The Natural History (as well as the Sayyid Faisal Bin Ali Museum) is located in the Al-Khuwair district of Muscat across the main highway from the Ice-Skating Rink.
As it’s closed on Fridays and most people work Sat-Wed, the most realistic time to visit seems to be between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.
Take notice that this is the back gate of the museum. My wife and I went here on 2 different locations and wondered why the gate was closed during “opening hours”! They really need a sign here informing people that there is another entrance on another street.
THIS is the main entrance! Located in the Ministry of Heritage and Culture Complex.
Only plants and animals from Oman are shown; furthermore, as no animals (except some insects) are deliberately killed for display, the museum has an enviable reputation for authenticity. For specimens, it relies very much upon members of the public to bring in their finds.
The Natural History Museum is a “shop window” through which Omani and many other visitors can see and appreciate the animal and plant wealth of Oman, and where information (much of it unpublished elsewhere) can be found about the environment in which we all live.
The emblem of the Natural History Museum is the Caracal Lynx. Chosen for its fearless courage and proud bearing, to be the noble representative of Oman’s natural wildlife.
The main building (pictured here) contains fascinating examples of some of Oman’s rarest flora and fauna. Visitors have increased each year, from 11,123 in 1986 to 24,704 in 2004. They come from all walks of life: teachers and Government officials, school children, students and staff from the Sultan Qaboos University, visitors to Oman from other Gulf countries and from many continents, and increasing numbers of Omanis and their families.
The first gallery, entitled “Oman-Land of Contrasts“, gives a pictorial introduction to the natural history of the Sultanate by 6 regions, and “Conservation in Action” highlights some achievements in conserving the country’s environment and its wildlife.
The Fossil Tree
The White-tailed Mongoose is an Ethiopian species, known in the mountains of Dhofar.
The white-tailed mongoose Ichneumia albicauda albicauda (family Viverridae) is known amongst cultivation on the Batinah. It is an African species and the largest of the world’s mongooses.
The Bee-eater Merops apiaster is one of the many colourful birds which migrate through Oman every autumn and spring between their wintering and breeding grounds.
The 2nd, larger gallery exhibits skilfully preserved animals from Oman in a series of dioramas entitled “The Diversity of Oman’s Wildlife“. On show are 24 mammals, 59 birds, 30 reptiles, and hundreds of shells, insects and photographs.
This huge egg was found in the desert in Dhofar in 1985. It belongs to the Ostrich, Struthio camelus syriacus, a race of the largest living bird in the world. Between 1930 and and 1941 it was hunted to extinction in Arabia; others survive only in Africa. Standing 2.4 meters high (8 feet), the cock often had three to five hens, who together might lay many eggs in one nest.
The Horned Viper Cerastes cerastes sometimes has two raised scaly “horns”. It lives in sandy regions and moves in a side-winding manner, it has hinged fangs and is venomous.
The Desert Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia minula is a passage migrant but also a common winter visitor to desert trees. The plant it is resting on is the Christ Thorn-Tree Ziziphus spina-christi; a common tree in wadis and plantations, growing where the underground water level is close to the surface.
This cool looking critter is the Lesser Jerboa Jaculus jaculus vocator. It inhabits sand or gravel desert, bounding like a small kangaroo in its nightly search for plant food. It becomes sluggish and hibernates in its burrow in the heat of mid-summer.
The Ethiopian Hedgehog Paraechinus aethiopicus dorsalis is a widespread nocturnal insectivore of lowland.
A very young Arabian Gazelle Gazella gazella
If you are curious to know more about Oman and the animals that live here, why not spend a few hours at the Natural History Museum? Tickets are only 500 baiza for adults and 200 baisa for children.
This “common-sensical and entertaining guide” is a great read for anyone coming to or already living in Oman or any of the other Gulf countries. The Middle East Economic Digest has stated that, “It should be compulsory reading for anyone visiting Arab countries.”
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Isn’t this the coolest logo?! This is from Budget rent a car. 
If you want to treat yourself and your loved ones to a good Indian restaurant in Muscat, I highly recommend The Kabab Factory. It’s located in Al Khuwair near the Radisson Roundabout across from Safeer Suites.
We arrived at 7pm (when it opens) and had the place to ourselves until 8pm when others started arriving.
There are only a few choices at this restaurant: the vegetarian selection or the non-vegetarian. For our first visit here, we all selected non-vegetarian.
I don’t know about you, but I love checking out menus from cover to cover to find out everything I can about a new restaurant. (By the way “Hindukush” in the history above was India and its subcontinent as it was known at that time.)
They served us dish after dish and my stomache could barely take it all in!
The bill for 3 of us came to 30 something. 40 rials with the tip. Not bad for a good evening out at a great restaurant with incredible service.
One of our friendly waiters serving up the salad
There are 6 kinds of smoothie-type beverages available, all at 1.2 OR each.
The 1st Kabab we were served, Galouti Kabab, is the signature kabab of “The Great Kabab Factory” made with fine mince baby lamb, rare Indian herbs and spices, cooked on Mahi Tawa-traditional pan. Quite spicy for me! but good!
Garlic Naan! Unbelievably delicious bread! Other Indian breads they are more than happy to serve you include: Tandoor Roti, Butter Naan, Plain Naan, Parantha and Roomali Roti.
Different sauces available. None overly spicy!
Barrah Kabab - Traditional Lamb Chops marinated with aromatic spices grilled in charcoal tandoor.
The waiters at The Great Kabab Factory were phenomenal! They are ready to serve you all the bread you desire and if you wish to repeat any of the kababs, they are more than happy to fire you up another!
This drink may not look so great, but it was a life-saver! This drink takes the spiciness out of some of the dishes! (A must for the sensitive types out there like yours truly! 
I must say that by the time they brought these 2 lentil soups (dhal), I was pretty stuffed.
The last dish, before dessert, was the Biryani.
The friendly chefs who really outdid themselves on this evening!
Finally, a selection of different Indian desserts which we enjoyed with coffee after our meal. Gulab Jamnun-deep fried dumplings of condensed milk dipped in hot sweetened syrup, Rasmalai-flattened dairy dumplings soaked in sweet saffron flavoured milk, Moong Dal Halwa-lentils cooked with clarified butter and sugar and Kesari Phirni-traditional rice pudding flavored with saffron.
Overall, we were quite impressed with the food and service at The Great Kabab Factory. It might be a bit pricier than some places out there, but we felt that it was well worth it for such an enjoyable evening out.
This is the beautiful mosaic we saw on our last visit to the hospital for my honey’s check-up. We have enjoyed reading sections of “
This is the beautiful scene at D’Arcy’s 2nd location. The 1st location is in Jawharat Al-Shati. This is in the area known as Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos (MSQ), also known, in short, as Madinat Qaboos (MQ).
Beef Bolognese
Thai Fried Noodles with vegetables which my wife reports was pretty good
One of the friendly waitresses, Micah, with Che.
An evening out with our friend, Sheila, who works for Oman Air.
This dessert, apple pie with icecream, was incredible! I couldn’t believe how delicious this dish was!
These clippers only cost around 7 Omani Rials (about $18 US). It’s awesome when I think about the money and time these clippers will save me. Another more important problem that these clippers take care of is the “not short enough dilemna” I encounter month after month. I tell the barber “very short, please” and they never get it as short as I would like. In addition, barbers seem to have this idea that the longer they take cutting your hair, the more the customer appreciates the service or something.
A word of warning though: These clippers are not for today’s generation of men who groom themselves excessively. The kind of “men” who have such long hair that braiding their hair is an option! Who follow the so-called “role-models” of football and showbiz. It’s for the men who aren’t that fussy about such things. For the men who think that real men should not spend hour upon hour fussing over themselves in the mirror. The cool thing about these clippers is that it has 8 length settings from 0-21 mm. There is also not a lot of cleaning involved as its blades are self-sharpening stainless steel. 
The house must be on an automatic timer because 1 minute later (at 5:45pm) the lights on the “coffee pots” suddenly lit up.
Those “coffee pots” are known as “dallahs”; ancient copper and pewter coffee pots that were (and still are) used for serving Omani coffee.
Cool gate, huh?! Must be owned by some rich “Bill-Gates-like-Omani-dude!”
My honey caught this photo of me as I came out of the clinic. I went there after having many of the H1N1 symptoms that seem to be posted everywhere these days. It was quite an experience getting tested for swine-flu. First they put a thin plastic cover over some tongue-thermometre and asked me to stick it under my tongue. I couldn’t help but think about how many others had done so (and some with H1N1, no doubt!) before me and that perhaps people who were perfectly healthy BEFORE coming to such clinics might walk out infected…Anyway, I was led into another room where a nurse stuck a stick with a swab on the end down my throat. That wasn’t the worst part. The worst was when she stuck a similar stick several inches up my right nostil. It was SO painful; it felt like she stabbed my brain! I was directed to the pharmacy where I picked up these meds:
Oral Rehydration Salts (to drink when needed), 40 Paracetamol tablets (2 tablets every 6 hours depending on the pain) and 10 Loratadine tablets (to be taken once daily at night).
Well, I waited 24 hours and still no contact. I thought about the possibilities of the nurses writing my cell-phone number down incorrectly or a host of other mistakes that could have been made. I decided to drive over to the clinic and ask for my results in person. The main reason being that I wanted my pregnant wife home but I didn’t want to put her or our baby at risk! Was I supposed to keep waiting and waiting “in limbo”? The Indian nurse kept referring me back to the useless message. I told her that they should inform all people of the results, regardless of the outcome for peace of mind rather than wondering. She finally told me that the results were negative after repeating time and time again that it was normally “against policy” to share the results in person.
There seems to be an “abandoned amusement park” inside Qurum National Park with models of some of the famous landmarks around the world.
I can now say that I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower in Muscat!
My princess in a tower waiting for her knight in 
My honey with The leaning Tower of 
Is this supposed to be the Treasury at Petra, Jordan?
“Andy in Oman” meets “pyramid in Muscat”
The Taj Mahal
The park scene just in front of the small abandoned “wonders of the world park” at Qurum National Park
The entrance to Qurum National Park on Qurum street on the way to Crowne Plaza. It’s strange that there doesn’t seem to be a clear English sign at the entrance of such an important site.
Qurum National Park (also called “Qurum Natural Park” on many websites) is the largest park in Oman with more than 1,715,000 square meters of greenery and beauty.
Speaking of beauty, this has to be the most beautiful sight in Oman and the desire of my eyes!
It was a real treat walking around this incredible park. After 2 years in Oman, I can’t believe I waited this long to visit this gorgeous area!
A great place to bring the kids if you’re in Muscat with family.
Fountains, plenty of palm trees, birds singing, lots of benches and thick, green grass to have a picnic on make Qu’rum Park a very popular place for families on the weekends.
Even the toilets are gorgeous at Al Qurum! 
With plenty to see and do, Qurum National Park should not be overlooked on any tourist trip to Muscat! Come and check it out. You won’t be disappointed!
The entrance to Al Nahda. Al Nahda Resort & Spa (
Fountain in front of the main reception & lobby area.
The main lobby at reception
Some of the materials during the retreat. The theme of the retreat was “
The room my honey stayed in during the retreat. 12 ladies stayed both nights while Thursday’s sessions had more than 30 women in attendance.
The pool at Al Nahda. Al Nahda also has spa baths, 24 station gyms, tennis courts, a sand volley ball court and a steam tunnel just to name a few of its services and facilities. 
Mrs. Che Brown enjoying the grounds of Al Nahda
Mrs. Vinoo Peppin led 3 of the 4 sessions at the ladies retreat.
Vinoo and the other speaker, Ruthie, who lead the session on “Woman of Worth”.
The Spa treatment rooms at Al Nahda
Some of the ladies of the retreat enjoying their breakfast buffet: Charlene, Sheena, Janet and Michelle.
A few shots of the desserts available at the Khalab Restaurant International Buffet which is open round the clock. Other food options include Lazeez (a la carte dining), Nozha (casual dining/alfresco), Samar (Arabic experience), room service (round the clock), Waha (lounge Bar in the evenings) and the pool bar.
If you live in Oman and want a nice weekend get-away, Al Nahda is the place! (Tel: +96826883710 email: 
This is what is known as a “majlis” in Arabic which means “meeting room“. It is where guests are met, dined and entertained on their visits to the typical Omani home.
This rather impressive “majlis” is in the Al Ruzaiqi family in Sur. My friend, Harmen, was invited and because I was with him I had the great pleasure of being invited as well!
Mr. Mussallem Al-Ruzaiqi treating us like kings! I wish I had taken pictures of the food. Rice, fish, chicken, fruits of all kinds…(The list is only limited by my terrible memory!) The one dish I remember vividly was the rice with raisins. I had never tried that before and man, was it ever good!
Another coffee?! Actually this was “red tea“-another 1st for me which was DELICIOU. Tea is not normally “my cup of tea“! 
Frankincense was lit to enhance the enjoyment of our after dinner beverages! Nice touch!
This painting, on the Al Ruzaiqi’s majlis wall, is of Sur in the late ’50’s. Those are/were 2 old family boats which no longer exist today. If you look at the white house in the background to the right, that is the old Al-Ruzaiqi home which Mussallem would show us later! (renovated of course)
Here is one of the ancient doors of the family home (the one in the painting). The harbor in the painting is no longer there, however, due to many changes that have taken place in Sur over the years. I seriously didn’t take enough pictures on our visit (didn’t want to appear rude by snapping photo after photo!). We were even greeted by his brother, Abdullah, who is the chief of police in Sur!
Mussallem took us to their family farm as well! He graciously took hours of his time to feed, entertain and inform us. If that’s not enough, he gave both of us a bucket of the most delicious Omani dates I’ve ever tried (from his family trees) to take back to Muscat with us as well as 20 fresh eggs from the family farm!
Harmen and Mussallem near the end of our visit to the Al-Rusaiqi home. This trip to Sur is one that I shall not forget anytime soon! WOW!
Another wonderful pic from Harmen! (He gets full credit!) This beautiful plant is known as “
Not the best photo of some waterfalls along the path towards the natural swimming pools at Wadi Shab. Depending on when you go, there can be some really incredible scenes of water coming off the mountains I hear.
A local Omani boy and his donkey. When I asked him for a photo, he demanded a small amount of money. YES, I paid him. You’d think he’d stop scratching his ear for a moment seeing how I paid top dollar for this picture, ha!ha! 
A ” water 
I first thought this was a “frog” but came to learn that there are no frogs in Oman! 
Check out that lizard! Hard to see? Ok, here’s a closeup for you!
What you don’t see on this post are pictures of the INCREDIBLE swimming area within a cave at Wadi Shab. We had to leave our bags (including cameras) before entering. I am planning on getting an underwater housing unit for my camera sometime soon…The underwater cavern (not pictured here) is one of the most incredible places I’ve been to so far in Oman! If you have the chance to visit Wadi Shab from Muscat, it’s well worth the almost 2 hour drive and 1 hour hike to the “secret cavern pool” (and 1 hour to return…)! Bring plenty of water, a swimming suit and shoes with solid threads (a good grip!) if you’re going to brave this hike. Be warned that this is not a hike for the faint of heart.
These clever gents from Tiwi have made quite a business for themselves. They transport families across the river here from the parking area to the walkable side of the valley.
Many tourist websites include this wadi on the the top ten list of must-sees in Oman (and with good reason)!
This awesome close-up was taken by Harmen (
There are many incredible pools to swim in at Wadi Shab!
