A whole new area of the world was awaiting me. And with it, a W-H-O-L-E lot of preconceived notions that were pretty much blown away.
First, it's beautiful.
Second, it's mountainous. I was expecting desert sands. Mounds of sand. Not mountains.
This is the harbor landmark- a giant re-creation of an incense burner. Oman is the go-to place for high-quality frankincense.
Third, it is clean. Really clean. Eat-off-the-street clean. And after India- what a change.
Fourth, it was my first introduction to "Middle East Money". There's wealth, and then there's Middle East Wealth. Here below are three of the Sultan of Oman's boats...
So, what did I do? Well, the best way to discover people and places is in markets--so I headed to the Souq. Yes, it was more touristy than going to the inland markets, but I loved it..going down the rabbit hole, so to speak, exploring all the side aisles and basically wandering to get lost.
The green piles are not spices, but henna- to be used for everything from hair treatments to mehndi temporary tattooing.
"Artificial Jewelry"??? I learned that meant gold-look costume jewelry that was not made of gold.
As opposed to the real stuff, found in the gold section of the souq. Serious wealth means serious gold jewelry- which many Middle Eastern women buy as monetary investments in case of divorce and others such life events. Bangles are sold by the gram, not by the piece.
I never fail, it seems, to find a cook shop. Look at the sizes of these pots!
Yes, Middle Eastern Islamic women wear abaya- the black cloak worn over the clothes when in public. But that doesn't mean the cloak can't be festooned with yards and yards of trim.
I found shawls, scarves, beads, incense--almost too much for the senses in one visit.
Guess it was no surprise I went back twice......
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