Day 128, 129

Egypt, now. It's been just a few hours so far. Seems okay - usual tout bullshit and price gouging, but not so nearly as obnoxious as in India. I got into an argument with a taxi driver who very much wanted to keep the change.

Anyways... Oman. Oman was pretty nice. Not nearly so hot as Dubai - a pleasant 30 degrees most afternoons, with night times that were breezy and wonderful. R and I spent out first couple of nights walking around Muscat, the capital, checking out the sights. We slept in Mutrah a neighbourhood of the capital district that is little more than a fish market and a gold and silver souk. There is a pleasant corniche (street?) that takes pedestrians and drivers from Mutrah to the old part of the capital... a (historically) walled area that houses some government buildings and the Sultan of Oman's palace. It also houses a very curious "Oman/France" friendship museum. Oman and France seemingly share very little history (about half of the museum's exhibits are about the museum's opening), but it is a pleasantly quaint place.

Later, a five hour bus ride took us to Sur, further along the coast. Sur is a soothing city, very laid-back and under-touristed. R and I visited an old fort on the outskirts of town which is ostensibly Sur's only "sight." Well... I should say that we TRIED to visit the fort; when we arrived, we found it closed up: without any visitors for some weeks, the sole museum, guide felt comfortable closing up to take a trip to the market for the afternoon.

Can't say I blame him...

Instead of visiting the castle R and I sat in the dirt and watched some children play dominoes. Those half dozen kids played the game like they were preparing to be 70 years old... slamming the dominoes in the dirt and actually keeping score in a ragged old school notebook. The eldest kid smoked a cigarette that the youngest fetched for him half way through the game.

And I guess that's Oman, in a nutshell. A few nice markets, a laid back pace, lots of Islam, nice buses, pricey taxi cabs...

R has left for America. I'm on my own again. Some words about Egypt next time.