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.