Grocery Shopping

There are 2 monopolies for grocery shopping in Oman - Al Fair and Lulu. Al Fairs are can be found in just about every strip mall. They are small, cater towards european products (however slightly), and thus tend to be more expensive. Lulu on the other hand is similar to Walmart, although they are 1/3 of the size and things aren't all that cheap. This is probably the only time I have ever missed Walmart....if only to have a large car park (I'm starting to go Brit already!), double-wide aisles, huge shopping carts (not for us, but for the families of +8 which is the average size) , 15 cashiers, too many products to choose from, a carousel for bagging... ahhhh I digress.
The selection of produce has been fantastic. We noticed most items tasted fresher than back at home (less time on the truck and in freezer warehouses I suppose). The origin of all fresh food - fruit, veg and meat is posted above the selection. So you have your choice of mango from Thailand, South Africa, or Australia for example. It's actually quite nice to see where the products are grown. Omani grown is obviously the freshest and surprisingly they do grow a wide selection - lettuce, tomato, cauliflower, cucumber, green beans.
There are strong Indian and East Asian influences for product selection. I've come across many varieties of eggplant, chilies, root vegetables, and dragon fruit looking things that we'd never see at home, not even in the specialty shops.  It's really interesting watching people fill their carts with this stuff that I've never seen, let alone taste! There are a few items that don't come to town very often. Broccoli was brought in from Spain this week which was a pleasant surprise. Celery, mushrooms and romaine lettuce are just about non existent.

Meat selection has been a big adjustment. There's beef, goat, lamb and whole chickens.  Being a muslim country, there is no bacon! However, there is 1 Al Fair where you go to a door at the back of the store and ring a bell to enter. This is the 'bacon' room. Pork is taxed ~20% and is close to 3x the price of at home. You also pay a premium for a small cut of beef and depending on the week, the cuts may not look all that appetizing. The butch counter is big, it's just that half of the meat is goat (or mutton) from Pakistan or India. Lamb from New Zealand ($$$), and beef from NZ. They sell everything too - hearts, liver, kidney, tripe (stomach), brain...becareful when ordering curries...
We were hoping there would be lots choices for fish, and there are, but 90% of them we've never heard of and they don't typically sell fillets. You have to either buy the whole fish or ask the butch to cut you a piece of fish. We tried a popular fish - the King Fish, but it wasn't very good. So much for being adventurous. We also bought a frozen bag of shrimp, only to find they too weren't that great. There was finally a nice fillet of Halibut last week, and it was tasty!

Non perishable groceries are not like at home at all. Adam has taken to baking and has had trouble finding very basic items. For 3 weeks, there weren't any chocolate chips, then I guess a shipment came in because at every store there is now Hershey's chips. Who knows how long the stock will last and when the next shipment is, lol. Even cocoa powder and icing sugar cannot be found. Fresh milk is there but it expires after 1 week. Most people get the non refrigerated milk, which is what we've opted for. There is also a monopoly of Corn Flakes for cereal selection. Forget everything else, it's corn flakes Kelloggs or corn flakes Sultans! Instant coffee is also a big hit here, you'll rarely find fresh brew unless you specify french press. At work the choice is instant coffee or arabic tea.

The bakery and deli counters are fantastic - lots of cheeses, varieties of flat breads and baguettes, samosas, curries, rice pilafs, hummous, yogurt spreads, fresh cut fruits and cakes and sweets.    

Aside from the difference in product selection, the crowd is very different too. Because women don't go out unless in a group or with their husband, the shoppers are predominately men or the whole family. Kids are allowed to run wild, open packages, eat food (who knows if they pay for the stuff they eat), knock stuff over off the shelf and parents don't both to pick it up...that sort of thing.  But I can't really blame the parents, it's pretty difficult to keep track of 5-8 kids under the age of 10. It's also not their culture to be as orderly as Westerners, so I can't view this as being 'wrong'. It is also common to see people sampling the grapes, chilis, anything left open really.
The evening is prime shopping time. 7-10 PM is by far the busiest time of the day for all shops. The aisles are packed, people run over each other and get in your personal space. There isn't a common language or courtesy, so people generally don't say excuse me or sorry. It's 60% arabic 30% hindu and 10% english. They are probably used to crowds, so may be don't think anything of it when standing in someones way or bumping into them...

If you're wondering 'what vehicles do they drive for a +8 size family?'. Anything from a car to an SUV. The law requires only the driver to wear a seat belt and kids carseats are not law. Usually an SUV with 5 kids hanging out the window and 2 kids sitting on the passenger is what you see leaving the parking lot. 

We look at every shopping trip as an adventure. Not only because of the sights, but also because a few items aren't price tagged so we never know what the total will be!

  

 

Tour of Oman - Feb 14 to 19

Over the past 6 days Janelle and I were lucky enough to watch some of the worlds best cyclists tackling the 3rd edition of the Tour of Oman. This tour was geared more towards the guys who specialize in the classics and as such we got to watch Mark Cavandish, Andy Schleck, Tyler Farrar, and Fabian Cancellara to name a few. There were also two Canadians racing, one of who, Svein Tuft we had a chance to actually talk to on a couple occassions.

We made it out to the finish of Stage 1 and although we got there only 15 minutes  or so before the peloton arrived, we found a spot right at the finish line. All told there might have been 20 spectators, one of benefits of watching this event in the Middle East. Following an amazing sprint finish, which seeing first hand is hard to believe just how fast and close together they ride, we literally were allowed to walk down the finishing chute where all the riders were cooling down. We had no idea we would be able to get so close them, a very neat experience. The cyclists were all in amazing shape, huge legs and small upper bodies with horrible farmers tans. I even saw my first helmet strap tan.

For Stage 3 we decided to set-up camp at the feeding station to watch them go by. Again, amazing to see the speed with which the peloton rides and to see the team support vehicles handing out bags with new bottles, gels and bars for their riders. This also turned out to be a great spot to grab water bottles as they simply toss their empties to the side of the road so we scrambled out of the car and picked up just about one from each team. After the feed station we raced ahead of the tour to watch the finish and were able to get a really good video of them, quite stretched out as they headed into the wind.

Stage 4 Janelle and I drove to Bidbid to see the start of the stage and again were allowed unbelievable access to all the riders as they were preparing. Being meters away from Cavandish and Schleck and seeing their bikes was really impressive (Cavandish was shorter than I thought and Schleck much taller). Janelle was also wearing her Ironman Canada jersey as we had been cycling in the morning and because of that a Canadian couple working in Saudi Arabia came over to chat with us. While talking to them the Director of the BMC team heard us speaking english and also came over to chat so we were able to quiz him on the race and some general questions about how the team is set-up. As we walked through the start area a cyclist rode by saying "Canadian eh" and we realized it was Svein Tuft. On his way back he stopped and chatted with us, asking the first question most people not living in Oman do is "what are you doing here?" Svein was extremely generous with his time and answered all our questions. Janelle and I didn't stick around to watch the start of the stage but again raced ahead to wait at one of the two big climbs for the day, Alamrat. This racing ahead to the next spot was a common theme for us as we found that watching the tour is more like a chasing the tour as you're working hard to find the next good spot to see them go by and trying to avoid the traffic gridlock caused by the road closures. We got to the Bousher Alamrat climb ahead of the tour and decided to ride the climb ourselves and wait for the tour at the summit, 2 miles and 1000 feet of elevation gain later (plus 3 rests) we made it to the top and were the only fans there cheering on the riders.

The final stage 6 saw the tour complete 6 laps along the Matrah Corniche which allowed us to see a lot of the peloton in action. Again not many people and unbelievable access to the cyclists. The highlight of the day for me was getting not only Svein's signature after the stage, but also Tony Gallopin's from team Radioshack-Nissan (3rd overall in GC and won the white jersey) and Andy Schleck (winner of the Tour of France! - due to Contador being disqualified) Watching our first pro cycling tour was an absolute thrill and both Janelle and I are already looking at the calendar to see if there are any other races we could see. A good website for those interested to see pictures, video, stage maps and profiles is: http://www.steephill.tv/tour-of-oman/

Andy Schleck prior to start of stage 4

Mark Cavandish's Bike after Stage 3 (look closely you can see the world champion stripes on the frame)

Climbing Alamrat

Janelle and Svein at start of Stage 3

Cavandish finishing Stage 1 (Janelle just got lucky snapping pictures to catch him)

Stage 6 on the Matrah Corniche circuit (2 cruise ships in the harbor so lots of tourists)

 

Muscat Festival

We made it down to the Muscat Festival in Qurum Park this week for an evening out after work. It was a great event, and our first time being out with the local Omanis in numbers! There was the standard building blocks of any festival - rides, food, marketing booths, shows and displays happening throughout the evening...but everything was done differently than at home...it had a middle eastern flare.

The first thing we noticed was the people. It was neat to see many different styles and colors of dishdashas, abayas, turbans, etc. However, the majority of men still wore white, and women black. The place was crowded, and we were wondering how they'd find their friends if everyone is dressed so similarily??  We also noticed they tend to stay in groups of all guys or all girls, and big groups too - usually 4 or more. Which left me wondering, how can they tell who are single or married? It seemed like the perfect place for people to hangout with a group of friends. I still haven't figured out how dating works here...eventually I'll befriend an office colleague and ask them a personal question or 2!

The park was huge, comparable to the Stampede grounds, but with a large lake in the middle. We made our way to the Omani Heritage section to try the local foods. It was incredible watching the women make a variety of flat breads using their bare hand over a piping hot griddle. We tried Luqaimat - similar to a crepe and drizzled with date syrup. It was delicious! And another flat bread, but this one was savory, called Rukhal - which must have been made from a different flour as the consistency was slightly different. While it was cooking, an egg was cracked over the bread, then spread around, then a spoonful of mayo was spread on. She folded up the round bread into a triangle and passed it over for us to try. It was also very good, although I was skeptical at first! We continued walking past the food booths, curious as the what they were making, and never did find out. But looked like chickpea and lentil curries.
Next the National dish, Halwa -a date dessert that is very unique. I can't think of any food to compare it to, other than calling it a cross between pudding and jello. We couldn't find out what it was made of, so the next day, I asked a local and he was nice enough to send me the recipe! 

Omani Halwa

List of ingredients:
1/2 tsp saffron (1g)  /   1 tsp cardamom powder (1g)  /   2 thsp rosewater (30ml)  /   10cup water (2lr)  /    3 3/4 cup brown sugar (750g)  /  3/4 cp brown sugar (100g)   /   1 3/4 cup corn flour (200g)  /   1/2 cup cashenut (70g)   /   1/2 cup pistachio (70g)   /   1/4 cup ghee (50ml)

Cooking procedure:

Method 1-Soak saffron and cardamom in rosewater. 2- Mix half water with 2 types of sugars in pot and bring it to the boil. 3-Dissolve corn flour in remaining water and add to above mixture. 4- Stir continuously on very gently heat for (1 1/4 hr). 5-Add soaked saffron to mixture, then add cashew nut , ghee and stir . 6-Plase in service dishes


After passing though the Heritage part, we strolled around the lake to watch the fountain display and parade.

   

Sailing Lessons Part II - Feb 9/10

This past weekend marked the second half of our Laser sailing lessons. Janelle and I returned to the boat club sporting our bruised shins, scrapped elbows and sore hands from the previous weekend and the big winds we had. Our hope was that the winds would be a little calmer this time around and arriving at the beach we were happy to see no waves. We found out that the winds the previous weekend were between 10 to 15 knots, much higher than the 2 to 5 knots we had this weekend.

The gentle winds allowed for a much more relaxing day out sailing and gave you time to make the odd mistake when tacking or gybing and not capsize. By the end of the first day both Janelle and I were getting quite comfortable sailing and actually enjoying the whole experience now that we weren't white knuckled the entire time. In fact, after a point it got hot enough that it would have been nice to tip over and get a little wet (something one of the instructors did to cool off).

Our last day of lessons we got into racing and anyone who knows Janelle and I knows how competitive we both are so it didn't take much to get us going. The morning session our instructors set up a small triangular course and let us work on our starts. The start is definitely one of the hardest components as you're given a 5 minute, 4 minute, 2 minute and 1 minute warning. The key is timing your approach to the start line so you cross as close as possible without going over. There are ways to slow down your boat but there are no brakes so timing is really important. We got to do 5 fun races in the morning between the 10 boats and Janelle and I each won 2 (one photo finish between the 2 of us). The afternoon the club held their regular bi-weekly Laser races and everything got a lot more serious. The official boat came out with the flags that indicate timing for start and the course was made bigger (still the triangle). Along with the 10 beginner boats about 10 more seasoned sailors came out including 3 of our instructors. We did 3 races, 2 B2s (triangle - sausage) and a B3 race (triangle, sausage, triangle). The triangle and sausage refers to the route you take around the buoys each lap. It was amazing how fast the other boats were when you know what you're doing, especially at the start and around the buoys. Janelle and I didn't win but didn't finish last either coming in ahead of most of the beginners but behind most of the experienced sailors. We're both looking forward to sailing some more!

Janelle helming the Laser 2000

Adam watching the telltales on the Laser 1

Feb 4/5 Nizwa and Hiking at Wadi Tanuf

Thanks to the Prophets birthday happening on Feb 5, Janelle was given a 4 day long weekend by PDO. We had already been busy (and quite worn out) from sailing on the weekend but having picked up our new wheels we were anxious to take a road trip outside of Muscat and try out the camping and hiking that everyone had been raving about.

Our friends Tom and Donna had been planning a trip to the old capital of Oman, Nizwa and to Wadi Tanuf to camp and hike. Again being very unprepared for camping Tom and Donna lent us sleeping bags and a tent so off we went in our Subaru Forester. It's a 2006 and has just over 100,000 km on it. What really sold us was it was bought new in 2006 by an expat that we had met earlier from Canada and as such was very well maintained and in very good condition. There were some concerns about it not being an SUV or having 4wd but the previous owner assured us the AWD would take us everywhere that the Prado's could go.

Janelle and I left earlier in the day to spend some time in Nizwa as it is home of a very old fort and castle used in the 1600s and was recommended to see. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Nizwa on excellent roads, the only strange thing was anytime we went over 125 kph the car started to beep. Unsure what this was we kept it just under 125 (keep in mind the speed limit is 120 so we were getting passed by everyone). Nizwa turned out to be a very neat old town. Old is the best way to describe it as there are large parts that haven't changed much with the old buildings and original walls can still be seen. The fort/castle were very interesting to walk through, hard to describe so I'll leave it to the pictures. The souq was also attached to the fort and was one of the first walled souqs in the middle east. Since we were there on a holiday Saturday the souq was closed and the town in general was very quiet.

After touring Nizwa we left for Tanuf and the entrance to the wadi. Leaving town we met up with Tom and Donna in their Prado and their friends Pam and Paul in their Pajero (both SUVs). We got into the wadi and the road was indeed rough but nothing outrageous. Lots of stones and some larger rocks but the Subaru kept right up with the other 2. First impressions driving into Wadi Tanuf were incredible, unbelievable views and nearly sheer cliffs rising straight up on both sides. Driving for about 4 km we arrived at the end of the wadi and the start of the hike. Because the hike is listed as a 10 hr roundtrip we decided to camp the night before to give us an early start. We weren't planning on doing the entire hike the next day but rather a 4 hr hike (2 in 2 out). Camping that night was really neat, they are no campsites or rules, you pitch a tent in a flat spot and make a fire with scrap wood found through the wadi. The only concern is rain, apparently the wadi's turn into a raging river when it rains (even if it's raining far away) so you have to be aware of the weather and parking and camping in a higher area. Sleeping under the stars, not being cold (even when you walk away from the campfire) and having it be so quiet (minus the goats) was awesome. Can't wait to go camping again.

Our new car

Fort Nizwa Tower

Inside the Nizwa Tower

The trees are all date palms

Trekking in Wadi Tanuf, all the rocks and wadi walls were very smooth

The next morning all 6 of us were up early to pack up camp and start the hike. The only map and directions we had were very limited in giving details but we managed to find the start of the hike and realized that it was straight up. For the next 2 hrs we scrambled up some of the steepest and gnarliest hiking we've ever done. There were times looking down when you realized one slip and you would slide a long way. The group did really well considering 3 of the 6 had varying levels of a fear of heights. After 2 hrs we still hadn't reached to top edge of the wadi and began to get concerned with how long it would take us if we did make it to the top and how long it would take getting back down. Majority rules and we decided to turn around and head down which was not much easier (and in some parts harder) than going up. About an 1 hr later we were all safely at the bottom and I even managed to find the "better" path going down which looked a little more worn and avoided a couple of the more hazardous spots we climbed on the way up. At the bottom we checked our elevations and figured we had climbed 600 ft, not too bad. Having made good time going down we decided to start the hike in reverse and walk through the village that is situated near the end of the hike. This was quite the place, built on the edge of the wadi it has an amazing irrigation system that uses gravity to bring water to terraces that have been built into the side of the wadi. Going through you're also very popular with the children who point you in the right direction (sometimes). Leaving the village through the gate with a 6 ft drop (see the picture) we walked into the wadi towards the water source for the village, again we were greeted by more amazing scenery. By noon we were pretty whipped and decided to head back to Muscat, determined to tackle this climb again.

Sailing Lessons Part I - Feb 2/3

We have been looking forward to living close to the ocean to take up some new water sports. Being from the middle of the prairies, with the Pacific ~1400 km to the west and the Atlantic ~4500 km to the east, it wasn't very often when we'd get the chance to experience a fresh sea breeze! Now there is hardly a day that we don't see the ocean.
Sailing was one of the first things we started looking into once we got here. Neither of us knew the first thing about sailing, other than which way port, starboard, stern and bow were, but that was about it. I had no idea what to expect...no clue about the size or type of boat, clothing that we should have, whether we'd be in the water the first day (or the 2nd weekend), what is considered good sailing conditions and I was curious about the groups experience level (having never stepped into a sail boat before was slightly concerning!)

We arrived at the boathouse for a 9AM start along with 12 other people. The instructor was fantastic, he was a British fellow in his sixties who had been sailing since childhood. There were 5 other helpers there as well which made it great for getting all our questions answered, getting the boats rigged up and down to the water.
I was expecting a morning classroom session the first day, and then hands-on training at the boats in the afternoon...but I assumed wrong! We did intros, then a quick 101 about proper sailing gear and where you can buy it in Oman. We were given a beginners handbook, written by the Royal Yachting Association which was 40 pages and covered the basics. However, we didn't go through the book, just that it was a good read for homework. Then over to the boats we went. Which, I actually prefer the hands on training anyway, but we were all brand new to sailing, so I didn't expect the quick progression.
By 11AM we had 8 Laser Classics (1 man boat) rigged up and 2 Laser 2000s (2-3 man boat). By 11:30 the boats were on the beach and we had started to sail! I was very grateful for the helpers who came out, the winds had started picking up, making it quite challenging to even get off the beach. It was trial by fire! We did 1 steering drill prior to launching the boats, then you were sent out to sea, 1 person per boat - just you, the elements, a handful of ropes and a boom that can cause a severe headache if you weren't watching!

We were supposed to work on 'tacking' around the buoys, which I didn't exactly know what that meant, but could see that the instructors were turning to the left.  The lead instructor launched a motorized boat for rescues, and I didn't think that there would be many capsized boats, but all of us went over at least twice! We didn't do any capsize drills on the beach, so you just had to figure out how to upright the boat, get in, and get control again. It was a bit nerve racking going over the first time! They were small, light boats, so it wasn't too bad to tip it back over. As long as you could jump on the centerplate in less than 3 tries, it was easy. The centerplate was about 2-3 ft out of the water, so after more that 3 attempts and expending all your energy, it took more time and possibly some help. I felt bad for the people who went over 10 times...they looked exhausted once they made it back to the beach! Also, no one mentioned all the work that goes into getting the boat ready and put away, and also the body bashing. We had rope burns, cuts, sore backs and bruised shins! I thought this was supposed to be relaxing... 
By the second day, we were on the water by 9:30. The winds were strong, which made some people happy and left others anxious. I suppose it's better to learn on rough water with support and learn faster, than to be by yourself out in the ocean in rough water. I didn't think I would be using the toe strap as a beginner, but with the wind, if you didn't balance out the boat by leaning over the edge, you'd capsize. 
Speaking of capsizing...Adam was matched up with 2 others on the Laser 2000 on the second day. It was getting pretty rough by mid-morning, and so only the larger Laser 2000s were left on the water. The Classics were being put away when all of a sudden there was some commotion out at sea. The Laser 2000 had capsized! (this typically doesn't happen). The boat was turned right side up, but the mast had snapped in two! I knew it was not good from the reaction of the other sailors on shore. The rescue boat went out and towed the 2000 back in and gathered up the passengers. It happened to be the boat Adam was on, and he was helming at the time...unfortunately those things happen in adverse conditions, the instructor wasn't sure how the mast broke.
Needless to say we didn't go out in the afternoon, but practiced rigging up boats and we covered some theory. I'm starting to feel like I know a bit more about sailing, at least I can speak some of the lingo and pick out the skill in a nice tack or gybe.
Hopefully this weekend brings better conditions as it's my turn on the 2000.

My Laser Classic - 'Fluffy'

Early morning - hardly any waves!

Laser Classics - mix of Radial (smaller) and 4.7 sails