Beyond Oman: A long weekend in the Maldives

It feels like an age since I came back from holiday. In my last post I mentioned I wasn’t sure if I should share my travels, but then remembered that I have a tab on this blog labelled "Beyond Oman,' which means I must have already thought and decided at some point that I should.


I’ve been lucky enough to go on two holidays in the last three months, one was our main "summer holiday" to Singapore and Bali, the second was a short break to the Maldives to take advantage of the national day holidays.

We booked the Maldives on a whim and made the mistake trying to be clever by predicting the dates of the national day leave, which cost us an extra 80 OMR in changed flight fees. We flew with Oman Air, which is a direct flight and takes around 4 hours. I’m the type of person that irrespective of impending holidays hunts for deals and the best hotel and places to stay so I already had in mind that — as much as I would love a luxury resort — because the main focus of this holiday was to go diving, we would opt for an affordable hotel on one of the inhabited islands. 1) To save on cost and 2) because if we were under the sea for the majority of the days, we wouldn't actually get to properly enjoy any fancy resort. I’ll add a third reason here, 3) I already knew I would want an excuse to go back!

The hotel we chose was called Stingray Beach Inn, on the Island of Maafushi, which is one of the larger and well-known inhabited islands. It had great reviews on TripAdvisor and I was impressed with the communication of the owner before our arrival. It turned out to be a great choice. While the room was nothing to write home about in terms of decoration or facilities, it did have a very comfortable bed, which after a long and tiring day was wonderful to collapse onto. We paid $100 a night, plus taxes (peak season rates) for bed and breakfast. Another really nice addition was that the hotel organises day trips. We did one our last day, and the trip was planned so that we could still come back to the hotel, shower, and then leave for the airport. It's such a small detail, but having the trip organised around our schedule and still having our room to use after the usual check-out time meant we got to enjoy our last day rather than wasting the time waiting to leave. The trip consisted of dolphin watching, snorkelling (twice) and lunch on a sandbank (which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen). And that was all for $30 each.

We arranged our transfer to and from the airport via the hotel, too. This transfer, irrespective of where you are staying (be it Maafushi or a private resort) is almost as expensive as your flight to get there. For a private speedboat, the price is around $300 for a round trip (this goes up in peak season) or if you are willing to share (of course you are) that drops to half the price. Each hotel seems to have its own speedboat and I really can't figure out why the costs are so high, possibly because your only other option would be to swim. That's a lie, there is a ferryboat to Maafushi, but this takes four times as long and is only once a day. Transferring from a plane to a boat is a unique experience, the journey took about 30 minutes and in that time you get to appreciate why the Maldives is such a dream destination. There are clear blue and green waters and huge white clouds that seem close enough to touch, and the weather that is just right.

Maafushi itself is an interesting island and I appreciated getting to see this real side to the Maldives. You are warned that being an inhabited island you must be respectful of the people and culture (because it is an Islamic country), which means no walking around in a bikini (although I did see girls in hot pants). Apparently, the island has 2500 inhabitants, although in our four days there I struggled to figure out where they were, we seemed to see the same staff and tourists roaming around, and even walking around in the "back streets" I could barely recognise what peoples homes were. The island takes about 30 minutes to walk around, on one end you have the guest houses/hotels and bikini beach, and as you walk towards the other you get to a football pitch, mosques, a rubbish dump, and then a prison — maybe that’s where the rest of the inhabitants are?

As I mentioned, this was predominantly a diving holiday. We booked six dives over two days with Maafushi Dive, who were great. On a few occasions, we had the whole crew and boat to ourselves, the team did everything for us in terms of set-up and took us to some fantastic sites. The highlight of the trip for me was hanging out with a turtle for a good five minutes (they are normally quick to swim away) and seeing grey reef sharks and eagle rays. Probably the only downside to Maafushi was the food, the quality wasn't that great and neither was the service in some places. If you like grilled fish, that is really your best choice. We did find one place where I got to try a traditional Maldivian dish, which was very nice. It was described to me as tuna in a sauce with chapati, but it was all mixed together. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name.

Now, would you believe me if I told you that after describing what a great time we had that it actually rained the majority of the time? December happens to be the wettest month. I think that's the funny thing about living in Oman. A couple of years ago I would have cried if I had paid to go on holiday and it rained. Now a bit of rain anywhere is welcome.

Well, that was a lengthy post, and that was only to cover a four-day trip! I’ll leave you with some of my favourite shots above and below sea level.

Life Lately: R&R

Well, Hello there! It's been a while.

I took a bit of an unplanned break from the blogging and social media world and, well, life in general.

So, what have I been up to?

For the Eid holidays, we took a nice, long holiday starting in Singapore and ending in Bali, Indonesia. The holiday was a good mix of sightseeing, activities, and relaxation. I never decided if I should blog about my holidays. Primarily I see this as a blog about Oman, and my day-to-day life here. But being here means that we do have access to other places in the world and the means to explore them, and that still counts as life outside the M25, right?

When we came back, I suffered from a serious case of the holiday blues. I did have my birthday to look forward to, though, and my husband took me out for a meal at the new Indian-fusion restaurant in Al-Kuwair. I could have eaten a meal made up of just their panipuri shots. It is one of those unique restaurants that everyone needs to try at least once.

The nice thing about coming back to Oman in October is that the weather is cool enough to start doing activities at the weekend. I plan on blogging more about this, but we've mostly been diving taking advantage of those two-for-one Entertainer vouchers that are soon to expire. We also went camping, which, surprisingly, I enjoyed. We still need to add to our kits before we can consider ourselves proper campers, and I'll blog about that soon, too.

So after all the adventures, and a break from social media I am feeling suitably recharged and ready for winter in Oman. Do let me know if you would like to hear a little more about my travels, and what you are looking forward to doing this winter. 

Expat Life: Confession time

I was thinking about expat misconceptions or more right misunderstandings, and I thought I would take the time to share one of my funnier expat stories.

Quite new to Oman and one of the first times I was driving alone at night, I thought I got flashed by a speed camera. I was sure I was under the speed limit, but at the same time there wasn't another car nearby, and I was sure the light flashed. I drove home close to tears and found my husband at home, fell to the floor and blubbering I told him: "I (sniff) think (sniff) I (sniff) got (sniff) flashed..."

"...I don't want to go to prison!"

I was half expecting the ROP to show up at my door any minute and take me away. And then the sobbing began,

After calming me down, my husband assured me that you don't get thrown into prison for speeding, there wouldn't be enough room in the prisons, you just get a fine.

I don't know where I got that idea from, presumably I just assumed running a red light and speeding were in the same category.

I feel a bit silly thinking about it now.

So over to you, what misunderstanding about the rules or customs did you have when you got to Oman or wherever you are living as an expat?

Don't leave me hanging here....

Expat life: Money matters when living in Oman

As promised, my latest expat life post will try to break down the cost of living in Oman. According to the 2014 Mercer Cost of Living Survey, Muscat is one of the least expensive destinations in the world; it was ranked 168 out of 211 cities polled. However, the ranking was 179 out of 2014 in 2012, and 184 in 2011, so the cost of living has been increasing.

Most expats are lured by generous packages that offer good salaries, accommodation, maybe even a car and bonuses, flights home, and medical insurance. So these key things seem the most logical thing to start with.

It is also worth me beginning my saying that I am coming from the angle of a qualified, Western expat. There are many low productivity expat jobs – maids, gardeners, builders - typically filled by Asian labourers and their motivations and, ultimately, their lifestyle in Oman is completely different.

Salary
The big industries that pull people to Oman are oil and gas and construction. Expats tend to work in senior positions in these fields or in sectors where there are skill shortages, such as in the healthcare and education fields. It is worth noting that there is relative job insecurity at the moment; Omanisation is the key word, and most companies have quotas to meet in terms of hiring locals. As always, I have no intentions to comment on the way things are done here, it is how it is, but it does mean that some are on fixed contracts with no idea towards the end if they will be renewed. I also want to add that for industries like mine that don't seem to be established here the pay is extremely poor. I would expect that, even after tax, in the UK I would be taking home close to double what I make now.

Accommodation
Rent in Oman is paid annually and in advance, rather than monthly. This is a huge lump sum. Unlike London, rent isn't more than half of your monthly salary so while you might find yourself a little pressed when it is rent time, you can feel quite flush for the rest of the year. There is a budget and style range to accommodate all. Costs vary according to size, facilities, and area and places are usually unfurnished. Most people make a pilgrimage to Ikea in Dubai for furniture since what is available here is limited and expensive. You can buy furniture second-hand from expats leaving, and there are Facebook groups for this (here) and another website called DuBizzle.

Utilities, such as water, gas and electricity, aren't included in the rent, but these are subsidised to some extent by the governments, which own the services. Utilities are therefore cheaper than in most European countries. Obviously in the summer you can expect the AC bill/electricity bill to increase significantly.

When it comes to the internet, there are only two companies to choose from: Ooreedo and Omantel. We currently have a cable line with Omantel, which is the only provider in our area. We are lucky that our connection is ok, but in some places it drops out frequently. Different parts of town have different connection speeds and strengths. Our current monthly fee is 35OMR per month, and that is meant to be for the fastest connection. It is worth noting that things like Viber and Skype are blocked, but there are ways to get around this and other services you can use. On my iPad, I used an app called ZenMate to provide a VPN as if I am in the UK so I can watch BBC IPlayer.

For my mobile phone I bought a SIM card that I top up occasionally; I subscribe to a 1GB data package for 5OMR a month and have 2-3OMR on there for calls, which I use very infrequently. I have called the UK on my mobile before (Ooreedo) and I was surprised how little it cost. I spoke for a good half hour with only 2OMR credit, but it's obviously not a habit you would want to take up frequently.

Transport
The cost of using a car in Oman is much cheaper than Europe, almost everyone drives. Petrol is very cheap; it is subsidised. At the moment, it is 0.12OMR/litre, (that's about 20p/litre).  Vehicle registration and insurance are based on the car rather than the driver so once the car is insured anyone with a licence can drive it. Insurance for a 4x4 for multiple drivers is around 360OMR a year. A lot of people seem to buy new, on credit, but there are second-hand cars to be had, usually from expats who are moving on. There is also the option to rent a car long-term. I used to rent a small car for 200OMR/month.

Public transport is pretty much non-existent, there are buses, apparently, but I have never seen one and they are usually meant for the lowest paid workers. So unless you are after a raw, local experience, I'm not sure you would ever want to use one. There are also coaches for longer journeys to Sohar, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Locally, you can get around by taxi but these don't run on a meter so how much you spend will depend on what you look like and it's a matter of haggling.

Food and drink
The cost of food surprised me the most, although it probably shouldn't have. Since a lot of products are imported, they work out more expensive. Local products are cheap, although the fruit and vegetables aren't that tasty. Lulu is the best value supermarket, and Al Fair/Spinney's is the most expensive -- but has the highest quality -- and Carrefour is mid-range. A weekly shop for two people costs me 30-40OMR, that's buying the typical fruit, veg, meat, water. It can bump up to 50OMR+ if I add in household cleaning things and cosmetics.

As a non-drinker, I can't comment on alcohol so much, but I understand the buying and consuming for home-use is complicated and costly. There are some restaurants with licences, mostly in hotels, and there are bars too.

Eating out can also be costly, especially considering the quality. A three-course meal at an average restaurant costs around 20OMR for two.

I'm also going to slot a little about buying clothes and makeup/skincare here, there isn't a huge choice of brands and what is available is at a premium. M&S I have noticed has old stock, a dress I picked up in the clearance in the UK for £18 was being sold here for 60OMR. For makeup, I've noticed that the amount in pounds is nearly always the same as rials, so that £10 foundation at home now works out at £16. You also don't find the 3 for 2 deals or many gift with purchase offers to soften the blow.

Entertainment
Tourist activities seem to be very overpriced, which is a shame because I would much rather go as part of a group or tour where someone else knows where they are going and what stuff is. For example, a trip to Jebel Akhdar for four people is 150OMR, but it would cost you probably 15OMR to fill your tank and drive yourself.

But, if you like lounging on the beach, it's free! Boat trips such as snorkelling, cruises, and dolphin watching are roughly 15 to 25OMR. The boats are well maintained and the crew knowledgeable, which is always comforting. They will usually provide lunch and drinks too.

Other entertainment is not costly. Cinema tickets are 3OMR and the food is also cheap. I am not sure what the standard is around the world, but in the UK buying a drink and some popcorn was usually more expensive than the tickets and going to the cinema was a treat. They don't do traditional sweet popcorn though, I don't know why.

The Royal Opera House usually has a range of ticket prices for their shows, if you are happy to sit at the top, which actually has great views you can see a show for as little as 5OMR. The most expensive seats are up to around 50OMR.

At home, we have a TV sports subscription, which costs 100OMR for the year.

The cost of gym membership depends on the gym, you can get some for 10-15OMR a month. I have just signed up to the gym at The Wave, The Wellness Centre, and it worked out to 30OMR a month, but I had to pay for a year in advance for that rate.

Healthcare
Most companies offer health insurance to the family as part of the employment package, you just need to look out for the exclusions, dentistry and mental health, for example. Policies won't necessary cover you for the government hospitals either, which I have heard have better standards. Your policy will dictate what you pay for and how much, most recently when I went to see a GP the full cost of that visit was covered, but when I needed a blood test to determine my blood group I had to pay.  Buying drugs from the pharmacy seems to be cheaper than the UK and worryingly there are a lot of drugs you can buy without a prescription.

Schooling
I don't have children so this isn't something I know much about. Some companies do pay for schooling as part of the employment package, but if they don't then I have heard it is a huge expense. There is no free education for expats in Oman.

Right, I think that's it. If I've missed anything feel free to add information in the comments section.