserted due to the international travel fear. Later that night I would learn that Oman stopped issuing visas on arrival at midnight just 5 hours after having arrived there.


I stayed at the Centara Muscat Hotel





Exploring Muscat






The Grand Mosque was closed to tourists now but I just used the regular entrance (just know some Arabic and you're friends with everyone...leave backpacks and all the touristy stuff in the trunk and you're good to go)


I found the downtown marina area to be rather boring so later that afternoon I decided to drive to Nizwa (roughly 150km away) for some sunset photos (my rental had unlimited mileage btw....).


Nizwa


View from the old fort




Enjoying some delicious chicken biryani


Returning to the Grand Mosque at night








Found this mosque on my way to the fuel station


Filling it up for the big trip tomorrow


My original plan was to drive up to the Omani exclave of Khasab to see Hormuz island from the other side of the straight but since Oman stopped issuing visas I wasn't able to leave it if I wanted to come back a day later. The updated plan was to drive 1000km through the desert to Salalah in the Southwest of Oman near the Yemeni border. It took me 9:15h including 4 stops along the way to fill up the car (not too many fuel stations along the way so wanted to play it safe).






Gas'n'go along an Emirati Land Cruiser


Desert sunset


Almost there


Although driving was very easy on highway 31 I was slightly exhausted so I treated myself to the Rotana Salalah resort. Check it out for more photos during daylight!


The first hotel room ever I didn't sleep in - including a lovely sea view!


Then after a call with family back home at 1:30a.m. I received some bad news - the EU would close its borders at midday. While I know getting home itself is always possible as a long as you're a German citizen I was a bit feared of being stuck in Oman due to the airlines cancelling its flights. Still relaxed I decided to have some drinks at the Rotana Club before I realized that maybe I should get on a flight and go home...


Within 10 minutes I packed my stuff and was in the car on the my way to the airport (please don't ask how to make it there in less than 20 minutes for a 35km drive...). Arriving there about 90 minutes before a direct flight to Dubai. I didn't manage to book a ticket online so tried it at the airport with no luck either. Already out of the parking lot and back to the hotel I thought about getting a ticket at the check-in desk so quickly returned to the terminal and lucky me got a very last-minute ticket about 45 minutes before departure (270€ for the 2h flight). Also returning my rental outside of Muscat cost a fortune - just about 360€.

Made it on the plane just in time which was almost fully booked btw. Lots of German retirees all trying to get home asap. I wanted to catch a direct Emirates flight to Hamburg leaving me with 2 hours in Dubai to transit. Fortunately I managed to grab (literally) the last economy ticket for a shocking 1000€ just before taking off from Salalah. Now it was in someone else's hands to get me back home.

10 cruise ships docked in the back


Made it to DXB


Everything went well and I was on a fully booked flight back home. (even got a lovely exit row seat)

While I wasn't feared of Corona in Oman I was a bit feared of being stuck there for weeks if flights are cancelled indefinitely. (Oman Air cancelled their direct flights to Europe that night, too.) I'm now back in Hamburg relaxing in my flat, waiting for refunds to arrive (I was planning to go to Bangladesh tomorrow and to Dagestan next week).






Stay safe!!

DanielW

Yikes! Germany is one of the worst infected countries at the moment, so didn't you feel even a little guilty for traveling? Even if you were asymptomatic?

You'll have to return to Khasab when things return to normal anyway, definitely the 'Norway' of the Middle East.

tom tulpe

The death rates suggest that it is simply testing a lot.

offerendum

That's correct, we test a lot. Nevertheless I wouldn't travel at the moment, I really regret my travel last week.