Oman will have that effect on you too. Blessed with the most gorgeous rolling mountains all lined up neatly along the coast to some of the most beautiful waters I’ve laid eyes on. This was God’s Monet.
When I found out I was being assigned to travel to Muscat, Oman, I must admit, I only knew it was somewhere in the Middle East. I didn’t even know that infamous Dubai was the neighbouring Emirate. A quick Google search later and I was mighty impressed with this over 80,000sq miles desert paradise. The Omani dollar was the strongest currency I have encountered thus far with an exchange rate of 8:1 to my Malaysian Ringgit. Thank god this trip was being fully paid for.
Having been to the Middle East before, I assumed Oman would be similar. It was not. You can feel the overwhelming sense of affluence the minute you arrive at the airport. The streets were immaculate, with manicured roadside hedges featuring a myriad of spring’s finest colours, the buildings sported fresh gleaming coats of weather shield paints and the shopping malls resembled marvels from a futuristic architecture digest.
Our guide was quick to mention that Oman was home to the largest Swarovski chandelier in the world (located at the Grand Mosque), a magnificent six star hotel (Al Husn) and an all year round buffet of sporting activities, extreme rock climbing, camel back racing and scuba diving included.
That seemed impressive and all but the true natural beauty of Oman is what will ultimately leave you breathless. The scenic drive through the dessert to Nizwa provided some of the best postcard perfect views of Oman, and even despite the countless mountains framing the highway, no two mountains ever did look the same to me.
Omani people were warm and welcoming, constantly trying to guess where foreigners had come from. They seemed genuinely interested in where I was from and the sort of life I led in Malaysia. They were also completely baffled by the fact that I looked Indian but funnily enough hailed from Malaysia.
After visiting some of the tourist attractions and souks, we headed for the ocean. Our tour guide insisted on dolphin watching and chartered a fancy speed boat for the afternoon. After twenty minutes of salt water spray and the treacherous heat of the Middle East beating down on us, we finally caught up to a pod of wild dolphins. There must have been at least a hundred of these mammals surrounding our stationary boat. I sat at the bow of the boat, legs hung overboard and took a minute or ten to savour the moment. Nothing has ever felt as good as being surrounded by the ocean for me. The blue has a calming effect on me, allowing total relaxation, the kind I always expect from a massage but never get.
Without the care of burnt skin, I remained my spot at the bow as we sped away from the moving pod of dolphins. Our guide took us to a little cove that was a popular spot for swimming. The water radically changed from navy to a perfect combination of blue and green. Nothing had looked so inviting, especially after soaking up all that sun, and before anyone could put forward an invitation, I was in the water, blissfully content.
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