One odd part of living in Abu Dhabi is that one can spend hours near the water without actually frolicking in it. Muscat has no such problem. The city is built entirely along the winding coast, and the beaches are wide open to everyone. Our hotel was a two minute walk from this beach, which was busy all night, with Omanis and expats basking in the glowing sunset, and playing in the warm water.
From the 17th century to the 19th century, Muscat was the capital of the Omani Empire, which stretched from Pakistan and Iran to Zanzibar. Its wealth was largely based on trade. Muscat has two large ports, between which there is a beautiful corniche, with free bicycles!
Looking into the water, we saw hoards of butterfly fish feasting on Wonderbread, many crabs, and one turtle! All in the course of a five-minute period of gazing intently down.
After our first day exploring Muscat, we enjoyed pizza (rated by at least one person as the best in the Middle East!) before our date with the Opera House.
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