Just booked up some flights for me and my other half to visit Oman on holiday in early 2012. It'll be four long years since I was there. We'll be staying with old friends (OK, friends - they're not too old). I used up some precious air miles for the flights, so all in all it'll be a nice (and cheap) winter break full of relaxation, socialising and reminiscing!
I'll be interested to see how things have changed since I left in 2005.
I always said that living in such a 'young' country as Oman, a year was like a decade living elsewhere - buildings pop up from nowhere; shops, restaurants, cafes come and go; urbanisation creeps ever outwards as the suburbs become bigger.
When I first lived in Oman, there was nothing north of Bowshar until you got to Seeb other than the airport. There was one cinema showing English language movies (Star Cinema in Ruwi). There was no satellite TV, only a 15 minute daily news programme in English on Oman TV. There was no Muscat Festival (thank God!), no Hyatt Hotel, no road along the beach at Qurm, no paved road from Quriyat down to Sur, no City Centre, no big auto showrooms on Honda Road, no tourist visas at the airport, no Grand Mosque, no flyovers anywhere....etc....etc...etc...
Like I said, it'll be interesting to see how things have changed.
What should I be looking out for when I come?
5 comments:
There's a couple of new highways, lots traffic lights replaced roundabouts, a few new restaurants...that's it i think!
Two new City Centre malls, lots of new hotels. The Wave development, Lulu's and the Tilal complex behind it (nearly open, might be when you get here).
The road from Al Amerat to Sur is amazing, it's a really nice drive.
Nizwa has gotten bigger too.
Zakher Mall no longer has an Al Fair / Muttrah cold stores. Neither does Ruwi.
Turtles re-branded themselves as WH Smith.
They built a new airport terminal building.
The airport roundabout is no more.
There's 3 green golf courses here, more coming. The Wave, Muscat Hills and Gala Wentworth are all undergoing greening and should each have at least 9 holes by the winter.
Al Khuwair got huge. Now Ghala is being re-developed into the CBD.
Loads of stuff, you'll have a good time. :)
Goodness...lots of changes! I didn't know about the airport terminal! About time too. I bet the toilets aren't cleaner though!!
I slogged away for 11 years on sand when playing golf. I'll have to find someone who can play a game of grass golf with me when I'm there.
Ghala as CBD! What will happen to the original CBD in Ruwi? Is the stock exchange going to move out to Ghala?
wow you are in for a surprise! Looking at how things have changed just since 2007 when I got here is surprising.
Yes, it seems like a lot of things will have changed. I've got mixed feelings about that. Some things change for the better, others not so. It would be great (but unrealistic) to have things "as they were" when I lived in Muscat. After all, you can't stop progress. But things like building a road across Qurm beach wasn't progress, it just spoiled what was a very lovely beach.
Overall though, I think I'm looking forward to seeing the changes.
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