NOV 1, 16 .. PART II .. THE BIG BUS IN MUSCAT, OMAN

In Part I of my BIG BUS tour posts, I presented an introduction to the BIG BUSes that I rode in Muscat to get an overall feeling for the city.

The time has come to show you some photos of what I saw from the BIG BUS tour I enjoyed in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman, in the Middle East.

The below three photos were taken in Dubai.

WHOA! 

STOP!

WAIT A MINUTE HERE CAPTAIN!

If you think that you are going to see any buildings in Muscat that can possibly compare to the above photos of just one cluster of buildings in Dubai , then you are going to be sadly disappointed in the photos that follow.

Below is my starting and ending location for my BIG BUS tours. I made three complete round trips during my 24-hour riding period. Because the below photos were taken on three different trips at different times of the day, the lighting may vary from photo to photo.

We are in front of the Japengo Cafe on Qurum Beach. This is the BIG BUS tour stop 4.

After boarding the BIG BUS, the first attraction was the Al Qurm National Park.

Just before we arrive at the park, we see this local neighborhood mosque.

We are at the park. This was BIG BUS tour stop 5.

These photos were snapped on-the-move as we did not linger at the park. Later, on my own with my personal taxi driver, I returned to the park for a leisurely visit. 

After we left the National Park above, we headed downtown to our next stop, The Central Business District.

Yes indeed! As you see above and below, Muscat DOES have a real freeway. 

 Muscat's real freeway has real traffic.

I like the below building. Because it is relatively close to my Qurum Beach hotel, it became a landmark for me.

The below photo is out of order because I shot it as we came back to my stop near the end of a complete tour. I put it in here just to show my above landmark building from across the street.

In the below photo, you see for the first time, what will become a constant presence in Muscat, the hills that Muscat was built between.

"Gee Dad! I think that I have some very nice buildings!" / s / MISS MUSCAT

Again, notice the ever present low hills in the background.

 "Gee Dad! I like my buildings!" / s / MISS MUSCAT

BIG BUS tour stop 6, The Central Business District. 

I was jumping from left to right and back and forth shooting photos from each side of the upper deck of the bus.

Back we roll to see more of Muscat.

"Yes indeed Miss Muscat, you certainly have some beautiful buildings!"

"You are more like Miami Beach than New York City or Dubai."

More expressway as we head for the Gulf of Oman.

We are leaving the downtown area of Muscat.

Muscat is defined by the hills surrounding the city!

Above and below you see some real, big time, road construction.

The Gulf of Oman in the distance.

Above and below are some Muscat Parliament buildings. This area is the BIG BUS tour stop 7.

Muscat has a clean and a spotless feeling to it.

We are now at our BIG BUS tour stop number 8, the Marina Views.

What a nice view from up above the Marina. But you don't want to get off the bus and stay here one or two hours.

Off we go on the BIG BUS.

A last look at the end of the Marina.

We are now at BIG BUS tour stop 9 on our route. 

The Al Alam Palace.

Below we are looking into the Al Alam Palace from the bus.

I later returned on my private taxi tour and did a serious photo shoot of the palace. 

Directly across from the palace is the National Museum.

Amazing how different it looks in the warm, late afternoon sun.

On we go.

The street sweepers are an ever present force in Muscat.

The Gulf of Oman. I was not aware of it before I came here.

The Incense Burner. I will do a post about it and its park.

These small, beautiful, parks just abound in Muscat.

We are now about to enter the Mutrah Souq area of Muscat.

Well what have we here? I was amazed when these ships appeared.

I shot so many photos that I don't even recall shooting the above and below nice photos. I can't even remember the structure in fact. 

Mutrah Souq is BIG BUS tour stop 1. You can get on a BIG BUS and pay for your tour at any of the ten designated stops.

As I have mentioned, these beautiful parks just appear at random.

As I have mentioned, I am posting these photos in the exact order in which I took them. I am not organizing them by areas of Muscat.

Now we are leaving Mutrah Souq and heading home to my stop. I just love this fountain in the middle of the round about.

My landmark building below is now in its proper order near the end of a round trip tour.

Below is a major flood control channel. I wonder when the rain comes to warrant this structure.

In the below photo do you see the words .. Ah Salam ..

If you are in this part of the world you need to be fluent in the term, "Ah salaam alaikum." Said quietly with deep sincerity as you look into the eyes of your recipient. 

"Peace be upon you."

Burger King I just love it.

Above and below, in the far distance, can you see the CROWNE PLAZA hotel?

We passed the Royal Opera House and I vowed to return to see it up close. I did so on my private taxi tour.

We are at the BIG BUS tour stop 3, the one before my stop. There is a nice shopping area here and I exited the tour to eat and to relax before re-boarding the next BIG BUS in one hour.

A very nice shopping mall.

A Pharmacy, a Subway, a Starbucks, I am set.

The Subway was as good as it gets.

I checked out the Starbucks also.

Here comes my BIG BUS. I will re-board for another round trip.

I deleted, at an absolute minimum 40%, of the photos I took on my three round trips. I have not posted each and every photo that made the cut. The time has come when I am going to wrap this up.

I may, I may not, return for a third post. On my personal taxi tour I re-visited some of the venues you have seen in this post.

Smiling and Happy with my tours of Muscat.

Cap