Navigating the roads in Oman

Cars seems to be a part of everyday life no matter where in the world you live.  Some places may have less cars, some places have more, but it's safe to say that cars are everywhere.  Here in Oman it's no different.  However, the people who drive the cars makes a HUGE difference!  Let me tell you about transportation here in Oman.

Shortly after we arrived here in Oman, we were picked up at the airport by our manager from the resort.  He drove an SUV that was made by some company I had never heard of before.  It was my assumption that America had the same car brands as everyone else; well this is not so.  I was excited to see all kinds of different car brands here - Renault and Peugot to name a few.  

Renault Duster - We've rented one of these before - very nice!

You still have all the major brands of course, but it seems to me that Toyota and Hyundai hold the lions share of the market here.  Almost every car I see on the road is a Toyota Corolla or a Hyundai Sonata.  They are everywhere, and they look brand new.  I hardly see that many older cars, just lots of shiny new Hyundais and Toyotas.  Brittney and I love the Hyundai Santa Fe!  We've even thought of buying one here to ship back.  You see, cars here are a fraction of the price back in the U.S.  I'm not sure why but cars are very cheap here!  Even brands like Mercedes and BMW sell for sometimes 50% less than back in the states.  Not sure why this is but I LIKE IT. 

Now, because this is a rich oil country, OF COURSE you see plenty of awesome cars - Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc etc.  Even the police officers drive nice cars!  I usually see most cops in a BMW or a Mercedes squad car.   Sometimes they also have Land Rovers.  Must be nice :)

BMW police car next to us

 Driving without a seat belt is normal in Oman.  Crazy huh!?  If you get pulled over and you're not wearing a seatbelt it's no big deal.  In fact, I often see small children hanging out the sunroof or cars while speeding down the road - SO SCARY.  Another interesting thing is that they cover the entire interior of their cars in plastic.  Literally everything inside the car is covered.  This is done to protect their cars for resale.  It's like a giant cell phone case, lining the entire car.  But that's not even the worst part - whenever we take a taxi somewhere, we can't buckle our seat belts BECAUSE THEY ARE BURIED UNDERNEATH PLASTIC.  So even if you wanted to strap yourself in, tough luck.  A lot of times we will just rent a car for the day, and they almost always have seat belts to use :)  Rental cars are pretty cheap too. They rent for about 10 Rial per day, which is $25 USD.

Rented a Honda Civic to go to the beach!

Gas here is extremely cheap as well!  It's about $1/gallon.  It's amazing!  Back home in Southern California, there are places where it's $5/gallon.  Did you know that the last time gas was $1 in the US was in the year 1989?!  AND if you adjust for inflation, gas has actually NEVER been $1 in the United States.  The cheapest that gas has ever been in the US (adjusted for todays inflation) is $1.62, which happened in 1990.  I suppose one of the benefits of living in the Middle East is that gas is ridiculously cheap.  But, you have to move to the Middle East ;)

In order to drive, you must have a valid Omani Drivers License.  All I had to do was go to their "DMV" equivalent, and show them my current California License, and walla!  If you think going to the DMV is America is bad, you can't even imagine how crowded it is here.  Imagine your local DMV packed to it's fullest, and then everyone is yelling in dozens of different languages, and there is no electronic ticketing, only first come first serve!  It's survival of the fittest get your license first.  However, I had a local Omani "guru" take me to the DMV, and you wouldn't even believe the process we went through.  We walk in to see hundreds of people lined up at small kiosk windows waiting for their turn, and he takes me right up to the front of the line, and through a door to the other side where the DMV workers are all sitting and processing paperwork (you can imagine if this were the USA, we would have been tackled or tazed by now).

My "guru" starts speaking Arabic to the worker and he immediately stops tending to the long line of people waiting to get their license, and takes me into a back office room.  I kept thinking to myself, "People in America would be LIVID if the DMV clerk left his desk to give someone special priority."  Well that's exactly what happened.  In this office room in the back, they proceeded to look over my paperwork.  Then I was told I would have to take an eye test.  I agreed, and he guided me to a line on the floor.  Then he asked me, "Do you need glasses to see?"  I said no, and he said, "Good. Test finished."  BEST. EYE TEST. EVER.  He took my picture, and we walked back into the crowded roof full of waiting patrons.  The clerk then went back to work tending to all the other people in the long line waiting.  The strange thing is that none of the people waiting in the long line even looked at me, nor did they seem to notice the clerk had left.  Everyone just kind of understands that this is the process in the Middle East.  Those who have connections get served, and those who don't, wait.  I was actually sad for all the people waiting.  I felt bad that I had skipped them all, but I simply went where my local took me, and spoke when he told me to speak.  I would have been lost in the sea of foreign languages without my guru guiding me.  A few minutes later, I was given my official Omani Drivers License

I wish all License Pictures squeezed your head to make you look thinner!

Let me tell you some other details about driving in Oman:

All of the drivers education cars are specifically marked with red stripes.  That way everyone on the road stays clear of them.  I think that's a pretty brilliant idea!  That way you don't get stuck behind some slow driving students.

Beware: Student Driver

Here's one thing that drives me CRAZY! In Oman it's legal for anyone to drive on the beach.  You'll literally be sitting in the sand and soaking up the waves when suddenly some crazy driver speeds past you at 35mph down the beach.  SO SCARY!  I keep thinking, what if there are kids on the beach playing?  I'm no Einstein, but I'm pretty sure a car can't stop in the sand to avoid hitting someone.  Luckily there aren't alot of people with trucks who can drive in the sand.  When it does happen though, you'll see me waving my arms in frustration at these people ;)

I have no problem yelling at these people.

CAMELS RULE THE ROAD.  You know how in the United States, you always see those signs for "Deer Crossing" "Horse Crossing" or "Cow Crossing"? Whelp, you guessed it:

The hump says it all.  Nuff Said

Camels not only slow traffic, but they literally STOP traffic because everyone wants to get out of their car and either (A.) Take a Picture (B.) Pet Them (C.) Feed Them (D.) Try to Ride them.  I certainly am not brave enough to try the latter.  

Stare Down

Out for an evening stroll.

Did I mention that I LOVE Camels?

There you have it folks.  Now you are well prepared for you first driving experience in Oman.

It's okay to have a bad day, but a bad week?!?

Salalah has had more than it's fair share of exciting adventures, so I should have guessed that eventually we'd hit a few bumps in the road.  Let me begin by talking about a very important topic that most people don't even think about - electricity and power!  Our world is filled with amazing technological gadgets and gizmos, and at the end of the night, we simply plug them in and "wallah" they're charged and ready to go the next day.  In the United States, our electrical sockets look like this:

The only problem is that not all countries use the same type of power.  In fact there are 15 different plug types used around the world, and every country is different.  In Oman, the electrical sockets look like this:

Pretty funky looking, huh?  So what's the first thing you do when you get to a country that has different outlet than you?  Well you buy an adapter of course!!  So I went to the local outlet store and got myself some adapters and power strips.





Sooooo, problem solved!!  Brittney sets up her fancy keyboard, and I set up my guitar amp.  I plug in our new adapters to the wall, and then I plug in the keyboard and the amp.  Everything looks good to go, and so I flip on the powers switches.  Everything lights up and we are rockin'!!

I'm think I'm smart, right?  I'm feeling pretty powerful at this point, then I begin to smell something burning.  I look around, peek into the kitchen, don't see any toast in the toaster.  I look back at the music equipment, and to my surprise the lights are no longer turned on.  This is when I start to panic.  I turn off the keyboard and then try to turn it back on - no response.  I go to my guitar amp and do the same - no response.  My heart is racing.  Did our expensive music equipment just get fried?  What could I have done wrong?  My audio engineer mindset kicks in and I begin testing all the cables.  I check all the connections and still no response.  I plug my iPhone into the same power socket and it charges no problem, so I know the outlet still works.  Then I suddenly think worst case scenario, "Please tell me the power here isn't 220 volts."



Without going into too much depth, I want to explain voltage (or volts) to you.  When you plug an electrical device into your wall, the electricity flows out of the socket and into your device at a certain rate.  It's just like pouring water from a pitcher.  The water is the electricity, and it pours out at a certain speed, and also a certain flow depending on the width of the spout.  Anyways, voltage is the flow of the water, and every country has a different standard for their "flow" of electricity.  All power outlets in the United States are 110 volts.  So all electronics made for the united states will say 110 volts.  Some products, (like our phone charges) are made to work in any country, so it will say 110-220 volts on it.  Go take a peek right now and see what your nearest electronic device says.  Now for example, if a device is made for Europe, it will say 220 volts on it.  Every country is different, but most use a voltage between 110-220 volts.  

Now getting back to the story.  I look on the back of Brittney's keyboard and it says 110 volts only.  I pull out my phone and immediately google "What is the voltage in Oman?"  You can already guess at this point.  It's no surprise that Oman is a 220 volt country.  Even though I found an adapter to plug in our devices into the wall,  I just delivered DOUBLE the amount of electricity that our equipment can handle.  Whelp, that's unfortunate.  So, after having a mini meltdown at the thought of having ruined my wife's $3,000 keyboard, my eyes glance over and I see that there is a fuse box on the keyboard!

This tiny piece of glass and wire saved me from completely destroying the entire keyboard!  This little thing is called a fuse, and it has a small wire that breaks when you send too much electricity through it.  It's supposed to break because that stops all the extra electricity from going into your device and frying all the circuits.  Not all devices have these fuses built into them though, so I really dodged a bullet here!  I  would like to officially thank the manufacturer of this keyboard, for implementing a backup plan that just saved my marriage.  So I called our taxi driver friend Ali, (remember the one who helped us get bikes), and he took me to an electronics shop where I purchased some extra fuses.  I swapped out the burnt fuse with a fresh one now IT WORKS!!!  What a sigh of relief.





Now what about the guitar amp?  Well, my amp wasn't as lucky.  I checked to see if it had a fuse and sadly it didn't.  I contacted Fender, (the manufacturer of the amp), and they said there is indeed a fuse, but it's hardwired to the circuit internally.  Unfortunately the nearest authorized repair shop to fix this is 3000 miles away in Europe.  Lucky for me we have an amazing staff of electrical engineers at the Anantara hotel we work at!  So I take the amp apart and bring it to the engineers at the hotel.  They order some parts and after a few weeks, and IT'S FIXED!!

After having learned my lesson about power, I headed straight to the store and purchased a voltage converter.  This little device is a MUST if you are going to a country with a different voltage than you're used to.  It will convert 220 into 110 (for my situation), or the opposite of 110 into 220.

In other news,  we had a staff beach party and I got sunburn.  Brittney kept saying, "Jer, you better put some sunscreen on."  I would just laugh and say NEVER.  I don't need that stuff,  I'm fine.  Whelp, 4 hours later:

To add to the pain of my sunburn, I was trying to format a thumb drive for work and I accidentally formatted my ENTIRE DJ LIBRARY.  That's over 400 gigs of music down the drain.  I had a heart attack after that one as well.  I have a backu, but it's gonna take a couple weeks to get here.  Better than nothing though.  Why did I not bring a backup?

I seriously just need to slow down this week and take a deep breath.  Everything will be fine.  It's just a bad week.  I shouldn't complain though,  I did get an incredible haircut last week for 1 Rial.  Yup, you heard me, that's $2.50 in US dollars.  At least I can have a bad week in style ;)

Bikes, Bartering, and Answers To Your Questions!

Hello again!  This week was "Operation: Get A Bike."  We had been planning for weeks now to try and get some bikes, but didn't have a chance until now.  Bicycles are one of the main modes of transportation here, so if you don't plan on getting a car, I would highly recommend a bicycle.  We made friends with a fantastic taxi driver named Ali, and he agreed to take us downtown to the bike shops.  You see, we went to the mall and found some nice bikes, but they were very expensive.  Ali said we needed to head to the "Souq",  which is the main open-air marketplace of the city, which is where the locals get their bikes.

So we ventured into the city and it was truly a blast.  So many cool shops selling every sort of food, trinkets, electronics, clothing, and all kinds of other random items.  We arrived at the two main bike shops in town, which were conveniently located right next to each other.  We surveyed all the different types to see what our options were.  I had originally planned to purchase a Pakistani style bicycle, which is what all the locals ride.  They are cheap and they look super cool.

However, after trying one out, it was a little unstable for me, and I wanted something a little more familiar.   So I tried a number of different commuter style bikes and mountain bikes.  Most of the options here in Oman are either a fixed one speed commuter, or a mountain bike with gears.  The one speed bikes were advertised at 35-40 Rial ($90-$100), and the mountain bikes with gears are 50-60 Rial ($130-$150).  Still, thats pretty dang cheap for a bicycle.   So we all picked out our favorite styles and colors and moved on to the bartering phase!  The two girls picked bikes from one shop, and I found mine next door.  Ali told us that we could definitely get a better price than advertised, and that bartering was acceptable in Oman.  So I put on my negotiator hat and went to work!!  I went up to the store owner and offered 60 Rial for the two girls' bikes.  I told him we would buy both bikes if we could get a deal.  He countered with 75 Rial, and I said no way.  The key to bartering is being willing to walk away.  If they think you're gonna walk out the door, they will settle for less rather than lose a sale - most of the time ;)  So I told him sorry that was too much and I counter with 65.  He then said 72 Rials.  We were getting in the ballpark of a reasonable deal at this point.  I told him 70 Rial was my final offer, if he would include 3 spare inner-tubes in case we got a flat tire.  He said the inner-tubes were 1 Rial a piece so it would be 73 Rials total for the two bikes and tubes.

This is when I had to flex my negotiator muscles and start "the walk."  I thanked him kindly for the offer and said it was too much money and I proceeded to walk out the door.  That's when he stopped me, and said "Alright, 70 Rials."  I told you "the walk" would work! Just don't quote me the next time you walk away empty handed.  So they tuned up the bikes for the ladies, while I went next door and did the same negotiating for my bike.  List price was 32 Rial, and I got them down to 29.  All in all I would say we did pretty good for ourselves!  The bikes say "made in China" on them, and are very sturdy and reliable working vehicles.  We were all pretty stoked.  We took a picture with Ali and said goodbye.  He was such a help to us.  He drove us all around town and translated for us when needed.  If you are ever in a foreign country and need to buy something serious, BE SURE TO BRING A LOCAL.  Even if it's just a taxi driver who speaks a little English.  Foreigners are easy targets for being taken advantage of,  but the whole dynamic changes when you have a local translating all the jargon for you.

We packed up our new bikes and set off to ride back home.  We took some side streets to avoid the bulk of the traffic, and had a blast riding through the rest of the marketplace.  I can't even begin to tell you how liberating it felt after having lived in a couped up apartment for a month without any means of transportation besides taxis.  We were all so excited to be free to travel around.  Now we ride our bikes to the hotel, local markets,  food stands, the beach, and everywhere else in-between.

 Answers to your questions about Oman:
It has been exciting to receive so many questions from readers all over the world, so let me address a few of them!  The questions I received were mainly for details about Oman, so let me give a general description.  The people in Oman are very quaint.  They are very traditional, and more of a "speak when spoken to" kind of people.  Aarabic is the main language, but most speak a little English.  The original native Salalah people from the mountains also speak Jibbali, and are very proud of their native history, which dates back thousands of years.  Woman are treated very equally here.  They can drive, work, vote, hold positions in government, and attend all the same universities as men.  Oman is one of the few countries in the Middle East where all citizens can vote.  People here are very religious.  Ibadhism, which is a form of Islam, is the main religion for Omanis.  Though 1/4th of Omanis practice Sunni or Shia Islam.  About 5% of the rest of the religious population is made up of Hindu and Christian faiths.  While Islam may be the state religion of Oman, they do not prohibit the practice of other religions.  The government also prohibits discrimination based on religious affiliation.  Everyone is free to practice their beliefs, as long as it does not disrupt public worship of Islam.  The muslims here are some of the most kind and gentle hearted people I have ever met.  They are God-faring people who genuinely try to do good with their lives and serve others.  It's clear to see that radical Islam, and Islam are not the same, and these wonderful Omani people oppose the violent choices that others are making in various parts of the Middle East.

Friday is the Holy Day in Oman, and everyone has a special prayer they do around noon, and the shops don't open till after the prayer time is over.  They broadcast the "call to prayer" all over the city on loud speakers.  This let's everyone know that it's almost time to pray and to prepare yourselves.  I really respect these peoples devotion to their faith.  It shapes the kind of people they are, and is a huge reason for the low crime rates and the non-existence of terrorism in this country.   Regarding the shops, there are tons of little markets all over the city that sell everything from electronics, to clothes, to food and toys.  These shops open very early, and are open long into the night.  Many people live above their shops, so they just hang out in the store all day incase customers show up.  Fresh fruit is EVERYWHERE.  There are stands on every corner with fresh fruit.  And it's super cheap and very delicious.  There are alot of fruits which grow right here in Salalah including Bananas, Mangos, Papayas, Pineapples, Coconuts, Grapes,  Watermelon, Dragonfruit, and Cantaloupe(which they call papaya).  Their bananas are super tiny, and very very sweet.  They make the bananas in America seem tasteless.  It must be a tropical weather thing.  When I lived in Hawaii the bananas also tasted very good, and were small in size.

Let me tell you about local dress.  Every country in the Middle East has it's own distinct traditional outfit for the men.  In Oman, this consists of a one piece gown that is usually white (called a dishdash) , and a elegantly designed cap (called a kuma).  They sometimes wear a beautifully woven turban in place of the hat.

For woman, there are two styles I have seen.  One is the traditional Muslim  outfit which consists of loose black robes and a scarf around the head, or a veil over the face.  The other is the traditional Omani dress which consists of a very colorful dress, with a beautiful lace scarf over the head, and adorned with beautiful jewelry.  Many woman also have temporary henna tattoos on their hands and feet.  I have noticed one thing, woman here are VERY good at makeup.  Because many Muslim women have their whole bodies covered except for their eyes, they have become masters of accentuating what little they have to show off.  Seriously, every single Omani woman in this country has gorgeous eyes.

Next let me tell you about local food.  Most restaurants serve some variation of rice, meat, and/or vegetables.  Rice is the staple for most Middle Eastern countries, but they all prepare it very differently.  A typical Omani restaurant will serve rice that has all kinds of seasonings and spices in it.  They will serve hand rolled flatbread with hummus or Bobba Ganoush, and tomatoes and cucumbers.  Most people eat chicken or lamb here.  They usually grill it over heated stones.  It's very delicious.   You will also find restaurants from all the other Middle Eastern countries; Lebanese, Iranian, Turkish, Syrian, etc etc.  There's also some nice Chinese and Indian restaurants too.  If you want American food, you have three choices: Subway, Mcdonalds, and Carl's Jr.  Sooooo many options, I know ;)  European food is very limited as well.  The only Italian restaurant we've found so far is Sabarro Pizza in the mall.  At least I can get a slice of pizza when needed.  I have realized that in order to make the best of my time here, I have to stop trying to live my "American lifestyle" in Oman.  It only makes it harder to adapt, so I just need to eat what they eat, shop how they shop, and experience life the way they do.  It's not hard either because they really do enjoy all the best that life has to offer.  Whelp, until next week, I think that's enough for now.  Thanks again for reading and Ma'a Salama until next time! -Jared

Welcome to Oman!

Hello family, friends, and blog readers worldwide!  My name is Jared Palick and I am pleased to present to the first entry of our Oman blog!  Woohoo!!  My wife Brittney and I are professional musicians who travel the world playing music in venues, hotels, and cruise ships.  I am often asked about our crazy adventures, so I thought I should probably start writing about it for everyone to enjoy.  I write EVERY SUNDAY, so stay tuned for more details about our adventures!

Chicago Airport --> Doha, Qatar --> Salalah, Oman

Well..... After finishing an exciting 3 month tour starting in Rome and crossing the Atlantic to the Carribean, we packed our bags and headed to Salalah, Oman!  Now I understand you're probably asking yourself, "Where the heck is Oman?"  I was wondering this myself when our agent started negotiating the gig.  Oman is a lovely country in the Middle East, southeast of Dubai (for those of you know Dubai from the Mission Impossible movie where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest building in the world :)  I love that movie).  So there is this resort chain called Anantara, and they have incredible luxurious 5-Star resorts all around the world, and they have just opened a brand new resort here in Salalah, Oman! I will tell you more about Salalah and Oman in the next post.  But anyways,  the hotel booked us as the resident entertainers for the next 6 months!  So we have been very excited to explore a new part of the world, and join forces with an incredible company like Anantara.  Don't worry, once they open I will post lots of pictures of the resort so you can plan your visit to stay at the hotel and see us. ;)

We flew out of the Chicago Airport last week, after having spent a wonderful couple of months with my family in  Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  It was so nice to catch up with family and old friends that we haven't seen in a long time. We were sad to leave but duty calls. The first leg of the flight was from Chicago to Doha Qatar, and was a grueling 13 hours long! Let's just say I didn't pack enough gummy worms to keep me settled in my seat. They had tons of movies to watch, but no WiFi :(  I was really looking forward to overposting on Instagram.  We flew Qatar Airways, and I have nothing but praise for the flight accomodations! The food was incredible and the service was top notch.  The plane was almost entirely filled with people from India.  Apparently Doha is a transit point for people heading to that part of the world.  It was refreshing to be a minority, as I savor the opportunity to learn more about other cultures and experiences that differ from  my own.  I sat next to a kind gentleman from Bengal India, and we both agreed that nothing beats a Chicago hot dog!

After a sleepless 13 hours flight, we arrived in Doha Qatar, and what a sight to behold!  This is a brand new airport and my gosh is it beautiful.  It is definetely the most gorgeous airport I've ever been in.  It felt like I was in the Bellagio in Las Vegas; glistening lights everywhere, giant screens with beautiful people on them, luxury brand stores at every corner, fancy restaurants and decor everywhere you go.  This was also my first taste of what life is like in the Middle East.  Everyone was dressed in their traditional clothing.  It was actually very beautiful to see.  *NOTE: this was my "you're not in Kansas anymore" moment haha.  I felt very small in such a big world.  After having traveled to Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, and countless other places, I thought I had somewhat "seen the world",  but boy was I wrong.  The Middle East is a vast and exotic place with beautiful people that have differing cultures and traditions that are truly amazing - AND I WAS ONLY IN THE AIRPORT.  

We quickly headed to our connecting flight which was already boarding to Salalah, Oman.  Brittney and I were the ONLY Americans on this flight.  It was only a 2 hour flight and they still served us a full dinner that consisted of delicious curry chicken, hummus, pita, vegetables, fresh fruit, and drinks galore!?!?!  Come on America!?!?!?!  I've flown a 7 hour flight from Portland Oregon to Miami Florida, and didn't get more than a bag of chips and bloated cramps.  Sheesh.  They sure know how to fly in the Middle East!  After landing in  Salalah, we waited for our 8 Suitcases (It sounds like a lot but we we're required to bring EVERY piece of music equipment we own) and then we headed out of the airport.  We were met by the hotel's Food & Beverage Manager, who is an amazing guy.  He's from France and we will report to him for all our entertainer needs.  He took us to our brand new 2 bedroom apartment, provided by the hotel.  The accommodations are amazing and I will have to give you a tour one of these days.  We settled in after a long flight, and immediately went to bed.  Welcome home to Salalah, Oman!  The week after arriving was even more jam packed with discoveries and excitements, so tune in next week for the next Touring Pals blogpost!  Byebye for now!