Our ship visited Muscat, since we had to pull in for repairs.
My general impression was that it was not a very welcoming city. In general, it seemed, the locals were not very friendly, though it could just be that they were unaccustomed to seeing foreigners, especially ragtag Navy sailors! Good highways here - the area around the city is very spread out, so the fast highways were welcome. The city, though, had little in the way of character that made Bahrain and Dubai such enjoyable places. If you're looking for frankinscense, though, you came to the right place - that's probably Oman's biggest claim to fame. There are no shortages of expensive frankinscense fragrances to buy.
"Sultan Qaboos"
The Sultan's name was everywhere. As the ruler of Oman, he has slapped his name on the main port (Mina Sultan Qaboos), the main highway (his picture hangs from a lightpost every few hundred meters), and the main university. It was surprising to hear that he hasn't had lots of kids to extend the dynasty. As of now, he is in his 60's and has no children, so there may be a power struggle once this guy is gone unless he has relatives waiting backstage to assume the throne.
