Shawarma , mountains , beaches and Sheeshah - Shukran Muscat!!!

Surprises are my thing. I love being surprised and I absolutely love surprising others. That joy and excitement you see on somebody's face when they're surprised is just priceless. Thus, my trip to the royal Muscat! My first cousin/best friend/ soul sister moved to Muscat about 3 years ago post marriage and I hadn't gotten a chance to visit her. It was like a part of my life had moved away and when I had the opportunity to make a trip to visit and surprise her, I just couldn't pass :) My super awesome brother in law agreed to keeping the surprise and making it happen for me. We planned everything and he made sure it all went well. My sister had no idea she was going to pick me up from the airport. Poor girl visits the airport thinking she was going to pick up one of their friends who was coming back from a business trip. When she saw me coming out the airport, the surprise was rather subdued, a mix of emotions - happiness, excitement, disbelief.. I could see it in her eyes. Until I walked upto her and gave her a tight hug, she couldn't accept the fact that it was me and that I was there with her. That was the moment I waited for months to happen and I was satisfied as hell. Another successful surprise to my list of achievements!! :D :D

So, after the initial hungama of "How did you make it, I can't believe you're here", "oh god, my house is not ready for a guest" exclamations, I was given a super quick description of this awesome place they live in and the 'Sultan'. The 'Sultan' apparently loves his people and does anything for their well being. He also does the same for the ex-pats and people seem really happy with the place. This was all new to me because I really didn't think people liked being ruled considering how we live in a democracy and have a say in everything. Turns out, it is so much better when ruled. Rules are rules, the place is as neat as a crystal ball, the greenery for a desert is brilliant. Till I landed in Muscat, I had no idea what the place was like or where I wanted to visit. I left all of that to my brother in law. In my mind, it was a desert. A dry, highly sophisticated desert. I imagined sand, dust , camels and men in their robes and women in burkha everywhere. (Silly me!). What I saw was completely different. In my drive from the airport to where we were staying, I saw beautiful wide roads, lush greenery, small buildings with a lot of landscaping, neatly kept side lanes and mountains whichever direction you looked in. Nobody could call that a desert. I was told that the 'Sultan' had strict rules against raising tall buildings as it destroys the natural beauty of the place.What a thought!!

As a foodie, it was already time for me to explore the food scene in Muscat. 15 mins post landing there, I'm driven straight to 'Muscat Bakery' for breakfast. I wanted to try something different so ordered a Philippino Chicken Roll - This was more like a sweet bun stuffed with succulent chicken pieces'. It was amazingly tasty and filling. I also followed that up with my all time favourite - Hot Chocolate.. yummmm!!

That day, I did not realize that the remaining ten days of my vacation was going to be all about food and how it was about to drastically increase my waistline by a large number. :P

Well, all is well that ends well. I loooooved the food scene. There's not one thing you wouldn't get. My love for Shawarma reached new heights after tasting it in Muscat. It is like a melting piece of heaven in your mouth. Trust me I'm not exaggerating!!From typical mallu stuff like Pazham pori, paruppu vada and chaaya to juicy continental burgers, the place has everything. The road side Dhabawala serves you amazing butter rotis while the high end restaurateur serves you the best looking desserts with a view over looking the sea. The best part is that all of these places are open all night and they cater to every single person from a construction worker to a CEO. The street vendor's food is just as tasty as a fancy hotel.I absolutely enjoyed my falafel, shawarma , the rotis, the mezze platter and pazham pori.I never got enough of it.                                                                                                                   

We also visited this awesome resort called 'Jebel Sifah'. Basically a resort atop a mountain. A few hours drive for some amazing food and breathtaking views.

Muscat also has some beautiful beaches. This one is the 'Yithi' beach!!

There's quite a few places in and around Muscat for a short trip. We made a visit to Nizwa. It was this massive ancient fort that had loads of history attached to it. Very interesting place. We also got to go around the markets for a quick morning sale. It was an experience!! I also got to try something called the 'Kahwa'. Served in little shot glasses, this is one strong cup of coffee!!! 

The thing that caught my eye the most was the colours. The pretty pretty lanterns. I wanted to buy all them and bring them with me. The Mattrah Souk - local market was a hub for such lanterns. They literally keep you hooked to them.

Apart from this, I visited more beautiful places - the sink hole, fake grand canyons ;)

I also had the luxury of  a private show at the movie theater because we were the only ones in the theater.. :P

Some of my favourite parts of the vacation:

• The food hands down - the road side coffee shops especially. I'll never forget the Shawarma.<3
• The fact that every hotel big or small, has boxes and boxes of tissues kept out for people to use.
• The natural beauty of the place in itself although it's a desert                                                      
• The highlight of the sultanate - Sheeshah. I just fell in love with it. What an experience it is to sit in a sheeshah parlour until wee hours in the morning playing cards, ordering yummy food and chilling out with friends.I enjoyed every second of it and that's what I miss most coming back here.
• The Sultan's guards showing off in their ranger vehicle with high powered guns and everything. Makes you feel safe all the time. 
• I was lucky to be there in the first half of february when it wasn't too hot so the weather wasn't very taxing
• I got to spend my sister's birthday with her after almost three years and it was absolutely worth the visit!!
• My huge mug of coffee every morning with amazingly simple but well made breakfast. Simple pleasures in life!
• All that junk I got from the super market - the variety of chocolates!! *drool* and the super cool baking stuff that I got to wander around and pick - I was like a kid in a candy store!!!

On the whole, definitely one of my best trips across the globe. I have soooo much more to write but I'll spare you the details my dear reader. :)

Until my next trip - Shukran Muscat for an amazing time and thank you my super awesome sister and brother in law for having me over. Love you guys!!!

-Sharanya