Muscat Mutterings

Muscat had a long weekend last week - Thursday to Saturday (instead of Friday - Saturday). However did manage to have a couple of hours of discussion with a company run by fellow mana vaadus (from Andhra). It was an interesting company where they had everybody "imported" from Andhra -  from car driver, chef to of course the big boss as well. They waited on us so well the last few days we were there. It felt soooo much like home.

Thursday night was a sea food night at the Crowne. Lobsters,  king prawns, fishes grilled to perfection and to your taste. I found a tamilian guy behind a grill. Asked him "nalla urappa pottu kodunga nna" (spice it up pls!!). He was mighty thrilled. He brought a huge bowl of chilli, marinated my selections and grilled them just the way it should be. :-) 

My job got over sooner than expected, but it was too expensive to return a day earlier so stayed on as per my original plan. Friday was quite uneventful. Saturday was quite hectic with an early morning beach combing for sea shells. Came out with a pretty good collection after about 15-20 minutes. Later in the morning ventured out to see the famous Muthra Souk. I guess one of the most touristy spots in Muscat city. It was an interesting scene. There was one main pathway in the "mall" where only gift and souvenir shops existed and the clientele was predominantly tourists from all over the globe. Every few 100 meters there were side gullies where all the local shops where the locals shopped. Anything from dresses to groceries to jewellery. It was an all in one mall.

After shopping I was roaming around taking a few photos which should've attracted a taxi driver. Asked him to take me to an Omani restaurant. Sensing my touristy curiosity he offered to take me on a "scenic route" which only the tourists took for 1 Riyal extra. Eventually landed in the restaurant after a quick tour around the place and government offices. The so called Omani restaurant was run by a fellow Mallu sahib who as been there for 40+ years. 80% of the dishes were what I could get in any multicuisine restaurant in Bangalore. Managed to identify one Omani dish - Chicken Maqboos. It was a good cross between a chicken briyani and fried rice. Took a "parcel" of chicken fry to my colleagues back in the hotel.

Muscat has a huge infiltration of Indians and Filipinos performing a variety of jobs.Filipinos (their "Sir" is such a give away) were mostly in the food and beverage or retail outlets. Indians of course did anything and everything. Their currency is interesting. The primary unit of measure being Riyal (OMR), it is divided into 1000 baisa. There are currency notes upto 100 baisas below which it goes to coins. 1 riyal was close to 3 Aussie $s. However the cost of living seemed quite cheap compared to Oz even after a $ conversion.                    

The return journey was quite eventful as well. Managed to get upgraded to business class using frequent flyer miles from Dubai to Sydney - a 14 hour journey. What can I say....everything was special on that side of the aircraft. Including the toilet which was decorated with a live orchid. Having a built in massage seat does relax a few muscles. ;-) The best part was the incline and leg support. Had to fiddle with the controls initially until I got used to what I can do. I could only remember my first "remembered" flight from Chennai to Singapore (89??)  Now I wonder....if business was so...what will first class be??? Maybe one day.... :-)

So long.... bye for now.

Photos available here.

C

Marhaba (Hello) from Muscat

Hello,

Wishing you all a Very Happy Diwali!! (Belated of course....)

Note: This post has a few links embedded and better to be read on the web than email.

The past few weeks have been quite interesting and eventful, so thought of writing a few lines before it becomes a blur in memory.

It all started with one of my Bangladeshi colleagues coming up to me asking for translation of an Hindi song from Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Everybody assumes every Indian should (or must??) know Hindi. Somehow managed with giving him direct translations of few words that I could Google. Guess he was contented with that since he didn't come back. Of course it could be that he figured out my Hindi competency and took pity on me. :-)

The week ended with a very interesting function in Melbourne which was co-sponsored by one of my clients. It was something to do with Melbourne Cup - the race that stops the nation. I actually got to touch and lift the cup and even have some photos taken with it.

Now am in Muscat for a week on an assignment. The journey started with some excitement in the flight. Apparently one of the engines (out of the 4) of the A380 burst. We did not feel much inside maybe for a small jerk which one could expect for a mild turbulence. After 2 hours of flying the flight was grounded back to Sydney. The situation inside the aircraft was very well controlled without creating any panic. In fact I finished watching a movie (Vazhakku En 18/9) without knowing the actual impact of what happened. Apparently that has made some news as well. Landed back in Sydney at around 1.30 AM. Was accomodated in a nearby IBIS hotel. That night was dreadful trying to rebook myself on the next available flight to Muscat. Had to call the help desk every 15-20 minutes to check on status. Finally got myself booked on the 6 AM flight at 4.30 AM. Rushed back to the airport and made it to the gate 10 minutes before boarding. Must appreciate the customer support at Emirates for getting me a seat at such short notice.

Reached Muscat with a short stop over in Dubai. Muscat is surrounded by mountains on one side and the coast on the other. All buildings are either white or a shade of brown in colour. The temperature seems very much like Chennai with a tad lower on humidity. Had been to a "hypermarket" very similar to Total mall in Bangalore. Could see a lot of us around speaking tamil and malayalam. The cost of products seems quite economical compared to Australia. I could see a lot of Indian products in the market from VIP suit cases to Van Heusen shirts manufactured in Bangalore. The key mode of public transport seems to be taxis. The rate had to be negotiated before you get in as no cab has any meter. Fortunately the charges seemed to be quite reasonable for the distance covered.  

I was invited to a "manager's reception" at the Crowne Plaza the day before (where I am eventually staying now) by my fellow colleagues. Later in the evening went to a Turkish sea food restaurant. It was a wonderful feast with lobsters, king prawns and a huge fish which almost looked and tasted like chicken. Muscat (and probably the other middle eastern countries) have an interesting way of beginning the new year. It is not a fixed date every year. It was decided about 2 days ago that this would be a long weekend - from Thursday - Saturday (normally it is only Friday & Saturday).

Had an opportunity to watch an international football (soccer) match between Oman and Japan. It was the FIFA qualifying match for the 2013 world cup. It was quite a close match till the end with each team having a goal on their side. The energy was awesome as soon as Oman scored their first goal. It continued until the last few minutes when Japan had their 2nd goal and the crowd started to leave the stadium.

So long folks. More to follow after my remaining stay in Muscat.

C