"On the Road to Oman"

Often times, in order to create a truely unforgettable experience, you have to venture off the beaten path and take the "road less traveled by." While in Dubai, we had heard of the beauty and unique culture of Oman, and wanted to find out more about this incredible destination. But, before we even made it to our destination, our journey alone was certainly an experience we will never forget. We checked into all the modes of travel, our favorite of which was the three-day cruise through the Straight of Hormuz. However, we opted for the more expediate route, and rented a car. Today, we took a leap of faith as Mike boldly entered the dizziing traffic of Dubai.

Our first attempt at making it out of our familiar Sheikh Zayed Road intersection, didn't prove too promising. We made a wrong turn about 15 minutes out and had to double back and start from scratch. However, we weren't too heart broken as it brought us back to our favorite Starbucks, leading us to coin the phrase, clearly "all roads lead to Starbucks."

Finally we successfully exited Dubai and crossed over the border to Oman. After several turn-arounds, exit-visas, and Arabic guards, we finally made it into our destination country, with still about 400 km to go. We had been given driving directions from our hotel, that were, no kidding, three pages long, and equally as confusing. We were shocked each time that we seemed to make it to the next step, like an episode out of The Amazing Race. However, after about 85 round-abouts (all of which have a unique structure such as this one), a couple close-calls, and tons of laughter, we arrived safely at our unbelievable destination, the Shangri-La Resort.

In order to enter the resort, you have to cut through the stunning mountains of Oman over to the rocky coastline, where you will find one of the most picturesque sea-scapes you will ever see. There along the shore, you will see a fort-like structure perched atop the sandstone cliffs. It is like something out of a portrait or an image you might see in a magazine. But even with this backdrop, I think the boys were mostly thrilled by the wonderful mango juice and the unbelievable food. We arrived tired but extremely excited about what tomorrow holds.

On a quick cultural note, we wanted to let you know about the country of Oman. It is far more "traditional" in terms of how you might expect a Middle Eastern country to be. Most of the men and women you see, are wearing the traditional dress of the black "abaya" for women and the "thobe" for men. Although these are worn in Dubai also, Dubai is a far more modern and internation city, thus producing a more culturally diverse population. Additionally, throughout Oman you will see unique and beautifully ornate mosques about every mile as you drive. Mosques are a centerpiece of the Islamic religion, as each person must pray five times throughout the day.