I'm having trouble keeping track of what day it is, not only because they have their weekend here on Thursday and Friday. (Friday is the holy day.) Went for a swim yesterday morning, around 6am, which was lovely. It's been overcast since I arrived so the water was cooler than usual, but clear as always. Though, the beach is not exactly pretty. Sophie says everything will be prettier once the sky is clear and blue, which I can believe. We took the scenic route home today from another Toorak-esque shopping centre (which I am becoming sickenly accustomed to), and the rocky hills (not quite large enough to be moutains) with the water behind them were very picturesque, imaginably more so if the sky were clear. So yeah, Muscat is not designed for tourists... and as such, I haven't seen any. There are other Westeners around, but they most likely work here, and they're typically over 40. But yeah, I don't feel that I've had any authentic Omani experiences here yet, though that seems to be because I had a romanticised notion of what that would be. Did I mention that everyone here is quite friendly? It was funny at the airport, the girls at the currency exchange were giggling over my passport photo and asking me if I was a rock musician. And back at Bangkok airport the customs ladies were all having a good look, too... funny stuff. Actually, even the customs woman at Melbourne commented on it! Anyway, where was I... Oman... so you're probably already aware of the different rules for men and women in Muslim countries. As far as Muslim countries go, Oman is quite progressive: women can show their face and wear makeup, they study, have jobs, drive cars, etc. I hear that some Omanis think that the Saudis, for example, are barbarians. Omanis aren't allowed to marry non-Omanis, so if they wanted to, it would mean leaving the country. The first striking difference between men and women, is that on the whole, Omani men wear white and the women wear black. Indians on the other hand, are usually wearing their work uniform, as they have all the cleaning jobs, etc. But they also run restaurants and work in cafes, where I've noticed they just wear pretty ordinary slacks and a shirt. So practically every Omani man wears this white frock thing called a dishdasha, which covers them from the base of their neck to their ankles. And honestly, every man, from adolescence to elderly is wearing one, with their turban for formal situations or a cap for casual. And accompanying them or in their own groups are the women, usually completely in black, from the top of their head to toe. What's amusing is that the entirely black look is not a custom or rule, it's a fashion statement! Apparently the country women wear colourful outfits, which I hope to see for myself tomorrow when we go for a trip into the 'Interior'.
Then there is a large ex-pat Indian population here, who are largely here to scrape out a living doing, as I mentioned, manual labour, cleaning, etc. But also secretarial, as there's a lovely Indian girl that works here with Sophie by the name of Lakshmi, who is very funny, often in a naughty way. There was a card from her waiting for me on my arrival, welcoming me to Muscat. So there is a distinct racism going on, whereby the Omanis sit around running their business affairs, the Indians and Pakistanis do the shittest jobs, then Phillipinos do things like tailoring, gardening, etc. Sorry, repeating myself a bit, getting distracted.
Sophie's apartment is nice and spacious. Ugly furniture, though, which she has covered with what are essentially loin-cloths. They're just big rectangles of cotton with decorative and tassled edges that the Omanis wear underneath their dishdashas. I reckon I'm going to take to the loin-cloth + sandals look during summer back in Melbourne. Accidentally letting it fall off in front of old ladies, etc... whoops, no underwear! Manslaughter, no doubt. Yeah, anyway... otherwise the fashion here is tres boring, as I said, they all wear exactly the same thing. I did see a damn fine suit in the window of a shop the other day, though... I'm reluctant to inquire about it, because it will invariably look fantastic if I try it on and I'll feel compelled to buy it. So far, I haven't had to spend a cent (or rather, a baiza) since I arrived in Muscat. Some things here are cheap, others similar to Australia. Anyway... just waffling now...
Sophie's holidays start tomorrow, presumably I will be over my jetlag somewhat more than I am now, and we will start to see some real sights.