Oman

We keep doing countries, I keep not writing my blog. How bad is it? Well, tomorrow we're on 183... and today I'm writing blog number 168. 

Calib: "What blog are you on?" 

Me: "Oman" 

Calib: "That was FOREVER ago!" 

It's so bad my 17 year old is now telling me how much I'm procrastinating. Calib, of all people. 

So, lets speed through these. 

Our last Arabian country sits at the very tip of the Arabian peninsula, and it is also one of the safest places to visit in the region. 

Welcome to Oman. 

Oman has come a long way. In 1970, it was an underdeveloped nation, almost completely closed to visitors. It was July in 1970 when Sultan Qaboos Bin Said too control, and began to  modernize Oman. (He is also the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East.)

Since then education (with an over 90% literacy rate), and public works projects have taken off all throughout the country. Today you can find excellent schools, hospitals, and a well run government with signs of infrastructure improvement all around.  

It's become a very safe, and terrorism free country for anyone who may want to visit. There's virtually no crime in Oman. 

Tourism has taken off. In fact, tourism is expected to soon be the largest industries in all of Oman. 

So what can you see? Well, sitting along the water, you can expect plenty of five star luxurious hotels. 

But if the desert is more you're thing you could check out our landmark.. the Empty Quarter. It's the largest continuous body of sand in the world. It is part of the 900,000 square mile Arabian Desert that engulfs much of Yemen, the Persian Gulf, Oman, Jordan and Iraq. 

Somewhere in the Empty Quarter are the borders of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen and Oman, though nobody has bothered to draw a 'line in the sand', to denote where one stops and another begins. 

It's often called 'no mans land', but it is home to some very tough nomads, and many camels. Traveling it is not advised for those who are inexperienced. But, Oman has a 'Empty Quarter Experience Tour' for those looking for a guided 4WD caravan into the soft sands of the Empty Quarter. 

Along with the desert, comes sandstorms. Just like it's neighbors, Oman is not immune to the meteorological phenomenon, where sand and dirt get kicked up into the the air. The giant cloud of sand, often 328 feet high and traveling faster than a speeding car. 

Also, who knew Frankincense was a tree? I had no idea. It is, and Oman is they're kind of a big deal, even though they are disappearing.   It was the frankincense trade that gave the country it's early wealth, and today there's a GIANT incense burner in the capital of Muscat. 

Oman is one of the cleanest countries in the world. Trade of fish, dates and some agricultural products along with tourism form a significant portion of the economy of Oman. Whereas its neighbors (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen) are solely oil-dependent economies.

 It  is also one of the oldest human-inhabited places on the planet. It is estimated that humans have been living in the country for at least 106,000 years.

So, it's really no surprise it is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. Though moving toward the modern, they're proud of their Bedouin heritage, and their place in history as one of the best sea-faring nations. 

Oh, and fun fact: it's the only country in the world that starts with the letter 'O'. 

The boys made their postcards. 

Calib did his all in yellow, apparently on a dare, though he claimed it was because of the Empty Quarter. 

Peyton's included the incense burner, and a 5 star hotel along the beach. 

And Hayden's included a McDonalds, because along with KFC and Burger King, you can find a quick bite to eat in any of the big cities in Oman. 

In that spirit, we were headed to get take-out for Oman day, and we went to the Greenland Grill for various wraps and kabobs. I've been good about recording what we've eaten along the way and have lots of blogs in draft mode right now, but this wasn't one of them. So, I remember it was delicious, we all enjoyed it, and we would totally eat there again. 

Worth noting: if you want a drink with your meal, forget about Coke products. Pepsi is about all you'll find here. And, mostly Mountain Dew- it's super popular in Oman. 

Oh, and if you want some liquor, you better buy a permit for that. 

We colored Oman in green on the horn of the Arabian peninsula, to the east of pink Yemen, and yellow Saudi Arabia. 

That's 168 down, 28 to go. 

Next Up: Philippines