DAY 93 - MUSCAT, OMAN - APRIL 30, 2010

ALTHOUGH WE WERE TO DOCK AT 8:00 THE PORT PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO BOARD THE SHIP AS WE CAME CLOSE TO THE BAY AND THE DOCKING WAS DELAYED ALMOST FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. HUNDREDS OF PASSENGERS GOING ON TOURS WAITED IN THE LOUNGE FOR THE CLEARANCE TO GO ASHORE. THERE WERE SIX BUS LOADS ON OUR TOUR OF THE GRAND MOSQUE, MUSEUM, PALACE AND MARKET. WE WERE TIGHT ON TIME AS TODAY WAS FRIDAY AND THE SHOPS CLOSED AT NOON. FRIDAY’S ARE EQUIVALENT TO OUR SUNDAY AND THEY TAKE IT SERIOUS.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN CALLED FOR A TOUR OF THE MOSQUE BUT NOBODY IS PERMITTED IN THE MOSQUE ON FRIDAY. THEREFORE, WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO GET PICTURES BY WALKING AROUND THE GROUNDS. WE WERE LIMITED TO TWENTY MINUTES.

GEORGIA HAD ASK OUR GUIDE IF TOILETS WERE AVAILABLE AND HE INDICATED WHERE SHE WOULD FIND THEM. SHE WALKED THE LONG PATH TOWARD THE STEPS LEADING INTO THE MOSQUE. ON ONE SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE WAS THE “GENTS” TOILETS SO SHE WALKED TO THE OTHER SIDE...ONLY TO FIND ANOTHER “GENTS” TOILETS. AS A GENTLEMEN EXITED THE TOILETS SHE ASKED WHERE THE “LADIES” TOILETS WERE LOCATED, HE REPLIED “THERE ARE NONE.”

LATER IN THE DAY GEORGIA APPROACHED THE GUIDE AND MENTIONED TO HIM, IN AN INFORMATIVE WAY, THAT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE THERE ARE NO TOILETS FOR THE “LADIES”, ONLY THE “GENTS.” THE GUIDE IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED, “OF COURSE,” AND HE WALKED AWAY.

WE LEARNED FROM A VISITS TO OTHER MOSQUES THAT LOOKING AT THE TOP OF THE DOME ONE CAN TELL IF WOMEN ARE WELCOME TO WORSHIP. MEN AND WOMEN HAVE SEPARATE SECTIONS DEVOTED TO WORSHIP. IF WOMEN ARE WELCOME, THE DOME HAS A STAR INSIDE AN OPEN CIRCLE, WHICH REPRESENTS THE MOON. THIS DOME UNFORTUNATELY DIDN’T EVEN INDICATE THE NORMAL HALF MOON CRESCENT FOR MEN LET ALONE ANY INDICATION FOR WOMEN, BUT THE GUIDE KNEW, IT WAS A MEN ONLY MOSQUE.

HE MUST HAVE EXPRESSED HIS ARROGANT ATTITUDE TOWARD SEVERAL OF THE PASSENGERS, AS HE DID TOWARD GEORGIA, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T GIVE HIM ANY MONEY AS THEY EXITED THE BUS AFTER THE TOUR. HE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT HE PUT ONE OVER ON THE “WESTERN” WOMEN, BUT HE PAID FOR IT IN THE END...NO TIP.

THE MOSQUE SEATS 20,000 PEOPLE, MEN, AND IS THE FIRST WE HAVE SEEN WITH FIVE MINARETS. THERE WAS ONE IN EACH CORNER AND ONE LARGE, TALLER MINARET IN THE CENTER FRONT. OUR GUIDE CLAIMED EACH OF THE MINARETS DESIGNATED SOMETHING IN THE MUSLIM RELIGION. HE RATTLED OFF THE MEANINGS BUT I ONLY CAUGHT THREE OF THEM. THEY ARE, THE CALL TO PRAY, TRIP TO MECCA, AND THE CELEBRATION OF RAMADAN.

ADDITIONALLY, MUSCAT IS THE FIRST PLACE WE HAVE SEEN BLUE DOMES ON MOSQUES. THE BLUE ARE SHIA MOSQUES AND THE GOLD ARE SUNNI. THUS ENDS THE LESSON ON ISLAM.

THE TOUR WAS ALTERED SO WE COULD HAVE THE ADDED ENJOYMENT OF GOING TO THE MARKET, KNOWN AS THE SOUQ (SEWK). IT IS TRULY A FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT, SHOP AFTER SHOP, JEWELRY, INCENSE, TEXTILE, AND SHOES TO NAME A FEW. NARROW WALKWAYS HARDLY WIDE ENOUGH FOR ONE PERSON WAS PACKED LIKE A SARDINE CAN AT TIMES. THE MEN WERE DRESSED IN LONG WHITE ROBES AND THE WOMEN IN BLACK, SOME WITH FACES COVERED OTHERS NOT. ALL TRYING TO COMPLETE THEIR SHOPPING BEFORE THE NOON CLOSING.

UNFORTUNATELY, STOPPING TO LOOK AT ANYTHING CAUSES AN ENDLESS HASSLE TO MAKE A SALE, OF ANYTHING, BY THE SHOP OWNER. ON THE OTHER HAND YOU TRY TO FIND AN OPENING TO EXIT FROM THE SITUATION AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

SIXTY MINUTES LATER WE EXITED THE MASS OF SHOPS TO SEE DAYLIGHT AGAIN. THE ELECTRONIC CLOCK INDICATED IT WAS 10:59 AND A FEW SECONDS LATER THE NUMBER CHANGED TO 46, WITH A LITTLE ZERO IN THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER. BEFORE I COULD DO THE QUICK CALCULATION IN MY HEAD THE NUMBER CHANGED TO 117, WITH THE SAME LITTLE ZERO IN THE RIGHT CORNER. IT WAS THE TEMPERATURE AND SEEING IT POSTED IN FRONT OF US MADE IT EVEN HOTTER. COULD WE SURVIVE YET ANOTHER COUPLE OF HOURS.

ALTHOUGH THE BUS WAS NOT FREEZING IT CERTAINLY WAS COOLER THAN OUTSIDE AND IT WAS SOME RELIEF. WE DROVE AWAY FROM THE TOWN ALONG THE WATER FRONT AND HEADED UP A LONG NARROW ROAD FOR A WONDERFUL VIEW OF THE OLD CITY OF MUSCAT. ALTHOUGH WE CAPTURED IT ON FILM THE VIEW WAS OBSTRUCTED BY CABLES AND ELECTRICAL WIRES, BUT IT WAS MEMORABLE. WE DESCENDED THE HILL INTO THE TOWN AND INTO THE PARKING LOT NEXT TO THE BAIT AL ZABAIR MUSEUM.

HERE IS WHERE I THINK THE GUIDE LOST ALL HIS TIPS. KNOWING THAT NONE OF THE WOMEN WERE ABLE TO USE A TOILET AT THE MOSQUE, AND THE PUBLIC TOILETS AT THE MARKET WERE UNSUITABLE, HE BEGAN OUR MUSEUM TOUR BY ASKING THE GROUP IF THEY WANTED TO USE THE TOILETS FIRST OR LISTEN TO HIS SHORT TALK. THE OVERWHELMING RESPONSE WAS TO USE THE TOILETS, PARTICULARLY THE WOMEN. HE INDICATED THAT WAS FINE AND STARTED RIGHT INTO HIS SPEACH. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE WOMEN WALKED AWAY AND HE LOST HIS TIP.

ALTHOUGH THE MUSEUM WAS INTERESTING, IT CONTAINED NUMEROUS ITEMS OF KNIVES, GUNS AND SWORDS FROM DAYS LONG AGO. TRADITIONAL DRESS WAS ALSO EXHIBITED, MOSTLY WOMENS CLOTHING, ALONG WITH A VERY FEW ITEMS OF FURNITURE. ALL IN ALL, NOT MUCH TO WRITE HOME ABOUT. THEREFORE WE SHALL CONTINUE TO THE NEXT STOP.

A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE MUSEUM WAS THE SULTAN’S PALACE. THE LONG PUBLIC CORRIDOR LEADING TO THE PALACE GATES LEFT NO DOUBT A LOT OF MONEY HAD BEEN SPENT TO INDICATE THIS WAS NO ORDINARY RUN OF THE MUCK PALACE. ALTHOUGH OPEN THROUGH THE CENTER EACH SIDE FEATURED COVERED WHITE MARBLE ARCHED WALK WAYS. THEY WERE VERY IMPRESSIVE.

THE WALK WAYS EXITED BACK TO THE OPEN AIR CORRIDOR AND A LARGE PLAZA. A MOSQUE TO THE LEFT AND THE REMAINS OF THE OLD PORTUGUESE FORTS TO THE RIGHT AND UPPER LEFT CORNERS. TWO HUGE BLACK ROD-IRON GATES, WITH GOLD EMBLEMS, KEPT THE COMMONERS FROM GETTING TO CLOSE. THE BUILDING WAS BLUE AND GOLD BUT THE STRUCTURES NEXT TO THE PALACE WHERE A BRIGHT WHITE.

IT WAS JUST ABOUT NOON AS WE STARTED BACK TO THE BUS WHEN THE CALL TO WORSHIP CHANT BEGAN TO BURST THROUGH THE SPEAKERS OF THE MOSQUE. BESIDES BEING VERY IRRITATING TO THE EARS, IT WAS DEAFENING. I JUST CAN’T IMAGINE PUTTING UP WITH THAT FIVE TIMES A DAY. THE NOISE HASTENED OUR RETURN TO THE BUS AND EVENTUALY TO THE SHIP.

ALTHOUGH WE HAVE VISITED SEVERAL MUSLIM COUNTRIES OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS, THERE WAS A STARK DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DUBAI AND MUSCAT. DUBAI STRUGGLES WITH MOVING INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WHILE MUSCAT STAYS COMFORTABLY IN A STAUNCH TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLE. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF EITHER CAN SURVIVE THE TEST OF TIME.