O-Man
Dear All,
We had a trip to Oman, last week and to tell you that in one word, it was Oh-Man!!!
For me, it was revisiting my dusted memories, but for my wife and kids, a wonderful eventful enjoyable break.
This trip was in our mind pending decision since many months. A string of holidays thanks to F1 race in Abu Dhabi followed by Eid Al Adha and a newly purchased Pajero fuelled our decision. And formal invitations from beloved friends played catalystic roles too.
Packed up and doubly checked, ( Not to forget valid passports and vehicle registration card with insurance coverage in Oman) we set our course to Hatta , UAE-Oman Boarder on Friday 12 Nov morning at 0930 hrs, taking Hatta-Al Ain Exit from Sh.Zaid Road near JAFZA. This road leads to DIP R/A and from there staight to Dubai By Pass Road ( Jabel Ali- Lehbab Raod). Excellent roads with 3 lane dual carriage ways with speed limits of 120kmph and with runway like conditions will tempt anyone to press the gas and test the car. Hold on, there are speed cameras at frequent intervals and they will flash at 140 or so.. We were not in any hurry and wanted to take the best of driving along the sand dunes, rippled and layered like a designer western bridal clothing and some fantastic music.
Move along further and one can see the changes; sand dunes giving way to hard rocky mountainous terrains, roads narrowing, posh petrol pumps with shopping centres to simple petrol pumping stations, road side fruit and vegetable sellers, shops selling handy-craft products such as potteries and carpets etc...
Another welcome change in Oman is the Petrol cost, which is lesser by 50 fills /litre than in Emirates!! "Hail Sultan"
Boarder crossing formalities are pretty simple and need no much of explaining. There are check posts manned by cops with smiling and welcoming faces. Wish them Salam Alaikaum and they reciprocate with warm. And if you are not offending they are as good too. When you are with ladies and kids, no much of hassles at all. Drive straight to UAE Emigration post and park the vehicle as guided by sign posts. Go with all the members to the emigration counters ( there are many of them) and have 'exit' stamp done on the passport. This might take few minutes depending on the queue. From there, head further down the hilly roads and Royal Oman Police check post will welcome you, with a check on the car. This guy will give you one paper, which you must keep safe till handed over at another check post. Another 2 km drive will take you to the Oman Visa Centre with a big parking lot. This centre is facilitated with toilets, refreshment halls, prayer hall and resting areas. Furnish the filled in visa application form with passports, AED 50 per head fees and car insurance details to the Officer, visa is stamped right there. Also show the paper that you received from the previous check post,on which, an 'endorsement' is made that the visa is stamped. From there the passports can be kept safe and hand over the 'endorsed paper' to the drive in check post. That's it- 'Welcome to Oman and have a pleasant stay'. By now we have just covered around 130 km only.
We moved on and are reaching towards Sohar which is the major port city in Oman. This is also fast developing into an Industrial hub for Oman and we could see lot of factories, large and tall chimneys vomiting smoke far away. The mountains are behind us now and on the horizon, the scene is like, an outline of the bluish mountains painted on a scenic portrait and the white clouds hovering over them.
You were all SPECIAL!
We had a trip to Oman, last week and to tell you that in one word, it was Oh-Man!!!
For me, it was revisiting my dusted memories, but for my wife and kids, a wonderful eventful enjoyable break.
This trip was in our mind pending decision since many months. A string of holidays thanks to F1 race in Abu Dhabi followed by Eid Al Adha and a newly purchased Pajero fuelled our decision. And formal invitations from beloved friends played catalystic roles too.
Packed up and doubly checked, ( Not to forget valid passports and vehicle registration card with insurance coverage in Oman) we set our course to Hatta , UAE-Oman Boarder on Friday 12 Nov morning at 0930 hrs, taking Hatta-Al Ain Exit from Sh.Zaid Road near JAFZA. This road leads to DIP R/A and from there staight to Dubai By Pass Road ( Jabel Ali- Lehbab Raod). Excellent roads with 3 lane dual carriage ways with speed limits of 120kmph and with runway like conditions will tempt anyone to press the gas and test the car. Hold on, there are speed cameras at frequent intervals and they will flash at 140 or so.. We were not in any hurry and wanted to take the best of driving along the sand dunes, rippled and layered like a designer western bridal clothing and some fantastic music.
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| Shops on the highway |
Another welcome change in Oman is the Petrol cost, which is lesser by 50 fills /litre than in Emirates!! "Hail Sultan"
 |
| Petrol stations |
Boarder crossing formalities are pretty simple and need no much of explaining. There are check posts manned by cops with smiling and welcoming faces. Wish them Salam Alaikaum and they reciprocate with warm. And if you are not offending they are as good too. When you are with ladies and kids, no much of hassles at all. Drive straight to UAE Emigration post and park the vehicle as guided by sign posts. Go with all the members to the emigration counters ( there are many of them) and have 'exit' stamp done on the passport. This might take few minutes depending on the queue. From there, head further down the hilly roads and Royal Oman Police check post will welcome you, with a check on the car. This guy will give you one paper, which you must keep safe till handed over at another check post. Another 2 km drive will take you to the Oman Visa Centre with a big parking lot. This centre is facilitated with toilets, refreshment halls, prayer hall and resting areas. Furnish the filled in visa application form with passports, AED 50 per head fees and car insurance details to the Officer, visa is stamped right there. Also show the paper that you received from the previous check post,on which, an 'endorsement' is made that the visa is stamped. From there the passports can be kept safe and hand over the 'endorsed paper' to the drive in check post. That's it- 'Welcome to Oman and have a pleasant stay'. By now we have just covered around 130 km only.
We moved on and are reaching towards Sohar which is the major port city in Oman. This is also fast developing into an Industrial hub for Oman and we could see lot of factories, large and tall chimneys vomiting smoke far away. The mountains are behind us now and on the horizon, the scene is like, an outline of the bluish mountains painted on a scenic portrait and the white clouds hovering over them. We crossed Shinas round about and are just around 30km away to Sohar where we have planned our night stay. And there in Sohar, we will be received by a Fantastic family of Jyothi, Murali, Laksmi and the little one, Malutty. I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive about staying put in Sohar. A fear of being an 'invited trouble' to Murali, whom I knew not much. But all these waned away, as we got together. He was very 'homely ' for me and thoroughly enjoyed our 'cheers'. Jyothi's mimicry was added fun and kids got together amazingly. Just few minutes into the house, and they were just frolicking as if they were friends for ages!
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| Thanks a lot MJLM! |
A much needed sleep, after a long day on the roads and a nice meal was sure to come.
Coming up, the rest of the journey...... Till then enjoy the images on my gallery....
സന്തോഷ്
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