Lots of flyovers with one or two lanes going off right to a roundabout underneath, where there was so much traffic coming around I had to take risks to get across, I didn't enjoy it at all. To make things worse I have to go back for 50k along the same road to the airport this evening, what joy. Muscat the capital is a funny little place though and a far cry from the main road coming in. It is nestled between little mountains and is very small and really just an administrative centre, but it is immaculate, not a blade of grass out of place (photo). Stangely for a capital there are no shops or hotels, in fact it is only about 500m across, blink and you have missed it. So to stop the night I returned to Muttyah which has food and things along a nice harbour front (photo). Also I am not the only tourist here, that came as a surprise. There are lots, mainly Germans, but I hear some speaking English. I met a German motorcyclist, Christopher, and he recommended a hotel as he had been here 10 days ago. We went out together to eat in the evening and he took me to a restuarant which he said was very good. The only good things about it were the seats outside and the fresh juices, the rest of the menu was fast food rubbish and it was full or tourists. Consequently I spent over twice as much as the previous night and ate less.
This morning I have had a lie in and breakfast with Christopher at the hotel overlooking the harbour. I have had a wander around town and the souk, but it is very much aimed at the tourist so feels a bit plastic. So tonight I head for the airport and tomorrow I will be cycling in India. It seems odd to take a flight and to still be cycling at the other end, normally the holiday would be over and I would be heading home, not that this is a holiday of course. I have had emails from Judith and Andre and I think we will meet up again in Ajmer in about a week, so long as I miss out Jodphur, where they head for tomorrow. It's a shame as I wanted to go there. When I get to India I will have no guide book or map. I have a photo on my camera of a map, so if the batteries run out, so does the map.That's about it really, not much to report, but I thought I would take the opportunity to get the photos up to date. There are very few of UAE as my camera was in for repair most of the time.
4 comments:
Good to see the photos of UAE and Oman - it looks very nice. I'm not surprised about the tourists in Oman, I know people who have been there and some other friends who are planning to go there next year.
You still haven't said why no dhow and I'm intrigued to know why you chose flight over boat.
I've been watching Long Way Down - Ewan McGregor and some other chappie motorbiking through Africa - they met the guy who has been travelling for 13 years and two other German cyclists who have been travelling for 7 years! They passed through Ethiopia and it was just like your experiences - everytime they stopped they were surrounded by children etal, all very friendly and amicable. No stone throwing though: you must have been more scary!!!!! :-)
Chose flight over boat as there were no boats. Asked in Dubai but they wouldnt take passengers and there were no boats to speak of in Muscat.
Hi John - sorry about prolonged lack of comment - just been delighted to find that my computer had stopped doing automatic updates, rather than you having stopped Posting!
Congrats, again, on Travelling so magnificently, and going on writing too! (I've just "impressed" myself by riding to a Tongwynlais event... seemed like a far country hahaha!)
I wonder if this comment will get through courtesy of gmail (aka goodlemail)which I didn't need telling of course. Sorry you're missing Jodhpur,will it be full of girls on horseback? Pleased to hear your friends will be waiting for you, are they going all the way to Australia too?
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