Muscat, Oman

Well here we are in Oman.  As you can see, it is very dry here -- and very hot, and a totally different culture to what we are accustomed to.

We have been told that we (women, especially) must be very careful to dress modestly,  covering shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, (and heads when entering a mosque).  As it is still Ramadan, we are also not allowed to eat or drink anything during the day where we can be seen by any practicing Moslems.  Also, just yesterday we were informed that a special holiday has been declared for today which means that many of the sites we were meant to visit on our tour will be closed.  Also, the souq (marketplace) will be extra crowded with holiday shoppers -- bad news for me, because I panic in crowded places.  So, with all that in mind we decided to just spend the day on board in air-conditioned splendour.

Extra:  HMS Lancaster is here, resupplying at an adjoining dock to ours.  As far as I can tell, that big white ship behind it is someone's private mega yacht -- probably a Sultan or Sheikh? **  The enormous cruise ship MSC Poesia is also docked next to us -- they have around 3,000 passengers to our 44 (until noon today) and 150 (after new passengers board this afternoon)!

** Update:  Yes, that big white ship is indeed owned by the Sultan of Oman, and apparently there is another "smaller one" (only about 120 feet long!) moored behind it that is for his children.