Arabian Daze - 7

Part one of this series is HERE. 

To view other posts in this series, just change the number at the end of "part-" on the web address.

My friend and I continued our full day tour to Nizwa, about 2 hours away from the port city of Muscat, in Oman.

First, was a visit to the Nizwa market.  Every Friday, the area shown in the photograph below is filled with goats, as well as other livestock. Our guide said it's the biggest event in Nizwa.

For more photos of the goat market, click HERE. (via Living If blog, by author, LOCAVORista)

We entered the Nizwa Souq, via this ornate gate: 

Inside, our guide took us on a date....(laugh) not really. This was a date market. The white bags were filled with dates, a popular sweet in the Arab states.

A poster showing the enormous variety of dates in the area: (click photo to enlarge) 

The counter staff showcased these pots filled with dates in a sticky, somewhat hard, taffy-like confectionary:

Free samples were available, so of course I tried a bit. The taste was similar to a mix of molasses, brown sugar and nuts. It was good. ^_^

Next, our guide walked us through the vegetable market. He explained that he often bought his groceries here. I was impressed with the abundance of fresh food...

Lovely pumpkins...some goya ...

I couldn't get over the size; we tend to have small sized pumpkins in Asia.

Okura: 

I think these are squash? In Japan, they are often dried, hallowed out and used to store spices: 

Cauliflower: 

The souvenir and spice souq is also quite famous, so let's take a look around.

I found these clay pots outside, in the square....

Inside view of the souq: 

Spices are very famous; here you can select what you like. There must have been 20 different varieties of spices on display:

Gateway to the East Souq in Nizwa:

I loved these decorative tin lanterns. I really wanted to bring one home, but no space in the suitcase! (cries)

After the markets (souqs) my friend and I visited the most famous fort in all of Oman. In the guidebooks, it's described as the "one fort you need to see". I'll post pics and stories from that soon.

~ Information ~ 

The Souqs in Nizwa were part of our full day, 9 hour tour, called "Enchanting Forts of Nizwa". Bookings on Viator.com. Click HERE for tour details and prices, or visit: Viator Tours & Activities

The tour allows lots of opportunities for shopping in the souqs; be sure to bargain, as it's the norm in Oman. 

We took this tour in early March. Temperatures were around 25 ~ 30 degrees Celsius. Sunscreen or a parasol is strongly recommended, as is bringing a pet bottle of water.

Arabian Daze - 6

Part one of this series is HERE.

Our ship, the Costa Fortuna, pulled into the port of Muscat, Oman in the early morning of March 2nd. We would be docked here for two days. I was excited as Oman is not such a well known country; when visiting the Middle East, most people stick to the U.A.E.

I had booked two tours, one a full day excursion to Nizwa, the other,  a city tour. Both were through the private company, Orient Tours. Here are the photos from our first day in Oman:

This tugboat pulled along side us while just outside the port. I think it was the harbor staff:

View of Muscat port:

The ship in this photo is the German cruise ship, Aida.

 Oman is famous for military forts, located all over the country. Here is one example:

The men's dress in Oman. It looked very comfortable!

All cruise passengers received this before disembarking -- a tourist visa:

I had booked a private tour for my friend and I, which was to last 9 hours. We would drive from Muscat, to Nizwa, to see some famous forts, markets, etc. On the highway, we noticed something unusual about the truck in front of us....

...a camel!! I thought this is something you only see in the Middle East. ^_^

Mr. Camel looked quite relaxed riding in the back. 

We took a short break here, at a desert oasis. You can see another fort's tower on the top of the small mountain:

Oman was strikingly beautiful. There were these large, neutral toned mountains everywhere. Roads just cut through them. I really loved this scenery:

I shot a short video of the scenery from the car. As I mentioned, it was just those huge mountains:

About one hour into our drive, our guide stopped us here, to wander through an ancient, traditional village. Many of the residents had moved away, leaving it abandoned, but it was quite something to see houses built in the traditional village style. 

Looking up to the village: 

View 2: 

Door and window detail: 

View 3: 

I liked these decorated gates:

There are still lots of photos to share from this nine hour , full day tour.
Check back again tomorrow to see more.

~ Information ~ 

General travel information abut Muscat, Oman is HERE. (via WikiTravel)

This tour is called: Day Tour to the Enchanting Forts of Nizwa. I booked through Viator.com. See the tour details HERE. My friend and I agreed, this was the best tour as we saw all the major sights in Muscat and Nizwa. The guide was excellent. Highly recommended! 

** Dress in Oman **
It's more conservative than in Dubai. Women must cover their legs and should cover their arms as well. You don't need to wear a head scarf. Men will stare more at you in Oman than in Dubai; be prepared for that. 

Arabian Daze - 5

Part one of this series is HERE. 

Day two in Dubai would be spent entirely onboard the Costa Fortuna, as it cruised North. My friend and I enjoyed the day exploring the ship and attending dinner. Here are the photos from our leisurely day:

The Grand Bar, on deck 5:

On some evenings, ballroom dancing was held here.

Huge atrium area with glass elevators:

 The Rex Theater, Decks 3 ~ 5: 

One great part about cruising: enjoying nightly entertainment shows.

On the outside deck, I got a view of the Dubai Cruise Terminal. Inside were: money changers, souvenir shops, tour operators, etc. It was a very nice set up.

The ship's casino. 

I was really surprised to find some unique prizes inside the UFO catcher machines -- this was an iPad 4! Other machines had iPhones.

Sorry, I didn't gamble. 

Our cabin was on Deck 7, inside. Despite being 13 square meters, there was actually a lot of space inside and it was perfectly comfortable for two people.

Our suitcases were hidden from sight -- under the beds! 

Desk area: 

Toilet and shower:

I didn't like the shower so much, so I used the showers in the gym instead.

Sink: 

As we had the whole day, I headed up to the gym, on deck 11. I was excited to find a sauna with a window view!

I used this sauna many times on the cruise. It was very relaxing.^_^

In the evening, the ship's crew invited all to a "Welcome Gala Cocktail" on Decks 3 & 5. We received hor d'oeuves and drinks in the theater.

They served champagne, but I don't drink alcohol at all, so I just stuck to the hor d'oeuves (laugh)

After the cocktail party, it was time for dinner in the dining room. We chose the first seating, which started at 6pm. Our dining hall was at the stern of the ship. We were really surprised when the waiter led us to our table!

Window view:

It was good to take the early seating, as we could enjoy nightly sunsets. ^_^
Cutenekko is ready for dinner!

The first night on the ship included a special "Captain's Welcome Gala Dinner". Here's our fancy menu:

My friend and I laughed over the candlelight -- so romantic for two ladies, with no men! (laugh)

We were surrounded by couples, so a lot of people stared at my friend and I.
I guess they have never seen a "girl's only vacation" before. ^o^
In Japan, it's very common to see women traveling together. Husbands here are usually too busy with work. 

The first dish: pate! ^_^

I chose fish, which was absolutely delicious. I ate it so fast, my friend was like: whoa!

Had to eat some vegetables, so I got a salad as well. 

Dessert is my favorite part of every meal. I selected watermelon sorbet. 

After dinner, we enjoyed a singing and dancing show in the theater and slogged off to bed. The following morning would find us in a new port, in a new country. Check back to see where we went! ^_^


~ Information ~ 

Information about the Costa Fortuna is HERE. 

Costa Cruise is the company which had a major accident several years ago (see: Costa Concordia) Costa now takes safety very seriously and all passengers had to participate in a safety drill which lasted approximately 1.5 hours. We had to wear life vests and wait at our muster stations. Also, due the area in which we were cruising, we received instructions in case pirates tried to board or attack the ship. I found their safety drill to be very good and all crew were very helpful in giving clear instructions. 

Despite reading many bad reviews about the food on this ship, I rather enjoyed the meals onboard. You can see reviews of the Costa Fortuna HERE. (via cruise critic)

Information about Dubai Cruise Terminal is HERE.