Much like many of the past 10 days since we arrived in Oman, today began in an unknown direction. At this point it has become quite clear that if there is going to be a trip outside of our air-conditioned house, it has to be done in the morning before 9am or in the evening after 5pm. In between, the sun is piercing and the temperature unbearably hot. So, at 8am I presented the boys a few options: return to the swimming pool/playground or go to the beach. They protested both, arguing that we had just done those (which is true). So I presented them another possibility; go to the main port to look at big ships. Eddy liked the idea, thinking he could go on a ship and explore. Not countering this notion and wanting to maintain his interest, we set off to this unexplored part of the city.
Without too much confusion, we were able to find the port. It was about a 15 minute drive from our house. It is located in the historic part of the city which has been inhabited for centuries. I parked the car in a pay to park area. Not having any coins to pay for parking, and having been told that the Omani Police will not hesitate to ticket cars, my plan to stroll the walkway along the port had to be aborted. We got back in the car and headed off again, not sure where to go.
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| Mutrah port and harbor in the background. |
After driving for a few minutes, I saw a sign for a fish market (signs, for the most part, are in Arabic and English). I had read about the market and figured it would be an interesting scene. With no pay to park signs to deter us, I parked and we walked several miniutes to the market. We came upon several long concrete benches on which proprieters, mainly Omani men, displayed their goods. Most of the fish were tuna, but we also saw shrimp, squid, and crabs. I can't say whether the sellers were also fishermen or just middle men. The last bench at the back of the market was where one could bring one's recently purchased fish to be hacked and cleaned. Eddy and Peter were very wide-eyed as we walked around. We visited at a good time to see lots of locals, mostly men, purchasing fresh fish.
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| Tuna for sale. |
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| Among the Omani shoppers. |
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| The guys in the far background cut and clean the fish. |
After a short while, Eddy stated the smell was too much and he was ready to leave. It was time to go, not just because of the fishy smell, but we were all starting to sweat profusely. We got back in the car and headed back to our home neighborhood. In order to give the kids a little more time to cool down in the car, I drove past our street and headed to a popular bakery in the next neighborhood that someone had recommended. Once inside, Eddy and Peter went crazy with delight. Cookies, arabic sweets, and cakes were displayed in a massive display case. There were several tables occupied by Omani men eating cakes and drinking coffee and tea. We bought a few sweets that appeared tasty and then headed out. Overall, an adventurous and enjoyable morning.
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| View from the bakery. |
