December 10: Nizwa

 We traveled to Nizwa to experience a livestock auction that I’ve never witnessed before in my life.  Took some fun videos that I shared on Facebook.  We then explored the Farmer’s Market and bought some local fruit.

After complaining about breakfast and dinner, we enjoyed a decent breakfast buffet.  Unfortunately, most of the food had been eaten by the time we arrived.  Eventually, it was restocked and turned out pretty good.

We had a difficult conversation with Ghassan as we explained that we were disappointed about not hiking enough. Although there was some confusion about which Wadi to visit, we finally made it to Wadi Nakhr.  It was absolutely spectacular— first four wheeling and then trekking. 

Stopped at a Yemen restaurant for lunch/dinner and then made it to our hotel in Jabal Shams. We vetoed the first accommodations but were pleased with the second choice. There we met an awesome Indian family who have been living in Oman for 30 years.  One of the daughters loves Korean food — not surprisingly, Kimchi was thrilled.

Accommodations: B- (Jabal Shams Stars Hotel)

Decent sized room with a fairly comfortable bed awaited us.  Small space heater did the trick to keep us warm.  Bathroom was a mess with shower right on top of the toilet. No shower head resulted in a tight stream of water hitting you directly on your head.  On the plus side, there was a common kitchen with everything you needed to cook.

Food: B 

Definitely an improvement with regard to both breakfast and lunch.  Enjoyed a buffet style breakfast in Nizwa and a Yemen meal for dinner.  Ghassan tried to do a little better.