tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23680539376316414782024-03-18T19:25:58.688+04:00[MM] Muscat MutteringsSythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.comBlogger1453125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-40316492194797871632023-03-15T02:06:00.003+04:002023-03-15T17:08:28.994+04:00Hello from the after-life, 4.5 years on from "le fin"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbK7Pbq0GUV3GliQ5q0lCQhVAJuXvr1rCPcVvfekfUFjoPReTvLq62gzebouOWPD_Dhr7hgeqYkR972OCv5fZOzbnqRVGB0_O1bY6ZfmyO8xD7DyIryZOULp8sDr80dMvE3WgrqeRePpvu07scepXliFyh8e1uDg10SGXV0qqldaoXA6lCNf-W3o3/s275/mm%20logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="99" data-original-width="275" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbK7Pbq0GUV3GliQ5q0lCQhVAJuXvr1rCPcVvfekfUFjoPReTvLq62gzebouOWPD_Dhr7hgeqYkR972OCv5fZOzbnqRVGB0_O1bY6ZfmyO8xD7DyIryZOULp8sDr80dMvE3WgrqeRePpvu07scepXliFyh8e1uDg10SGXV0qqldaoXA6lCNf-W3o3/s1600/mm%20logo.png" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Hello there, I'm not even sure if anyone will see this update, or even bother to read it. However, I started writing this blog for myself all those years ago, and recently I found myself wanting to write a few things down.</p><p>So, here I am, back in the Blogger system I left behind in the summer of 2018.</p><p>A lot has changed in these last 4.5 years.</p><p>Where should I begin? HM Qaboos? Covid? The ExPat-Exodus? Nope, I think I shall begin, and end, with me and my experiences of these last few years. OK, the passing of HM Qaboos was a sad moment for the Sultanate, its people and the many, many people around the world who respected the leader that he was. I had left the Sultanate before the new ruler took charge and do not feel qualified to state anything other than this about HM Haitham bi Tariq: he appears to be doing a good job from the perspective of an outsider looking in; I wish the Sultanate, its Sultan and its people nothing but the very best.</p><p>Ok, back to why I wanted to write something here. One of the more enjoyable series of articles that I used to write here on <i>ze blog</i> was my <a href="http://www.muscatmutterings.com/search/label/MM%20Guide%20to%20Oman" target="_blank">MM Guide to Oman</a> irregular series of posts. One post that I never really recall thinking about writing was.... what to expect when you <i>leave</i> the Sultanate. As it happens, there's rather a lot that you can do to make your departure, and arrival somewhere else, a little easier on yourself.</p><p>Now, my departure from Oman was sudden, not expected and definitely not planned very well. Some of the reasons that I have heard over the years as to why I left were quite remarkable in their range from the reasonable to the absurd. My marriage ended, my children were no longer in Oman, and so I left so I could be near to my children. I remain extremely grateful for the understanding and support I received from my employers at the time, they really could have made my life a lot harder than it needed to be, and they absolutely did not, and were extremely helpful. No, I was not fired! No, I did not beat my (ex)wife! No, I did not have a secret relationship with a Filipino check-out staff from Lulu's (!) and No, I was not deported from the country for ungentlemanly conduct! And for my friends, they're some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for and they supported me through it all, and many are still in touch regularly today.</p><p>Alas, I digress. Back to the <strike>rambling</strike> article.</p><p>So, you're on your way out of the country and you are moving on to a new place - be it "home" or somewhere else. Here are some pointers that I can offer that I learned through my own experience.</p><p><b>Before you leave</b></p><p>Well, some things you should do before you leave Oman:</p><p>1. Be 100% sure you have closed and settled all accounts: Electricity, Water, Rent, Telephone, Internet, OSN, etc. If possible get documents confirming you have closed your accounts and confirming no balances owing.</p><p>2. If you drive, and have your car insurance with an "international" insurer (eg AXA) get a letter of driving history from them - this can help you when you go to your next place as you try to establish driving history for car insurance and associated premiums. Here in Southern Ontario, car insurance is ridiculously expensive, and documentation to prove years of no-claims will help you when you arrive.</p><p>3. Visit the Turkish House and indulge in a Mixed Appetizer with bread. Seriously. You. Will. Miss. That. Place. haha!</p><p>4. Go to the ROP in Qurum, specifically the <a href="https://www.rop.gov.om/english/NonConvictionCER.aspx">Directorate General of Criminal Inquiries & Investigation</a> and obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record. It's a single page document with your picture in it and it basically says that you've been a good boy or girl for the duration of your time in the Sultanate. Its handy when you re-enter life in a different country. I have used it a number of times since leaving Oman, it's RO 20 and definitely worth doing.</p><p>5. Do not leave cars behind - if you are not able to sell them in time, then transfer the ownership to a trusted friend who will remain in Oman after you leave - trying to sell them remotely is just not worth it.</p><p>6. Obtain transcripts from your kids schools. It helps when you re-enter them at the other end.</p><p>7. If you have pets, you do not need to use a special pet exporting service, you can just get the export license (certificate) from the Oman Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries near the airport. I got help from the very helpful Dr Petar at <a href="https://azaibavets.com/" target="_blank">Azaiba Veterinary Clinic</a>, who also provided me with a full vaccination record for my 3 pets (2 cats, 1 dog) along with an official vet's statement of health. When booking flights, use an airline that takes pets (I used KLM) and tell them you will be sending live cargo when you fly and thats it. When you get to the airport you check the pets in at the over-sized baggage area (and obviously you have them in airline approved shipping crates - which you can buy from pretty much any vet in Oman). That's it. You don't need to spend hundreds (or more) of rials with a special pet export service that some vets offer.</p><p>8. To ship, or not to ship. Speaking from my personal experience, the service I received from Marcus and his team at Allied Logistics was, quite frankly, a life saver. My mind was a wreck back in August 2018, I needed to pack a house with 11 years of history, 2 kids, 3 pets and a soon to be ex-wife's stuff and either dispose of or ship it all. For a number of reasons, I chose to ship. Allied's team came in, packed literally everything, including the cups & plates out of cupboards, clothes in closets and drawers, electronics, EVERYTHING. They packed everything I asked them to up and placed it in a sea-can shipping container they rented for me and took care of all the paperwork and shipped the lot to me here in Canada. Is it expensive? Yes. Was it a major load off my mind at the time? Yes. Was it extremely awesome in Canada to have my furniture not only delivered to my new home, but stuff unpacked, furniture assembled and the rubbish taken away? ABSOLUTELY YES. If you choose to ship, from my personal experience of doing it just once, I can honestly, with two thumbs firmly up, recommend Marcus' team at <a href="https://www.alliedlogistics.co.om/" target="_blank">Allied Logistics</a>.</p><p>9. Close your checking account at your bank. I understand you can keep a savings account open after you leave Oman - which I did for a few years - which was handy for certain things. Just make sure your checking account, and associated credit cards, are closed before you go.</p><p>10. Do not have an open-house sale to get rid of stuff. I did this, mostly because I had very little time and needed to pair-down a lot of stuff before I shipped it. People treated my house, and possessions, how you'd imagine they would: poorly. Entire drawers were removed from cupboards, locked doors were forced open, storage boxes with kids clothes were unceremoniously dumped out so people could offer me 100bz for a RO 10 storage box. And so on. It was worth it in the sense I got rid of a lot of stuff. It was not worth the mess that I was left with afterwards.</p><p>11. Finally, do the things that you love. Whether that is an early-morning walk along the beach, a desert camp, wadi-bashing, bbq's with friends, boat trip to Bandar Khiran - whatever the things are that you love - do them, don't waste your final days sitting at home passing the time. If you live in Muscat, you live in a top-tier 5 star tourist location - get out and enjoy it before you can't anymore.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>After you have left</b></p><p>This segment of this post is more about my experiences after I left Oman, and so everyone's experiences will be different and I merely write here some of the things that I experienced.</p><p>Reverse culture shock is a thing. Well, it was a thing for me. Nearly 5 years on and I still have moments where I am surprised by things here. Mostly customer service elements these days, man here in Canada the consumer protection laws are great!</p><p>Weather is a thing! Who knew that the weather would be different every day? Not me - I <i>still</i> find that I forget to look at weather forecasts. Mostly probably because I am dumb. I drove to work one day last week only to be absolutely shocked by the afternoon to discover that there was a large snow storm and a good 5cm of snow had fallen. Life in Oman was great - whats the weather today? It'll be blue skies, warm and sunny. If it was ever anything different, the WHOLE COUNTRY would be talking about it so you'd always know! It's been nearly 5 years since I've been back, and I still get teased by my friends here for being a wimp when it comes to the cold. I miss the heat of the Sultanate!</p><p>Shawarma is never as good as it is in Oman. This rule really just applies to me living here in Canada where restaurants will sell shawarma's for like $12 and they're huge (and far too big in my opinion). Man, I miss those 150bz treats from the Coke spot in Ghubra (named as such because it was the only restaurant near the Indian School Ghubra that had Coca-Cola branded signage - all the others were Pepsi). How much is a shawarma there now? 200bz? 300bz?</p><p>I had a lot more "fancy" sunglasses than I realised - but also no decent winter wear. These days, my designer sun-glasses are a closely-held memento from my former life in the sun. Rather than dropping $350 on sunglasses, I'll get excited when I drop a similar amount of money on winter boots instead!</p><p>Making new friends is not as easy as it was in Oman. Maybe it's because I'm older, maybe its because in Oman there was a sense of everyone being in it together. Whatever it is, its certainly been harder to make friends here in Canada - but just like anywhere I've lived in the world, I joined a rugby club and got plugged into that community, for which I am grateful. </p><p>I think thats about it, if you have read this far, then I thank you. Randomly, it appears that this blog still gets a pretty good amount of traffic - mostly google searches from people about some aspect about Oman that I may have written about in the past. If you have suggestions, comments or observations, please do leave a comment so others can benefit in the future if they read this post too.</p><p>If you are reading this and you are still fortunate enough to live in Muscat - enjoy it! I miss the palm trees, the country and mostly I miss the people. Cliché isn't it? But its true. For those observing, may I be the first to wish you Ramadan Kareem!</p><p>I wonder if the Vimto pyramids are out yet?!</p><p>Oof I'd love a trip to the Turkish House right now!</p><p>So long everyone! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvZtmCinP4K8t_kYCighmmDGgTV9NqQHOqn0DWpBdgS6o1k-EmAgLZjFETdmRL49QlPl_3jC8rfTGJxICl63FE_naiODpK8k7KTwB62FTzb0BfdVpwoKFYxXHH7V98vRkqiFyG6JRol6v63-5a3zdp2wuD0qxhPKoTk897ZCo0LxMlcLQh2Se3K0u/s1920/f%20at%20nf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1920" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvZtmCinP4K8t_kYCighmmDGgTV9NqQHOqn0DWpBdgS6o1k-EmAgLZjFETdmRL49QlPl_3jC8rfTGJxICl63FE_naiODpK8k7KTwB62FTzb0BfdVpwoKFYxXHH7V98vRkqiFyG6JRol6v63-5a3zdp2wuD0qxhPKoTk897ZCo0LxMlcLQh2Se3K0u/w400-h183/f%20at%20nf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>le fin.</p>Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-43256647078859557532018-08-21T14:00:00.003+04:002018-08-21T14:01:11.173+04:00le fin.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xWsb8kuMRUBL-lnEJF7UPcUcU2lzfDCQrRkjZPqiAq7ugf2RUXi_0f-SMyVdzi2ntcM_bXZ-Ew3KEUFEGNcWrjIRhGn-aK80V9X5IA0erukYLpBHBixePztKLsfnvUsvr4E2KRtf2aY/s1600/thing2-6892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xWsb8kuMRUBL-lnEJF7UPcUcU2lzfDCQrRkjZPqiAq7ugf2RUXi_0f-SMyVdzi2ntcM_bXZ-Ew3KEUFEGNcWrjIRhGn-aK80V9X5IA0erukYLpBHBixePztKLsfnvUsvr4E2KRtf2aY/s400/thing2-6892.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
All things come to an end, and now my time here in Oman is about to come to an end as well. Due to some unexpected personal developments, I will be leaving Oman at the end of this month for the last time in the foreseeable future. Muscat has been my home for 11 years and 1 month and it has been a truly wild ride! Here is a brief summary of my life here:<br />
<br />
2 jobs. I have been fortunate to have worked on some really impressive and unique projects here in the Sultanate, and I leave Oman feeling proud that projects I have worked on during my time here have been significant. My three favourite projects are HM's palace in Adam, the Al Ameen Mosque in Khuwair and the Kempinski hotel in Al Mouj. All are one-of-a-kind projects and I feel fortunate and proud to have worked on them all.<br />
<br />
3 houses. All in Glorious Ghubra. It's been great, and I highly recommend my neighbourhood as a place to live.<br />
<br />
4 cars. A Landrover (loved it, but for the love of God never buy one), a Hyundai (great family SUV, not great service from the local dealer) and 2 VW's (excellent cars). If anyone wants to buy my GTI... RO 2,000 will get you a great car that has been maintained very well - get in touch!<br />
<br />
2 dogs, 4 cats (and about 200 Bin cats). 1 dog and 2 cats remain... they're about to take a trip to Canada.<br />
<br />
2 children. Both of my kids were "made in Oman" and born here, and something that will keep a piece of Oman in my heart for the rest of my life.<br />
<br />
Muscat has grown a lot in the last 11 years, and I have grown with it. I am truly sad to be leaving Oman, but I feel that it is time for me to go now. There are a few people (realistically the list is very long, but I'll keep this list short) who I would like to thank, as they have been instrumental in helping make MM what it became:<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://muscatconfidential.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Undercover Dragon</a>, <a href="http://otheroman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Suburban</a> and <a href="http://www.muscati.com/" target="_blank">Muscati</a>. These three bloggers, along with my wife <a href="http://angryinoman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Angry in Oman</a> were the catalyst that made me decide to start up Muscat Mutterings in the first place. It has been a lot of fun and to anyone who is toying with the idea of starting their own blog - I say just do it!<br />
<br />
Christoph, the first GM at the Grand Hyatt that I met (he's now running things in Qatar and Oman for Hyatt). Chris reached out to me with his marketing person, Nicole (an absolute star), and we had a good run with John running the newly revamped Habana sports bar. Chris showed me another side of the hotel business, and embodies for me the concept of a true hotelier: professional, kind and very generous. Thank you, to you and the rest of the team at the Hyatt for your endless hospitality and the many, many laughs had along the way. Whilst I'm mentioning names, Dirk & Demian - past and present F&B guys - you've been awesome!<br />
<br />
Maurizio, the guy behind Oman Collective Intelligence. Maurizio put me in touch with the great guys over at Sabco for the launch of Merge FM - and my first ever "deal" from the blog. We became good friends as a result and I know we'll stay in touch. FatSu has always made me laugh and I hope to read her food-based ramblings for many years to come!<br />
<br />
Darren Shortt - he beat me out of Oman, but Darren is a genuinely nice and down to earth guy who was always very generous with things to give away on the blog. Daz also introduced me to Gordon Mackenzie, who has been responsible for bringing some incredible concerts to Muscat, and also has been exceptionally generous. On the topic of generosity and tickets, Nithin has also been fantastic to work with, having in recent years consistently supported me with both competitions on the blog as well as supporting events I've had a hand in working on (Canadian Stampede and Rugby Club events).<br />
<br />
Sacha, David & Auke. Over the years I have been unbelievably fortunate because of these guys, and they really have brought more to my life here in Oman. From the hospitality and all the way to the observations on hair styles - it's been so much fun knowing you guys and I wish you all the best in the future. Whilst here on bottle shops, Sean at A&E has been quite literally a legend, having helped the Canadian Stampede pull off Canadian beer for the party twice in recent years and I remember one year he sponsored Team Canada in the Touch Rugby World Cup held by the MRFC - I still have (and wear occasionally) the kit - it's certainly very eye-catching!<br />
<br />
The list could go on and on, you see, because people in Oman are extraordinarily nice - I think it might be something in the water! A few last names to mention: Ekta, Luma and Bosky. If you're reading this, you know who you are and you know what you've done for me in the past - thank you!<br />
<br />
And so I have a week left here in Oman, and it's time to do some things for the last time ever. I've been to Salalah more times than I care to count, and so I'll pass on that (although working on the Anantara Al Baleed project and seeing it flourish makes me proud). I stayed in Alila Jabal al Akhdar just before the last Eid in June, so I'll cross that off too. I walked end to end up and down love lane the other night, and I plan to do the Riyam park - Muttrah loop hike in the coming days too. Dinner at the Turkish House is also on the agenda, as is watching MRFC play for the last time this Friday evening in Bousher (followed by "refreshments" in Habana afterwards - again for the last time).<br />
<br />
So what else shall I do?! If you have any suggestions please do let me know.<br />
<br />
And finally, one last thank you. To all of YOU - those who have read my mutterings and allowed me to meet so many new people and see so many things that I am not sure I would have if I had not started this blog. It's been amazing, and I thank all of you.<br />
<br />
So long everybody!<br />
<br />
Freddie.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-27345435409725249572018-08-20T11:30:00.000+04:002018-08-20T11:34:48.870+04:00Creo equestrian riding school<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ONizcW7CbQnre2sDjdr-uuP41YV4cVBEk7P9Ee2f7LSwB7RCzu1-KHW5UgRlQcu0rKcZoEbZRVV4I_zLRUhBvSYgn5vCqvVG22xq-wf9B0_z7kFLz1L9XT8XZXL2xk0lZ3BsNUmp3j4/s1600/Creo+Equestrian+riding+school+muscat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="1600" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ONizcW7CbQnre2sDjdr-uuP41YV4cVBEk7P9Ee2f7LSwB7RCzu1-KHW5UgRlQcu0rKcZoEbZRVV4I_zLRUhBvSYgn5vCqvVG22xq-wf9B0_z7kFLz1L9XT8XZXL2xk0lZ3BsNUmp3j4/s400/Creo+Equestrian+riding+school+muscat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Looking for something for your kids to do? Open every day except Sundays for pony and horse riding lessons 8-11am and 4-8pm.<br />
<br />
You can get more information by calling Lynn on 9591 5555 or Janaka on 9764 1354 or by visiting <a href="http://www.creoequestrian.com/">www.creoequestrian.com</a><br />
<br />
le fin.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-42808769500615606762018-08-13T16:00:00.000+04:002018-08-13T16:05:01.684+04:00Eid holidays announced! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI6u2cRq7CGZdtZOmgliV7CYiXjyMWZobMVf0zwQP2tVvXYnv4WGkINCNAAAhJavzw3U0GSZq8MYP_gJUdlJJSunzK9TKEcmpuvCUYwgrKIT9CG4mqpClLeMfekoA_Zk8J8xKm9jmCG3o/s320/homer_woohoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI6u2cRq7CGZdtZOmgliV7CYiXjyMWZobMVf0zwQP2tVvXYnv4WGkINCNAAAhJavzw3U0GSZq8MYP_gJUdlJJSunzK9TKEcmpuvCUYwgrKIT9CG4mqpClLeMfekoA_Zk8J8xKm9jmCG3o/s320/homer_woohoo.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Second day back at work and a great piece of news, the rumours of the week long break for Eid were true, it's been announced today that Sunday the 19th August through Thursday 23rd will be off as a public holiday. Oman Observer jumped the gun yesterday, but here we are - an entire week off!<br />
<br />
Sweet, thanks Oman.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-76371369269305754982018-07-16T09:56:00.000+04:002018-07-16T09:56:20.708+04:00Renaissance Day holiday announced!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI6u2cRq7CGZdtZOmgliV7CYiXjyMWZobMVf0zwQP2tVvXYnv4WGkINCNAAAhJavzw3U0GSZq8MYP_gJUdlJJSunzK9TKEcmpuvCUYwgrKIT9CG4mqpClLeMfekoA_Zk8J8xKm9jmCG3o/s320/homer_woohoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI6u2cRq7CGZdtZOmgliV7CYiXjyMWZobMVf0zwQP2tVvXYnv4WGkINCNAAAhJavzw3U0GSZq8MYP_gJUdlJJSunzK9TKEcmpuvCUYwgrKIT9CG4mqpClLeMfekoA_Zk8J8xKm9jmCG3o/s320/homer_woohoo.jpg" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
Monday the 23rd of July has been called as a public holiday - work Sunday and the rest of the week, but Monday is off.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your day off!<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-7376399881582435232018-07-15T15:30:00.000+04:002018-07-15T15:41:47.992+04:00BritSwim sign partnership with the Kempinski at Al Mouj<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikffvQR9TDcW8DdUWlOf8u6SpLTz8N3ULQG4TQHOxJ72aXZiqNHs0IDbhSHqaQ3683M7S_E-qYtDyyVuHR45VbovYX0Rbr5MbVb7wbx53z1EALLwG9Bb2cP_45ispRvHWwuEQwEHV5Dgk/s1600/Kempinski+Muscat+BritSwim+lessons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikffvQR9TDcW8DdUWlOf8u6SpLTz8N3ULQG4TQHOxJ72aXZiqNHs0IDbhSHqaQ3683M7S_E-qYtDyyVuHR45VbovYX0Rbr5MbVb7wbx53z1EALLwG9Bb2cP_45ispRvHWwuEQwEHV5Dgk/s400/Kempinski+Muscat+BritSwim+lessons.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
BritSwim, my favourite swimming school in Oman (on the basis that one of their partners taught my eldest daughter how to swim), is starting lessons at the Kempinski Hotel at <strike>The Wave</strike> Al Mouj. This is great news for anyone living down that end of town - you see BritSwim's other venues include PDO, Intercontinental Hotel, Dolphin Village, and the British School, Muscat. BritSwim is a team of a dozen friendly, qualified, and experienced teachers who are really dedicated to teaching with support, not force.<br />
<br />
They're going to be taking bookings this week for every age and level and places are limited. You can book by following the <a href="http://www.britswim.com/2018/07/britswim-at-kempinski-hotel-muscat.html" target="_blank">link to their site</a>, where you can pick an appointment time for Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday this week.<br />
<br />
As a parent who has seen one of their partners in action with swimming instruction, I can honestly say that I really believe in what they do and how they do it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.britswim.com/2018/07/britswim-at-kempinski-hotel-muscat.html" target="_blank">Learn more about BritSwim classes at the Kempinski</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.britswim.com/" target="_blank">Learn more about BritSwim</a>.<br />
<br />
Email them at: <a href="mailto:hello@britswim.com">hello@britswim.com</a><br />
<br />
Call / WhatsApp them on: +968 9475 6911<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-33081926635361328932018-07-11T08:00:00.000+04:002018-07-11T11:28:10.118+04:00New brunch launching this Friday!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEbaTik6S6JW-b9aqOjugOTe0drNuFkVT7VZFqIobZgc51eDT18ZRWZ78t_1hsXZmK7E9Z7xKjyIz89seE7ZO2_qFd7xqXe6LH5cYfyTiFkB129y52LierB0Vn-Yo3UwRmAQ7rSqkg5w/s1600/The+Big+Chill.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEbaTik6S6JW-b9aqOjugOTe0drNuFkVT7VZFqIobZgc51eDT18ZRWZ78t_1hsXZmK7E9Z7xKjyIz89seE7ZO2_qFd7xqXe6LH5cYfyTiFkB129y52LierB0Vn-Yo3UwRmAQ7rSqkg5w/s400/The+Big+Chill.jpeg" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
Now some of you may have wondered along to the cheese and wine night (unlimited cheese and wine for RO 9 every Thursday evening) at the new Crowne Plaza OCEC, and now starting this Friday afternoon, they boys and girls at the Crowne are launching their brunch, and it looks really good.<br />
<br />
RO 29 (including the taxes) for free flow of adult sodas (or for the non-drinkers, RO 20) between 2 & 5pm AND it includes access to the pool for a dip if you wish as well.<br />
<br />
The theme of the brunch is the big chill, and I'm told it will have a strong seafood section in addition to all the usual standard fare, and a DJ will be providing the soundtrack to the afternoon. The RO 29 option also includes sparkling wine for those who like their wines to fizz. Kids under 12 are half price, and kids under 5 are free. After the brunch, drinks will be 50% off in the Wadi bar for those who want to carry on.<br />
<br />
You can make a reservation for the brunch (which seems is going to be quite popular this weekend as every other person I ask says they're planning on going) by calling them on +968 9065 4364 or emailing them on <a href="mailto:dine.cpmocec@ihg.com">dine.cpmocec@ihg.com</a><br />
<br />
le fin.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-36106387707001391032018-07-10T08:00:00.000+04:002018-07-10T10:13:02.985+04:00Semi Finals tonight and tomorrow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gv05pfmNi_QKM6PrCPdSKjQlIKSHvqKGxtgpxFMg2T6MwC1u80aI7en2LTPISZ5K58GANG4EHkOkK7LzxE8k2r1BBO84Voi-h2SKUQKpacknkQ8lGwfKEDBiBLhTYS-OFoGH_6xpnlU/s1600/fifa+world+cup+semi+finals+at+the+habana+sports+bar+grand+hyatt+muscat+oman.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="609" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gv05pfmNi_QKM6PrCPdSKjQlIKSHvqKGxtgpxFMg2T6MwC1u80aI7en2LTPISZ5K58GANG4EHkOkK7LzxE8k2r1BBO84Voi-h2SKUQKpacknkQ8lGwfKEDBiBLhTYS-OFoGH_6xpnlU/s640/fifa+world+cup+semi+finals+at+the+habana+sports+bar+grand+hyatt+muscat+oman.jpeg" width="304" /></a></div>
<br />
Wendyball is gripping the world once again with the World Cup, and for once I've become interested in it, purely as England are doing well this time, which is nice! The Semi finals are tonight and tomorrow night at 10pm.<br />
<br />
Tonight sees France & Belgium, and tomorrow its England & Croatia. Now there are many, many places to watch the footy around town, let alone in the comfort of your own homes, but for atmosphere I think the Habana sports bar at the Hyatt will be where I'll head tomorrow evening for the England game. The last time England were in a Semi final, it was against Germany in 1990 (and they lost on penalties - I actually remember watching that on TV as a kid at boarding school). After consulting Google, I have learned that England have made it to the Semi finals 3 times - once in 1966 (when they went on to win the World Cup) - once in 1990 and now again in 2018.<br />
<br />
Habana has a great initiative going on, when you enter, you pay RO 5 and get 2 vouchers valid for drinks at the bar, and you also get your name added to a prize draw for return tickets to Russia on Oman Air as well. Of course, if you have an MRFC membership card, you can also get 20% off drinks as well.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-33751495103926320502018-07-02T08:00:00.000+04:002018-07-02T08:00:16.714+04:00Unlimited wine & cheese at the Crowne Plaza OCEC for RO 9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4A6n_GqykFuDyAZWBiQ6qrE30W_vCyesWieMafd2z56gURm09KiOcqnPil7JeAlPz8buOk_5fvGum3zNPhK9hcawJQd4i_OwMsujS3lZZG9Z0tocvZpYP8erpHdXNSM6l3g-uj5LLUQE/s1600/unlimited+wine+and+cheese+at+cp+ocec.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="722" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4A6n_GqykFuDyAZWBiQ6qrE30W_vCyesWieMafd2z56gURm09KiOcqnPil7JeAlPz8buOk_5fvGum3zNPhK9hcawJQd4i_OwMsujS3lZZG9Z0tocvZpYP8erpHdXNSM6l3g-uj5LLUQE/s640/unlimited+wine+and+cheese+at+cp+ocec.jpeg" width="449" /></a></div>
<br />
Starting this Thursday (and running every Thursday) at the Crowne Plaza at OCEC there is the opportunity to enjoy unlimited wine and cheese in the evening between 7 - 10pm. I think that is a pretty good deal and if you're into your wine & cheese, it might well be worth checking out - especially as its on a Thursday night!<br />
<br />
For more information you can call them on +968 9065 4364 or email them at <a href="mailto:dine.cpmocec@ihg.com%C2%A0" target="_blank">dine.cpmocec@ihg.com</a><br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-7782531295230881992018-07-01T15:00:00.001+04:002018-07-01T15:01:56.576+04:00Happy Canada Day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2pu6Pdfjp3qK7D7x6nGbAUWpDBC2DKbR6ziuiVYt4-sJIMfIYHuDUvDebVxjgNVXJes_6jMpCzV9vQxsPmjiqfr5GKxgYnLvRETpFC3UEH1zg4oLwry2VrQCepbpIguvjZmSNX-hiT0/s1600/Happy+Canada+Day.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="500" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2pu6Pdfjp3qK7D7x6nGbAUWpDBC2DKbR6ziuiVYt4-sJIMfIYHuDUvDebVxjgNVXJes_6jMpCzV9vQxsPmjiqfr5GKxgYnLvRETpFC3UEH1zg4oLwry2VrQCepbpIguvjZmSNX-hiT0/s400/Happy+Canada+Day.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Today, July 1st, is Canada Day. A tip of the cap to all the Canadians out there, I hope you all have a great day, whether you're (<strike>stuck</strike>) here like me, or over there like my family. The Americans will be having their day on the 4th too, so while I'm at it, a premature happy Independence Day to the yanks as well.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to work.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-14282622264379866962018-06-06T11:36:00.001+04:002018-06-06T11:36:14.681+04:00Eid Holidays announced <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI6u2cRq7CGZdtZOmgliV7CYiXjyMWZobMVf0zwQP2tVvXYnv4WGkINCNAAAhJavzw3U0GSZq8MYP_gJUdlJJSunzK9TKEcmpuvCUYwgrKIT9CG4mqpClLeMfekoA_Zk8J8xKm9jmCG3o/s1600/homer_woohoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI6u2cRq7CGZdtZOmgliV7CYiXjyMWZobMVf0zwQP2tVvXYnv4WGkINCNAAAhJavzw3U0GSZq8MYP_gJUdlJJSunzK9TKEcmpuvCUYwgrKIT9CG4mqpClLeMfekoA_Zk8J8xKm9jmCG3o/s1600/homer_woohoo.jpg" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="314" height="320" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Earlier today the Eid holidays have been announced:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Eid holidays start on Thursday 14th June.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><span style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px;">A return to work on Tuesday 19th June.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br />Have a great day long weekend! <br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">le fin.</span></div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-39296731600297540882018-05-02T12:30:00.000+04:002018-05-02T16:34:02.379+04:00The Grand Hyatt's 20th Birthday celebrations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Grand Hyatt here in Muscat is turning 20 this month (on the 18th of May) and to celebrate their 20th birthday, there are a number of things going on at the Hyatt this week:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr1lOUSOd86QHJrFQEvye-pH8OOlz4O2TQKiOQRhP4ZqLVov-_LOnKNGxQyjagG8M4g5fB_cAdUxV_cu66HJZtfjmgq8D3xr5Zadt5tBPaNlq-pOJAshB_SSkfnWcYU-Hfml1SmzZPbU/s1600/GH_JBB_LCD_April25-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr1lOUSOd86QHJrFQEvye-pH8OOlz4O2TQKiOQRhP4ZqLVov-_LOnKNGxQyjagG8M4g5fB_cAdUxV_cu66HJZtfjmgq8D3xr5Zadt5tBPaNlq-pOJAshB_SSkfnWcYU-Hfml1SmzZPbU/s400/GH_JBB_LCD_April25-03.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
Tonight (2nd May) at the JBB (John Barry Bar) is Mademoiselle night. If you haven't been to the ladies night at JBB yet, you might want to check it out - RO 9 for unlimited selected beverages (read: cocktails and wine) between 7 & 11pm capped off with live music from the duo Verity & Daniel. Tonight, Verity & Daniel will be taking things back to 90s with Britney & co's finest. There will be prizes for the best dressed guest and best dressed couple tonight as well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-ZlDnBJc7jLk8swccU5Gb7nXC6Q_vxKKyuU9QXNVlwlO7p0ofJAHD1QpXzjC94-KoLjZHc0BV-372DChu1XiEBQuPQroihHh_wm6Zif9-3NgKKIlg5bld6z9XzPbmodP8EhNLU1AWFk/s1600/GH_Tuscany_LCD_April25-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-ZlDnBJc7jLk8swccU5Gb7nXC6Q_vxKKyuU9QXNVlwlO7p0ofJAHD1QpXzjC94-KoLjZHc0BV-372DChu1XiEBQuPQroihHh_wm6Zif9-3NgKKIlg5bld6z9XzPbmodP8EhNLU1AWFk/s400/GH_Tuscany_LCD_April25-01.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
Also tonight, and running until Saturday night (5th May) there is a special menu being offered at Tuscany. 20 classic signature dishes picked from the last 20 years of menu's at Tuscany - and each dish is prepared by Chef Enrico. For those of you that have been here a long time, this might be a nice opportunity for a trip down memory lane at Tuscany!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqpj3S67u7oKLVsPXYuyy1Utm6UV-EEMTD__7bJVDSOLfXVzttEJv2FD7a5yeRMiuIuDw_4u1POTznCXmhYdnQCPXfwQqQo-V2kM10YorL-DlHjDudpIx2MAmOolLGPxu1N_auBh20fg/s1600/MOKHA-CAFE_LCD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqpj3S67u7oKLVsPXYuyy1Utm6UV-EEMTD__7bJVDSOLfXVzttEJv2FD7a5yeRMiuIuDw_4u1POTznCXmhYdnQCPXfwQqQo-V2kM10YorL-DlHjDudpIx2MAmOolLGPxu1N_auBh20fg/s400/MOKHA-CAFE_LCD.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
This weekend on Friday the brunch (the Friday Feast) will have a Birthday Brunch theme to it, along with a live band playing yet more 90's hits (are you getting the 90's theme yet)? And if thats not enough, there is always the Club Safari which will be open in the evening with a RO 5 cover charge along with a live rock band and a DJ playing - you guessed it - 90's chart hits.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsa1wLMMclvuIq4aKra0F58dPGapi5l8rFFOMF0wfKwamRix2SFSi2_hPyrNDMjSH2lSVQ9g0qazbXYK3CbxMfq66ImlrFD2lZRhX3nB49MSmQmRu1fR1CTMh629tWluqauFp4AmPOP1s/s1600/GH_Safari_LCD_April25-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsa1wLMMclvuIq4aKra0F58dPGapi5l8rFFOMF0wfKwamRix2SFSi2_hPyrNDMjSH2lSVQ9g0qazbXYK3CbxMfq66ImlrFD2lZRhX3nB49MSmQmRu1fR1CTMh629tWluqauFp4AmPOP1s/s400/GH_Safari_LCD_April25-02.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
So all in all, quite a lot going on down at the Hyatt this weekend!<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-6564183381372796332018-05-01T12:30:00.000+04:002018-05-01T12:55:54.936+04:00WIN FREE TICKETS Bob Marley concert this Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6a9ZUcnFJunsFyovd5tjSbY8wFtKwxMGH1YpTewILe9FJjGfr7gOpm3SuTUrEK7Hw3MyVQ8Bg019IXN8xNORVlrOOxADvRS6Cd1VKf6_kzsp86FXo1-zJJpluHMsr-EsSxFkbfqlHMz0/s1600/bob+marley+tribute.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="912" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6a9ZUcnFJunsFyovd5tjSbY8wFtKwxMGH1YpTewILe9FJjGfr7gOpm3SuTUrEK7Hw3MyVQ8Bg019IXN8xNORVlrOOxADvRS6Cd1VKf6_kzsp86FXo1-zJJpluHMsr-EsSxFkbfqlHMz0/s640/bob+marley+tribute.jpeg" width="456" /></a></div>
<br />
Coming up this Friday 4th May 2018 is a Bob Marley tribute concert taking place at the Sama Terazza rooftop at the Park Inn Muscat in Khuwair, or is it Bowsher?<br />
<br />
This Friday from 5pm until 2am there is a line up talent who will be playing reggae tunes, and presumably a lot of Bobs stuff too. There is a special appearance planned by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Stylez" target="_blank">Million Stylez</a>. Tickets are RO 15 for guys & RO 5 for girls, RO 20 for couples which includes a complimentary drink as well. Tickets can be bought online at <a href="https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/om/music/6070/bob-marley-tribute-in-muscat-featuring-million-stylez" target="_blank">Virgin Tickets</a> which is handy for those of you who are collecting points on your credit cards.<br />
<br />
The nice guys at Axis Events have given me 5 pairs of tickets to give away for this event, and all you need to do is like the post on the FB page and leave a comment there - the comment should be your favourite Bob Marley song.<br />
<br />
Thats it!<br />
<br />
le fin.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-27418126899397204852018-04-12T12:56:00.000+04:002018-04-12T12:58:17.743+04:00Friday Feast brunch is on tomorrow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXb36Ur681L3jcRLptS2po7IYZVLzt3kLww71o_BmH5oZ9BAw059tMcsjtunoG9HBQpHulelOZ0lZT_giZEYHs1DejsvFUI5d1W6eZ1MRmetualVWhCaVnZlEuyjln0n5p41bJEwYiFU/s1600/Friday+Feast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXb36Ur681L3jcRLptS2po7IYZVLzt3kLww71o_BmH5oZ9BAw059tMcsjtunoG9HBQpHulelOZ0lZT_giZEYHs1DejsvFUI5d1W6eZ1MRmetualVWhCaVnZlEuyjln0n5p41bJEwYiFU/s400/Friday+Feast.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Tomorrow is Friday the 13th! And the brunch at the <a href="https://muscat.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html" target="_blank">Grand Hyatt</a> is now on (it was anticipated that alcohol sales were going to be closed from Thursday night until Friday night, but now its Friday night until Saturday night). The <a href="https://muscat.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/news-and-events/news-listing/happenings-in-grand-hyatt-muscat-.html" target="_blank">brunch at the Grand Hyatt</a> is a great one with loads of live food stations and live jazz music to provide your soundtrack to the afternoon. There is also a great kids section with a number of activities to keep them busy whilst you relax.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pricing for the brunch is RO 39 Net including adult Soda's or RO 29 Net including soft drinks. Kids under 12 are half price and under 6 are free.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For more information or booking, you can call Mokha Cafe on 9507 7670 or 2464 1234 or send an email to <a href="mailto:muscat.dining@hyatt.com">muscat.dining@hyatt.com</a> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Enjoy your 3 day weekend!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
le fin.</div>
</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-43043775859932973512018-04-10T12:31:00.000+04:002018-04-10T12:31:18.980+04:00Holidays announced for Sunday <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #010101; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: all 0.3s ease; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<div class="post-footer" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #010101; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: all 0.3s ease; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<br />
<article style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #010101; display: block; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-top: 20px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: all 0.3s ease; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6110557161546244185" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; transition: all 0.3s ease; width: 372px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfqSPUNlfIQBzZ5zjvmXb0gatzefhyphenhyphen5C3Ax8e1DSrI6GpoIn6SHWuK1ywHdevqoXSFn6PWHSVWCvbez65xifM8shInyOK-oaCoZzkYylig6ASMR9RUhsyza_n7Vg-5JBrejTT-9eW0RE/s1600/homer_woohoo+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfqSPUNlfIQBzZ5zjvmXb0gatzefhyphenhyphen5C3Ax8e1DSrI6GpoIn6SHWuK1ywHdevqoXSFn6PWHSVWCvbez65xifM8shInyOK-oaCoZzkYylig6ASMR9RUhsyza_n7Vg-5JBrejTT-9eW0RE/s1600/homer_woohoo+%25283%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 400; outline: 0px; text-align: left; transition: all 0.3s ease;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 400; outline: 0px; text-align: left; transition: all 0.3s ease;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="outline: 0px; text-align: left; transition: all 0.3s ease;" trbidi="on">
Well we're officially through the dark months of no holidays, and this morning the dates for the Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet) public holiday was announced:<br style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><b>Sunday 15th April is off. </b><br style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" />Nice, a long weekend for everyone!<br style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" /><br style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease;" />le fin.</div>
</div>
</article></div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-49457187328873365112018-04-05T17:00:00.000+04:002018-04-05T17:07:52.762+04:00NOS tomorrow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpUlIXz13PvKJlsE19mWdaqS5-rNu4vm6Dw4n2kTZHJJEsH7PkEXo5h2EMl5XamQTxFfayjSUMto33ybVsSfAczru5hcBh4mKoZTRfeW1D799Budy6Qzmwx2Qx8ZrpqVG2xtXE_7YtPE/s1600/NOS+challenge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpUlIXz13PvKJlsE19mWdaqS5-rNu4vm6Dw4n2kTZHJJEsH7PkEXo5h2EMl5XamQTxFfayjSUMto33ybVsSfAczru5hcBh4mKoZTRfeW1D799Budy6Qzmwx2Qx8ZrpqVG2xtXE_7YtPE/s400/NOS+challenge.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
So are you into fitness? Are you into bouncy castles? Then you're in luck because your two passions are merging (see what I did there?) into one great big sweaty event tomorrow! Taking place at the Al Mouj golf course from 4:30pm tomorrow (6th April 2018) is the inflatable challenge course called NOS (National Obstacle Series).<br />
<br />
You can buy your tickets online here:<br />
<a href="https://www.premieronline.com/event/National_Obstacle_Series_NOS_3412">https://www.premieronline.com/event/National_Obstacle_Series_NOS_3412</a> and if you use this Discount Code: OOR125S1R1 you can save some cash too, dropping from RO 17.5 to 12.5, or its RO 20 on the day.<br />
<br />
Have a great weekend.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-63174997153927232762018-03-29T16:00:00.000+04:002018-03-29T16:07:10.175+04:00Easter lunch at D'Arcy's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23RLYMIb-NHggPLCQBmsqX9l8edTXNJyxapxqUjzaTxEwCEbQcq6xuqWvmB6mhmWwT4LKMVEIWIg6ifpDaX43UOqhocRtdMtNHqX7HZpXy11uvvwiYuLyxloBv4asL2OxaL6YbrzZqjw/s1600/darcys+easter+muscat+oman+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1136" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23RLYMIb-NHggPLCQBmsqX9l8edTXNJyxapxqUjzaTxEwCEbQcq6xuqWvmB6mhmWwT4LKMVEIWIg6ifpDaX43UOqhocRtdMtNHqX7HZpXy11uvvwiYuLyxloBv4asL2OxaL6YbrzZqjw/s320/darcys+easter+muscat+oman+1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The team over at D'Arcy's have been busy in their kitchen again, and have rustled up a special Easter Roast Chicken meal special which looks just as good as their Budda Bowls as well. RO 5.9 gets you the half roasted bird meal and it looks really good. A nice option if a big-brunch isn't for you this Easter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOsVJOv88LyKed7ursAOSCUPHWmvKQZcQh87yS5CbaUSiyC2xz-IoQ4LUZcfs609muCl7sujnDYr8f6ezmjoX8MBQAOqzVJwIrRC3nNw6lu34QWew7b2zUYZsf8pAePxpr8-ygP5tLZc/s1600/darcys+easter+muscat+oman+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="827" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOsVJOv88LyKed7ursAOSCUPHWmvKQZcQh87yS5CbaUSiyC2xz-IoQ4LUZcfs609muCl7sujnDYr8f6ezmjoX8MBQAOqzVJwIrRC3nNw6lu34QWew7b2zUYZsf8pAePxpr8-ygP5tLZc/s320/darcys+easter+muscat+oman+2.jpeg" width="232" /></a></div>
<br />
They've also got a delicious Lemon & Raspberry trifle desert on offer for a short time, RO 1.8 if you're looking to feed that sweet tooth!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDukWc13mbYEzrDUkPZ2C_x5TqoTJMuI7lcOCy99gP6_1YMGDsUi07AwMLS7aKR2-JW-o7KHeXrerKqvX8lfghPsSMj56OMLsUh2YoyB2-PJ7Fx64vwQ56PGcCZ0BMeHs8_J-agjeTsw/s1600/darcys+easter+muscat+oman+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDukWc13mbYEzrDUkPZ2C_x5TqoTJMuI7lcOCy99gP6_1YMGDsUi07AwMLS7aKR2-JW-o7KHeXrerKqvX8lfghPsSMj56OMLsUh2YoyB2-PJ7Fx64vwQ56PGcCZ0BMeHs8_J-agjeTsw/s320/darcys+easter+muscat+oman+3.jpeg" width="236" /></a></div>
<br />
Both of these Easter specials are available from noon tomorrow until the end of Sunday at D'Arcy's Kitchen in Sarooj.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-54366053933527975542018-03-28T12:00:00.000+04:002018-03-28T12:03:19.235+04:00Easter at the InterCon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JXo7TrZu9j8PNuKPsDNzoQ0Cg96Ugl-O5k0mZZgG-ZiC4u35oMkVJPnZfdJ0S3CTdfUxi1ZWZVN3nopFRGNJuCogq4t23TGGzX8lk1jtBSBYXqrhUdBVmbwG6QqPb-Tovb-bphdga2U/s1600/Easter_brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JXo7TrZu9j8PNuKPsDNzoQ0Cg96Ugl-O5k0mZZgG-ZiC4u35oMkVJPnZfdJ0S3CTdfUxi1ZWZVN3nopFRGNJuCogq4t23TGGzX8lk1jtBSBYXqrhUdBVmbwG6QqPb-Tovb-bphdga2U/s400/Easter_brunch.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<br />
This Sunday, 1st April, is Easter, and of course that means the Easter Bunny will be working overtime on Friday afternoon on the brunch circuit! The InterContinental have a number of Easter events going on this weekend, and their brunch is a great one to go to.<br />
<br />
Both indoors and outdoors, spilling out onto their lawns, during the afternoon the sun moves past the hotel and the gardens where the brunch is held is mostly in the shade - which means its great for kids to run around and you don't need to stress so much about sun-cream and such. I personally really like it for my kids, its definitely a very good family option for brunch in town.<br />
<br />
The Easter brunch will have an egg hunt, face painting, "live entertainment" and lots more. Costs are:<br />
<br />
Adults (over 12) RO 18++ (beverage package is an additional RO 8++ if you are that way inclined) and kids (6-12) are RO 9++. The brunch starts at 12:30pm (booze from 1:30pm) - you can make bookings (which I advise you do, it'll be busy and might not be space if you just rock up on Friday).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdZQQl6t91DIICUJk9qXl7_eUmexeFwF5tngCsZXHS6M4gg3Cq7kRqMuM3VyJGUV3KbORFfe9KoBk-QAtdvwpA09YejEl0Q5k8aNEAWdsYwE9DL7xp9ooyTZwDbqN8xDq2dJZBAf7j5w/s1600/Easter_goodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdZQQl6t91DIICUJk9qXl7_eUmexeFwF5tngCsZXHS6M4gg3Cq7kRqMuM3VyJGUV3KbORFfe9KoBk-QAtdvwpA09YejEl0Q5k8aNEAWdsYwE9DL7xp9ooyTZwDbqN8xDq2dJZBAf7j5w/s400/Easter_goodies.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<br />
In addition to Brunch, the Majlis al Shams are offering Easter Chocolate and Eggs until Sunday for the prices shown above. Personally I'm intrigued by how large a 2.5KG chocolate egg actually is! You can place orders by calling 9137 3243.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJS7Lnz6k85chdXBcZC93ziGb2XUFPZB_vNSY-Ap7deObMCkjE0XMHEwpPigEZz_S7nSxPZ4KNiQuCrNw2fzCqXA4KuVaVTN8aFASgm1Z5HUoqGT22JLLNlyMj38iTWl6f04rPiB2jEE/s1600/Easter_cup_cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJS7Lnz6k85chdXBcZC93ziGb2XUFPZB_vNSY-Ap7deObMCkjE0XMHEwpPigEZz_S7nSxPZ4KNiQuCrNw2fzCqXA4KuVaVTN8aFASgm1Z5HUoqGT22JLLNlyMj38iTWl6f04rPiB2jEE/s400/Easter_cup_cake.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<br />
And finally, a special one for the little ones, on Easter Sunday (1st April) between 4 & 5pm for RO 5 net you can let your kid decorate their own cupcake, the price includes a drink and a light bite! You can make bookings by calling 9137 3243.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-82769573188155424342018-03-26T13:00:00.000+04:002018-03-26T13:37:02.498+04:00Student Gourmet Nights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kh96xG4S56cZM1On3-Aaf88VeiOzItZmY2EzCuO1wtlU0Gu33vKUILvbvkoZ8xrFMgmoxRf7rI3B1YeY3H2p0xaweOu69TU0sF1Hkg0Fd6EV3_8kRZEREedexb7eCjAMNn_mZRT_G5s/s1600/Student+Gourmet+nights.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kh96xG4S56cZM1On3-Aaf88VeiOzItZmY2EzCuO1wtlU0Gu33vKUILvbvkoZ8xrFMgmoxRf7rI3B1YeY3H2p0xaweOu69TU0sF1Hkg0Fd6EV3_8kRZEREedexb7eCjAMNn_mZRT_G5s/s400/Student+Gourmet+nights.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
These have been going on for quite some time now and they deserve lots of support. The NHI (<a href="http://www.nhioman.com/" target="_blank">National Hospitality Institute</a>) provide a range of training courses for people looking to work in the hospitality sector. As a sort of coursework, the students put on these Gourmet nights every couple of months.<br />
<br />
Its quite far away still, on Wednesday 9th May, but the next Gourmet night is scheduled to take place at the Marina Bandar al Rowdha from 7:30pm. To give you an idea of the calibre of the graduates from nhi, just take a walk through the kitchens of the newly opened Kempinski at Al Mouj and you'll find a number of nhi trained staff there.<br />
<br />
So, for a chance to eat a fancy dinner, at a price of RO 26 a head (including paired wines) it shapes up for a great date night option! To make a reservation then call nhi on 2481 6313.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-14313124679581714842018-03-25T17:00:00.000+04:002018-03-25T17:11:48.551+04:00MRFC Summer Memberships are back!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCSf35Bzpf8AK8Cvrv2EJ1LPhjUPlGu8kzkpm3IprOHJswWmpdIlgALs7sOIzsAZJu-GiLWi3qU6MHYQz0ywXFTcN8yBiFQi-L50WZ-pGYvSir6q2H8fTfx34ffvGQWubv2J_a4_J8wg/s1600/MRFC+Summer+Memberships.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCSf35Bzpf8AK8Cvrv2EJ1LPhjUPlGu8kzkpm3IprOHJswWmpdIlgALs7sOIzsAZJu-GiLWi3qU6MHYQz0ywXFTcN8yBiFQi-L50WZ-pGYvSir6q2H8fTfx34ffvGQWubv2J_a4_J8wg/s400/MRFC+Summer+Memberships.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
In what is quite possibly the single best deal for those of you that live in Muscat through the summer, the MRFC summer membership deal is back and bigger than ever! Valid from now (or whenever you sign up) until the 31st of August 2018, the MRFC Summer Special is valid. RO 25 per adult, RO 50 per couple (if you take a couples membership, MRFC will throw in up to 3 kids memberships for you - a kid is a kid until they are 18).<br />
<br />
The perks of being a member of MRFC are significant, below is a list of the current benefits, but <a href="http://muscatrugby.net/offers-2/" target="_blank">check the website</a> for full terms and conditions: http://muscatrugby.net/offers-2/<br />
<br />
Signing up is easy - <a href="http://muscatrugby.net/signup/" target="_blank">fill in the form online</a> as a Social Single or Social Family (couple) (remembering to include a photo(s) of your face(s) - it does not have to be a passport photo, just a clear picture of your face is enough) and someone from MRFC will be in touch. Pay cash when collecting your card, and thats it!<br />
<br />
<i>Please note that all discounts afforded at the Grand Hyatt, Muscat are on the basis of 1 discount per card-holder (eg if you take 10 people to Tuscany for dinner, don't expect a 20% discount off everyone's bill). Also, the perks are not valid during Eid or Public Holidays.</i><br />
<br />
1. 10% off F&B at Safari Pub, Safari Grill House, Copa nightclub (GRAND HYATT)<br />
<br />
2. 20% off F&B at Tuscany, Mokha Cafe (brunches), Sirj tea lounge, John Barry Bar, Marjan & Pool bar, and Habana Sports Bar after the Happy hour ends at 9pm. (GRAND HYATT) (Discount at Habana is off drinks only, not food).<br />
<br />
3. 30% off Club Olympus membership fees (GRAND HYATT)<br />
<br />
4. RO 2.5 to access the Grand Hyatt pool <b>until 1 June 2018, then its free to use the pool for June, July & August</b> at the Grand Hyatt. A flat rate of RO 65 is available for a room at the Grand Hyatt, Muscat (including breakfast) any day of the week - <b>when available</b>. (If the hotel is fully booked, its not going to be able to offer you the special MRFC room rate).<br />
<br />
5. 10% off at: Grill House, LAVAL, The Yellow Chilli, Mazaya, ALL INTERCON F&B, Falafel & More, From the Tree, Copper, The Bank, Mumtaz Mahal, Twenty3 Extreme, Al Qurum Vets - Azaiba, Ayana Spa<br />
<br />
6. Up to 10% off when booking on BA.com (special MRFC website on BA)<br />
<br />
7. 10% off the fare (not the taxes) when booking on omanair.com for flights to Europe and Asia (Africa and GCC not included)<br />
<br />
8. All locations annual membership to Horizon Fitness for RO 89.<br />
<br />
9. 15% off at On The Rocks, Spaloon<br />
<br />
10. 15% off food and drinks in Mosaic, Connexions and Wadi Bar 20% off in Le Petit Belge Discount extended up to 3 people in addition to the card holder. (Crowne Plaza OCEC)<br />
<br />
11. 30% discount at O’Malley’s Pub - 20% discount at O Sole Mio - 15% discount at Grind Floor, Olivios Restaurant & Terrace, The Lazy Lizard and Casa Di Bacco (Radisson Blu)<br />
<br />
12. 20% off at Casper & Gambini's and Eatalian.<br />
<br />
13. Special green fees and discounts on academy training courses for Muscat Hills.<br />
<br />
14. Special green fees Ghala Valley - During Winter rates (October 1, 2017 - Jun 1, 2018) Weekday: 9 Holes - RO 15, 18 Holes - RO 25 Weekend: 9 Holes - RO 15, 18 Holes - RO 35<br />
<br />
Still reading? <a href="http://muscatrugby.net/signup/" target="_blank">Go and sign up!</a> Its the best RO 25 you'll spend this summer!<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-18813868935524600402018-03-25T12:00:00.000+04:002018-03-25T12:03:35.461+04:00Easter Brunch at the Grand Hyatt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRjwtUEZyxH3NuGYKbeXVjQ5kmS-_BWR36DQF81LPxMrcx8sVXnYO0InD-bxvIWAagvQN4pTqqK35ra_8RxN-KpcmErFAeO4pHHojoI2IqecFTIfAfZWiXD7Wu05BoZJrd3cVffRsAUI/s1600/1Easter+brunch+Hyatt+Oman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="417" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRjwtUEZyxH3NuGYKbeXVjQ5kmS-_BWR36DQF81LPxMrcx8sVXnYO0InD-bxvIWAagvQN4pTqqK35ra_8RxN-KpcmErFAeO4pHHojoI2IqecFTIfAfZWiXD7Wu05BoZJrd3cVffRsAUI/s640/1Easter+brunch+Hyatt+Oman.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In case you didn't know, Next Sunday 1st of April is Easter - which means most places in town are celebrating Easter (the feast and celebration side of it versus the religious side of it) on this Friday - 30th March. The <a href="https://muscat.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/our-hotel.html" target="_blank">Grand Hyatt</a> are planning an egg-stra special Easter Brunch! It kicks off at 1:30pm and lasts until 5:30pm - prices are RO 39 per person (including adult sodas) and RO 29 per person (including soft drinks and juices). Kids under 6 are free, ages 6-12 are half price.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There will be an Egg hunt for the kids as well (of course)!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For bookings call 9507 7670 or email <a href="mailto:muscat.dining@hyatt.com">muscat.dining@hyatt.com</a> - it usually sells out so better to make your reservations earlier rather than later!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
le fin.</div>
<br /></div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-8169664730821166462018-03-22T19:30:00.000+04:002018-03-22T19:39:39.414+04:00Please help support the Anderson's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fundly.com/support-the-anderson-family" target="_blank"><img alt=" Donate" border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="553" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhYoFH1cqbNH4UgDx5TU2cSG2EDt75nrGOb2bd_wSpvxXxnyBN1EabdK7s1Zfpka2tjiRo2yxYbAH0Z3a7cz8PcLrfNLyMdZvbQKC9T_PvGezXCNr9Zq5dOGBHSaKvBngH0R7BEA3X3U/s320/Donation-Button.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I learned yesterday that the 8yr old son of an expat family here in Muscat who was a Muscat Pirate youth rugby player sadly passed away whilst on holiday in India earlier this week. The Anderson family are currently still in India with their 2 remaining son's, one of who is in ICU with similar symptoms to his deceased brother.<br />
<br />
I can't even imagine how I personally would be handling this situation if this was my family and I'd already lost one of my kids. There is a fund raiser on Fundly to help raise some funds to support the family with the burden of medical bills, flights to the UK, burial costs and other expenses. <b>Every little helps</b>.<br />
<br />
Please do help if you can - click the MAKE A DONATION button above, or simply <a href="https://fundly.com/support-the-anderson-family" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
<br />
My thoughts and prayers are with the family.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-72160948115402104992018-03-22T12:00:00.000+04:002018-03-22T13:16:45.373+04:00Jabel Park Golf Club<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h2-U3u7R7gIbsFL45FOGdePkwXKyQSCrCj33U-zStyjnAiqkiW4QryXsI4QeH9F-a58kzFpRqwt61Z1MLjsttzqI2W7A5pC9AS7bt8RLTbH3VwIecLsgJDJZ0VqrTh3CgH5T0N83Eyw/s1600/Jabel+Park+Golf+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1600" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h2-U3u7R7gIbsFL45FOGdePkwXKyQSCrCj33U-zStyjnAiqkiW4QryXsI4QeH9F-a58kzFpRqwt61Z1MLjsttzqI2W7A5pC9AS7bt8RLTbH3VwIecLsgJDJZ0VqrTh3CgH5T0N83Eyw/s400/Jabel+Park+Golf+Club.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
One of the things I really love about Oman is the random things you come across here. Recently in my work, I've needed to learn about desert golf courses (no, I don't mean lush green grass ones, I mean the classic old school ones) - like the Ghala <strike>Wentworth</strike> Valley course used to be before they greened it. And so I found myself reaching out via a friend to the very nice gentlemen who tirelessly run the Jabel Park golf club in Ansab.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55PxjyVTux2neOerJHy0A5cB9aU2oF0EE9lu5H2MqiOKqIpswGjKFn833AqZ_9jj78K27ftKptHJJHMcvN5IN0W20qJ75RaJaUnyY4aOUt5HYLdBH2GAxPFDtREZR-u4_cIjorX8fwW8/s1600/1+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55PxjyVTux2neOerJHy0A5cB9aU2oF0EE9lu5H2MqiOKqIpswGjKFn833AqZ_9jj78K27ftKptHJJHMcvN5IN0W20qJ75RaJaUnyY4aOUt5HYLdBH2GAxPFDtREZR-u4_cIjorX8fwW8/s400/1+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It took 15 minutes to get there from MQ (taking the Expressway - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Jabel+Park+Golf+Club/@23.5171071,58.3403291,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x3e8e022737e46e7d:0x4a6d9660b20a046e!8m2!3d23.5171071!4d58.3425178">Google Maps link</a> - a map is shown below) and I was greeted by a metal camel when I got there. The Club has its roots in the military and it was established, back in 1987. The course was moved to its current location in Al Ansab in 1993 and is one of the very last remaining true "browns" courses in the Middle East (I'm told that there are 2 other operating "browns" courses in Oman, one in Masirah, and another somewhere near Sohar).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis5T2Yec8KjgnR5aQzzPhcEWTjlyN6545tEV5yypI4vY3ffIkiol8y8l5T6wS84CMgi9oqhbv5ObYcUVjNOqupyU_Xd3iuop36XyS9UKuLtldrAtjielLMXSmrB2-9z_ZHXe3Z242N44/s1600/16+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis5T2Yec8KjgnR5aQzzPhcEWTjlyN6545tEV5yypI4vY3ffIkiol8y8l5T6wS84CMgi9oqhbv5ObYcUVjNOqupyU_Xd3iuop36XyS9UKuLtldrAtjielLMXSmrB2-9z_ZHXe3Z242N44/s400/16+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I didn't take any pictures of the inside of the clubhouse out of respect for some of the members that were there at the time, but it was very functional - comfy chairs, a/c, toilet & shower facilities and of course a robust bar. The course has been fully surveyed and is a true 9 hole sized course (albeit they have set it up in a way that 18 holes can be played with a number of different tee positions setup for each hole). I actually understand that there is 10 holes, with 18 different tee positions on those 10.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7pJtBIfAfIJ5BaN7SPPv5U5rfWiAFdV7hOOTtw8ybFvj9_WjBu-rUPLtdRjAZ85oAW39OuUsMXgEwDDXK3R1eXfGiEyi829D9pqQkfSHl3iC9zLJtEdEYehN4x0mklg-YtNBKXwHgq0/s1600/6+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7pJtBIfAfIJ5BaN7SPPv5U5rfWiAFdV7hOOTtw8ybFvj9_WjBu-rUPLtdRjAZ85oAW39OuUsMXgEwDDXK3R1eXfGiEyi829D9pqQkfSHl3iC9zLJtEdEYehN4x0mklg-YtNBKXwHgq0/s400/6+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Its a par 73 course with 18 separate tees, and measures a total of 6175 yards for men and 5209 for ladies (source <a href="http://www.golfoman.com/jabel-park-golf-club/">golfoman.com</a>).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jW_zEcxYOc_nsFzXatPxlGv6NrA1Fj5WgVsnOtPnJ3dN3RE_hxfLey-Ef2-y3Hz2tXfo9Rz3LfP4vI-f-GpBhgf3f29hFZnL83E-ZPoS7yxEeH_SBLLEb9UhfQXpCxOZSgdyPoYezVU/s1600/3+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jW_zEcxYOc_nsFzXatPxlGv6NrA1Fj5WgVsnOtPnJ3dN3RE_hxfLey-Ef2-y3Hz2tXfo9Rz3LfP4vI-f-GpBhgf3f29hFZnL83E-ZPoS7yxEeH_SBLLEb9UhfQXpCxOZSgdyPoYezVU/s400/3+Jabel+Park+Golf+Club+Muscat+Ansab+Oman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The "browns" (greens... but they're brown) are made up from turned sand mixed with oil to create a surface akin to playing on grass. I'm told its a fine art, getting the mix between sand and oil just right, and it was evident that there was quite a bit of pride in this trade secret to keep the course up to scratch and playable. For the fairways, you carry (drag in the cart) a piece of astroturf which you place on the ground where your ball lands and then place the ball on top of the turf and swing from that. I think its great that one of these great pieces of modern Omani history is still alive and operating and am happy to share the news that this club, whilst operating as a military "member based" club, is open for all non-military people who would like to try the course or even become members.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBNsjvRl2tRy0EaEfxxJfgli-mueQlpPVJdb_NiEQwzTw_EjzBZNIa8_Tj-2GZvG__vcyj23sCURhtuwLrNm1g1WDgNj1rleh5Dnnpq6TAvRJvKeNN8fz1OddAxUyvlGfUfcNeOoUh6Q/s1600/Map+to+Jabel+Park.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1021" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBNsjvRl2tRy0EaEfxxJfgli-mueQlpPVJdb_NiEQwzTw_EjzBZNIa8_Tj-2GZvG__vcyj23sCURhtuwLrNm1g1WDgNj1rleh5Dnnpq6TAvRJvKeNN8fz1OddAxUyvlGfUfcNeOoUh6Q/s400/Map+to+Jabel+Park.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small map to show how to get there. Basically just before the last r/a of Ansab there is a little exit - by the 100yards sign marker for the roundabout - turn right in there (as if you're coming from the Expressway) and then get on the wadi track - I'd take an SUV, although an all-terrain-rental-Corolla could probably handle it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I understand that a single membership to Jabel Park is RO 90 a year, a family membership is RO 120 a year and that to join a tournament it is just RO 3 per round to play. So if you're golf mad and just want to try out a true piece of golfing history in Oman, or you're just looking for something to do - then go and check out the Jabel Park - even just for the walk around its well worth it! Unfortunately there are no golf buggies, but they have trolleys that you put your bags in and you drag them round with you. There's also a half-way point shade tent called the "Due a Pint" that has an ideal spot for an ice box...<br />
<br />
And of course its nice to cool off with a cold beer in the club house afterwards as well - especially at RO 1 a time!<br />
<br />
To learn more about the course, or to find out how to become a member you can call Paul on 9147 0924.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-87548170554012854082018-03-20T08:00:00.000+04:002018-03-20T08:40:33.505+04:00Gourmet night is back - 27th March<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2nLPeK6fS0Xz6yHgIAQQXAnTIdJD9cVK_jRu909W5VlWX8LeGkJP_qepZTNmk21z3Vh3k0GzdBzU0qbnNgF0SWigpDnSdjuoIMZcEqryDsgWThiny3w_ONvKyxHphVNPfmvauECY0V0/s1600/Gourmet_Night_March_2018_eDM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="850" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2nLPeK6fS0Xz6yHgIAQQXAnTIdJD9cVK_jRu909W5VlWX8LeGkJP_qepZTNmk21z3Vh3k0GzdBzU0qbnNgF0SWigpDnSdjuoIMZcEqryDsgWThiny3w_ONvKyxHphVNPfmvauECY0V0/s400/Gourmet_Night_March_2018_eDM.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<br />
For those of you who enjoy a spot of fine dining, the next Gourmet night at Le Caprice is due next week on the night of Tuesday 27th March. The format of the evening is simple: Meet at 7:30pm for aperitifs and then sit down to dinner. Dinner consists of 6 courses, and free flow of paired wines to accompany them.<br />
<br />
RO 50 a head, including the taxes - which when considering the wines and the food served, is a competitive price when comparing to having a similar meal in one of the City's upscale restaurants.<br />
<br />
Reservations can be made by calling +968 9137 3243 or sending an email to <a href="mailto:jill.katimbang@ihg.com">jill.katimbang@ihg.com</a><br />
<br />
Now you know!<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-83367104668825108522018-03-17T13:30:00.000+04:002018-03-17T13:40:16.216+04:00Buddha Bowls at D'Arcy's Kitchen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg79c06NBI5qsg69wDjvI5oFz-NDymSIvdzYgh_ZgJkAZJKT6CQ7rd4XnHlxaPFBGjP-jRWfPotatB-1FaTXRWLi32lI-BqfUZR8CL1iMhDISIcntLZVnmYN68FxP0m01VBCPbBC2_O40/s1600/darcys+kitchen+buddha+bowl+oman+muscat+shatti.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg79c06NBI5qsg69wDjvI5oFz-NDymSIvdzYgh_ZgJkAZJKT6CQ7rd4XnHlxaPFBGjP-jRWfPotatB-1FaTXRWLi32lI-BqfUZR8CL1iMhDISIcntLZVnmYN68FxP0m01VBCPbBC2_O40/s400/darcys+kitchen+buddha+bowl+oman+muscat+shatti.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
The nice people at D'Arcy's have been in touch to spread the news about their new Buddha Bowls. Which, to be fair, look really good (I'm a sucker for grilled Halloumi). Their description sounds perfect so I'll just copy it here:<br />
<br />
They are bursting with healthy, nutritious flavours and textures!<br />
<br />
Fresh greens (kale, baby spinach and baby rocket leaves) with black quinoa(Gluten-free), grilled Halloumi cheese, roasted butternut pumpkin, minted labneh, sweet corn kernels, juicy cherry tomatoes and avocado. Served with Lemon Olive Oil dressing and sprinkled with toasted pumpkin-, flax- and sunflower seeds!<br />
<br />
Happiness in a bowl!<br />
<br />
They cost RO 4.9 and are available at D'Arcy's in Shatti.<br />
<br />
You can always check out D'Arcy's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/darcyskitchen/" target="_blank">facebook page here</a> too.<br />
<br />
le fin.</div>
Sythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.com0