We arrived in Muscat at about 10pm local time and set off for our hotel. It's always fascinating to arrive somehwere new at night and get a sense of what the place is like. In this case, Muscat felt like a very affluent, organized, modern place. Probably as expected since this is a Kingdom made rich by great reserves of oil. Early the next morning we went on a tour of the old city of Muscat - the Souk (market), the Sultan's Palace, stuff like that.
It was pleasant and interesting but not yet the spectacular experience I've come to expect from National Geographic. In the evening, we took a cruise on on a Dhow out on the Arabian Sea (interesting experience in rough seas with 12 hours jet lag and three hours sleep the night before. Everyone is quite happy, just zoned out) followed by a traditional dinner with local entertainment, including the bagpipes!
The history of Oman is pretty interesting. It was in a strategic position for trade between India, China and Europe. It is a dictatorship run by the Sultan - Al Quaboos. Uncertain future with only 25 years of oil reserves and bordered by Yemen to the South and Iran, a few miles across the Gulf of Oman. And, the Sultan has no heir which will cause a bit of a fuss when he pops his clogs.
Looking forward to going to Kathmandu tomorrow. Big highlight for me.