The Georgetown Must Sees
First a drive out to the Kek Lok Si. The temple of 10,000 buddhas is on a hill outside Georgetown so the views are great.
First a drive out to the Kek Lok Si. The temple of 10,000 buddhas is on a hill outside Georgetown so the views are great.
George town is 350 km from the Cameron Highlands so a few diversions along the way are needed. First stop was the Parak Cave Temple
Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands are a welcome respite from the heat in the lowlands. The main draw is the beautiful green landscape covered by tea plantations. There are commercial tourist attractions but they are very gentle and about tea or wildlife.
Malacca is the ultimate tourist state and of course a UNESCO heritage site.
I’d have been happy spending several days just wandering around Chinatown but its a shame to not make the effort to see the rest of a city.
To shop for a fake anything go to the Chinese night market running along Petaling Street. Handbags and clothes seem to be most popular but I found some lovely little statues.
Dubai is all about money, the hotels are ultra expensive and the shops on the malls are all designer.
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. Its on an island 250 metres from the mainland but connected by bridges.
This fort is about 175 kilometres from Muscat and is well worth a day trip. Its in the book 1001 Places to see Before you die. I don’t take this book too seriously,
after all it does suggest the Al Bustan Palace Hotel in Muscat is unmissable. At $366 a night for a double room we didn’t feel the need to see their two hundred acres of garden.
But sometimes its nice to tick somewhere off a list and they are right about Nizwa.
The view of the Hajar mountains from Nizwa fort is one of the best views in Oman.
Not sure I did it justice.
A great example of old Omani architecture first built in the ninth century but later rebuilt in the seventeenth century no one uninvited was going to get in here!
The walls were built to withstand mortar fire .The fort was protected by 480 gun ports and 24 openings for mortar fire.
The imams who governed Nizwa, once the capital city of Oman were very safe inside.
If intruders managed to get in they faced a complicated climb up the inside stairs where there were unexpected gaps in the floor or places where
boiling oil or hot date syrup could be poured on them.
The original meaning of a pitfall. Ouch!
This souk seems much more authentic than Muscat’s Mouttrah souk.
The local men were genuinely shopping at the food market although it was fairly quiet.
.
Jabree was built in 1670 as a palace for the Imam.
It has many study rooms and a place where the Imam could be protected by soldiers hiding under the floor.
If he was unsure of the motives of his visitors they would be ready to protect him.
It was left abandoned for many years it has now been beautifully restored by the ministry of tourism.
An interesting day out.
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the only mosque in Oman open to non Muslims.
Its very impressive, immaculate and huge – it can cater for 20,000 worshippers.
Inside houses the second largest carpet in the world. It took four hundred weavers four years to make.
There is an enormous fourteen metre high swarovski crystal chandelier.
The Al Alam Palace is the most important of the six residences of Sultan Qaboos. You can’t go in but its a nice area to walk around for a few minutes.
Our tour also included a visit to a private museum. Everything was beautifully presented.
There were ancient weapons, clothes and household items but for me the most interesting thing was outside.
In the garden there is a model village which shows the Omani aflaj irrigation system which dates from before 500 AD.
These ancient water channels irrigated the land when summer temperatures reach over 40°C enabling date palms and citrus trees to grow.
Later we went to the Muttrah Souk on the Corniche . It felt very safe and tourist friendly.
There are many household items and shoes for sale but if you go in further there are small shops selling silver and embroidery and the mysterious foreign things that you can’t work out.
The smell of frankincense is everywhere. Its very busy and sometimes the shopkeepers are quite insistent but that’s like a souk anywhere.
Outside the souk there is also lots going on.
This area is good for an early evening walk and there is free wi-fi at the front of the souk. Very useful as cruise prices are outrageous.