The Bite Magazine - Spring 2019 - Issue 24

bite travel mosques and palaces to upscale shopping centres and white sandy beaches. It has a traditional souq in its old town Mutrah selling a variety of Omani and Indian artefacts, textiles and frankincense which when used for burning as incense gives a distinctive fragrance believed to alleviate anxiety and depres- sion. Next to the souq, is the Mutrah fish market which is a must-see to totally appreciate the tradition and culture of this historic seaside town. Muscat is filled with luxurious western hotel chains occupying by the shore but those who are not bothered to spend a holiday lying on the beach, can find good quality hotels with rooftop swimming pools for a fraction of the price. Although Oman is blessed with oil money, it has man- aged to keep the country unspoilt thus far and none of the glitz and glamour or the swanky skyscrapers of the neighbouring Dubai exist there. The city was impossible to discover on foot so we took a taxi everywhere and planned our days carefully to ensure we saw all the key sites. My absolute favourite attraction was the mag- nificent Sultan Gaboos Grand Mosque which strikes with its colossal beauty, architectural perfection and exquisite consider- ation to the smallest detail. Women should remember to wear an outfit that covers legs and arms as well as a light scarf to put over hair to respect the local custom. I could have spent hours photographing the splendour of the site but the heat of the morning sun reflecting on the white stones eventually got too hot and we continued our journey and visited another architec- turally significant site, the Royal Opera House, Oman’s premier venue for musical art performances. Omani people are friendly and hospitable. In contrast to the opportunist taxi drivers of the airport terminal, we experienced genuine generosity and warmth from many locals. We got talking to people in the streets and were offered cups of coffee and fresh dates in return for listening to them talking enthu- siastically about Omani traditions and custom. Their coffee is different from your typical Americano; it often has flavours of cardamom and rose water, and is served in tiny cups which are continuously refilled until you shake your cup briskly, indicat- ing that you have had enough. After discovering the splendour of the city of Muscat, we hopped into our rental car and set out to drive a couple hours inland to the town of Nizwa, which is an ancient city built around a giant fort. The drive was smooth and comfortable