Some observations after living in Oman for nearly four years now. I’ve been pondering over it for a while without much success.

1. Why should ROP patrol cars always have a co-driver?

2. Why chairs are placed sideways in a manager’s cabin in government and some private establishments (the seating arrangement is not face-to-face)?

3. Why holidays are declared at the nth hour?

4. Why Omanis throng coffee shops early in the morning? Don’t they eat anything at home?

5. Why Omani women apply layers and layers of make-up 365 days and look stupid (I’ve noticed some don’t take breaks during Ramadan too)?

6. Why Omanis talk on their GSMs 24×7?

7. Why locals don’t have patience to wait for a couple of seconds once the signal turns green?

8. Why Omani cooking gas suppliers charge a rial more every time?

9. Why Omani men spend hours together at barber shops?

10. Why don’t Omani women wear the right length abayas? Most of the time, their abayas sweep the floors/streets, helping Muscat Municipality to a great extent.

11. Why do Omani women never step out of the house without a handbag?

12. Why Omani women artisans at Muscat Festival venues so camera-friendly?

Do let me know if you have answers for these.

If you are a regular to Qantab beach, you wouldn’t miss young Omani kids approaching you with a “boat” offer. Their “boat” translates into a boat ride around the enchanting sea for a few rials with their small boats that are normally used for fishing.

I happened to be in Qantab a couple of days back, and was appalled at the safety hazard such trips pose to gullible people who won’t mind spending a few bucks to go around the picturesque spot with their families. A combo of sun, sea and sand sends an adrenaline rush which propels these families to risk their lives for a joy ride. A majority of boats in the beach are equipped with wooden planks and powered by a Yamaha engine, and driven by kids who are in the age group of 14-20 years. The boats don’t have any safety equipments and are not designed to ferry passengers by all counts.

To be honest, I have taken those boat rides with my friends (all men) a good three years back, and I must admit there is a lot of risk factor attached to such trips. The driver who took us around acted like a Daniel Craig and did all sorts of stunts in his book — I could imagine a chasing scene from a James Bond flick. Only saving grace on that occasion was all of us knew to swim in case the boat toppled. Another dangerous factor is these boats are handled by kids who have no great skills in maneuvering boats which can hold as much as 6-8 people, including women and children. Our friend who ventured into the sea yesterday with his family revealed how they felt shit scared when the young chap (driver) raced along the sea and made sharp turns are great speeds. In fact, they had to request the chap to cool down and reduce the speed. It is anybody guess the result if the boat topples in deep sea. Every time I am at Qantab, I have a silent prayer on my lips whenever I see a family getting into those boats.

There is a non-descript board in the beach put up by the Ministry of Tourism which states that those interested in boat rides must take boats approved by the ministry. This sets up a question. How does one know which boats are approved by the ministry and which are not. At a normal glance, all boats in the vicinity look illegal (no ministry approval). I am sure the ministry wouldn’t want fishing boats with zero safety features to ferry passengers on a dangerous trip. The place needs serious regulation from concerned authorities. Otherwise, the day is not far when Qantab will be in news for wrong reasons.

A report says:

The new CEO of Oman Air has revealed his ambitious plans to transform the carrier into a “world-class airline”. “It’s going to be hard work, but definitely doable,” said Peter Hill speaking to ATN exclusively at last month’s World Travel Market.

“We need to bring experts into the business, Omanis into the business and put a lot of effort into re-designing the product – that includes the interior, the uniforms and much more.”

Hill, the former CEO of SriLankan Airlines when it was managed by Emirates Airline, who was appointed to head up Oman Air four months ago, said he would not change the corporate branding of Oman Air but promised that “everything on board will be fresh and new”.

“Over the next two or three years, I want Oman Air’s image in the market to be one of the rising international airlines and in five years, to be considered a world-class airline.” (more)

By all counts, Oman Air’s earlier colours (white/green/red) were more impressive than the present blue-gold combo. The other day, I was walking past the Oman Air office in CBD at night, and their hoarding in new colours, with lights on, offered a totally depressing sight – so dim and unattractive. This is not the end. Many aircrafts of Oman Air still don’t sport the new livery. Why is the delay in getting branding done across the fleet? With the new CEO stressing on re-designing of the product, it looks like branding will remain the primary concern of top honchos for now. More pressing issues have been pushed to the backburner.

What’s yours?

With winter setting in, the time is right for barbeque parties. Just had one –– first of this season –– at our friend’s den last week.