Oman... (Musundam)

This will be a series of posts. I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to keep it updated while we are traveling in Oman, but I had some time now while Chris and Jake are swimming and thought I'd take a minute to jot down a few things.

If you read the post last night, we had a mess with our flight to Oman, missed connection, lost bag, etc. But last night Chris got his bag back at about midnight and all became well with the world. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Muscat for the night and then got up and headed to the airport again this morning. We flew to Khasab (Musundam), a little tiny peninsula at the tip of the United Arab Emirates. It is part of Oman, but is separated by the UAE from the rest of the country. It was only an hour and a half flight and all went well. We traveled with our friend, Dan. When we got to our hotel, Dan got checked in and when we tried to check in realized that we were at the wrong hotel. The shuttle driver took us to our hotel and we got checked in too. It turns our there is a Atana Musundam Resort and an Atana Musundam Hotel or something along those lines and when we each did our own Booking.com reservation, we selected different hotels, with about the same names and are the same company. Turns our Resort hotel was a little nicer and we wanted to be together, so Dan talked them into changing his room to our hotel and now we are all together, only one floor apart. 

This is a picture of the Grand Hyatt. Pretty nice hotel.

I took Jake swimming for a little while during the room/hotel swap and we've been hanging out most of the day. We all had lunch in the hotel restaurant and also walked over the the grocery store across the parking lot from the hotel to get some fruit and snacks. Later tonight, we plan to go to the souk (market) and see what kind of treasures we can find. Tomorrow we are taking a Dhow cruise.

We are here at a less than lively time for tourism. Ramadan ends today and tomorrow is Eid al-Fitr, so many things are closed for the holiday. 

From Wikipedia:  Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ʻĪd al-Fiṭr, IPA: [ʕiːd al fitˤr], "festival of breaking of the fast"), also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, theSugar Feast, Bayram (Bajram), the Sweet Festival^[3] and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslimsworldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is a single day during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. This is a day when Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality. However, in most countries, it is generally celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia.^[2]

Musundam is a beautiful area with a great view of the Hajar Mountains that shoot straight up out of the sea. There are no taxi's so we are relying on the shuttle service for some of our adventures. It is ridiculously hot and HUMID in Oman and especially in Musundam, located right on the Tropic of Cancer (according to Chris who is not only a history nerd, but geography too; I hadn't bothered to look it up). The humidity is so high that Chris complained about it. Chris used to sit outside in the middle of summer on our porch in Georgia for hours reading and never complained, but he agrees this is incredibly humid. And I get annoyed because every time I pull out my camera or phone, the lens is fogged up and I have to wait to take a picture.

From our hotel guidebook: 

Musundam, the Gateway to the Gulf (Straight of Hormuz)

Musundam occupies a strategic position separating the Arabian Gulf from the Sea of Oman and its people have borne witness to the travels of ancient mariners for thousands of years. 

Relatively little is known about the history of the region prior to the advent of Islam, although the Roman naturalist Pliny and Ptolemy of Alexandria both made mention of it in their writings in the 1st and 2nd centuries.

Musundam is a region lying in the northern most part of Oman boasting four cities, Khasab, Dibba, Bukha, and Mad'ha accessible by road, air and sea. Whilst accessible, it remains isolated in character, and retains several cultural traditions that distinguish it from the rest of the country. The magnificent Hajar mountain range dominates the landscape and extends from R'as Al-Hadd in the south and ends with Ru'us Al-Jebal plunging dramatically into the sea. The picturesque coastline offers a wonderful opportunity to explore rock formations, beaches, islets, and coral reefs. Perhaps the best way to experience the beauty of the area is to take a traditional wooden Arabian dhow and spend the day soaking ups the atmosphere.

Jake fell asleep on the way from the airport to the hotel....the first hotel, and slept until we got  into our room at our actual hotel, then woke up.

The Atana Musundam Resort (views from our room)

On the walk across the parking lot to the grocery store.

The hotel has a small "park" with a few things. It's nearly too hot and humid to be out, but it is pretty nice. They also have a little kiddie pool in this area and it's mostly shaded.