Sorry again for the lack of posts--I have been slacking! This weekend a group of us (about 15 altogether) traveled about 2 hours outside of Muscat to the desert and stayed in a desert camp overnight. We got to ride in 4x4 vehicles on the sand dunes--which was both terrifying and incredibly fun. We also rode camels, albeit for a very short ride--but it was a necessary touristy activity! The desert was so beautiful and peaceful. But we all got completely covered with a lovely layer of sand film, so it felt really good to come home and shower! And to get away from the gigantic beetles and bees. But overall, a very worthwhile trip to get to see another part of Oman. This evening we went to the Muttrah Souq again, and with some help with haggling from some of my friends, I managed to get some good deals this time.

Muttrah Souq

Last night my roommates and I went to the Muttrah Souq in one of the oldest parts of the city of Muscat, and the souq (or market/bazaar) is possibly the oldest in the Arab world. Today it is mostly filled with very cheap touristy junk, but it is still a lot of fun! We don't usually venture out until 7:30 or 8:00 since everything shuts down during the day during Ramadan until after "Iftar," when everyone breaks the fast. In Muscat there are tons of juice places all over where you can get almost any kind of fresh fruit juice. And almost all of the restaurants serve at least 10 different kinds of fresh juice. My favorites so far: lemon and mint juice, fresh pomegranate, kiwi, and blood orange. They also have a lot of fresh smoothie and drink mixes, so the drinks usually take up about half of the menu! I didn't take any pictures at the Souq since I wasn't smart enough to put my camera card back in my camera after downloading my pictures last time, but more to come! Below is a pic one of my roommates took last night. You can't tell, but we are standing in front of the Sultan's huge Yacht which is all lit up at night. Below I included a picture of the yacht I took when we visited the souq before, a stall in the souq selling frankincense, and a picture of most of our group when we went on our excursion to see the turtles, and a picture of my roommate Anastasia and I at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. There is also a pic of my roommates and I at the sinkhole when we went to Sur last weekend.

Today we visited the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It is beautiful and humongous! It was completed in 2001, and two of its most interesting features is the huge chandelier in the men's prayer hall, which is the biggest chandelier in the world, and the carpet. The carpet was also the biggest in the world--flown in in pieces from Iran along with 300 women to sew it all together--until Abu Dhabi decided to try to outdo it.

Exploring Oman

Sorry I haven't been better about posting! My first week of classes plus jet lag has been an adjustment, but I will make up for it with a bunch of pictures! Muscat is sooo beautiful! It is hard to describe how beautiful it is, but hopefully the pictures will do that for me! The people are extremely friendly as well, which has made the adjustment to life here very easy! Our classes here are intense though--six hours a day of classes all in Arabic--the last two hours are spent speaking to a local Omani student all in Arabic as well. I think it will help my language ability exponentially, but does make for exhausting days! This weekend we traveled to Sur, Oman where there is a reserve for Green Sea Turtles. We stayed in fancy 'eco-tents' right off of the beach, and went out at night to see these huge turtles laying and burying their eggs in the sand! We also visited a sinkhole as well as a dhow factory where they build traditional dhow ships in Sur on our way to the turtle reserve. More posts soon!