| Page Views: 1,577 Last Visit to Muscat: November, 2005 | A'salaam Alaykum by ShelleyKeating - last update: Feb 6, 2007 |
In November 2005 64 Australian Highland Dancers were invited to dance in the Oman Military Tattoo to help celebrate His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said's 65th birthday and National Day celebrating the Sultan's 35th year of reign.
The show was a one-night event for the Sultan and 25,000 of his 'friends'- this was not a show that tickets could be purchased for, it was invite only. The arena was huge- the biggest i have danced on, being the size of FOUR football fields! Dancing off after the performance was a killer!
We were treated with the kindest of hospitality and when we weren't rehersing we were taken into the desert to see some fortresses, on boats to see the turqouise-coloured bays and even camel riding! It was an experience i will never forget.
A lot of the flights to Europe from Australia stop in Bahrain, and i would really recommend stopping here and heading to Oman to discover the beauty of its land and people!
We arrrived into Muscat just after midnight and informed that the next day we had a full dress rehersal the next evening with VIP guests. Due to the fact that the dancers came from all over Australia, we hadn't had any rehersals together and so a long hard training session followed at the School of the Royal Oman Police in the full sun (36-38 degrees!)
A few days later, on the 21st Nov, the performance went ahead in front of 25,000 guests. We were the only overseas performers and the first females, along with the newly formed Royal Oman Police womens band., to perform in such an event. |
| Camle Riding at the Royal Stables |
|  | Camel Riding We were taken one morning before training to the Royal Stables to see a display of people playing the bagpipes (like the Scottish ones) whilst riding camels in formation. It was one of the most unique things i have ever seen. After the show we were given a ride on the camels which i enjoyed a lot. |
| | The beautiful gulf After the show we were taken out on boats to the bays on the coast of Oman. I was amazed at the beauty of the area- the water was a stunning shade of turquoise. The water was warm to swim in and quite salty and thus easy to float. |
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| Pros: | "A beautiful place of Mars-like landscape, oasis and beautiful coasts." | | Cons: | "We were taken care of completely as guests, i am not sure how it would be if i were a single tourist." |
ShelleyKeating's Muscat Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 10 - Photos: 11 | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 ShelleyKeating's Muscat Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for ShelleyKeating about Muscat | | | | |
devaz4u Sat Mar 7, 2009 15:55 UTC
hi its deva ur photos so cute.... | TheWanderingCamel Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:18 UTC
I've always been told Oman's the best of the Gulf states, would love to see it myself one day. 60 bikini-(barely)clad dancers must have caused a stir indeed! leyle | SLLiew Sun Jan 6, 2008 05:42 UTC
Would like to try to smoke the peace pipe too. Enjoyed reading your tips. Great page of Muscat. Cheers from Penang, SL :) | Jim_Eliason Fri Nov 30, 2007 01:31 UTC
Great page Shelley! |
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