Winter Break

Over Christmas, Opa and Bebe Bagnato visited Oman for 2 weeks. They had also visited in September, but this time we were able to tour around the country and enjoy the cool air.

Our first stop was at a town called Nizwa which is about 180 km from Muscat. The drive there is very easy and also beautiful. The mountains in Oman are called Haajars. There are the Eastern Haajars and Western Haajars. On the drive to Nizwa, you go through a gap that naturally split the two ranges. The towns along this road have an ancient history in trade as they were stationed along the only way from the desert to the coast.

Although we stationed ourselves in Nizwa, we took several trips to the outlying areas. Our first was to a town called Wadi Tanuf. Around here there is a popular bottled water called Tanuf Water and I guess they bottle it in Tanuf. However, the area we drove to was up a wadi (dried stream bed) and to a small village. It is always interesting to visit these areas as the people in the villages represent a more traditional way of living. In this village, they had fantastic gardens, and a wonderful al falaj system (traditional irrigation system). Past the town was even some swimming holes, but day light was short so we just chatted with some of the children and took in the beautiful surroundings.


The next morning we drove up to the tallest mountain in Oman. Jebel Shams is about 10,000 ft high and the weather conditions can change quickly. In fact it is not uncommon to get a little snow during the winter. We drove to an area on the mountain called “the Grand Canyon of Oman”. We hiked along the rim of a canyon and to an abandoned village. The hike is relatively easy and Taj was a trooper in the backpack. He had to be, as the drop off the side of the trail was up to one kilometer down.
The amazing thing about this canyon is that no one knows exactly how it is formed. One hypothesis that I find interesting is that the entire area was a massive cave system that collapsed and then eroded.
You can’t visit Nizwa without touring the Friday morning souk. The market is divided into parts (vegetable, crafts, fish, etc.). However, the area we enjoyed the most was the goat souk. In the goat souk, the sellers (of goats, sheep, and even calves) parade their animals around a 50 meter circle. The parade lacks any order and the handlers usually half carry/drag their livestock. Along the outside and inside of the circle are the buyers. They throw a pebble at the animal they want to inspect and somehow the seller knows at which angle the projectile came as they quickly find the would be buyer and start examinations and negotiations. Ellen usually parks herself behind some Bedouin woman as she thinks they are the most flamboyant and ruthless negotiators.


It took a while to get everyone out of the souk to do some last minute Christmas shopping (no nobody received a goat from Santa). Before heading home we toured the Nizwa fort which is well maintained and gives a feel for when Nizwa was the capital of Oman.

Christmas was spent at our apartment in Muscat. We even bought a genuine plastic pine for $60 USD! As always, we had a ton of presents and almost became tired of all the opening. In fact, Taj did become overwhelmed, so we took a quick trip to the beach and Starbucks. As I floated in the warm ocean gazing up at the clear blue sky I could not help but ponder all the changes we have gone through. I never thought in a million years I would be floating in the Arabian Sea with a stomach full of latte, Ellen pregnant with our second child, and Taj running around naked on the beach.

Where We Live

Oman is a country that is about the size of the state of New Mexico (120,000 square miles). However, except for the some of the montane areas, all of Oman is considered a desert (less than 25 cm of rain per year). There are about 2 million people in the country and a third of those live in and around the capital, Muscat.

Actually, the city of Muscat is quite small. It has a long and colorful history because it is located in an inlet that, while comanding great views of the Arabian Sea, was easily protected due the mountains along three of its sides. The mountains have also controlled the development of today and the capital has a quaint and laid back feeling to it.

The Portugese controlled Muscat from the 1500's to around 1650. They installed two forts along the sides of the inlet leading to Muscat that made it virtually impossible for them to be defeated from a sea attack. The cliffs around the fort have graffiti written all over them by ships that have visited Oman's capital (see picture above).

Besides the forts, the main area of interest in Muscat proper is the Sultan's Palace. I always thought that a Sultan would live in an amazingly grandious place with gold and servants everywhere. However, this residence is quite modest and matches the non-intrusive feel of Muscat. I read somewhere that the palace looks like it has golf tees for walls, and I guess it sort of does. As far as I know the inside of the palace is off limits, but you can get pretty close without going through check points. I generally feel comfortable and safe in this country and being able to walk over to the ruler of the country's house and take a picture is no big deal.

His Majesty (HM) Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has been in power since 1970 when he staged a non-violent coup d'etat against his father. He inherited a country with no schools, one hospital, and virtually no infrastructure. Today, Omani's have state-wide free health care, education, and an amazing road infrastructure. However, most exports are shipped via the ocean and that brings us to another main part of Metropolitan Muscat, Mutrah.

Mutrah is the old and current deep water port of "Muscat". There is a wonderful corniche to walk along and look at all the boats to the east and old shops to the west. The Mutrah Souq (market) has recently been renovated, but I think it still holds its authentic charm. There are still Kawa (coffee) sellers clinging glasses together and there are housejold items for sale along with the tourist items. Taj, Ellen, and I have visited the souk many times and there is always something new to discover. In fact, Ellen is even recognized as a"regular" by several shop keepers. Mutrah is about 4 km from "old Muscat" and 15 km from where we live.

We live in an area called Bausher. The town of Bausher (10 minute drive) has a lot of history to it. Once I hiked out of the town to another village called Ghala. I followed an old road that 150 years ago probably had camel caravans trodding on the same rocks that I did that day. A collegue of mine also found bronze age tombs right behind where our house is. Five years ago, there were no buildings in the whole area, but there is a lot of construction now. It it is a 3 minute walk to our school (The American International School of Muscat). Also, the Grand Mosque, which is the largest mosque in the Arabian Penninsula (except for Mecca), is located about 1 km away. if you drive up a small ridge, you can easily see the mosque. I have not visited the Grand Mosque yet, but Ellen has and many people do. I understand that it is quite magnificant inside. It holds the largest persian rug in the world and has many other statistical amazements within its walls. Actually, it is my understanding that the minerets had to be lowered as to not be larger than the ones in Mecca. It is very interesting to live in an Islamic country. Society is shaped by the religion and the Sultan is very closely connected with his Ibadhi faith. Ibadhism is a sect of Islam (much like Shia and Sunni) and the majority of the people practice it. My limited knowledge of this subject makes me hesitant to expand, but I believe Oman is the only country where the majority of the people practice Ibadism. This sect of Islam is very open to other beliefs because that is how they read the Koran. It was explained to me by an Omani this way. "I (as a practicing ibadhi) can prey with Sunnis or Shias, but they can't go to my Mosque."

Overall, the area that we live has a little bit of everything. Old Muscat and Mutrah have not changed a whole lot, but there are also shopping malls and western restaurants (Mc Donald's, Baskin Robbins, Chilli's and Starbucks) closer to where we live. For dinner we can go out for Mexican, Chinese, Italian, or Indian. I can also get a couple of shwarmas (an arabian gyro) for under a dollar at the local coffee house. The only bummer is that you need a car if you live in Muscat. I never liked that in the states and don't love it here either.