Oman Gem of the Arabian Peninsula Travel Documentary

Hey guys and welcome to Cool Vision. Wow, we're in plane again. Where are we going this time? Hey guys and welcome to Oman. It's country of deserts. It's country of high mountains and an endless coastline. And right now we're in the middle of desert. And you see lots of camels. Typical landscape. Now shepherds are actually driving Land Cruisers. That's the way they do it in the 21st century. So let's start the trip. It's not always that visit country and immediately like it so much that want to recommend it. Well, this was my impression of Oman. So, let's begin. Watch till the end and you're going to find out if survived the water cave. Okay. Where is Oman? Oman or officially the Sultan of Oman is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula and shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The coastline is enormous 3,165 km. Also, Oman has two exclaves. Over here, they are surrounded by the UAE. Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world with long complicated history involving the Portuguese Empire dominating the region around Moscow between 1507 and 1650 and the Ottoman Empire occupying Muscat between 1581 and 1888. But neither of them controlling Oman in its entirety. From the 17th century, the Omani Sultanate itself became an empire. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani control extended to Iran and Pakistan and as far south as Zanzibar. In 1832, seed bin Sultan even moved his capital from Muscat to Stonetown in Zanzibar. The story of modernday Oman starts when in 1970, Kabuz bin Sed seized power from his ultra-conservative father in bloodless coup and began liberalization and modernization program. Sultan Kabuz opened up the country, embarked on economic reforms, spending oil revenue on health, education, and the country's infrastructure. When he came to power, Oman had just 2 km of paved roads. Today, it has one of the best road networks in the world. So, let's begin our tour of Oman from its capital city, Moscat. The city is served by Moscet International Airport, located some 30 minutes away from the city. Upon arrival, it's good idea to rent car at the airport because it's the best way to explore the country because public transportation is almost non-existent. There's going to be number of rental companies to choose from. rented Mazda 6 for $48 day. Later in the video, you're going to find out if that was good idea. Moscet is the nation's capital and largest city with population of 1.3 million people. It sits on the Gulf of Oman surrounded by mountains and desert. It mixes modern highrises and upscale shopping malls with clifftop 16th century Portuguese forts looming over Moscow Harbor. Oman does not have skyscrapers. is forbidden by royal decree, which think is great because the beautiful Aman landscape doesn't get spoiled by them. Restrictions on building height require the vast majority of new structures to be no higher than 40 Muscat stretches along the coast for 50 km and it's made up of several districts like Matra. It's an old historical district, probably the most recognized part of Moscad. This is where you find such landmarks as Machesh, which is 3 km long waterfront prominade lined with restaurants and enticing markets. And it gets lot of tourists. And actually, this is where the cruise ships come to anchor. And in 2023, they're expecting as many as 50 different cruise ships, bringing over 150,000 visitors just from the cruise ships alone. Matasuk is one of the oldest markets in the Arab world. Walk around, take pictures, bargain, drink some coffee, and talk to people. And don't forget to smile. Sultan Kaboo's port has been main commercial center for many centuries. This is where you can see the traditional boats named Dows. If you want to get good view of the Karnish, go to Matra Fort. It was built by the Portuguese during their occupation in the 1580s. Matra fort was sturdy defensive structure against attacks from the rampaging Ottoman army. But it's just one of number of forts built here. Another attraction in this old part of Moscow is Alam Palace. It's one of the six residences of the Sultan. It's over 200 years old and it was built under the watch of Imam Sultan bin Ahmed. Now, in 1972, it went through renovation to become royal residence. You're still not allowed to go inside, but you're welcome to come to the gate and take some wonderful pictures. While you're here, you can visit Oman National Museum that was opened in 2016. It's incredible, and you're going to learn lot about Omani culture, history, and heritage. Moscow is world-class city, and it has an opera house. In 2001, Sultan Kabuz decided to build an opera house because he was always fan of classical arts and music. The construction started in 2007 and was finished in 2011. And today it can accommodate 1,100 guests. Then the performance starts. The sound is really clear. Usually they don't use lot of mics and speakers. Okay? So if you sit on the front line or you sit back, you'll have the same experience. The city has numerous fascinating mosques including Aluru Mosque, Alamine Mosque, and of course the Sultan Kaboo's Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in Oman. This mosque was constructed in 2001 using 300,000 tons of Indian sandstone. Prayer carpet covers the floor of the prayer hall and contains 1.7 billion knots, weighs 21 tons, and it took 4 years to manufacture. Look at the carpet. It's enormous. It's the second largest in the world after the one in Abu Dhabi. Getting from one part of the city to another is easy and the traffic is not too bad. Sultan Kaboo Street is major highway in Moscow following the coast and it can take you all the way to the airport. But we're not leaving yet. One of the most popular places in the city is the waterfront. In the evening, this is where you're going to see lot of fancy cars, busy restaurants, and hundreds of people on the beach having good time with their families playing soccer and doing other sports. Great vibes, endless beach, and lots of dining options. What else do you want? Everything is nice and clean. You want to know why? Because it's going to cost you dearly if you decide to throw garbage. Hey, if you throw some garbage, the fine is $260. If you spit, the fine is $55. That's going to teach you lesson. Now, let's talk to some locals. What's your name? my name is Zlea and I'm Af. Can you name some things you love about living in Moscow? We try to preserve the heritage like not the tallest building is 11 floors think and that's surprising for me because that's something you unique that we don't have tall building buildings and we try to preserve our heritage over here. It's all you can see the past and the future both in one place. And actually also like how nature nature is very they embrace their nature. Like if you want to spend time with your friends, come to the beach. We're just doing this right now right after school. We're enjoying our time. Just looking at the nice view. It's very nice opportunity for us to just collaborate together and enjoy the view. It brings families together. You speak very good English. Yeah. Thank you. Where did you learn English? Yeah, we go to international school actually. Okay. Yeah. Do they teach subjects in English there? Yes, they do. that's wrong. So, it's like private school which embraces the English language. We still do teach learn some subjects in Arabic, but the primary subjects like maths, the sciences, we all learn them in English. wow. That's really impressive. And I've also noticed you have radio station in English. Yeah. All right. Thank you very much. Enjoy. Thank you. Thank you. Moscad is growing fast and now you have these new modern neighborhoods like Almoosh, which means wave. It's one of the few areas where foreigners can actually buy real estate. It's great neighborhood for peaceful and enjoyable living. Plenty of restaurants, five-star hotels, serene beach, an amazing marina, and greenery all around you. In case you're curious about the prices, one-bedroom apartment starts at $250,000 all the way to $2 million for 5-bedroom villa. Overall, the city is very car dependent, just like the rest of Oman. But you don't have to drive far to have fun. How about going dune bashing right in the city? The sands at Bushwire is perfect place for an afternoon of fun. Modern shopping malls are spread throughout the city, including the largest of them, Mall of Oman, that even has snow park. In Oman, you'll be constantly surrounded by amazing smells, especially in the malls where incense and different perfumes from shops and people are all mixed together. In Moscow, you can actually visit the factory of Ammoage, the legendary perfume brand. My parents actually decided to join me on this trip. It was funny because they were on vacation in Fujer, UAE, which is next door. So, in order to get to Oman, they took taxi to the border and actually crossed the border on food carrying their luggage. And it wasn't an easy border to cross because it's really long and it was designed for cars, obviously. and then had to drive 3 hours from Moscow to the border with UAE to pick them up. So, it was quite an adventure. Now, let's explore the inner part of Oman. The first town that we're going to visit is the city of Nesa. We had to leave early because we wanted to make it to the Friday Goat Market, which starts at 6:00 a.m. every Friday, and it's 2-hour drive from Moscow, so we had to leave at 4:00 a.m. You can tell my parents were not too happy about waking up so early. Okay, the auctions are about to start and meanwhile I'm drinking Karak tea. It's pretty much as strong as coffee. It's very strong tea with milk. Neswa Goat Market is traditional cattle market. Farmers and shepherds from surrounding towns and mountain villages bring their cattle to the market every Friday to be sold in an open bid. The market is basically small circular pavilion. The sellers bring the cattle early in the morning, usually well before 6:00 a.m., where they give chance to the potential buyers to view and expect their cattle before the bidding starts at 7:00. Nisma Goat Market has become very popular tourist attraction over the past few years. How much? 34. 34. Okay. Good price. Good price. Together. Together. Why? So cute. After the goat market, you can visit the regular market, Neswasuk. The market is really big. You can buy all sorts of things ranging from the local desserts, dates, and fruits to cloves and teaks and pottery. Make sure you try the local halva, which is the local dessert. That's Amani sweets. Amani sweets. Yeah. And what's it made of? This this with honey. Okay. And this with the zaffon. And this with the walnut. And this with the other one. Okay. The contest should be very good. like it. You guys speak English? No. really? Yes. good. You want to say hi? Hi. Nesa is an ancient city in northern Oman with population of around 72,000 people. is strategically located at the crossroads of roots linking the interior with the capital city of Muscat. It's known for its day palm plantations and Niswa Fort, castle with huge cylindrical tower built in 1668 to defend the city's position on major trade route. Today, it is Aman's most visited national monument. Welcome to Nisa Fort. It was built in 1668 and is so well protected. No matter which side you try to attack it from, they got special windows for archers, for cannons, and there's lot of death traps while you're trying to climb the stairs. They can pour some boiling oil on you and make you not want to attack the port. Get the Don't forget to walk the streets of Oldtown and get lost in some charming coffee shop like this. So for man, they brought coffee in white cups and for my mom they brought it in black one just like the way they dress, you know. Interesting. All right, let's continue. Although most part of Oman is flat, there's number of mountain ranges. Jabel Shams is one of them. It's the highest mountain in the country. The name means mountain of sun because it's the first place to receive sunrise due to its high peak of 3,000 Jabel Shams also holds Al- Nahur Canyon. It is so spectacular that it's labeled the Grand Canyon of Arabia. Attention, attention, all visitors. I'm about to show you one scary canyon. Follow me. Are you guys scared of heights? Cuz if you are, then this canyon, you're not going to enjoy it. It's pretty scary. Matter of fact, it's the second largest canyon in the world. So, when was the last time you guys had some coffee on top of mountain? What's it like living in the mountains here in Oman? You need small house and you need some ship and some some viv like to walk with the ship and with the man like that. Simple life. Yeah, simple life. Will you continue to live in this part of Oman? hope in future come good guide and hope am working in in the mountain because like this mountain Jabal Sham's mountain. Please meet our driver Ali. He's good jumper among other things. Good job. Wow. Professional. If you like hiking, there is balcony walk. It's beautiful and adventurous hike along steep cliff. To complete the hike will take you around five hours. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. That's that's that's that's we've been following this balcony view road and it's just, you know, gorgeous. And but we've only come little far. you know, you can still keep going. And if you do that, you will just follow that road all across the mountain all the way over there. That'll probably take you like 3 hours, but it's going to get dark if we do that. And we still want to catch the sunset. You know, in some places on Oman, it's advisable to have 4x4 because it will take you basically anywhere. So, let's go. If you want to go to Jabel Shams, 4x4 car is recommended because there's lots of twisted dirt tracks towards the top. See these trucks? They came all the way from UAE for some mountain fun. Also, you couldn't find better place to enjoy the sunset. Just look at it. So mesmerizing. Nearby is Jabel Akdar, another prominent mountain peak in the region. How's the road? Is the road good? This is good. Why not? Jabel Akdar, which means green mountain, is known for its unique pomegranates, apricots, and roses. Spring is the best time to visit when the terrace plantations are lush and vibrant and the roses are blooming. We are in Jabel Ardar Mountains and it's 2,90 above sea level and this place is also famous because Princess Diana was visiting this spa place in 1986 and she was sitting like this. have to show you guys. It's kind of scary. She was like, "Wow, can you take picture of me? What view." These villages down below are all residential villages. Now, there's one interesting spot on that side of the mountain. You see that white castle? So, it's the residence of the king of Qatar. was told there's also unique village to visit, Al Sagera, which is carved into the mountain side. We're still in Jubel Akdari Mountains. And what's interesting about it is you're only allowed on top if you have 4x4. So every car you see here is going to be all-wheel drive. And you know, rented Mazda 6 and so that they didn't let me drive here. So had to hire driver in Land Cruiser to take me to the top of the mountain. Well, thank you for the tour, my friend. Welcome, my friend. You are welcome to Oman in any time. hope you enjoy it and enjoy your time here in Oman. Absolutely. All the best. Now from the mountains, let's relocate to the deserts. The Shia Sands, formerly known as Wahiba Sands, is region of desert in Oman. You can go dune bashing in 4x4 among stunning and everchanging patterns of dunes. At this point, figured out that Mazda 6 can only get you this far. For the third time, we had to get driver with 4x4 to get to the place and leave our Mazda behind. The good part is you get to meet new people. Meet our new driver. is professional driver. Lucky. If you need to go through desert, you call Jame. He'll take you. All right, let's go dune bashing. Wow, it's vertical drop. my god, look at this. Now that the day is coming to an end, let's enjoy this beautiful sunset sitting on top of one of the dunes. And this is our hotel down below. That is our hotel room. And this is my dad there on the sunb. thought the crazy part was over, but it's not. Look at this. There's number of desert camps like this to stay for the night. We stayed in the Arabian RX desert camp. Do you guys want to see hotel right in the middle of desert? Well, here it is for you. Arabian RX Camp. Okay, let's walk the stairs. There's couple of sun beds in case you want to get some suntan. This is the interior, carpet of course. think it's pretty amazing, desk, and then you got panoramic view so you can watch the camels walking by. Why does the hotel have orics in its name? Because orics is national animal of Oman, and you can still find them in the wild. They're so pushy. This one clearly tried to hurt me. It's easy to make friends with locals. And we met this local guy, Hamemed, and he agreed to show us his house. Well, let's see how he lives. Let's do short house tour. Here we are in village. Jame is taking me inside the house. think it's bedroom. Yeah. it's coffee. Okay. Coffee. Hamemed. Yes. How many kids do you have? Me. How many? Two. Two kids. Okay. And the rest is this family? All family. That's big family. Yes. sister. Okay. And her kids? Yes. How old? How old are they? This six five. Not six. Six. Maybe six. Five. Yes. 65. Small. Omani people are small, not big. Really? Yes. beautiful. Yeah. Nothing. You're big. Me big. What are you smoking? What's he called? Smoking. Yes. Good. Hame is driving jeep. Yes. jeep. Welcome. Welcome. Let's go. This part of the country is occupied by Bedawins. Those are people that always lived in the desert and Jame suggested we visit them. So said, "Sure, why not? Let's do it." We are still in the desert and we have come to visit the Bedawins. Bedawins are the people that live have always lived in the desert. So should be fun. It's good girl. Of course she is. Okay. Thank you very much. One second. Good job. is that magic lamp? Yeah. Okay. asked Jamemed to show us date palm plantation. This is maybe four four months after this dates. Hamemed wanted to show me how how dates are growing, but it's not the season. So, we'll have to come back four months from now. Yes. 4 months from now. Okay. Now, let's relocate 1,000 km to the south to the city of Salala. think the better option would have been to fly, but we decided to drive. The roads are fantastic, and you'll get to see more of the inner part of Oman, so why not? vast gravel desert plane covers most part of the central Oman, but it's not the same, and the scenery keeps changing. Wow, guys, just look at this. It's tornado. Tornado. Wa! It's coming our way. my god, we're in the middle of it. And about 10 hours later, we are in Salala. Salala is the largest city in the Doofar Province in the south of Oman with population of over 200,000 people and the metro population of 440,000 people. It's considered the tourism capital of Oman. Salala is famous for its incense and frankincense and it's abundant with tropical coconut trees as well as banana plantations, Arabian sea beaches and waters teameming with sea life. Salala attracts many people from all over the Persian Gulf during the monsoon season known locally as har season which spans from June to September. Karif is an Arabic word for autumn. The Karie season transforms this area into lush green landscape and creates seasonal waterfalls as result of monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean. Living the summer air saturated with cool moisture and heavy fog. Summer temperatures range from 20 to 30 which is relatively cool compared to other parts of the Arabian Peninsula. We were visiting in February which is considered dry winter season. The weather was mostly clear, no rain and plenty of sunshine. What are the major sites of the city? Sultan Kaboo's mosque is the largest mosque in Dopa region. The mosque is located in city center. It's real display of Islamic architecture. The prayer hall is wonderfully decorated with chandeliers, green carpet, and wall patterns. Next thing to do is hit the beautiful beaches. My favorite one is Mockail Beach. Wow, this beach is incredible. It's called Moxail Beach and it's 7 km long. It has this beautiful turquoise water and it's really, really enjoyable. It's 30 minutes away from the city. It's an enormous 7 kometer lawn beach. One of the best ones that I've seen in my life. Too bad drones are not allowed to show the scale. Yeah, in Oman, drones are not allowed. see crabs all over the place. So many of them. Wow. Running away like cockroaches. Look at that. And the best part is we were the only people on this amazing beach. Well, except for camels. Even when we stopped for lunch at local restaurant, we were still the only ones. Lovely. It's specialty in Aman. And this fish is called to ham in Arabic, but is English is white fish. White fish. Yeah. Wow. If you walk towards the end of the beach, there's also number of hiking trails and lots of natural beauties to explore. Wow, these rocks are massive. Are they safe? don't know. But looking at this one makes me feel they're not very safe. See, if it falls in your head, you're gone. Wow. The city beaches are also fantastic. We visited Alhafa Beach early in the morning to enjoy the sunrise. The fishermen seem to be staying busy. saw them catch fish one after another. Good catch. Good catch. Show me. Next thing to do is to explore the beautiful waterfalls. Of course, it would help if we were visiting during the Karief season when the mountains actually turn green. And you can see the waterfalls. This place is called in Athe. And in fact, it's huge waterfall and you can see the scale. Wow. But it's not available in January because it's not the monsoon season. But if you come here from June till September, you're going to see it and enjoy it. But even in the winter, it's amazing to just drive around and walk around these natural beauty spots. Just to give you an idea, this is what Darbet Waterfall looks like in the wet season. Make sure you visit the Frankincense Land Museum which recounts the city's maritime history and role in the spice trade. The museum is part of the Albedite archaeological site, UNESCO World Heritage site. Albid archaeological site used to be an ancient seapport from the 8th till the 16th century. From here, frankincense was shipped to other parts of the world including Africa, Europe, India, and China. Incense was commodity sold throughout the world because even in the olden times lot of religious rituals and spiritual ceremonies involved the use of incense. But presently most of Oman's frankincense is employed locally and Somalia has taken its place as the primary exporter of the said product. We have come to the frankincense museum and these are frankincense trees. All these trees are frankincense. They don't have any specific smell. Okay, guess you have to prepare it somehow. The port of Salala is the biggest employer in the region. One of the world's largest, busiest, and most efficient container terminals. It is viewed as the region's best located port for access to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and East Africa. Salala is growing fast. The Salala free zone, situated right by the port, is emerging as new center for heavy industries in the Middle East. Hello my friend. How are you? I'm good. Show me what you're doing. There's number of souks or markets. We visited the fish market. People were very friendly. Let's take look. Impressive. What's the name of the fish? This one? Yes. This is gray fish. This is sherry. Sherry. Grafish. How's work? Good. Salala is famous for its bananas. Banana and coconut plantations. And we just we're buying some local bananas. They're small. They're sweet. They're fantastic. This is what they look like. Is this from Aman? man. good. Good. So, we decided to get papaya also. It's very nice papaya. Let me show you this fruit. I've never seen it before. Good morning. What's the name of the fish? Okay. Wow. Yellow fish. Salala is famous for its fresh fruits, particularly the coconut. You'll find fruit huts along the road where you can have coconut drink. Wow, look at this. coconut. Enjoy. can you show me what you're selling? Bananas, papaya, coconut. are these local bananas? They grow here. This local? Yeah. right here. They grow here. Great. We met German couple who drove here all the way from Germany. So, can you tell me how many kilometers you've driven so far? we we drove 20,000 kilometers from Germany to Austria, Hungaria, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, now we are in Oman. And how many days did it take you? maybe 4 months. 4 months. Yes. you're happy people. We have enough time. That's right. There's number of castles in Dolphar region. One of them is Taka Castle. It was built in the 19th century. At the time of our visit, it was under renovation. There's also fort right next to it from which you can get better view of the castle and the local mosque. There's also nice boutique hotel right next to the castle. This house is called Kufon House and it's 150 years old. It was built by successful merchant and you know it's big house. You would say, why would one single family need house like that? Well, because he had three wives and he had lot of kids, like dozens of kids. So, that's the original house. Now, it's been turned into hotel and small cafe on the on on the ground floor. Let me show you the inside. Let's go. Wow. We're going to see secret room, guys. If you're thinking about going on boat trip or fishing trip, come to Hana. It's very modern area of Salala consisting of numerous hotels and apartments for rent. It's beautiful day. Yes, it's growing tourism destination with more than 7 km of beautiful sandy wide beaches. There's also marina and water park. Properties are available to all nationalities. In case you are curious, two-bedroom villa goes for $330,000. Malls and markets are the centers of the city life. This is where you find all the people. Guess what? Salala reminded me of Miami, Florida. Why? Because so many similarities. It's car dependent city with great beaches and tropical weather. Is Salala worth visiting? If you're staying in Oman for 8 days or more, then definitely. It's combination of natural beauty and modern city life. In the winter season, it's going to be slow and you might end up being the only person on the beach. Feels nice having private beach, right? So, yeah, come and enjoy Salala. Wow, you look little bit intimidating, brother. On our way back to Moscow, we stopped at Duke, poor town in the Arabian Sea in central eastern Oman. Once it was small fishing settlement. Today it's an industrial oil town. Besides the beaches, there is cool place called the rock garden. It's pretty unusual geological site. It's an area of three square kilometers made of sandstone rocks and limestone which was created in an underground water aquifer around more than 46 million years ago. Nice place to take pictures. This stone is so unusual. Kind of reminds me of spine of dinosaur. What do you guys think? Does that look like spino dinosaur? Now you cannot visit Oman without visiting the wadis. What are waddies? Wadis are deep valleys. Some have water, some don't. For example, this wad alshab is 90 minutes away from Moscad. Once you get there, boat will take you to the other side of the river. Then it's going to be 45minute walk through the jungle with lots of jumping, small rock climbing, and eventually swimming. It's an oasis in the desert where you can spend the day hiking, exploring, and swimming in clear water pools. It has to be one of the coolest spots in Oman. Very recommended. The cave at the end with the waterfall is lit. There's narrow part that some people are scared to swim through. Let's see if can make it. You guys scared to go inside? Let's do it. At this point, it gets so narrow that I'm having hard time just keeping my phone without touching the walls. I've made it. Once you're there, you can climb the waterfall. And also, was told there's secret cave, but you can only get to it underwater. See these guys? Okay, this family is having family weekend. This is what typical weekend family getaway for Amani's looks like. usually we like to do is camping with our family. This is my cousins and my uncles. We us we try to camp in different areas. This weekend we came here to Bame near the beach and we we will be camping here till tomorrow. We do everything. We cook food, play games, have some talks, catch up, everything we do here. study in German university in in Mascat. I'm studying German. Just started studying German and speak English and Arabic. Very nice. Anyone going swimming today? No, it's actually bit cold for us. Okay. And it's 24 outside, right? Yeah, it's about 24. Okay. We usually in June like it's 40 to 50. okay. Yeah. Much warmer. Yeah. Okay. Well, thanks lot. Welcome. Pretty simple. Stay on the beach, cook some food, eat some watermelon, and have good time. There's another wonderful city that suggest you visit. Welcome to the city of Seur. Se is port city on Aman's eastern tip. Oman has long tradition of ship building as maritime travel played major role in the Omani's ability to stay in contact with the civilizations of the ancient world. Sur was one of the most famous ship building cities of the Indian Ocean. We are in the city of Seur and the city of Seur is famous for its ship building industry. There's ship building factory. There's ship building museum and this is one of the traditional boats, local boats. And it seems to be in pretty good shape. wonder if we could use it to go back to Muscat. They built all kinds of ships like Alanja, which takes whole year to build, Sunbuk, Albadan, and many others. In the city center, there's fort with four defensive towers and courtyard. Ever heard of Sinbad the Sailor? Sinbad the Sailor is key character in the Thousand1 Knights. It's been said that the city of Sir was the home of this legendary sailor. Hello. Good. That was tourist from Austria. told you there's lot of tourists from all over the world. As driving along the coast, you can visit some remote fishing villages. My friends gave me contact of local fisherman. Hello. Hello. He took me on boat trip in the morning and we got to see some incredible places. went swimming on some deserted beaches and we also went turtle watching. It's turtle swimming. Yes, there it is. You're going to see some turtles if you're lucky and you're going to enjoy the scenery and the sea. Altogether for 2 hours it cost me around $30. Pretty amazing. What's it like driving in Oman? Fantastic. Oman's roads are the 10th best in the world according to World Economic Forum. Maximum allowed speed is 120 km an hour, which is fine, but when you're driving in the middle of an endless desert, wish it was higher. Make sure you pay attention to the road signs, like this one. It says sand dunes, and it's no joke because the road can be covered in sand in no time. So, better slow down, my friends. Or this sign, camels. You might think it's nothing serious, but I've seen camel hit on highway by pickup truck. I'm not sure how the camel ended up on the highway, but it certainly is possibility. Now, what kind of car should you rent in Oman? regular sedan or 4x4? If you want to be able to drive anywhere, in the desert or in the mountains, sure, knock yourself out and get yourself 4x4. It's more convenient, of course, but it's more expensive and you wouldn't have so many people interactions. Is gas expensive in Oman? Premium gasoline, or what we call 95 in Europe, is 62 cents liter or $2.3 per gallon. When it comes to economy, Oman had GDP of $379 billion in 2018. Petroleum is responsible for 50% of that. Oil extraction began in 1967, and today Oman has oil reserves ranked 23rd globally. Agriculture produces dates, limes, grains, and vegetables. But with less than 1% of the country under cultivation, Oman is likely to remain net importer of food. Dates represent 80% of all fruit crop production. Aman's estimated production of dates in 2016 was 350,000 tons, making it the ninth largest producer of dates. The local currency is called the Ymani Royale, and it's actually 2.6 times stronger than the US dollar. So, don't get surprised when you exchange 100 bucks and you get 30 in return. Like the rest of the Persian Gulf, Oman has one of the hottest climates in the world. Oman receives little rainfall, occurring mostly in January. And guess what? We happened to be there in January and we got to see the rain. Oman is characterized as high income economy. There are many fringe benefits of being citizen of Oman. Let's talk to the locals. As resident of Oman, what are the benefits you receive from the government? You know kids, we get facilities from government that the government schools are like free. So in terms of education and in terms of medical care we have free medical care also and it's that covered as citizen and as my friend said that the education is actually goes from kindergarten till the college or university whatever subject you use to study it's covered by the government and they support us also in terms of facilitating ing the land for us like if they give us land in certain areas to build our houses. and how big is the land lot? 600. Yeah. 600 square me. That's the standard size. And it's going to be close to where you live. Yes. Yes. Okay. Yeah. And if you have like some animals, cows or something, then you get land for farming also. okay. Yeah. This is if you have Yeah. That's option. Also, every few years, lower income families have their loans forgiven. Oman has lot of foreign workers. More than half of them earn in monthly salary of $400 or less. What's your name, sir? Dennis. Dennis? Yeah. And where do you come from? come from Uganda. Uganda? Yeah. Never been there? Yeah. And how do you like it in Oman? Oman is very good. This guy at the gas station told me he's making $350 month, but he's just starting. And he said that an experienced barista can make up to $1,000 month. Tourism is the fastest growing industry in Aman. It grew by 42% from 1.3 billion in 2009 to 1.8 billion in 2017. What makes Aman such great destination? First of all, it's absolutely safe. Second of all, local hospitality is topnotch. Every person came across wanted to take an extra step to make me feel welcome. Aman has great tourist infrastructure from affordable hotels to five-star resorts like this one. Most people speak pretty good English too. So, how's the tour industry? Is it growing? Yes, it's growing that much. The recent years in Oman, we can find lots of people. They coming from Europe, US and even the other continents as well. My name is Sal Amry. I'm tour guide here in in Oman. Wonderful. Is Aman budget friendly destination? Well, let me give you some examples. Hotels in Muscat start at around $50 night. Car rental starts at $30 day and dinner for two is around $40 to $50. There's lot of expats in Omont. Let's see what they have to say. Well, came here in 2008 originally to work in an automotive company and did that for number of years and then realized loved the country, wanted to stay and wanted to pursue other opportunities and started working as personal trainer. Basically, I'm from Mumbai from India but was in UA for 15 years and then migrated to Oman. I'm also from India. live in Dubai before 7 years before moved to Oman 7 years back. And how do you like it here? what you say the the location is very good. It's next to the beaches. All the cities next to the beaches actually. Okay. So whenever you get tension or any pressure or something just come to the beach area, stand for 5 minutes. You'll be you'll have peace of mind, you'll be stress free and the cost of living in cost of living is also very less compared to other countries. That is what made of Dubai in compared to Dubai. Yeah. Okay. Okay. And another main main reason is the locals here. The locals are very friendly and they're very nice guys. Yeah. They're very welcoming. Very welcoming. Very welcoming. That is one of the main reason. My name is Stephanie. I'm basically from Lebanon. I've been living in UAE and then I've been here in Oman for about 4 years now. Okay. Wonderful. And what do you do here? we're managing clinic. Basically, our clinic is almost here in waterfront. So, the clinic is about aesthetic, beauty, wellness, anti-aging. But, you know, love Muskat. Why? Because it's the safest country in the world. As you can see, the people are very kind. This is the most important reason why I'm here. the the nature of the people in Muscat are sweet, are kind, they are really helpful. So, you can you can believe you can see that from the people over here. What is it about Oman that made you fall in love with the country? It's just such an incredible country that it offers you so much. love to be outdoors. really enjoy being able to get up in the morning and go for nice hike. You've got beautiful beaches. You've got mountains. You've got waddies. You've got the desert. Then you've got stunning sort of water sports. You can go boating, snorkeling, diving. you know, it's all there. It's all there. I've I've crossed the desert on camel. Wow. You know, for some people it's like bucket list thing. It's something that they will travel, you know, so far right to be able to do and hope that you can do and we have it here every year. Yeah, we're really fortunate. What's the food like in Oman? First, was surprised to see people eating food with their hands when walked into one of the gas stations. But then learned this is how the locals eat food outside of large cities. Our friend Ali took us to one of the popular local restaurants. We tried some local dishes including camel kebabs. That is marinated camel meat grilled on skewers. It was great and delicious. Let's see what was on the table or rather on the floor. You're sitting on the floor. That's number one. And second of all, you're eating with your hands. Of course, in modern restaurants in Moscow, you don't have to sit on the floor. This is the traditional celebration dish called shua, and it's made with marinated meat that's been roasting for hours, for up to 6 hours in an underground fire pit. So, it's supposed to be extremely tender and it's served with kabuli rice. So, let's dig in. Kawa means coffee in Arabic. Omani kawa is usually mixed with cardaman powder. Just like dates, it is an essential part of the Omani hospitality. At many hotels, you'll be offered Omani coffee. And with that, you can get some dessert. And that would be dates because Oman is famous for its dates. Here they are. Great dessert. Let me have one. Omani society is pretty conservative, so as visitor, you got to respect that. You got to dress accordingly. love wearing shorts in hot weather, but in Oman, it's better to wear pants when in public places like malls or restaurants. What about politics? Oman is an absolute monarchy with the Sultan's word having the force of law. According to Aman's constitution, Sharia law is one of the sources of legislation. Sharia court departments within the civil court system are responsible for family law matters such as divorce and inheritance. Where's the country heading to? Kaboose bin sed was the sultan from 1970 until his death on January 10th 2020. He died childless and he had named his cousin Hayan Bentk as his successor in letter. Sultan Hayam was 65 on his assession. As head of Ammani's vision 2040 initiative, Sultan Hayam has been heavily involved in efforts to make the country less reliant on oil and gas exports for revenue. How do you see the country developing over the past say 10 to 20 years? So we lived here all of our lives and we've seen the the fast pace of the investments happening here in Oman in terms of tourism and the logistics sector and we have great examples of these kind of investments here like you can see the ports like in the south in Duke and Salala and yeah because we are living here so if we will talk before 15 years or 20 years huge different can see in the roads how things are developing day by better. Yeah. So, there you have it, my friends. Let me know what you think about Oman and if you've ever been there. Thanks for watching and my next video will be about the capital city of Moscow. If you like this video, give it thumbs up. Thank you. yeah.