Muscat Mutterings

Muscat Singers Spring Concert - June 1st

2012-05-19T07:00:00.000+04:00

The Muscat Singers choir, a little known but long-standing choir here in Oman are having a Spring Concert at the Bosch Center for Performing Arts at TAISM on the 1st of June. The Muscat singers have been, according to their rather fancy website, been singing in Oman since 1974.

Tickets for adults are RO 3 and for seniors and kids, RO 2, and are only purchasable in advance at the TAISM head office. You can text 9557 4887 for more details.

le fin.

Buying alcohol in Oman

2012-05-16T07:00:00.000+04:00

Apologies for the tarnished example, my book gets a work-out!

Another installment in the irregular series of posts: MM Guide to Oman, here's the low down on booze in the Sultanate.

There are bars all over the country that are licensed to sell liquor to anyone of age (including Omani's - the of-age here in Oman is 21). These licenses are almost exclusively held by hotels, but there are a few exceptions dotted around the place, albeit lately these seem to be dying out. Alcohol, like Pork products, are available here, but there is a 100% tax levy in place on these products, making the cost quite high, but still what I'd call reasonable. I won't go into a list of all the bars in Muscat here because I'll still be typing it days from now, and well basically, I can't be bothered to do it at the moment.

In addition to the hotels / bars scene, there are also a number of licensed retail outlets that sell alcohol products in the country. I'm only going to focus on the Muscat area because thats what I know, so if you live somewhere else in the country and have something to share, please do so.

In order to purchase alcohol at these retail outlets, you must have a valid ROP Liquor Permit. These permits can be obtained from the ROP, and in Muscat, you have to go to the special office at the Ruwi Police Station. In order to get the permit, you need the following:

Copy of passport & labor card
2 passport sized photos
No objection letter from your employer
Labor card application in original - copy returned after issuing labor card. This is to confirm basic salary as registered with the Ministry of Manpower
Employment contract attested by the Ministry of Manpower to confirm employment and eligibility to apply for a permit
Completed permit application (Which you can get there)
If you are renewing your permit, bring your old permit with you.

This is my 3rd permit, I've found RO 100 is a good amount

Now, you are technically allowed to purchase a license up to a value of 10% of your basic salary. So essentially, if you have a basic salary of 1000 rials a month, you can purchase a liquor license of up to RO 100 a month in retail purchases. The permit lasts for 24 months, and the cost of it is calculated on 0.4% of the value of the license on a monthly basis, payable in full at the time of application, so a RO 100 monthly permit will cost you RO 96 (100x0.04x24) and it will last you for 2 years.

The typical cost for a case of 24 bottles of Heineken is around RO 13, with most cases of beer coming in at around that price point - RO 10 - 15 a case. Bottles of spirits and wine are also in abundant supply, with even bottles of Verve Cliquot bubbly available for RO 30 a pop. Bottles of wine (and boxes for that matter) start in price around RO 3 and range upwards, with some special bottles going for upwards of RO 20 a bottle. A bottle of branded Vodka for example, will run you around RO 7. So that should give you an idea of roughly how much of a permit value you will want to purchase.

So now that you have your permit, it's time to go shopping! There are essentially 5 major retailers here in the Sultanate:

African & Eastern (A&E)
Oman United Agencies (OUA)
Desert Trading Company (DTC)
Marketing & Services Company (MASE)
Gulf Supply Services (GSS)

Now there are little branches of these 5 chains dotted around all over the city - and I'm sure I've missed a few out, but here's my quick list of where to find them, I've just put the localities where they are, it's a game for you to find them :) :

A&E - MQ, Al Khuwair, Sohar
OUA - MQ, Ruwi
DTC - MQ, Al Khuwair, Wadi Kabir
MASE - Qurum, Ruwi, Rusayl, Salalah
GSS - Wadi Kabir, MQ, Gala, Seeb, Sohar

The opening times are approximately 09:00-13:00 and 16:00-20:00 Saturday to Thursday. During Ramadan the shops remain closed, so stock up before.

Also, you can bring alcohol into the country with you when you fly. You are allowed to carry either 24 cans, or 2 bottles (2 liters max) of wine / spirits - and of course you must be at least 21 years old to do so. One final thing to mention is that it is illegal to transport alcohol in Oman unless you are bringing it home from the store, or the airport - and even then make sure you have the receipt and the permit with you. That said, in 5 years of living here, I've never been stopped by the ROP when driving around town, although once I was stopped at a check point in the interior of the country, and the only question they asked me was: Do you have any whiskey for us?

Regardless, you've been warned. There is also a thriving black market here for booze, but I advise to steer clear of it, not worth the trouble it can cause, and the market is more geared towards laborers who want a RO 3 bottle of brandy to shut-out their problems for a night.

le fin.

Internet in Oman

2012-05-15T07:00:00.000+04:00

It seems that an increasingly large number of people are arriving at ze blog after searching about internet and phones here in the Sultanate, so I figured I'd write a little summary of internet connectivity options here to help these searching people as a part of a new series of irregular blog posts I intend to write: The MM guide to Oman.

Essentially, in Oman, there are 2 methods for internet connectivity: ADSL or Wireless. By wireless, I mean either 3G (or 4G!) or WiMax. In terms of vendors, there are two major ones to consider, plus a few smaller MVNO's (I'll get to them in a moment): For ADSL, your only option is Omantel, for Wimax, it's Nawras.

Some brief history here, Omantel is the government-owned incumbent tel-co and Nawras started up here back in 2005 and is the main competition to Omantel (the share-holder listing makes for interesting reading; the local Omani partners include Ministry of Defence Pension Fund, Royal Office Pension Fund, Diwan of Royal Court Pension Fund, Internal Security Service Pension Fund and Sultan’s Special Force Pension Fund). So - Omantel, over years of government funded works have got copper and fibre lines all over the place, whereas Nawras do not. Both Omantel and Nawras have their own dedicated fibre back-bones to the outside world - but because of the immense cost it would be for Nawras to install their own phone lines to peoples houses, they have opted for wireless technology. Local Loop Unbundling does not exist here in Oman yet - Omantel still own the fibre and copper originally paid for by the State, and so far have resisted requests to share this with the rest of the market to help provide better prices and products to the general consumer. Something to note here is that Haya water (the sewage people) have been laying fibre lines everywhere that they have been installing sewage networks in the capital (Seeb, Maweleh, Azaiba, Ghala, Ghubra, Khuwair, Qurum, Shatti, Wattayah & Wadi Kabir currently, with Ruwi & Hamriyah happening soon) I understand that either Omantel or Nawras will rent these fibre lines from Haya, affording FTTH (Fibre to the Home) across most of the capital..... eventually.

So, starting with Omantel. Omantel has ADSL, traditionally over copper lines. The costs range, and there is no current offering for "dry DSL" in Oman - however, Omantel have bundled the cost of a phone line and the ADSL charge into one package to make it seamless. As of May 2012, here is Omantel's ADSL pricing and the plans they offer:

Basically, ignore the first two green options, you'd have to be a very light internet user to even consider them. So, to the meat: RO 20 a month gets your a phone line, 2Mb line and unlimited data usage. If you happen to live at The Wave, or Muscat Hills, or another FTTH area (parts of Maweleh) you can get up to 40 Mb line for RO 60 a month (along with a 5Mb upload too).

Personally I use the RO 35 plan: 12 Mb, phone line and unlimited data usage - and I've never had one complaint from Omantel about over-usage, despite my occasional efforts to download the entire internet. The single biggest problem with Omantel is the time to install. It's gotten a lot better from when I first moved to Oman in 2007, when it took over 2 months for me to get a phone line installed and ADSL activated for me. These days the time for installation of a phone line and ADSL can vary from as little as a day to as long as a month, depending on your situation. One other point of note is that not all ADSL speeds will necessarily be available to you - it very much depends on where you are.

Nawras, being wireless, have leveraged this advantage heavily, and offer same day activation. Theoretically, you sign up in the store, take your modem home and it should work within a few hours. Most of the time this is the case, sometimes there's a little delay but really it's pretty much as advertised.

Nawras' pricing is similar to Omantel's in the sense that for RO 24 you get a 5Mb connection with unlimited data usage (versus' Omantels RO 25). I've no experience with Nawras' internet offerings but have heard of peoples connections being throttled for over-usage - but don't let that influence your decision.

Now, there is another type of internet access available in Oman, and that is internet on your phone - data plans. This is where MVNO's (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) come into the scene. There are effectively 2 major Cell networks in the Sultanate: Nawras or Omantel. Currently there are 4 MVNO's worth mentioning that operate on one (or both) of the main back-bone networks currently in-place here in Oman, and they are:

FRiENDi mobile, Samatel, Renna mobile and Apna Mobile.

Apna Mobile is a mobile phone company targeting Indians and pretty much no one else, and as far as I'm aware they do not offer any data plans, just marginally cheaper voice calls to India, and so I wont discuss them any further.

FRiENDi mobile marketed hard last year (2011) and seems to have reigned in it's marketing spend so far this year (2012) and offers the following plans:

Of note is that they do offer a PC-based internet connection too (Via a GPRS modem requiring a sim card) - but the cost is fairly high when you stack it up against Nawras / Omantel. So for your mobile phone: RO 3 a month for 600MB of data usage with a charge of 10 baiza per MB (that's RO 10 per GB) of overage should you go over 600MB a month.

Renna mobile also offer data plans, with plans starting at RO 1 a month (just like FRiENDi), but again their rates are fairly high once you get into heavy usage zones.

For the RO 9.5 a month, 6.5 RO more than FRiENDi, you get a 2GB data connection - when compared to FRiENDi's 600MB + 1.4GB of usage, the equivalent cost is RO 17 for the same usage (2GB). It really depends on how much you plan to use the internet.

Finally, for the MVNO's is Samatel. A bit of an enigma because their website does not actually work right now, and most of their booths (most infamously their airport booth) is usually empty with no staff and thus no way to actually figure out what their products are on offer. I'd advise giving these boys a miss until they sort their stuff out.

As for the 2 big boys, Omantel and Nawras - of course they also offer Dataplans for your smart phones:

Omantel has 2 different product lines, just like Nawras, one to reflect it's post paid (contract) plans (known as Mada) and one to reflect it's prepaid plans (known as Hayyak).

Their Prepaid plans:

Their Postpaid plans:

So, just like the MVNO's Omantel has plans that start at RO 1 a day (for 1GB of usage). If you are a heavy user, the 3GB plan is RO 14 a month and the 5GB plan is RO 19 a month - which makes Renna's RO 15 4GB plan fairly attractive to potential customers.

Nawras' prepaid plan's are called Mousbak, and their postpaid plans are called Ajel.

Their Prepaid plans:

Their Postpaid plans:

As you can see, their offers are very similar to everyone else - it really comes down to knowing how much internet data you plan to use and then choosing accordingly.

As for wifi hotspots - there are a few dotted around the capital, Muscat, but don't expect to be able to rely on them - and most are not free. Most of the hotels have "free" wifi hotpots in their bars as an added attraction to get the punters in, so if your in a bind an need to get online for some reason, head to a 5* hotel like the Hyatt or the Radisson and find their bars.

I hope this helps you with any queries regarding Internet in Oman :)

le fin.

An update on the phone / jail thing, and some free bubbly for the ladies

2012-05-14T15:00:00.000+04:00

Firstly, an update to yesterdays post about the story in the Times of Oman stating that if you were busted using your phone while driving, you'd get a 10 day all-inclusive stay in the naughty-boys club, courtesy of Muscat's finest. The people at Merge 104.8 had someone from the ROP join them during their afternoon show who then announced that these rules were not actually finished being implemented and researched yet. Of course not, we'll just pretend that the initiative announced in the Times of Oman yesterday said the dates were May 1st to June 30th were actually just made up. In true ToO fashion, the Times of Oman have pulled the story from their website (the link I posted yesterday now points to another, unrelated story). heh.

Today, the Times have run a story that the ROP have now said this 10 day thing is actually not true. They also ran it in their arabic daily paper, Al Shabiba, which was spotted by Salalah's best blogger, Dhofari Gucci. I find it rather amusing that the ToO didn't apologize to it's readers for reporting information that had not been verified.... on it's front page... just 24 hours before. Ahh, such a literary treat reading the ToO.

Moving on!

Now, if you are a lady and fancy some free bubbly - the newest Irish bar in town, O'Malley's is taking a page out of the Hyatt's book and now offering free bubbly to women in the bar every Monday evening between 8 & 11pm. Sláinte!

le fin.

Japan Day - free J-Pop concert

2012-05-14T07:00:00.000+04:00

This Tuesday the 15th May marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Oman, and this year the Japanese have decided to focus on Japanese Pop Culture, even going to the extent of flying in May J for a free concert at the Scientific College of Design in Airport Heights sort of just behind the Bank Muscat building - on the road that takes you along towards the MOD camp. May J is a host of a TV program called “J-Melo” which is the only Japanese music show presented in English for a global audience on a satellite channel of NHK, Japan’s biggest broadcaster.

It all kicks off at 6pm with May J taking the stage just after 7:30, and it is totally free.

More soon!

le fin.

New law: 10 days in the clink for using phone while driving

2012-05-13T12:00:00.000+04:00

Regular readers of ze blog will know that I've written about the chaotic state of driving in the Sultanate a few times before, with my last post on the issue attracting more than a few comments from observers.

Which is why I'd like to share this story from today's Times of Oman front page, which has this headline story above the fold. It seems that since May 1st, 2012, the ROP have been enforcing a new road safety campaign and have been banging people up for 10 days if they are caught using their phones while driving.

The article goes on to say that "even as the campaign ends, this law is likely to stay". Before, if you were hauled over for using your phone here it would be a RO 10 fine and then you are on your way. Not anymore it seems.

The ROP have also stated that their patrol cars now also feature mobile cameras that can, amongst other things, record your speed, and you - handling your phone, for evidence in prosecution.

A step in the right direction, but how about an emphasis on the chronic speeding problem that is literally killing this country? Time will tell, I guess.

le fin.

The climbing wall in Al Khuwair

2012-05-13T07:00:00.000+04:00

Recently I joined a small group of twitter friends for a 2 hour taster session at "The Wall" climbing centre in al Khuwair. The centre is effectively 2 main rooms, one a bouldering room, and the other various climbing wall routes with varying (and increasing) difficulties and there's also an abseiling tower too. The wall is run by the Muscat Diving and Adventure centre and represents only a part of the services they offer.

We started out in the bouldering room, learning how to fall first, this quickly became something I was good at, falling, so it was good training for me. The room has foot and hand holds bolted into it all over the room's walls and ceiling, with crash-mats lining the floor wall to wall.

After a few exercises and games ("plus one") in the bouldering room, we moved on to the actual climbing wall proper, and put on our climbing harness' or whatever they were called and got stuck into the actual climbing wall routes.

I have to say, it was surprisingly hard for me - the centre has many pairs of climbing shoes available, but seemingly only 1 or 2 size 11, 12, 13 pairs of climbing shoes, all of which were taken by the time I showed up, leaving me to use just my trainers. I never realized just how much effect having the right footwear for this would have - so bear that in mind and be sure to wear strong shoes if you have big feet like me :)

The Climbing Wall has a facebook page here and the centre is a very popular spot with budding climbers of all ages and abilities in the week. There is "Open Climbing" on Tuesday & Sunday evenings, 6-8pm, at a rather attractive cost of 2 RO per session. It's a pretty good work out, and if you are not used to it, various muscles in your body will probably start aching a couple of days later!

More soon!

le fin.

The Sultanate of Oman's Royal Cavalry

2012-05-12T07:00:00.000+04:00

I came across this story on the British newspaper website, The Telegraph. Oman have sent 112 horses and 200 soldiers to Windsor to partake and perform in the Royal Diamond Jubilee which takes place between May 10th and 13th - ie there's only 2 days left - and tomorrow's Sunday performance will be the last one. Not sure if it's available on OSN or OmanTV for us to view but if it is I'll update here. Anyway it's certainly a proud moment for Oman, not even a commonwealth country, that is sending what I understand is the single largest troop of cavalry to the Diamond Jubilee.

Here's the story copied in case the link stops working:

If they weren’t wearing such colourful costumes, they would be a terrifying sight. Soldiers thunder across the Omani desert on horseback, hooves tearing up the dust as they bear down on our position. For a moment one has an idea of what it must have been like to face the full force of a cavalry charge in an era before tanks, machine guns and drones.

And yet this particular cavalry aren’t brandishing so much as a penknife. The men ride barefoot in pairs, grinning broadly, their arms across each other’s shoulders, their horses’ tassels gleaming in the evening sunlight. The women, decked in glorious pinks and greens, are just as courageous. One, Zinab, even stands upright on the saddle, holding on to her galloping neighbour’s hand for scant support, as they tear past.

This week, these strikingly attractive men and women of the Royal Cavalry of Oman will be performing in front of the Queen. To celebrate her Diamond Jubilee, the Royal Windsor Horse Show is featuring 800 performers from around the world, ranging from the Canadian Mounted Police to the Chilean Huasos, the Masai to the Pakistani Presidential Bodyguards, the Kremlin Mounted Cossacks to the Aborigines. The Omanis alone are sending 200 soldiers and 112 horses, transported on two specially adapted flights.

It won’t be the first time that the Queen, who is, of course, a keen rider, has seen the unique skills of Omani horsemanship in action. Her second visit, in 2010, to the Gulf state coincided with its 40th birthday as a modern country, and was marked by an equestrian show featuring 840 horses and almost 2,000 riders. One incredible picture showed four horses being ridden by 10 men, standing on each other’s shoulders to form a pyramid.

“It was a very nice show,” says Brigadier Abdul Razak, the cavalry’s commander. “I had the honour to meet Her Majesty – a proud moment for all of us here.”

For a non-Commonwealth country, the ties between Britain and Oman are unusually close. A treaty in 1800 stated: “The friendship of the two states may remain unshook til the end of time; til the sun and moon have finished their revolving careers.” Today, 7,000 Britons, including 90 members of the Armed Forces, live and work in Oman. Its stated policy might be determinedly neutral – it speaks regularly to Iran, its problematic neighbour across the straits, while remaining a close ally to the West – but some friends are clearly closer than others. “It is an extremely warm relationship,” says Jamie Bowden, our man in Muscat.

This warmth emanates directly from Sultan Qaboos who, even by the standards of Gulf rulers, is markedly Anglophile. In addition to the obligatory stint at Sandhurst, he served with the now defunct Cameronian regiment (they helped his father when he had a spot of local bother in 1957) and spent six months in the unlikely setting of Suffolk County Council, where he developed a passion for organ music and learnt about local government.

Although he hasn’t imported the vibrant democracy of Ipswich wholesale to Muscat – Qaboos deposed his father in a coup in 1970 and remains a dominant, if benign, ruler – Oman is certainly more enlightened than other Gulf states. Protests last year resulted in more oversight for Parliament. And while many problems remain – notably a youthful population overly reliant on public sector jobs – a recent UN human development study put the country in first place in terms of improvement over the past 40 years in health and education.

Even a brief visit reveals a people with the friendliness – but not the dissatisfaction – of the Levant and north Africa, and the wealth – if not its gaudy extremes – of its immediate neighbours. Qaboos is the longest-serving leader in the Arab world.

The history of the Royal Cavalry closely mirrors the burgeoning confidence of Oman. Founded in 1974 by the sultan, it originally consisted of just 20 horses. Today, it operates as the Omani equivalent of the British Jockey Club, overseeing racing, show-jumping, polo and breeding programmes, as well as performing a ceremonial role for visiting dignitaries.

The Firqah (ceremonial) squadron was created in 1993 and now consists of 140 soldiers under the command of Brigadier Razak and Major Mohammed Al Balushi, who also employs a former warrant officer from the British Household Cavalry as an adviser.

Most of the squadron’s soldiers are in their twenties, having finished basic training with the army first. Their lives appear surprisingly unrestrained, a rare chance to pursue a portfolio career in the military. Raida al Bahry, a tiny 24‑year-old who looks half her age, races in the morning, practises the flute in the afternoon and is also a part-time actress.

For now, though, her focus – and that of the 200 people travelling with her – is on rehearsing for the Windsor show. “Going to England will be my first time abroad,” says Raida, who also welcomed the Queen in 2010. “I’m very excited.”

They have been practising every day for the last two months. Meanwhile, the al Obaidani factory in the capital, Muscat, is working eight hours a day churning out 10 uniforms (two for each performance) for each soldier. “When you design a new show, you have to be perfect,” says Brigadier Razak.

The brigadier is anxious not to spoil the surprise, but we do know that the display will include the rakd al arda, the awe-inspiring galloping in pairs (no mean feat when you have no stirrups and are riding a solid, broad Arab saddle), as well as poems, chanting and the hairoob (which involves the riders having to persuade the pretty, but recalcitrant, Arabian horses to lie down). It will also feature the Royal Cavalry Mounted Band – Oman is almost certainly the only country in the world to boast a camel-mounted bagpipe band.

If I were the Chileans, the Pakistanis, the Kremlin or the Canadian Mounties I’d be practising like a mad man, for I have an inkling the Omanis are going to trot all over the lot of them. If the effect is half as good as what I saw in the Omani desert, Windsor is in for a treat.

More soon.

le fin.

Oman V Australia, and Swiss week @ the Hyatt

2012-05-08T14:00:00.000+04:00

Three things today!

Oman are playing Australia next month at the Sultan Qaboos stadium - June 8th. Tickets are reportedly on sale now at the Shell gas station in Sarooj, starting at just 2 RO. General seating: 2 RO and VIP: 10, 15, 25 & 35 RO.

I imagine the game will be well-attended. The last time Oman and the Socceroos met, Oman snuck a goal in and won 1-0, so I'm sure the aussies will be keen to get even this time. The game is a qualifier for the World Cup in Brazil

Check out the Oman National Football Team's facebook page for more information in the coming days.

On Sunday I went with Mrs Sythe to check out the Swiss week thing being held at the Mokha Cafe in the Hyatt all week until this Sunday (May 13th). It costs RO 17 and you get to try out a whole host of Swiss dishes. I honestly thought there was only holy cheese and toblerones, but I was surprised to see there were a bunch of other things on the menu too, but I do have to say the Tobelerone chocolate fountain and mousses were pretty awesome.

I enjoyed the Tobelerone chocolate fountain a great deal!

There was some live music and entertainment at the venue as well, with all manner of musical instruments: Alphorns, accordions, spoons, saws(!), cow bells and earthenware bowls with coins rolling around in them. All in all we had a great time and if you're looking for something different to do for dinner (or brunch on the weekend for that matter) - it was fun.

Finally, a nice spot by local twitter person, @terencephoto spied a new marketing initiative by Nawras, which apparently promotes online piracy:

heh

Well I guess Oman better watch out or it will join Canada (those naughty Canadians) and make it onto the USA's online-naughty list that they publish every year: The Special 301 Watchlist prepared by the Office of the US Trade Representative. I'd like to point out that my Omantel ADSL is RO 35 a month for a 12MB line (which lets me download at around 1400 KB/sec) and is unlimited in data traffic. Just saying.

le fin.

Omani artist Alia Al Farsi shows work in Japan

2012-05-07T07:00:00.000+04:00

Local Omani artist Alia Al Farsi is unveiling (well probably has by now) her latest collection at the Embassy of Oman in Tokyo, Japan today. It's even being attended by HH Princess Takamado so it's a pretty big deal for Alia, and some good positive press for Oman too by extension.

Alia has been a recognized artist for quite a few years now and this is the latest in her long line of exhibitions - her website details that she's been to more than a few Oman Week exhibitions around the world to showcase her work - good for her.

I've no idea if her works are for sale, but I'd imagine so?

More soon.

le fin

Omani product spotlight: Dahabi bread

2012-05-05T07:00:00.000+04:00

Time for another semi-regular post on local Omani products that I use. This one's a fairly new product that I've seen when grocery shopping. I've not seen it for sale in Al Fair or Carrefour yet, but I buy it at Lulu's or The Sultan Center.

Makes excellent toast and eggy bread!

If you click the picture you can read the nutritional info

It is Dahabi bread. Mrs Sythe has been buying their flour products for years, so we recognized the brand and figured we'd give it a go and were pleasantly surprised. The bread comes in plastic bags as you can see, with handy easy-clips to keep the bag sealed. The loaves come in 3 different sizes, we buy the middle size, 450g - it seems to work best for us.

The bread is produced by the Atyab Bakery which is in Barka. They have a website here.

Now I'm sure a few of you are wondering about Al Fair's bread, and yes, I like their bread too - but I'm not always at Al Fair, nor always want to pay 700bz for a loaf of bread when all I want is toast. I find this Dahabi bread works well for me :)

More soon.

le fin.

A few bits for the weekend

2012-05-02T07:06:00.000+04:00

This weekend summary I have a theme with food, with 2 different food related suggestions! But before the food, local guy Sami Asmi is hosting another one of his Urban Takeover parties at Zouk tonight, from 10:30 or there abouts.

Here's the blurb from the Facebook event page:

Zouk brings you the URBAN TAKEOVER. Wednesday May 2nd

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

With the Award Winning International DJ Adam J bringing you the best of

■ HipHop
■ R&B
■ House
■ Dubstep
■ Club Bangers

Worked with artists like Akon, Jay Sean, Faith Evans, Blackstreet, Massari , Lloyd, Tine Tempah, Wayne Wonder, Imran Khan

Adam J's latest track WE CAME TO PARTY has been hitting the charts and coming to Oman soon ;) Check out the clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-af-NhXyXs

Hosted by Oman's #1 MC Sami Asmi
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Event Timing:
10:30pm – 3am

Venue:
Zouk (Crowne Plaza Hotel, Muscat)

Dress Code:
Dress to impress

- 21+ only
- Entry: 20 OMR Gents and Free entry for Ladies
- Doors open: 8pm
- Dress code: Dress to impress
- Management reserves the right to refuse entry
- Normal club policies apply, Couples and mixed groups receiving preference
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

For Table | VIP reservations please contact:

Tel: +968 24664912
Mobile: +968 95759771

Next up, local caterers based in Al Khuwair, The Dried Lemon, are having an open day with samples of the dishes they prepare tomorrow (Thursday) from noon till 6pm. There are details on how to get there on the Facebook Event page. For members of the Abandoned Dad's Society, or the "Wife ditched me here for the summer" support group, The Dried Lemon also prepares a few frozen dishes is simple serving sizes starting from as little as RO 3.500 for a lasagna. Might be worth a look in.

Also, there is a new South African meat supplier in town - more details on these guys soon, but here's their price list for various meat products and how to contact them. I have to say I'm pretty pumped about the Ostrich burgers, the SA Beef Tenderloin and the Biltong!

Click to make this bigger!

~~And finally~~ Next, the local Muscat Pirates kids rugby group have launched a nice new website which contains all the information you need to know about registering your kids for the next season (Due to start in early September).

Thanks to a reader who reminded me about the road closures this weekend: The Azaiba Roundabout (the one by the Grand Mosque) is being partially closed from 3pm tomorrow (Thursday) until midnight, and then fully closed between midnight and 3pm on Friday. No they don't explain what partially closed means.

Have a great weekend.

le fin.

2012-05-01T08:30:00.000+04:00

Today's post is written by a guest writer, Sarah Ratcliffe, who asked me if she could do a spot of freelance writing. I'm always happy to have someone help out with the blog and this today is her piece on a documentary called Footsteps of Thesiger.

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Following in Thesiger’s Footsteps

Venturing across the Empty Quarter with camels as your means of transport is not something that most of us would consider. A cruise and stay in a luxury hotel might be more up your street. However, in the 1940s British explorer Wilfred Thesiger undertook such expeditions in what we now know as Oman and the other countries in the area. At the end of last year, another Brit set off to repeat the challenge with the same means of transport. Now Adrian Hayes’s adventure can be seen in a documentary called ‘Footsteps of Thesiger’.

Sand, camels and dependence

Just to remind ourselves, the Empty Quarter or Rub al-Khali is a desert that covers parts of Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. It is the largest sand expanse on the planet and experiences extreme temperatures. It is one of the harshest environments on earth. No wonder it is uninhabited. The Bedouin, with their extensive knowledge of desert terrain and vegetation and camel behaviour have made crossings feasible.

That is what Thesiger relied upon for his travels. Their expertise found the wells that would quench their thirst in the sands. He depended on them, and sometimes the use of disguise, to keep out of tribal conflict. His journeying was almost always uncomfortable – “always hungry and usually thirsty” – but incredibly satisfying, and he looked back to these times as among the best he had known. Though frustrated by their constant chatter, he loved and deeply respected his Bedouin companions and what they had helped him to achieve.

Hayes was one of a three-man team with Emiratis Saeed Rashed Al Mesafry and Ghafan Mohammed Al Jabry, who first trained him in camel-handling and desert survival. They set off from Salahah in early November with seven camels, a compass, basic medical provisions, some food and water, a knife and a rifle. Their camels, nature and Bedouin hospitality were to be, as they were for Thesiger, their lifelines.

The route was similar to that taken by Thesiger. Hayes did not attempt to re-enact the journey, as he felt that was impossible given the sixty-seven years that have passed in between. Rather the attempt was to follow in his footsteps. The route was from Salalah to Mughshin, Umm Zamoul, Liwa, Al Ain then into Abu Dhabi. They avoided GPS and satphones unless absolutely necessary. They did use satellite communications to provide updates on their progress.

A hiccup and concussion

Day One presented an unexpected hiccup when a combination of vehicles, onlookers, wild camels and a brewing storm “spooked the camels” as they were entering their first wadi. The three men were dismounted and two had to go to hospital for treatment for concussion. Not put off, they got back on their camels. Within a week they had navigated two wadis, travelled 100 km and were enjoying goat roasted before them on a fire, thanks to Sheikh Khalid who had invited them to his farm.

Hayes said he was overwhelmed by the visitors who joined them on his expedition to share personal stories of Thesiger. “Just like‘Mubarak Bin London’ [Thesiger] , I feel privileged to be seated at a campfire feasting on traditional food and listening to Arabic poetry and songs with the great people
I have encountered along the way.”

The team travelled an average of 45km per day, sometimes for eleven hours a day, to complete the 1,500 kilometre trip. They entered the UAE in late November and arrived in Abu Dhabi in mid December after a trip of around 45 days.

You can view a clip of the documentary Footsteps of Thesiger http://footstepsofthesiger.com/ The documentary premiered in the UAE, which sponsored the expedition, earlier this month. It is set to begin touring, sometimes with Hayes and Q&A sessions, so watch out for further announcements.

Alternatively, Thesiger’s “Arabian Sands” makes a fascinating read if you want to get a taste of what it is like to rely upon others, camels and a little luck to survive. It tells the story of his journeys across the Empty Quarter. He was very aware that the region was on the verge of change and his book preserves the desert he knew. In his own words “a memorial to a vanished past, a tribute to a once magnificent people”.

Mackenzies Cafe & Deli

2012-04-30T16:00:00.000+04:00

I originally blogged about this in June 2011 and it seems that the place is nearing completion and thus opening. Gordon Mackenzie (the guy behind Alive Events) is expanding his increasingly popular internet-ordering imported foods website, MackenziesDeli.com and is opening a cafe in MQ, underneath the Al Noor hall, just behind the Subway, next to the baby daycare place.

I took a sneak peak inside the store and snapped a few pictures - initial impressions (apart from it not yet being complete) is that it is actually going to be a pretty big spot, and it's got fancy Scottish themed wall paper. I'm sure the Caledonian society of Oman types will be pleased to see the Scottish Thistle featured in the Cafe.

There's no set opening date just yet - Oman being Oman and the licenses & permits process being a rather drawn out affair, but definitely before Ramadan! The store will also have a Pork room, as well as a Butchers & Cheese counter to boot - looks like Al Fair's stranglehold on Pork products may finally come to an end (with the exception of the frozen pork shop that I blogged about in 2009). Of course, you can still place an order on their website and have it delivered to your house anywhere in the Muscat area - cash on delivery. I highly recommend their fancy bangers!

Moving on, last night I learned that the Passage to India restaurant by Hatat House had a fire about a week ago which gutted it, and now the restaurant is closed for renovation. No word yet how bad the fire was, or how it happened, or even when they plan to reopen. Shame really, it was my favorite spot for a ruby murray in town - relatively cheap food (when comparing to Mumtaz Mahal or a "Shatti" restaurant") and licensed to boot.

The thing I liked most about it was the fact that it was out of the way and quiet. I hope they re-open soon, and if you have any info on what actually happened - do share!

More soon.

le fin.

Omani product spotlight: Suroor potato chips

2012-04-29T07:00:00.000+04:00

Time for another semi-regular post on local Omani products that I use. This one's a specific flavour of a type of ~~crisps~~ chips that I enjoy. Suroor's crinkle-cut salt and vinegar flavour are great - they are just like Ruffles, but only cost RO 1.050 for a big sack of I don't actually know how many bags - probably somewhere around 24.

I've looked for these chips to come in a big bag but can only seem to find them in snack-size in a large sack of them. I think Mehdi Foods LLC (owner of the Suroor brand) really took to heart the phrase "cheap as chips" as each snack-size bag only contains about 10 chips in it, an awful waste of packaging really, but super cheap.

There are other flavours but I don't really care for them, just the Salt & Vinegar ones for me! I also enjoy other local brands of chips too, but I'll save them for another time!

More soon!

le fin.

An amusing story from the UK involving a Kuwaiti

2012-04-28T13:15:00.000+04:00

Being a Saturday, traditionally here the newspapers are fairly thin on "news" (not totally derelict, but fairly thin, a result of the weekend I guess). During lunch, I was reading news online, and found this story on the Telegraph, I've pasted it below:

Diplomatic protection officers came across the Arabic man as they patrolled outside Mr Blair’s £4.3 million townhouse in Connaught Square, Belgravia, central London in the early hours. When they asked the man, who appeared to be drunk, to stop urinating he allegedly refused to cooperate and a scuffle broke out.

Officers eventually discharged the 50,000 volt taser in order to place the suspect, who spoke little English, under arrest. However the man collapsed and had to be taken to hospital, where it emerged he was a Kuwaiti government official, Ayedh Alrashidi. Mr Alrashidi had been staying in London in order to visit a family who was undergoing medical treatment in the UK.

Described by associates as a “wealthy and peaceful man”, he had been staying with friends in an apartment close to Connaught Square.

Following the incident, which occurred last September, he was initially charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a police officer, but was eventually bound over to keep the peace for 12 months following an agreement between his legal team and the Crown Prosecution Service.
According to his lawyers, Mr Alrashidi, was deeply concerned at his treatment by the police and considered taking the matter further.

However he eventually returned to Kuwait having decided not to pursue the matter.
His lawyer in London, Bassam Tablieh said the incident had escalated because of confusion and Mr Alrashidi’s lack of English.

He said: “Mr Alrashidi is a Kuwaiti national, who lives abroad. He doesn’t speak very good English. He is a peaceful man and didn’t realise what was happening.”

A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed that a taser had been deployed and a man was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assault.

Mr Blair’s London home is protected by officers the Metropolitan Police’s CO6 Diplomatic Protection Unit.

In 2009, the former Prime Minister was criticised after intervening in order to maintain a 24-hour security detail on the property when the force proposed cutting it in order to save money.
Critics claimed Mr Blair, who is estimated to have made as much as £20 million since leaving office, should help fund any security detail himself.

Now I could point out that if police are attempting to communicate with you, regardless of the language barrier, if you happen to be having a quick piss perhaps it might cross ~~your~~ ~~you're (grammar police caught me again!)~~ your (never mind!) mind that that particular act might be what has caused them to talk to you in the first place, but the particular line, "Mr Alrashidi, was deeply concerned at his treatment by the police and considered taking the matter further" (because he didnt get to finish emptying his bladder onto a public street) just made me smile.

Incredible that he got off with a slap on the wrist and ran off with his tail between his legs back to Kuwait. haha.

More tomorrow.

le fin.

Muscat Rugby club's Oval Ball tickets now on sale

2012-04-28T07:00:00.000+04:00

Hope you all had a nice weekend :)

The MRFC are having their annual ball this year in the Afrah ballroom, Grand Hyatt. Tickets are RO 40 for members, and RO 45 for non-members - pretty much the cheapest ball ticket of the year. Standard ball fare applies - sit down dinner and open bar. It all starts at 7pm on Thursday 7th June

If you are interested in tickets, drop me an email and I'll put you in touch with the right people, or just call / email any of the people listed on the poster above.

As it happens, MRFC are playing HMS Westminster tomorrow evening at 7pm on the ABA rugby pitch, with after game celebrations held in the club's adoptive home, the Habana bar & the Hyatt.

More soon.

le fin.

le weekend

2012-04-25T11:00:00.000+04:00

Well what a week it's been - Oman were seen off by Senegal and are now out of the Olympic football finals this summer, a shame really.

So what's up this weekend?

Tonight there is the usual Happy Hour drinks at the Safari Complex along with the the interesting looking Rainbow cuisine South African food spectacular at the Hyatt's Mokha Cafe.

Also, the Irish pub, O'Malley's is proving very popular in some circles, and might be a nice spot to stop in for a tipple. I popped in there for lunch in the week and was quite amused to be listening to what appeared to be live-streamed Irish radio - a nice touch :)

Cricket fans, can watch the IPL action on Nuts & Bolt's big screen and offer a buy 2 get 1 free drink policy between 6 and 8 every day until the 27th of May - might be a nice spot to start after work?

Staying with cricket for a moment, there is the "Celebrity Cricket" thing sponsored by Omantel this weekend, Thursday and Friday evenings from 4:30pm at the Muscat Club in Wadi Kabir.

Tomorrow night, as blogged by Andy in Oman, there is the "Beyond the Orphanage" fund raiser at the ~~Costain~~ Dolphin Clubfrom 7pm, entertainment provided by the cake whisperer, DJ Chris Fisher. Tickets cost RO 15 and are for sale today at Costa Coffee in Shatti between 4-6pm. For more information you can call Joh Weekley on 9578 0592.

Also tomorrow night at Zouk there is Ministry of Sound's DJ Skinz (incorrectly advertised by Zouk as DJ Skins I might add #fail). DJ Skinz uses Twitter, and is an R&B dj - He was a radio presenter for Ministry of Sounds radio R&B show. No word on pricing so I imagine it's the usual: RO 20.

And finally, on Friday evening at the Muscat City Center from 7pm, there is the Red Bull BC One Cypher - Oman event. Essentially it's the Oman leg of a world wide tournament to find the best BBoy in the world, with the finals being held in Rio later this year. A Cypher is a local qualifier round, followed by a regional qualifier round with the winners from those going to the final to find out "The One". Essentially is a dance thing, and will probably be well attended by the shabab, well I guess they'll give the residents of The Wave a rest this Friday evening then! (The link to the wave goes to their forum, where some disgruntled residents are petitioning to make it a gated community - thousands of people live and work there - good luck making it a gated community!).

Enjoy the weekend!

le fin.

Radio wars: The Clone Wars

2012-04-24T07:50:00.000+04:00

Well the results of my most recent radio poll are in, and we did something new this time around: we used Facebook Questions to conduct the poll. This meant that I could control the voting by ensuring people were not voting more than once, but it has the drawback that only Facebook users voted, and those that voted could be seen by everyone - a bit of a privacy issue that I'm not really very comfortable with. So the search continues for me on how best to collect your votes.

On with the results:

Radio Sultanate of Oman took 6.03% of the vote (12 votes)
Merge took 39.20% of the vote (78 votes)
Hi FM took 47.74% of the vote (95 votes)
Arabic took 1.01% of the vote (2 votes)
CD/MP3 took 6.03% of the vote (12 votes)

A total of 199 votes - down from the last radio poll where we had 266 votes, but at least I know there were no double-votes this time :)

Being the third time we've voted on our preferred radio station, I thought it's enough data for me to plot a graph... and here it is:

Click to make this bigger!

Straight away you can see 2 things: Hi FM lost a lot of votes, and Merge gained more votes in the same period. Hi have suffered from the reduced number of votes more than Merge has. The overall number of people still listening to MP3's is less as well. The Ewoks over at Sultanate of Oman 90.4 have made a small increase in listeners - indicative of at least a steady audience. And that is really the crux of my choice of blog title: The Clone Wars.

I remember when Merge launched, there was a lot of talk about targeting a different audience than Hi FM, along with merging different cultures into the big Sabco melting pot that was Merge FM. And I guess to a point, they have done this: every hour or so there is the odd Arab-themed track and the way-back playback of the 80's (lately I've heard U2 with or without you a few times!). However, the over-whelming majority of the music is pretty much exactly the same as Hi Fm. Hence: The Clone Wars.

Darren & Chris found their outfits slimming

It certainly seems that by mixing in the odd Hindi or Arabic track, along with the odd 80's retro track, people seem to enjoy the blend, and more of you are switching on to Merge. I contacted some of you who voted on Facebook and asked you what it was you liked about Merge, and Hi FM for that matter. Interestingly, it seems the general reason for people liking Merge or Hi is the music - of course there are fans of the radio presenters, but the overwhelming majority of you don't really care about the radio presenters, unless they are annoying you.

Personally, I've found myself switching stations a lot more frequently recently - if Hi are playing a track I don't like, I'll switch to Merge or 90.4 Oman FM. I've noticed Hi FM have commercialized their output heavily. One might say too heavily, I don't know - but people seem to be switching over to Merge in greater numbers, and this could be a key driver for the switchover.

It's not all a one way street though, Hi have copied Merge in some things to, most notably the 10am-noon segment (Merge's At work network) is now the same as Merge - pre-recorded and not "live" (Darren seems to be providing the voice links between songs, which can be done easily). In a change to Merge though, Hi have now got live DJ coverage up to midnight, with Marcus Monopoli driving the show from 8pm to midnight - Merge just has pre-recorded shows in the same time slot, with the Muscat drive ending at 8pm.

Interestingly, on 90.4 there are also live shows up until midnight (or possibly after). I had a good giggle listening to the 90.4 presenter the other night with his American-British accent; he was trying to give away a prize and wanted someone to call in with the name of the CEO of the Oman Football Association - the first guy who called didn't know and just wouldn't hang up, then a girl rang in and announced that she didn't know the answer but she had just baked some cookies and would he like some? Classic, I can honestly say I was very entertained by it all. I've no idea if the presenter (their website - yes I finally found it - looks like it's not been updated since 2002 and so I've no idea of the guys name) ever did manage to give away his prize, but perhaps he got some tasty cookies!

Hi FM continue to dominate the market and still have the largest audience. Their branding is also more readily recognized and present in our lives around the Capital (sorry those of you from outside Muscat!). This last winter, Hi have been involved in a number of large concerts with world-class acts and have diversified their brand as a result. Hi FM are obviously a radio station, who also dabble in live concerts and comedy events. Merge on the other hand, have not really competed on this front, with a few exceptions: Hed Kandi & Yanni.

Hi FM are technologically more advanced than any of the competition: There's an iPhone and Android app for listening to their radio stream which have a handy track log of songs played. In addition to this, Hi FM employ true RDS (Radio Data System) which allows them to scroll small text messages on radio receivers capable showing the name of the track being played, or the Radio Presenter currently on air. Neat. The people at Merge tell me they have the same technology but have chosen not to use it at this time.

Hi FM also continue to have regular news broadcasts whereas Merge doesn't, however, it is apparent that the current news broadcasts provided by Hi (from Feature Story News) are "yesterdays" news in many cases. Quite frequently I hear the exact same news broadcast driving home at the end of the day as I do when I'm driving to work that morning, so the news, in my opinion could be improved upon. Some of the people I contacted after their votes in the poll also said the same thing: The news is nice, but out of date. The only other broadcaster in this race who give the news is of course the loveable Ewoks at 90.4 Radio Sultanate of Oman, except 90% of their news consists of who His Majesty sent cables of greetings to that particular day.

Faiq over on 90.4 has focused even more on playing music from the 60s/70s and 80s and is still steadfastly dishing out free dinners at the Radisson and other hotels on his breakfast show - and I have to admit I sometimes switch him on in the mornings on my way to work if I'm not in the mood for pop music.

So will Hi FM alter their music line up as a result, or will they stay on their current format? Personally I don't see anything wrong with slipping in an occasional retro track - it seems to work with the diverse audience here. Will Merge start broadcasting news (I asked this question at their launch and they confirmed they had planned to) and will 90.4 invest in a new website?

Hi FM has a website and a facebook group
Merge has a website and a facebook group
Sultanate of Oman Radio 90.4 has a website

More soon - and for those interested, Oman lost to Senegal last night, 2-0. Shame.

le fin.

Bank Nizwa announces IPO

2012-04-23T16:00:00.000+04:00

Well they have finally announced their initial public offering today with a rather low RO 60 million slice of their company up for grabs. There are 600 million 100 baiza shares on offer on the Muscat Securities Market for 102 baizas each. This apparently represents 40% of their paid capital (source).The 2 baiza's are for "Issue expenses". RO 1,200,000 / US$ 3,096,000 to issue an IPO - I'm in the wrong business!

Now, most people don't really care about this but I thought it was interesting as this is the first Islamic Bank to start here in Oman. Ok so Bank Muscat have some Islamic banking services on offer, and Bank Dhofar are looking to get in on the act too, but the boys from Bank Nizwa are the first dedicated Islamic banking crowd to setup up shop here.

The thing that keeps getting me scratching my head is: Islamic banking does not allow for the charging of interest. They make their money by purchasing assets, and then re-selling them to their customer at a higher price. Whether that's a car or a house - the bank buys it, and then allows it's customer to make installments over a period of time for the item. But, here's the rub - the bank can not levy penalties against their borrower for late payment. I'm sure there's more to it but I don't get it - but many people do.

Anyway, I'm digressing. I'd expect there to be a fairly hefty demand for these shares, so if you've got some cash and fancy a punt, RO 102 will buy you 1000 shares in Bank Nizwa. The offering closes on the 22nd May.

More tomorrow.

le fin.

Oman V Senegal tonight

2012-04-23T10:01:00.002+04:00

As we approach the 2012 Olympic games in the UK, Oman has one final hurdle too pass to make it to the Olympic finals for ~~soccer~~ football. The Oman national football U23 team are currently in the UK getting ready to face Senegal U23 team tonight.

At 10:45pm tonight, Oman time, in the City of Coventry stadium the game starts, and it's being shown on Oman TV2.

More tomorrow, a new Radio Wars post :)

le fin.

Omani products spotlight: Sohar Milk

2012-04-22T14:30:00.000+04:00

In an effort to come up with some more useful information for people living, or researching about living, in the Sultanate, I thought I'd start a semi-regular feature: Omani products spotlight

Basically I thought it'd be good to share the various locally produced products that I use here in Oman. Perhaps you can suggest better alternatives, or perhaps you'll try one of the products I like and mention here, I don't know - but none of these will be paid advertisements.

So here's my first product: Sohar Milk.

I have it on my Weetabix!

I honestly only very recently discovered this milk, after years of using Al Marai milk products I finally took the time to read the label and discovered that Al Marai products are made in the KSA! Not that I have anything against the Kingdom, I just don't think that milk produced there can be particularly fresh if I buy it here in Oman. Which is when a few months ago I started looking for a local Omani alternative and discovered Sohar Milk.

A google search tells me that Sohar milk is a product from the typically named Oman Agriculture Development Company SAOC - an Omzest company. Now, the dairy scene here in Muscat is very much dominated by the KSA imported Al Marai, but I honestly prefer the Sohar milk and am glad I tried it out - to me it tastes fresher. The price is the same as Al Marai and it's available in all the major supermarkets, and even some Oman Oil shops.

More soon!

le fin.

Some numbers!

2012-04-21T11:33:00.000+04:00

Today my Facebook group for this blog hit a new milestone - 1500 "likes". Ok so I like my own group so I guess it's technically 1499 of you have "liked" the group, perhaps that will be at 1500 by the end of the day :)

Honestly I didn't think the group would even get to 250 likes, let alone 1500 - so thats awesome that so many of you have taken the time to "like" my mutterings. I started this blog on the 26th July 2009 and here we are, nearly 3 years later and at the time of writing, there have been 561,799 hits on the blog, with monthly traffic currently around the 40,000 hits mark.

I've been pretty lazy with my writing lately, so I'll have to get back on the blogging wagon again!

More soon!

le fin.

Rainy weather ahead?

2012-04-16T07:00:00.000+04:00

Well it rained a little last week, and a quick look over at AccuWeather shows thunderstorms in store for the rest of the week with a return to sunny weather by Friday. No need to run off like headless chickens and buy all the water from Al Fair again though, it seems mostly electrical storms with a side order of drizzle, the worst day currently predicated to be tomorrow, Tuesday.

So I guess the order of the week should be... don't bother to wash your car. I should have known, seeing as I just washed my car today. Typical.

In other news, local blog How to live like an Omani Princess has blogged today about some cheap hotels in town you may want to consider if you are visiting Oman on a budget, or for some reason need a cheap room in the city. I thought it was some pretty good information that's otherwise hard to find on t'internet.

More soon!

le fin.

British week at the Sultan Center

2012-04-15T12:42:00.000+04:00

Well it only runs for another couple of days but I only just came aware of it... perhaps this may be of some interest to some of you.

More soon!

le fin.