Oh my, OMAN!

For anyone who read my posts about Bahrain, you know I love the Middle East culture when it does not involve wearing an abaya, and possibly includes hooch :-)  I have loved my weekend jaunts to Bahrain, and the shopping....OFF THE CHAIN!  My weekend trips to Bahrain provided much necessary relief from my life in Saudi and the chance to take a bath or sleep in a comfortable bed...priceless.  Not all teachers are required to leave every month, but almost all are required to leave at least once every six months, and most are required to go to Oman at least once to get a new visa.  Every single teacher who has been to Oman said that, while Bahrain was nice, WAIT until you see OMAN!  I did my research and made sure to find the best souk and I went ahead and rented a car.
Because the flight was 3 hours or so, I paid the extra to upgrade.  The flight was empty, but it was nice to spend time in the first class lounge before leaving and the meal was nice when I got on board.

 I was given a choice of hotels and I chose the one closest to the beach, as opposed to closer to town.  My hotel also had a bar IN the hotel, so I was good.  My pleas for a real tub once again got me an upgrade to a mini suite.  I am awesome at this!

WHO THE FU@K puts a scale in a bathroom at a hotel near the beach????

I was extremely glad I sprang for the rental car!  The airfare and hotel were paid for, but I actually saved money on the cost of taxis by getting a car.  The company reimbursed me the cost of the cab fare to and from the hotel so I got a small part of my money back.  My first night I arrived about 9:00 pm and after I dropped my bags, had a cocktail in the lounge at the hotel.  I was probably in bed by 11 and the bed was uber comfy....I was in heaven!  I arrived on Saturday and was not due to leave until Tuesday night.  I was contacted by the visa man at 9:30 and after I got my docs in order, I was able to head to STARBUCKS!

The view from Starbucks was amazing.  Drinking coffee by the water is the only way to relax.

The pictures do not do this country justice.  It is green, clean, and beautiful.  I am sorry I did not get any pics of the souk I went to because it was a crazy cool back alley kind of place, and yes, I got lost more then once.  I had a great time and cannot wait to go back.  Like Bahrain, they do not make me wear an abaya, but their abaya's are kinda cool.  They look like a long dress with a jacket over it and one button at the chest.  I was too tired and didn't have time to get one made or altered or I might have bought one.  I did manage to find some amazing easter eggs made in Turkey that I used for the Easter baskets the bunny left around the dorms.  I baked bread as well, 

A Day in the Desert, Part II

After my first go at having a fun day in the dessert failed, I was hesitant to try it again, but the husband of my fellow crafting teacher PROMISED me he knew a guy who provided off the chain awesome trips to the desert.  I would cost me SAR 200, a bit more then the last trip, but I was told if I was miserable, I would not be asked to pay as others were going along so they would still make money.  I again set out with no expectations, 3 bottles of water (this was going to be more of a "hiking" trip, a book to read, and my friend's stuffed animal for selfies in the desert for HER blog...LOL

We were going to a place known as "The Edge of the World".  We were met on time by the tour guide who had a very comfortable and very able 4x4.  He picked us up next a coffee cafe so I was REALLY prepared for the trip this time.  So my friend's husband had arranged this trip and it included one of their friends, whom I had already met, and two other teachers from the mens' school.  My friend was not able to go with as she was spending her day on a visa run, or rather, spending her entire day off in airports or in the air....yup, sucks to be us some times.  I have been to Oman (next post) so I now have a 5 year visa that only requires I leave the country every 6 months....yeah and boo.  Yeah, I can save money not going to Bahrain once a month, boo I don't get a free plane ticket every month...LOL

I was very impressed with the tour guide from the very beginning and he found me entertaining...go figure!  While driving to the location I saw my first live, real, in the flesh camels!  I screamed "camels!" and begged him to pull over, but he said we would see more later.  When we finally arrived, I was AWED by the sight that greeted me.

So, we had a grand adventure and I was happy, tired, dirty, and ready for a shower and a bed.  As we were exiting the site, I said the ONLY thing that would make my day PERFECT was to see some camels and take a picture of a camel.  As we rounded the bend, we spied a herd of camels heading back to their {barn?}.  CAMELS!  Not only did I get pics of camels, I was able to take a pic WITH a camel.  He/she basically ignored me and let me pet them.  PERFECT end to a PERFECT day and I was very happy I said yes to the adventure.