Living LIFE in Muscat

By: Nino A. Calamba, RN


Muscat, Oman – Welcoming some major turning points in one’s life is both a tough and an easy task to make. It will either make you so excited to embark on it hastily or will tend to carry you to enumerate numerous regrets why you made such a decision. Choosing whether to live and work abroad or just to stay in your home country is basically one of the most common dilemmas each and every Filipino is facing, and I was once one of them. Now, I am here miles away from family and friends, practically living alone, living the life I thought I never dreamt of.

Living in Muscat, the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman, is actually an entirely new experience for me. The place is quite some sort of a laid back metropolis, with throngs of five star hotels and resorts, which millionaires and billionaires in the world are secretly spending their holiday vacations. Almost half of the world’s races are found walking around the place and rubbing elbows in clubs and restobars. Black, white, and brown people are but common sightings in this silently rich city.

Oman as a strong member of rich Gulf countries in Middle East Asia, prides itself as one of the most livable place in the region. Muscat as an open city is home to many people who love to become carefree in their lives in the most positive way possible though. Expression of faith is also not a constraint in this part of the globe. Churches for Christians are well-built in strategic locations where faithful people can converge and say their prayers and worships. Shopping malls and supermarkets (which they exaggeratedly call as “hypermarket”) offer varied arrays of items ranging from electronics, home must-haves, personals, and food products.

Living in Muscat showed me how luxury cars are just being carelessly parked outside houses. I think Muscat is one of the cities in the world with thousands of cars ferrying the highway every day. With their wide and very long main roads, it is not impossible here for cars to run at a minimum speed of 110 kilometers per hour especially at nighttime. Almost all brands of cars can be seen in Muscat. Every corner in the city is a huge showroom for cars of different unique features and brands. If no one will object, I’d like to name this place as the car capital of the world.

One thing I observed unusual in their roads are the so-called “roundabouts”. These are literally round islands constructed in the middle of intersections, which is also evident in some other Gulf countries. For first timers, it may look like a useless barrier in between intersections, but if you will just analyze clearly, it functions the same way as a basic crossing, however with a touch of ‘art’. And mind you, these roundabouts have legal names too, just like streets.

Oman is a mountainous country, but not like in the Philippines where mountains are full of greens. In Muscat, rocky mountains are visible everywhere, some were even carved to make way for roads and some government constructions. Mountains in Muscat are all brown except for some few green bushes growing sparingly in some of its parts. However, trees and plants are growing healthily in the lower parts of the city. These trees and plants are systematically nourished by formulated water from a timed sprinkler scattered all over the city.

When in Muscat, it is not a complete stay when you were not able to visit its wonderful beaches with pristine sand and picturesque views. Beaches in Muscat and in Oman in general are must-see when you are in the Gulf region. Americans and European people are frequent visitors of such beaches, basking on the sand and frolicking under the heat of the scorching sun. Muscat beach is one of Arabian Sea’s treasure shores, where one can enjoy sand, sun, and sea at its best.

In terms of food, livestock and poultry products comes in large amounts in Muscat. Considering Oman’s geographical location in the Mediterranean Seas, fishes can also never be scarce in this place. Fishing is one of the best activities you can do when you are in Muscat. That is why most of the Omanis are fishermen. Fishes ranging from ‘tamban’ to ‘lapu-lapu’ are all freshly available in the city of Muscat.

Living in Muscat is fantastic. I got to see unusual way of life. Learn well-preserved customs and traditions. Meet and befriend people of different races and backgrounds. Enjoy awesome beaches and tourist spots. Hear amusing gossips and stories of local people as well as of some expats either making good or not so good things in Muscat, and ofcourse that surely includes stories from my very own nationality. Living my life in Muscat will tend to go on as of now, so Motley will strive to send you stories and experiences from this side of Earth! Live life full whenever, WHEREVER! See you then!