Oman is the land of the muscle car, and in a tired and emotional state I agreed to go on a thousand kilometer-plus drive down to the Dhofari capital Salalah from Muscat one Thursday morning. You pass through the most extreme, silent, brutally hot, lunar landscape for eight hours, occasionally filling up at petrol stations manned by lonely South Indian attendants. Then (if you go during the Khareef, or monsoon season), you all of a sudden hit a thin film of rain, fog and brilliantly green hills. You battle for tarmac with camels in scenery that more resembles Switzerland than Arabia. It is a surreal, and demanding drive expedition, but well worth it.

Rent a car in Muscat and just drive south - there are plenty of affordable seaside hostels to stay in in Salalah.
Google map: bit.ly/ciyj8k

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The Souk in Muscat sells many things you will find in similar places across the Middle East but comes into its own for those Omani specialties, Frankincense and Myrrh, together with beautiful silver burners.

The Souk is on the Corniche in Muttrah, close to the ancient heart of Muscat.
Google map: tinyurl.com/37qqa95

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It is a blog which has many guides on worldwide destinations that helped me plan my trip to muscat.

www.benstravels.com/2008/03/oman.html

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We were going to visit Oman and wanted to use four days for a snapshot of the country. Arriving in Muscat is a shock as frankly it’s so much cleaner than our cities. We visited the Sultan Qaboos Mosque on the way in and it is a jaw dropping experience – a mélange of different Islamic styles that perhaps because of the space do not overwhelm. However, that apart, for us the best was out of Muscat and our safari through the mountains and desert. They are so barren that each village seems as though it could be the only one – but no, around a corner there would be another one. Camping in the desert gave us the chance to lie back and drink in millions of stars above in an almost religious experience. It’s difficult to get used to so many shades of brown but in their own way, they are beautiful. A great visit for non-touristy experiences.

www.muscat.travel

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