Our second day in Oman was a real adventure (if you did not read about our first day just scroll down!). We started the morning off by waking up early and walking on the beach. We surprisingly found a Starbucks and decided to have breakfast there.

So after a relaxing morning, we decided to explore Muscat! There are several sections of Muscat so we decided to explore Muttrah first . . .

Entering Muttrah – I just love those jagged mountains in the background!

When we got to Muttrah we discovered that there is a Corniche you can walk which goes right along the bay.

The harbor with the traditional dhow boats

As we were walking along the Corniche we saw the entrance to the Muttrah Souq – the most famous Arabian market in Oman and so of course we had to check it out:

The entrance to the Souq

The Souq has an indoor/outdoor feel to it. The market is inside but there is not AC and there are little windows and stained glass ceilings to let in the light from outside:

As we were walking around the souq I kept hearing “frankincense, myrrh, ma’am do you like the pashmina?” I couldn’t believe where we were. I felt like I had fallen into a bible story. It truly felt like I was in another world and I loved every minute of it. We walked into several of the shops just to learn –

We bought frankincense from this man who showed us how to burn frankincense and let us smell all the different types – traditional frankincense, green frankincense that you can chew like gum, frankincense infused with myrrh, or musk, or amber. It was really interesting. We then went to other shops but one shop in particular caught Scott’s attention – this was the shop that sold ghutras, or the head scarf that men in the middle east wear. The man in the picture below taught Scott how to tie one the Omani way which is different from the Emirati way his student’s taught him. In Oman the men tend to use a bigger piece of material and so the back of the ghutra is longer and the part that wraps around the head is thicker.

I think this is a good place to pause. I did not realize how late it has gotten and I need to get to bed and teach tomorrow. So for now we will halt the recount of my trip and tomorrow I will continue to share our adventures in Oman!!! Masalaama everyone and good night : )