Oman

The first thing I noticed about Muscat was there were no glassy, glitzy skyscrapers, just lots of traditional flat-roofed houses. This was a change from cities in the UAE where each sheikh or emir is competing blatantly for the tallest, fastest or longest in just about everything. We had five luxurious nights in the Shangri la, a resort about 15 miles out of Muscat; it has its own beach and is surrounded by a wall of mountains. It was exquisite.

We took a trip out on a boat so that we could use our new flippers (fins) and snorkels, and we were instantly in a free-for-all real live aquarium, with yellow and black, blue and yellow, silver and blue varieties of fish that had no fear of us, and swam right up to our goggles. But the highlight for us was swimming with turtles.  I couldn’t believe how tame they were, and as I was focussing on a large one down on the rocks, I was trying to tread water with my mighty yellow fins, and suddenly a medium sized turtle swam passed me, I got such a fright!

I remember years ago there was an advert for Rolex, and you saw a girl diving in the Mediterranean then later dancing the night away, and the camera focussed on her ‘Rolex Ladies’ Sports’ – elegant just about anywhere. Well I don’t have a Rolex but I do have a Seiko Ladies’ Sports, and it does just the same thing. I checked for the time whilst in a cloud of fishes that looked like autumn leaves, and then later as I ate a plate of grilled sea food, the same watch looked just as elegant by candle light!

We visited the souk, a quirky lovely place, full of colour and beads and baubles, and the inevitable pashmina: ‘You buy from me, best price. I have llama pashmina, you try?’

I loved the dome on the ceiling; it was a work of art.

I was charmed by two gentlemen of the souk, who were taking a rest, and allowed me to be photographed with them. John called us the Three Muscateers!

Muscat is like a ribbon city, there doesn’t seem to be a central heart, as the various districts are divided by the mountains, and stretch along the coast line. The whole place is like a biblical picture, with the mountains like a Hollywood cardboard cut-out. They are so pointy and like sand-coloured Alps. I was reciting ‘I lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help’ as we zoomed through the passes, and I thought of the Good Samaritan, and how he got clobbered by the bandits. It was very evocative.

After a few days of snorkelling with turtles and drinking margueritas, we decided to take a tour and see some forts. Our guide was Assad (but no relation to the crazy man in Syria, he assured us) and off we went to see the ancient relics where the sultan took rest as he inspected his kingdom in years gone by.

I loved the way they have made all the rooms habitable, and you really got the feel of people having lived there. Our guide decided to demonstrate how to take a rest on the ‘royal bed’. I felt like sending the picture to his boss!

We sat by the hot springs with our feet in the water that flows out of the mountain, and watched the ‘doctor fish’ nibbling our toes. It was so tickly, and I just loved the feeling.

Assad told us so much about the present Sultan Qaboos, who is now 72, and he hopes he will live another 72 years. He is like the father of the people, and is much loved.

A very hands-on ruler, he just builds what he needs, no more. There are beautiful buildings for ministries, hospitals, palaces and an opera house, but he does not see the point of building 64 floor high buildings that we see here in Doha. He also has been known to wear the white dress of the taxi driver (only Omanis can be drivers) and he covered his face with his turban and drove around for a day. When he came back he fired 12 of his government ministers! He also jailed his cousin for driving his Lamborghini at 180 and being drunk at the same time. Equality for all… again, not what would happen here in Doha. His one most amazing luxury was his yacht. When we drove down to the port opposite the souk, I commented to Assad that there were two passenger ships in town. ‘No no no! that is the Sultan’s yacht, and behind it is the other yacht that carries the cars and helicopter!’ He even has his own orchestra on board. Apparently the sheikh of Abu Dhabi decided to build another yacht but he made his 2 metres longer than that of Sultan Qaboos! Such schoolboys.

I think Sultan Qaboos’s most impressive accomplishment is the Grand Mosque. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, well for ages anyway.

The huge doors were made in Malaysia from teak wood, the Swarovski crystal chandeliers and all the 2,211 lights are from Austria, the carpet in the woman’s prayer room was from Scotland (!) and the ceiling wood was from Burma.

The great carpet in the main room was made in Iran, by 600 women. It took them 4 years, and is made in one piece. It weighs 21 tonnes of pure silk, and it is exquisite.

The columns are Carrera marble from Italy.

The whole mosque involved thousands of skilled craftsmen from all over the world and only took 6 years to build.

I was just stunned by it all, and I think of some of our beautiful churches, that took centuries to carve and build and are now homes to auction rooms and cafes.

Anyway I had to be covered up, and Assad made me choose a colourful wrap in about 2 seconds, ‘quick quick, choose something, you like this one?’ and so I ended up looking like a piece of curtain that had got loose and was walking about! I suggested I could be Assad’s second wife, and he nearly split his sides!

We wandered through the open walkways and admired the niches, each one depicting a style of eastern mosaic. There was the Cyprus tree, which is supposedly good for dispelling grief and sorrow, there were niches showing myrrh and silver, and filigreed blue lapis lazuli and mother of pearl and Persian depictions of flowers from heaven.

We took a rest at the Islamic education room, where a lady lectured us on love and the wonders of her religion. Because I was sweating so much in my ‘curtain’ I asked her how she survived wearing all the black gear, and head scarves etc., and she then launched into how we must respect and revere our bodies, and keep them safe from the sight of men, who will only degrade them, and worse, ‘you don’t want to awaken  the beast’. Enough said. Assad said when he takes tourists to visit the lady, all that she says goes in one of his ears and out the other!

He thinks too many people go to the mosque just for exercise (all that bowing). He would rather pray from his heart.

Later lounging on the beach of the Shangri la in my itsy bitsy green bikini, I looked at all the men. They looked totally unconcerned, and not in the slightest bit interested!

We came back to Doha, and all hell was raging. The winds had been blowing up sand and dust for 4 days and still it was a nightmare to go out. Glass had been falling from buildings and when I did venture forth to go to City Centre to buy milk at Carrefour, I was really quite scared. I later washed my hair and it was full of sand. Poor poor guys who work out in the desert, for there are no nice air conditioned apartments for them to escape to, just rows of workers’ huts.

Today it looks calmer and there are no white horses on the sea, so that is a relief.

I believe the Emir of Qatar is stepping down in favour of the Heir Apparent, though there has been nothing in the papers… We await further news, and wonder how it will affect us all, if at all.

And the Sultan of Oman, I wonder what he is doing today. Is he lecturing at the mosque (being Friday) or is he masquerading as a taxi driver or is he just wandering about his grand palace or listening to Bach played by his orchestra on his yacht? So  many choices.

As for me, I am about to have some sushi and a champagne cocktail! How perfect is that!