I can never miss Muscat, or my old kitchen, for that matter. After Abu Dhabi ‘s high rises, convenience stores, late shopping hours, cheap taxis, et al, this had a feel of going back to the stone ages. Back in 2008 when we had moved there, expecting such a close neighboring nation to be more or less the same, we were in for a shock. To begin with, there was no door delivery of anything except drinking water cans – for which I had to make only about a hundred calls for them to begin the service. Life felt painful even for the month or so it took to go through the myriad car showrooms that were spread along the expanse of Sultan Qaboos Road, the arterial Highway. Queries about anything from idli batter to used cars were met with the same sad-faced reply – Gonu. The cyclone that battered Oman a year before will always haunt its people. We decided to make it a short stint in this challenging place.
But Muscat has its own magic and proceeded to get under our collective skins. You cant really ignore a city that looks beautiful by day or night. The Majestic Sultan Qaboos Mosque, the new Opera house, the beautiful white beaches, the soothing white buildings, the landscaped side-walks and roundabouts are veritable delights to behold. The sight of the corniche with the sea on one side and mountains on the other evokes images from an earlier era when men would stand guard looking out to sea, wary of seafarers. A visit to the Mutrah Souk is like giving an all-day sucker to a little kid. The mountainous terrain affords beautiful views of the Arabian Sea, but one always wonders how people of yore managed to get across on foot without all the beautiful roads, fast cars and cheap petrol.
And what friendly people ! In the early days, before our lofty Pajero (from Mitsubishi) had taken us in, and the Hertz rent-a-car had broken down in the middle of nowhere, almost all passers- by with spare seats in their cars offered help. Although breakdowns are uncommon in this Car-Heaven, when it does happen, you can see people helping to charge batteries or help changing a tire !
Plus it afforded all the luxuries of home. One does not really have to go looking for an Indian Store in that part of the world. A beautiful Krishna temple and an old world Shiva temple offer spiritual bliss to the tens of thousands who swarm them. Indian restaurants, Cinemas showing the latest Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil movies, the Indian Social club, even vegetarian restaurants evoke the warmth you find only back home.
I saw "My Fair Lady" some 3 decades back. I can however recollect that it was only after Eliza Doolittle moved out that the learned Professor Higgins learn that he had fallen for her.
I love you, Muscat!
