a day at the intercontinental pool

Friday, July 6:  I wake up at Safeer Suites where I have seen there is a small gym directly across the hall from my room.  Before going there to work out on the treadmill, I pop downstairs to enjoy their extensive breakfast buffet.  Sadly, because I’m on a diet, I only partake in a few items.  Then the treadmill for 30 minutes.  After that, since I don’t have a bathtub in my Nizwa flat, and because I adore soaking in a hot bath, I soak at my leisure for a good long time.

the view from my lounge chairs

I’m ready to go directly to the Intercontinental (Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts), but sadly last night my American travel hair dryer, which I have used now for the last 2 years living abroad, burned out.  I cannot live without a hair dryer, so I decide to break down and buy a new one.  I find one at the Carrefour at Qurum City Center; I also buy the DVD of The Help.  In addition, in a spontaneous purchase, I buy 4 cute tops at Promod, my favorite clothing store in Oman so far.

Now I’m ready to go to the Intercontinental.

bridges and islands in the “laser” pool

I check in to the pool at the front gate, where I pay 10 rials for the privilege of using the facility for the day. This fee actually includes use of the gym, the sauna, spa and pool.  Also the hotel has quite a nice changing room with showers, lockers, attached hair dryers, and plenty of space for everyone.  A better deal than the Grand Hyatt, although the actual pool itself looks a little shabby compared to the Hyatt. It seems maintained enough, just a little old.

the Intercontinental in the background

The guy at the desk tells me there is a lap pool in one direction and a “laser” pool in the other.  I know I’m not going to swim laps, so I head directly to this “laser” pool, curious about just what this is.  I never see anything resembling lasers, and only later does it dawn on me that he was probably trying to say the “lazy” pool, because the pool has quite an extensive lazy river.

the lazy river leads under bridges

I find a spot with two chairs that I claim for myself.  One is in the sun and the other is under an umbrella.  I park on the sunny one.  When I get hot, I jump in the pool or move to the shady one.  It’s quite an operation, jumping around here and there to keep cool.

lazy river

I do this for about 4 hours, relaxing, reading my book of Greek short stories (Little Infamies), flipping through the Middle East version of Cosmopolitan magazine, swimming, floating, sleeping, reading some more, and eating some lunch.

over the bridge to the island

I don’t meet anyone today, nor do I even talk to a soul.  I just bask in solitude. It’s all fine by me.  When all is said and done, I hop in my oven of a car and drive home to Nizwa.  I’m glad I’m finally discovering how to “do Muscat” right!

another afternoon in paradise

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no comfort zone challenge: InterNations

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No Comfort Zone Challenge

Tuesday, July 3:  This week I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined a group called InterNations. This group, InterNations: Connecting Global Minds, is an online community of expats in over 300 communities across the globe.  I joined the Muscat community, and now I can attend social and networking events.

Tonight Barb and I went to a cocktail hour at Trader Vic’s at the Intercontinental in Muscat.  There were over 200 people attending, and it was a way to get to know some new people.

I have been a member of such groups in the Washington, D.C. area, such as The International Club in DC.  I really am not good at mingling and making small talk in these kinds of situations.  However, I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone and attend, and to try to strike up conversations with new people.  I met a fair number of expats who work in Oman, doing anything from teaching to practicing law for oil and gas companies.  It was good to do something out of my normal routine.

Since I’ve now joined this group, I can now attend future events.  None are planned before I leave on my holiday August 2, but hopefully I can attend more events like this after I return to Oman on September 15.

If you’d like to participate in Inside Out Cafe’s No Comfort Zone Challenge, please check it out at No Comfort Zone – 2012 Weekly Challenge.

Marge Katherine writes:  Whether you decide to take a different route home, listen to country music instead of rock and roll,  read a book by a new author, drink a new type of wine or work on a crossword puzzle, visit a new website, increases your daily steps, try a different workout routine, listen to new singer, try a new food, attend a poetry reading or WHATEVER …. do it and share it on your blog!

Some things you choose to do may be dramatic; most things will be changing the way you usually do things like brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand or listening to a different radio station as you drive.

a morning of pampering at bamboo spa & a full day in muscat :-)

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Bamboo Spa, Muscat, Oman

Thursday, March 1: This morning I arrive at the Bamboo Spa at Medinat Sultan Qaboos at 10 a.m. for a full morning of pampering.  Last month, while my boys were still here, I stumbled upon this place while they slept in after a late evening at the Intercontinental.  At that time, I made this appointment and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.

the fabulous Bamboo Spa at Medinat Sultan Qaboos

The warm and friendly staff welcomes me with a cup of coffee and then I have my eyebrows plucked.  I don’t want to have the threading done this time as I found it too painful; I do love to avoid pain whenever possible.  They then lead me into a massage room where I’m given a robe & slippers and am told to lie face down on the massage table.

the quiet & peaceful entrance to Bamboo Spa

We start with a “Nourishing Aroma Honey Glow” body scrub (15 OMR), in the name of “purification and exfoliation.”  Because of the dry air in Oman, this scrub feels cleansing and refreshing, as if a whole layer of dead, dry skin is scrubbed away and I am reborn with a fresh new layer of skin.  For 45 minutes, the massage therapist, a kind and gentle Filipino named Mena scrubs and massages me, back and front, head to toe.

the massage room ~ lovely

After this amazing scrub down, I’m told to take a shower, which I do, and then the 1 1/2 hour massage called “Holistic Lava Shells” (35 OMR) begins.  There are some kinds of shells filled with a lava gel, heated up over a flame, and rubbed into my skin.  Mena layers on a warm ginger oil, which she massages in expertly, and then she applies the hot, but not burning, lava gel. For almost an hour, she focuses on my back and shoulders, and it’s very soothing.  However, most of this massage is done on my back, meaning that all this time I’m lying face down.  After awhile this gets to be quite uncomfortable and I keep shifting about trying to take the pressure off my knees and hips.

Mena the masseuse

After this I take a warm shower and wash off all the oil.  They advise me before the treatment that I should go home and let the oil sit on my skin for a couple of hours before showering; however I tell them I’m here in Muscat for the entire day and I live in Nizwa.  I won’t be going home so I must shower immediately after so I won’t be all greasy for the rest of the day.

little pleasures

After my shower, Mena then gives me a pedicure.  When I sit down in the pedicure seat, I find a beautiful plate artistically arranged with orange and apple slices and a pink cupcake, a cup of coffee with sugar and a glass of water.  Mena does my pedicure, polishing me off in pale pink.

land of the pedicures

It’s a lovely experience, lasting nearly 3 1/2 hours all told.  Because I made my appointment well in advance, the owner of the spa, Mouza, offers me a special deal: the Nourishing Aroma Honey Glow body scrub is free.  My total for all my treatments is 45 OMR.

By the time I leave, I’m ready to take a long nap, but alas, I have arranged to meet my colleague Vicki for lunch at a mall near the Opera House.  We meet for a nice lunch of sushi and then I head to Muscat City Center for some shopping.  I have three things on my list today: a pair of sunglasses, a black handbag, and a dress appropriate to wear to the Opera House next time I go.  I come away with 2 out of the 3 items on my list; I’m left empty-handed on the dress.

After my shopping spree, I meet a friend, Alqam, who I met in the immigration line at the Jordan airport back in November.  He is trying to get a business going here in Muscat.  We share hibiscus tea and a date latte and double apple shisha at Kargeen; before long I’m scratching and scratching at my ankles, which are being eaten alive by mosquitoes.  We have a lovely time talking and smoking, then, because my ankles and wrists are covered in mosquito bites, we head indoors to Trader Vic’s at the Intercontinental, where we have a couple of  drinks and listen to some mellow Cuban singers.  We take a lovely walk on the beach, where the sand is cool under our feet and the waves lap gently up on the shore.  Sadly, I have to drive back to Nizwa, where I can barely keep my eyes open for the 1 1/2 hour drive.

with Alqam at Trader Vic’s

A lovely day in Muscat:-)

the boys and their last hurrah in muscat: a night at the fancy hotels ~ $$$$$$$

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Muscat, Oman, Travel

Wednesday, February 1:  For the boys’ last weekend in Oman, we opt to hang out in Muscat.  Little do I know how much money it will cost us.  It hits me that Oman can be either a very cheap country, if you’re outdoors exploring wadis and villages, hiking or even driving (in the Gulf, petrol is, after all, cheap!), or a very expensive one.  If you are in Muscat eating out, shopping, just sitting and doing nothing, it can cost you an arm and a leg!

Adam & Adam poolside at the Grand Hyatt

I guess it doesn’t help if you go to notoriously expensive restaurants.  We check out Muscat Time Out magazine on our way to the city and I tell the boys to look for somewhere special we can have dinner. For some reason, under the “Moderate” listings, a restaurant called Marjan Indonesian Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Muscat calls out to us. Since the magazine promises a “vegetarian menu,” we decide to check it out.

the Grand Hyatt

The setting is amazing, out at the fabulous poolside at the Grand Hyatt, with the ocean beyond.  A cool breeze floats over us.  It’s a perfect evening; we order drinks and appetizers and sushi.  Alex orders a vegetarian pasta dish, Adam orders sushi, and I order a delectable prawn appetizer. Note I say APPETIZER, not dinner!  Alex orders one more beer, and then Adam orders the sushi as well.  I have one glass of wine.  Total cost: 56 rials, or ~ $145!  Ouch.

the pool at Marjan

the pool at Marjan

We’re all bowled over by the setting though.   The mint green pool and the breeze, the birds chirping, the manicured gardens, the sound of the sea, delectable food and soothing wine create an awesome ambiance.  Adam, who always says he doesn’t need money in life, who wants to “literally live from meal to meal,” is enjoying this night at the Hyatt to the hilt.  I wonder how someone who swears he wants to live like a primitive caveman in the woods can also enjoy such a high-class, sumptuous environment that is against everything he believes in?  Hmmm…

The Grand Hyatt… It IS GRAND!!

After our fabulous dinner, we head to the Ghazal Pub at the Intercontinental.  We meet my friend Christian and his friends and listen to our favorite band, Generation, and dance the night away.  This time we are spending the night at the Safeer Suites at Medinat Sultan Qaboos, so when Alex and I get tired, we take off, leaving Adam to hang out with Christian and his friends till 2 a.m.  Now that this kid has experienced the bar scene, he can’t get enough!

the boys in muscat: an afternoon of shisha & a night of dancing

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Muscat, Oman, Travel

Wednesday, January 25:   Yesterday evening I had to drop my car at the GMC dealer in Karsha for the major (100,000km) service.  Since my boys are here visiting and we will be stuck for a day without a car, my friend Christian offers to take us to Muscat for the day.

Adam and Alex smoke shisha at Cafe Ziyara in Muscat

We get a bit of a late start but we go directly to Cafe Ziyara, a shisha bar in Medinat Sultan Qaboos with open-air seats outside, as well as an indoor cafe, for lunch and shisha. We order lots of hummus and bread and I order grilled halloum, a white, semi-hard sheep’s (or goat’s) milk cheese, similar to mozzarella, but not bland. Since it’s a beautiful day, we linger after lunch and smoke shisha.

my sons chillin’ at Ziyara in Muscat, Oman

The only thing we don’t like about this restaurant is the lack of a toilet within the facility.  Who ever heard of a restaurant without a toilet??!! Every time one of us has to go, we have to go search out a staff member, who escorts us to a totally unrelated building, and opens the toilet with a key!  Wow, this place needs to get with the modern times.

Christian and Adam at Ziyara

After a long while, we leave and head to Muscat City Center, where we shop in the Home Centre and the Carrefour.  Later, we head to Al Ghazal Pub at the Intercontinental Hotel, where we have drinks and the best shrimp tempura imaginable.  Later, after going to a quiet party at a house where some U.S. Marines live, we head back to the Intercontinental, where a Canadian band called Generation is playing.

me having a fun time with my boys and Christian

No one asks the boys for their IDs, and thus they’re able to drink a few beers.  It’s really fun for them, especially since they’re too young to visit bars in the U.S.  This is Adam’s first time in a bar.  The music and the crowd are great, and we all dance and dance till the wee hours of the morning.  I’ve never seen my own sons dance before, and I can tell they’re having a fantastic time letting loose.  Though I’m tired and want to leave long before everyone else, Adam and Alex do not want to leave and keep begging to stay until the band goes home for the night.  They are dancing wildly all night on the dance floor, looking like they own the place.  Very entertaining for me to see my boys, all grown up and having the time of their lives.  🙂

Cafe Ziyara, a nice place to while away the afternoon