Muscat Festival 2014 (Naseem Garden)

  Naseem Garden is one of the 2 major locations of Muscat Festival. The other being Amerat Park.  The festival continues until Feb 22nd but don’t wait until it’s too late!  One of the aspects of Naseem Park that makes it different from Amerat Park is the Consumer Exhibition.  You can buy just about anything you’re looking for as there are around 400 stalls. The kids love the “made in China” toys for sale that we end up buying every year like the angry birds light up toy (1 OR) and ball that lights up when you bounce it (1 OR).

Here is a Naseem Garden festival area map from the Muscat Festival website:  “Al Naseem Park also includes a city of entertainment and games that has many electrical games that suit different age groups.” (from Oman Observer)  The Superbowl made it to Oman, haha! Some of the gentlemen working at the amusement park area really annoyed me this year.  Omanis are free to take all kinds of pics and videos but once they see a white guy (me) taking a pic, they almost always order me to put my camera away.  See what I’m talking about in this video as I’m trying to videotape the Superbowl ride. The guy totally ignores the Omanis already filming to tell me to put my camera away:This is not a matter of “culture” but rather of discrimination. Either no cameras or videos whatsoever or have the same rules for everyone!  Horse rides are available for the kids as are horse drawn carriages for a small fee.  All kinds of balloons and toys which almost always seem to be one rial.  Barney and one of the minions chilling out at Naseem Garden.  I think all these mascots were getting ready for a parade. (?) Many parents (including us) took the chance to take pics with the kids!  Hello, Hello Kitty…kind of.  Nice deal at Pizza Inn: Buy any pizza and get the 2nd one for 1 rial!  Chicken Biriyami (1.1 RO)  Gentlemen from Shinas making Omani Halwa.  They told me it takes about 2 hours of stirring to make it.  If you’ve never tried Halwa just after it’s been cooked, I definitely recommend trying it out at the festival. It was delicious!

Your Chance to Perform at Royal Opera House Muscat! (In Romeo and Juliet)

From the facebook page of Royal Opera House Muscat.  Sounds like the chance of a lifetime for 5 ladies. I know 2 gentlemen who performed in the “The Barber of Seville” as extras.  One of them was an old student of mine and he said they paid him over a hundred rials for his assistance (including all rehearsals and performances)  Of course it wasn’t the money that was important.  It was the unique opportunity of a lifetime to perform on the stage at the Royal Opera House Muscat.  Definitely gotta be on someone’s bucket list! 🙂