I wanted to say that OMAN is the friendliest Muslim country that I have ever visited, but then I realized that the friendly nature of the Omanis have very little to do with their religion. It is deeply rooted in their long history of ocean faring and the incorporation of other nationalities into the national fibre: Baluchi, Gwador, Zanzibari,Yemeni, Jabali to name a few.
Malaysia would be less friendly if you take the Indians out as they are the friendliest people in the country, take the Chinese out of Indonesia and you can see how quickly that country will change. Bangladesh or Pakistan or Iraq or Afghanistan are not in the horizon of people who want to visit friendly countries. I have had very good reports from visitors to Iran but unfortunately their government does not reflect the open mindedness and tolerance of the population. I have visited Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and in none of those countries I could say the natives are as friendly as the Omanis.
When you meet an Omani in the street, he would smile at you and would want to start a conversation with you. That is what happened to me when I was walking along the Muttrah Souq and corniche yesterday afternoon.
I bet you are from Sri Lanka said a bulky omani and then we had a lovely conversation. My own admiration for Omanis and their sultan, HE Qaboos is expressed freely and I find great comfort in talking to the Omani people of all persuasion.
Sultan Qaboos is on the path of omanization of the country in which the Omanis despite their oil income would work and contribute at all levels, from bell boys at hotels to pilots at the national airlines. All taxi services are allotted to Omanis, so you wouldnt see a Mohammed from Kerala driving you around here as you would in Dubai or Doha.
Oman has a ride sharing service but it is very strictly controlled. O Taxi app will bring a taxi driver to you at half the price of a regular taxi, but they are forbidden to pick up or let off passengers at the airport or luxury hotels.
Yesterday I walked just a few meters from the Hilton Hotel and requested a ride to the Muttrah Souq in the old part of Muscat and within about 5 minutes Kamal comes with his car and we begin our journey to the centre of town. Kamal is Omani and from a town 100 km from here, near Nizwa. We begin a nice conversation, about Oman, Salalah, Zanzibar etc. Within about 12 minutes we were downtown and he lets me off. I pay him the fare and thanked him. He said, wait a minute and gets out of his car, opens the boot of the car and takes out something.
It is a black embroidered scarf the kind omanis wear on top of their white long dresses.
I dont' have anything to give you, but please accept this gift from me, said Kamal, the omani driver.
I have had good experiences from drivers all around the world but this time I was just overwhelmed. I put it around my neck and had to find a place to sit down on the steps of a shop.
Why are they so kind? I kept on asking overwhelmed by emotions.
such a refreshing experience. I had not told him that I was a doctor but as we were talking he said, he will not be working tomorrow because his uncle was coming from the countryside to see a physician about his diabetic foot ulcer. I told him that if he wants me to, I am quite willing to go to his house and see his uncle and talk about Diabetes and Ulcers and how to look after them. He said he would call me ..
Malaysia would be less friendly if you take the Indians out as they are the friendliest people in the country, take the Chinese out of Indonesia and you can see how quickly that country will change. Bangladesh or Pakistan or Iraq or Afghanistan are not in the horizon of people who want to visit friendly countries. I have had very good reports from visitors to Iran but unfortunately their government does not reflect the open mindedness and tolerance of the population. I have visited Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and in none of those countries I could say the natives are as friendly as the Omanis.
When you meet an Omani in the street, he would smile at you and would want to start a conversation with you. That is what happened to me when I was walking along the Muttrah Souq and corniche yesterday afternoon.
I bet you are from Sri Lanka said a bulky omani and then we had a lovely conversation. My own admiration for Omanis and their sultan, HE Qaboos is expressed freely and I find great comfort in talking to the Omani people of all persuasion.
Sultan Qaboos is on the path of omanization of the country in which the Omanis despite their oil income would work and contribute at all levels, from bell boys at hotels to pilots at the national airlines. All taxi services are allotted to Omanis, so you wouldnt see a Mohammed from Kerala driving you around here as you would in Dubai or Doha.
Oman has a ride sharing service but it is very strictly controlled. O Taxi app will bring a taxi driver to you at half the price of a regular taxi, but they are forbidden to pick up or let off passengers at the airport or luxury hotels.
Yesterday I walked just a few meters from the Hilton Hotel and requested a ride to the Muttrah Souq in the old part of Muscat and within about 5 minutes Kamal comes with his car and we begin our journey to the centre of town. Kamal is Omani and from a town 100 km from here, near Nizwa. We begin a nice conversation, about Oman, Salalah, Zanzibar etc. Within about 12 minutes we were downtown and he lets me off. I pay him the fare and thanked him. He said, wait a minute and gets out of his car, opens the boot of the car and takes out something.
It is a black embroidered scarf the kind omanis wear on top of their white long dresses.
I dont' have anything to give you, but please accept this gift from me, said Kamal, the omani driver.
I have had good experiences from drivers all around the world but this time I was just overwhelmed. I put it around my neck and had to find a place to sit down on the steps of a shop.
Why are they so kind? I kept on asking overwhelmed by emotions.
