Jannica has her choir trip this long weekend. Back when we were in Georgia, a choir trip would usually be a long overnight bus ride down to Orlando, two nights in a hotel at Disney World, and an overnight bus ride back. Well, not at Disney High. At Disney High, they do trips to Muscat, Oman. And since deep in my heart, I can't let Jannica go to a country that I have not been to, I went along. And by along, I mean to be in the same country while she practices and performs. I will see her a bit.
So on Wednesday, we took off from Amsterdam and flew to Muscat. For you airline nerds, I took Etihad connecting in Abu Dhabi, but the first flight was the 787 operated by KLM. I was not real impressed with the Abu Dhabi airport. Jannica flew with her fellow Disney High group on Swiss through Zurich and then stopping in Dubai on the way.
When I arrived, I went to the rental car counter. There were 6 people in the little room having a little party. Since I showed up right as they were eating, they served me up a plate also. I can honestly say, that I have never been fed at the rental car counter before. It was some type of Indian food with just the right amount of spice. Very tasty.
I checked into the hotel for a very short night as I had to meet Jannica at the Grand Mosque in the morning. Something about her needing money to survive or something like that. Here is my view of Muscat in the morning. It is pretty cool how all the buildings conform to one color and have the same types of style.
I reached the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque early enough in the morning that there were not a lot of people yet. Non Muslims can only enter from 8-11am except on the holy day, Friday, where they cannot enter at all.
Apparently, this place can handle up to 20,000 worshippers. It is a really beautiful new building, having been completed in 2001.
After visiting the worship area, I went to the Islamic Information Center where I learned more about the mosque and more about Islam. And I walked out with my own copy of the English translation of the Qur'an. I opened it up and started reading. I've always been fascinated with religion, even when I was young, so this was a fun treat for me.
And no visit to the Grand Mosque would be complete without a visit to the restrooms. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but I kind of figured that a beautiful and new building like this, would have stately restrooms to match. And I was wrong. I'm not sure if it was the Indian food from the rental car counter or what, but I found myself in the situation where there was a need. You figure out how that works while keeping your pants on. And notice the hose in the side as the tool for wiping. And notice that there is nothing for drying.
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