Tenancy Law amended

In Business Todays January 2011 edition, an article on the recent amendments to the Tenancy Law here in Oman has been published which is well worth reading (click the link to go to the article).

This is slightly dated news but I only just recently became aware of it and figured some of you would not yet be aware of these recent changes either. Some of them are very significant for tenants leasing here in the Sultanate.

Below is a summary of the major changes that have been made to the Tenancy Law.

Summary of significant changes (ripped from the article in Business Today)

• The requirement that landlords may only increase the rent every three years has been amended such that parties can now agree otherwise.
• The cap of seven per cent of the annual rental value stipulated in the lease contract has been eliminated.
• The earliest a landlord can terminate a lease for commercial property has been reduced from seven to five years.
• In the case of residential property this is reduced from four to three years.
• The new law provides a mechanism for the landlord to recover expenses incurred in litigation in relation to eviction notices served as a result of non-payment of rent.

Well, as you can see - as nicely summarized by Emilie Sarker from Trowers & Hamlins in the Business Today article - it's open season for the landlords to start jacking up the rents again. Just in time for the anticipated boom in housing generated by the influx of expats working on the Airport. Basically the landlords got 5 major amendments to the law, and the tenants got nothing.

Here we go again then.

le fin.

Car boot sale!

It's been years since I went to a car boot sale... I think this one will be well attended. I know that fellow local blogger, Gatvol in Oman, will be there, and selling some of her vast collection of books, so if you're a bookworm - get in!

le fin.

2011 Oman Public Holidays

Of course, public holidays here in the Sultanate are notoriously difficult to predict and pin-down, and also difficult to establish ahead of time what will be granted to the Public and Private sectors here.

However, here is an unconfirmed, guide of expected public holidays here. Thanks to itchy of Oman Forum for the information:

• 15 Feb Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet).
• 28 Jun Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet).
• 23 Jul Renaissance Day (Marking the start of the reign of Sultan Qaboos).
• 31 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).
• 6, 7 Nov Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).
• 18 Nov National Day and birthday of HM Sultan Qaboos.
• 26 Nov Islamic New Year.

le fin.

The weekend.

Well it's certainly been a busy week hasnt it?

The Egypt situation seems to be settling down now that Mr Mubarak has announced he will step down in September. I'm not going to get further into that here!

Oman came out on Sunday the 30th Jan and announced that it had busted a UAE spy network. This quickly got picked up by regular news sources and has not really been followed up. Of course, local blogger Undercover Dragon blogged about this in November last year. I understand that both Omani's and Emiraties were arrested, and that they will all be put on trial. I also understand that the penalty for treason is death by hanging.

A member of the local forum (Karim), Oman Forum, recently posted this comment relating to this story:

The first time I heard about this was months ago, something like 6 months I think, as it was summer and very humid and I was having a drink at one of the security apparatus beach front recreation clubs at North Azaiba Beach, if you follow my drift.

I couldn’t believe it at the time, and the person who told was half drunk any way. But over time, this issues started to snow ball in the virtual world and blogosphere, and then came the Omani government official statement, as yes, Oman vaunted security apparatus was infiltrated by the security agencies of Abu Dhabi, and that this breach went quite high in a number of security, military, economic and government departments, a very comprehensive rap sheet.

What bugged me, and still does, is Why? Why would MBZ (Mohammed Bin Zayed) spy on Oman?

MBZ is the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and there is an interesting story about him and Oman. MBZ is the first born of late Sheikh Zayed from his favorite wife, Sheikha Fatima. MBZ and his full brothers make what is currently known as the fatmyds. These brothers are very powerful in Abu Dhabi, they literally control the Country. The then crown prince, and now president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, half brother to MBZ, is Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, henceforth referred to as KBZ.

MBZ tried to overthrow his father Sheikh Zayed when he was in death bed. MBZ plan was to take over so that KBZ does not become ruler and president. Some in the know told me that it was Oman security agencies that uncovered the plot, and warned KBZ and some other elders in the Alnahyaan family about the plot. MBZ then fled the UAE, and was given shelter in Oman.

During MBZ exile, Oman worked out a solution that will allow for KBZ to become ruler, and MBZ crown prince. This seemed to have satisfied all parties.

As of late, MBZ seem to have come to know that Oman has played a pivotal role in delaying his path to the presidency, and wants to play the same trick on us, i.e., since Oman does not have a crown prince or heir apparent, who will be Sultan if god forbid His Majesty Sultan Qaboos passes away? And can MBZ influence or better still, pick the next Sultan?

MBZ plan goes way pas regime change, it goes as far as annexing Oman into an extended UAE, more than doubling its land, and quadrupling its people. MBZ is your typical megalomaniac, the sooner he is out of the picture, the better.

I think that's fairly interesting and worth sharing here. Perhaps this issue has been an ongoing one as opposed to one day of arrests. I say this because an un-named Omani official (quoted by Al Jazeera) said that this story refers to arrests made in November last year.

In other news, the ongoing Wikileaks issues states that 1 Emirati and 3 Qatari men are wanted by the US for their involvement in the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Hmmm.

As for local things - the Muscat Festival is ongoing and well worth a visit this weekend, I plan to go hunting for some nice pots!

Have a nice weekend everyone.

le fin.

Omantel rolls out new Internet packages

Why am I blogging about Omantel's internet offerings?

Because it's some awesome news! That's why!

Starting on Wednesday January 26th, 2011; Omantel will be rolling out the following new Internet packages:


Yes, thats correct, I had to double check myself to be sure. 40Mbps down and 5Mbps up for 60 rials a month with unlimited usage and the fixed line rental thrown in as well. I imagine that the 24Mbps and 40Mbps tariffs will only be for people that have FTTH (eg Wave residents). Personally I'm excited about not having to fork out RO 99 a month any more, and getting 12 Mbps unlimited now for only RO 35 a month!

For those subscribers that were previously on different plans, you will be upgraded as follows:

Existing subscribers in the 512Kbps plan will be upgraded to the B plan which features a download speed up to 2Mbps for a monthly subscription fee of RO 12/ only.

Existing subscribers in the 1Mbps plan will be upgraded to the B plan which features a download speed up to 2Mbps for a monthly subscription fee of RO 12/ instead of RO 19.

Existing subscribers in the 2Mbps plan will be upgraded to the C plan which features a download speed up to 2Mbps plus unlimited internet usage and bundled fixed line with 100 free minutes(on-net fixed to fixed) for a monthly subscription fee of RO 20/ only instead of RO 29.

Existing subscribers in the 4Mbps plan will be upgraded to the D plan which features a download speed up to 5Mbps plus unlimited internet usage and bundled fixed line with 100 free minutes (on-net fixed to fixed) for a monthly subscription fee of RO 25/only instead of RO 39.

Existing subscribers in the 8Mbps plan will be upgraded to the E plan which features a download speed up to 12Mbps plus unlimited internet usage and bundled fixed line with 100 free minutes (on-net fixed to fixed) for a monthly subscription fee of RO 35 only instead of RO 99.

Now, to me, Plan A and B will become very unpopular except for those that are very light users of the Internet. I suspect Plan C will become the most popular (unlimited downloads for RO 20 a month at 2Mbps).

The other big news is that for most subscribers (Plans C-G) the fixed line rental fee (currently RO 4.900) is bundled into the cost. This is a great step forward from Omantel, it's like we've gained 10 years in technology and pricing in this one fell swoop.

I wonder how the people at Nawras will respond to this?

le fin.

Rain, and last weeks Green March

Firstly, it's been raining, obviously! I enjoy the rain, especially listening to it at night. Its been looking like it was going to rain for days and days, so I was happy when it finally started to pour yesterday (I get a couple days off from watering my plants!). There were a few drops on Thursday as well but not much. The latest forecast on Weather Underground shows that by Monday we should be back to the sun.

Now, someone commented on a previous post of mine their surprise about me choosing not to write about the demonstration (Green March) last week. I wanted to devote a bit more time to it before blurbing about it in my jumbled up post last week.

Last week, on Monday the 17th January, 2011, approximately 200 (source is this Gulf News article) Omani's demonstrated in the Wizarat Ministries area protesting over the rising cost of living, low wages and corruption. As far as protests go, this was pretty poorly attended. Which surprises me because there was clearly quite some organization in getting an approval to come and protest, yet spreading the word about the protest did not seem to be done very well (it seems it was done via SMS messages). The Gulf News article seems to attempt to link this demonstration with those that have recently been occurring in Tunisa. No idea why, and I think perhaps the author was trying to spin something into their article that simply wasn't there.

Thank you to Habiba Hinai of Al Harah web forum (Google translation) for the pictures

People were chanting:

Salaries! Salaries! Jobs! Jobs! No to corruption! No to corruption!

Now, the cost of living here in Muscat has indeed increased pretty sharply in recent years, and I certainly believe that there are many Omani nationals here who are under-paid for one reason or another. I have no doubts in my mind that there is corruption here as well.

I think the pay scale should be the same for many jobs here. There's plenty of competent and capable Omani's who are paid less for doing the same job as an expatriate worker. Let's be clear here, Salary is different to living allowances, which are often paid to expatriate workers to cover their incurred living expenses for moving here to the Sultanate. That is another kettle of fish but is essentially the carrot to bring people like me over here.

For me, the single biggest piece of news here was that a demonstration was allowed to even take place. I'm going to put myself out there a bit and say that for the most part, Omani's are very fortunate people, they have these following nice perks:

• Free healthcare
• Subsidized fuel, power and water (heavily subsidized)
• Omanization protecting jobs (you wont see this in Europe)
• Practically free land awarded via lottery frequently
• No income tax
• No property/council tax
  
• No road tax (just the RO 20 per year renewal fee for the mulkia)
  

However, the minimum wage for Omani's (holding high school diploma certificates) is pathetically low (its around RO 150), and as the cost of basic food items has increased, and continues to do so, this minimum wage has not been increased. This rise in food costs is reflecting the world market's general trends as a whole, but many people do not see an uplift in their salaries each year to account for inflation.

It appeared that the demonstration was targeting the Merchants who are charging increased costs for these basic foodstuffs. That could really only mean flour and rice, seeing as how Oman locally produces dairy products, meat, vegetable and fruits, and the cost of these items are low.

Merchants such as Lu-Lu's, Carrefour, The Sultan Centre, Al Fair and so on are naturally charging for items to generate a profit, this is the nature of a free market. Perhaps what is needed is a combination of increased salaries (revised minimum wage) to those in low-paying jobs, and an industry watch-dog to ensure that merchants are not gouging customers at the tills.

But that is not the entire story. It is all too often a common story when you hear about people and their debt's here. That is another blog post in itself, and one I probably would not do justice, something more up Muscati or Undercover Dragons street. Possibly people here are living beyond their means, and I'm generalizing and know full well that not every Omani is living beyond their means, but as a general trend, it seems this way. People changing their phones every few months, brand new cars and so on. So perhaps a little attitude change from people is required as well?

I'd hazard a guess that the three big loans that any Omani (man, women would be a slightly different story) has to obtain are:

1. Car
2. Marriage
3. House

You start work, and you need a car. So one is financed. How many people buy brand-new cars on finance, when realistically they should do what many other people just starting out around the world do, and buy used? (read: really used! - my first car was a Citroen ZX 1.4 and it was a dog, it kept over heating, one time the brakes even stopped working when driving in rush-hour city traffic!).

Why throw an over-sized wedding if you can't afford it? Why must Dowry's be paid? These seem social issues that are effecting the economic health of the citizens of this country. And as Oman matures as a developed nation, the harsh reality that having a large number of children is not something that can be sustained economically.

And finally, the single biggest commitment most of us will make in our lives (and no I don't mean saying "I do") is getting a mortgage to buy a home.

It's a fact of life for almost all of us in this world - we do not have enough money to buy a home, and so we need to borrow the money to do so. And hopefully over time the value of our home increases and we can build our financial stability around it. How are people earning these low wages meant to feed and clothe themselves, before even attempting to start buying a home?

It would seem that the minimum wage is simply too low. People need to earn more money to keep up with inflation.

What do you all think?

le fin.

A thank you note from last week's fundraiser.

I received an email from the fund raiser organizer, Pete Rigby, and am publishing it here for all to read.

-----

Dear All,

Firstly I apologize for the delay in responding and updating you regarding the recent fundraiser for Hanna and Rob.

It was a tremendous success and thanks to all the wonderful people, companies and organizations who donated fantastic prizes, promoted the event and together with the response from the whole community came to support by purchasing raffle tickets and providing donations. There really are too many of you to mention personally but you know who you are and a huge thank you to you all. At the final count we were able to raise over 7,000 OMR and as money keeps coming in from generous donations we expect that this may end up close to 8,000 OMR.

This is a fantastic response and should mean that there are no financial boundaries for Hanna’s complete recovery over the upcoming months. Rob has now packed up their final belongings here in Muscat and will be flying back to Australia this evening and we wish him, Hanna and all their family all the best. Rob has promised to keep providing updates and will send an email once he has had a chance to settle back in Aus. We expect Hanna too will be on the computer soon enough so look forward to hearing from her. If you wish to be forwarded these mails let me know and I will arrange for you to be put on a mailing list.

The night itself was also a great turn out with between 250 and 300 people and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves. Particular thanks on the night have to go to (in no particular order):

1.) Lorna Hensey, who did an excellent job of co-coordinating all the raffle ticket sales;

2.) Chris Holmes, An excellent MC and who also was instrumental in pulling everything together;

3.) Andy and Chris for their DJ Skills;

4.) Liam, Alan and Shane for all their pre-event input;

5.) John and the Bar Girls for setting up the venue and keeping a drink in everyone’s hand;

6.) The Rugby Club Team for all their help on the night;

7.) The Aussie Rules and Gaelic Team who helped to promote and sell the tickets;

8.) Everyone who managed to make it and for showing up in support of this cause.

I’m sure there are some people who I have forgotten to thank personally and please forgive me for this but for me the most important thing was that we showed that even if you are many miles from your family, friends and loved ones and feel you have no one to turn to there is a community here that can and will support you in times of need. Everyone should be very pleased to hear about this and can congratulate themselves for their involvement. It makes me very pleased to be here in Oman and be part of this special community.

Finally – I attach a couple of pictures from the night for those who were unable to attend.

Thanks once again,

Pete

-----

le fin.

This and that.

Well here we are, at the start of the 3rd weekend of 2011. the first weekend was excellent - it was my birthday and I had a great time, but then in the middle of the week last week I got some sad news about a close friend which has kind of had me in a flat-spin ever since.

But, I'm back; and I've got a few things to blog about so this is going to be one of my poorly structured blogs with loads of different things in it. Okay then.....

Rob & Hanna: The fund raiser was an amazing success. I've never seen so many people in the rugby club before, and it showed that we as a community still care and can pull together in times of need. I have been told that approximately RO 7,000 was raised for them. That'll certainly help them, I wish Hanna a full and speedy recovery.

MRFC won a game! Yes, its true, I promise! The Muscat boy's finally managed to get a Win in the Gulf leagues, taking down a very strong Al Ain side 30 - 27. About bloody time - well done guys, it was a well fought victory.

And one last rugby club related issue... sadly a long-term member of the expatriate community here in Muscat passed away last weekend - Alan Flanagan passed away on the 14th January 2011, aged just 55 years. He had worked here for 14 years for a consultancy company previously known as BBL, but now known as Currie & Brown. He was a staunch supporter of the club and will be missed. There will be a memorial service tomorrow at 5pm at the rugby club for those who wish to pay their respects to Alan.

On a happier note, local band 123 Orion's gig at the Royal Flight is fully sold out (well done) and local celebrity blogger, Undercover Dragon of Muscat Confidential has even given away some free tickets to the gig. It should be a laugh, and those that are going are all donating to a good cause as well.

The new roads. I'm talking about the Muscat Expressway and the Amerat-Bousher link. I've driven both, and they're both great roads to drive, hopefully it'll help ease congestion on the main SQ highway and the 18th November street. The Qurum interchange is now quite slow but I guess it's nothing when compared to the time saved by those commuting in from al hail and beyond. A few days ago, it was published in the paper that 20 people had been caught speeding on the new express way (not the amerat road). The fastest driver.... 270 KM/h. Really? And then a whole raft of drivers all caught around 190+ KM/h. The only way to stop that amount of ridiculous speeding is to come down on these people hard. Take their license for a few months/year, heavy fine, whatever it takes. Because what I suspect will happen is that they'll do a quick stop in at the ROP Hilton for a day or two, and have their car confiscated for a week, and maybe a fine. I have noticed however, that there are more and more temporary camera's being deployed by the ROP, so that's a good thing, I hope they keep it up.

I also think that a camera (video) should be set up on the new Amerat road, where the hair-pin bends are. It's only a matter of time before someone attempts to drift the hairpins Initial-D style! I was watching the barriers very closely and didn't see scratch on them.... yet! I'll check next week after the weekend! Perhaps an enterprising business man might want to open a tire and bodywork shop at the bottom of the hill :)

Tom the Cyclist. He's back, after his gruelling jolly around the Sultanate these past 2 months (he started on the 11th of November). Admittedly, I meant to blog an update on his progress but had an attack of extreme procrastination and then forgot about it. Sorry about that Tom. But here's how you can help:

Tom's charity ride was well supported by Omantel (and a few others) for the actual journey, but not a lot of cash has been earned for Charity yet.... Tomorrow evening at 7pm there is a fund raiser at the Dolphin Complex near to Muscat Private Hospital. Tickets cost RO 10 and there are also some raffle tickets on sale and you can also purchase a T shirt if you want. Well done Tom, hope your butt doesn't have too many blisters!

There were a few other things I was going to write about but I think they can wait until next week.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

le fin.

Oman Air's new Business and First Class lounges.

Oman Air have finally done something about the terrible lounges at Muscat International Airport. This article written by Business Traveller, shows a bunch of pictures, plus shares some details on the new lounges.

Items of note are:

First Class -

Limo transfers in Audi A8 vehicles
Bar
Showers
Lounges
A la Carte menu and chef




Business Class -

Bigger than current lounge
2 Chedi Spa massage rooms offering 15 minute treatments
Bar
Food buffet
5 computer terminals

The lounges should open next week, and will only be available to Oman Air passengers flying in those respective classes. Looks pretty neat!




Looking forward to checking out the business lounge soon!

le fin.

A fundraiser for a very good cause.

Hello everyone.

Some of you will already know about this, and perhaps more of you have heard the sorry tale of Hanna Mitchell and her partner Rob McConnon. Rather than re-write the story, I'll paste the email that the ANZO committee sent out to it's mailing list yesterday.

-----------------

Many of you may have heard of the recent medical drama suffered by Hanna Mitchell, a young Australian working in Oman with her partner Rob McConnon. Hanna and Rob have both been active members of the Muscat Gaelic and Australian Football Club, and as such we are co-ordinating some efforts to help them out.

Hanna underwent what seemed to be a routine surgery here in Muscat, but ended in Intensive Care with a brain injury that has left her partially paralyzed, unable to talk, and facing a medical system not able to offer the necessary specialist rehabilitation. It has been a horrendous ordeal which Hanna, Rob and their families have had to go through; it could have been anyone of us, or our loved ones lying helpless in a hospital bed far away from home.

Things improved to the stage where Hanna was able to be airlifted back to Australia where she has now entered a specialized rehabilitation centre and begins a long, but hopeful road to recovery. As a result of these unfortunate events both Rob and Hanna have had to leave their jobs here and will return to Australia permanently. They have also incurred significant costs to date and will continue to do so throughout an extended recovery period.

Of course the most important thing is that Hanna gets better and gets the best medical treatment possible but for a young couple who are planning to get married this summer it is a heavy financial burden. Many people have asked what they can do to help in some small way. This coming Wednesday 12th January 2011 at the Muscat Rugby Club a function is being held with all proceeds going towards helping Hanna and Rob get back on their feet. With Hanna safely back in Australia, Rob is back in Oman for a short time to tie up loose ends, and so it is also an opportunity to say goodbye.

The function will be a casual affair - drinks from 7:30pm, with several prizes being raffled, a donation box, etc.

If you are unable to come on Wednesday night but want to contribute - in cash or in kind (e.g. items of value that can be raffled) please contact Pete Rigby, who is co-ordinating on behalf of the club, on +968 9921 1203 or E-mail: peter.rigby@lamor.com.

Please bring as many friends and family as possible - everyone is welcome, and we look forward to seeing you there for a good night out.

----------------

It is also worth repeating that if you would like to donate something (either money or a prize that could be auctioned) please do get in touch with Pete Rigby on 9921 1203. What happened to Hanna was and continues to be a terrible tale. I hope she has a full recovery.

One other small point worth mentioning is that between 6 and 8 on Wednesday evenings at the Muscat Rugby Club, all food and drinks will have a 25% discount.

The club house is very close to the ABA school and it is located here.

le fin.

Oman unveils a record budget for 2011: RO 8.13bn

With Royal Decree No 2/2011 ratifying the 2011 State General Budget, there are a few things to take from this...

Last year, 2010, the Budget was RO 7.434bn. This was based upon an average oil price of $58 a barrel. The actual oil price was around $70 a barrel for 2010, so Oman will have netted a surplus from all it's petrochemical revenues. Additionally, Oman's daily production of oil has increased by around 26,000 barrels a day to around 896,000 bpd of the black stuff. At current market prices of around $90, thats a nice $80,640,000 a day (RO 31,049,624.40). Anyway, enough with the boring numbers stuff. I do wonder if the budget is ever independently audited, or the reported production of oil for that matter?

Something to note however, is this: Oman is investing heavily in something called EOR (that means Enhanced Oil Recovery - it's many different techniques in getting oil out of the ground quicker, but here in Oman as far as I know the most widely used technique is steam injection, or Huff and Puff as people in the industry call it). EOR is typically used to get an oil field producing more oil than it would with traditional oil extraction methods. Yet Oman's historical annual production is fairly flat, because existing oilfields here in Oman are starting to mature and their production is declining.

So, this years budget is projecting oil revenues of about RO 7.230bn and is planing to spend RO 8.130, a deficit of RO 900 million rials. Ok some income will come from mineral and other exports as well, plus I figure oil will surpass the $100 per barrel price again this year (well thats what all the speculators seem to think). So Oman's pretty cashed up at the moment.

Oman's population is marching up, the 2010 Census' initial reports indicated an increase in the Omani population to 1,951,000, an increase of 9.48 per cent from the 1,782,000 count in 2003.

So, Oman is spending some big bucks to try and stimulate more jobs for Omanis, and quite rightly so. The key growth areas for spending this year are Health, Education and Transport. As far as I know there are no new major hospitals or universities planned, so I imagine the lions share of the budget proportioned to health and education will go to increasing services. As for transport... it's a big year coming up: The Airport, the new dualized road from Sur to Bid Bid being just two major projects ongoing throughout 2011. I wonder what will happen with the rail network this year?

Galfar's current share price is trading at RO 0.565 per share. Might be worth a punt for someone looking to invest.... or not :P

Thats all for today, more soon.

le fin.

Holiday parties round up

Hello everyone!

Seasons greetings / Merry Christmas to everyone. I've been watching the news on Western Europe's battle with the weather there at the moment... hopefully no more delays or cancellations!

This will be my 4th Christmas in Oman. Why go anywhere when this place is perfect at this time of year?!

There are a lot of parties going on between now and NYE, and here's a summary of what is going on... if you would like me to add your party to the list then please just send me an email! Click on the pictures for bigger versions of them to read information contained on them.

The Rugby Club

The rugby club are putting on both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve parties.

Christmas Eve, get a complimentary mulled wine upon entry, and NYE is RO 35 for unlimited beverages and finger foods while they last. Of note is the excellent outdoor space at the back of the club, something unique to the Rugby Club, and in this winter weather, very enjoyable!

Zouk

The Zouk crowd have planned a plethora of events over the holiday period, starting on the 22nd and culminating with an excellent looking Masquerade New Year Bash for RO 40 with unlimited selected drinks. It all kicks off tomorrow night with Dub Bass

Zouk is such a pretty club I had to share another picture :)


Al Bustan Palace

The Al Bustan Palace has a ton of things going on between now and the new year, click on the pictures for complete information. In summary though (all prices are subject to 17% tax):

Beach Pavilion on 24th & 25th have a 5 course dinner for RO 39 with a complimentary glass of bubbles. NYE is RO 59 with a 6 course menu and a glass of bubbly.

China Mood - 24th is a 5 course meal for RO 39, 25th is dim sum brunch for RO 22. 31st is 5 course dinner for RO 39 (free glass of bubbles). 1st Jan is the dim sum brunch again.

Al Khiran Terrace - 24th & 25th buffet for RO 29, 31st is buffet for RO 39.

VUE - 24th - 5 course dinner for RO 59 (buy your drinks) 31st is a 6 course dinner for RO 70 (buy your drinks)

Catch carol singers on the 24th and 25th in the Atrium Lounge....



InterCon

The 24th has the Musandam buffet for RO 21 for adults and RO 10 for kids with some live entertainment. Senior Pico is a 5 course dinner for RO 21. Traders is 5 course for RO 30 and Tomato is 5 courses for RO 21.

25th, Musandam Christmas Day Brunch buffet RO 24/12 (kids)

NYE - Musandam is RO 31 (RO 16 for kids), Senior Pico - 5 courses RO 31, Traders is a 5 course dinner and "open regular beverages" - RO 75

Al Ghazal Pub is RO 25 for unlimited selected beverages all night

The NYE Gala dinner buffet is RO 65 for adults and RO 22 for kids (includes drinks)

For those looking for some hangover grease, from noon till 4pm on the 1st, the New Years Day brunch is on for RO 18 adults and RO 9 for kids.




Barr Al Jissah

BAJ have 6 venues... so there's a lot going on here too!

24th
Samba - Buffet for RO 18.5
Bait al Bahr - 5 course dinner for RO 28
Al Tanoor - Buffet for RO 18.5 with live music
Capri Court - 5 course dinner for RO 28
Sultanah - 5 course dinner for RO 60
Sharazad - 5 course dinner for RO 35

25th
Samba - Buffet for RO 15.5 12-3pm
Bait al Bahr - 5 course dinner for RO 28
Al Tanoor - Buffet for RO 15.5 12-3pm
Capri Court - 5 course dinner for RO 28
Sultanah - 6 course dinner for RO 60

NYE
Al Waha & Al Bandar - RO 98 including drinks
Al Husn - Sultanah & Shahrazad - RO 120 including selected drinks


Park Inn

The Park Inn have a traditional turkey dinner on the 24th and 25th at the RBG Grill for RO 25 (starting at noon and includes access to the roof top pool). For dinner there is a 4 course dinner for RO 18.

For NYE, the Sama Terrazza is RO 50 with unlimited selected drinks. The entertainment is special... DJ Ilgin from Turkey. For those of you that like house music, she has a record deal with Pacha.

The Chedi

The Chedi have a few Christmas events lined up - A Bubbly brunch on Christmas Eve for RO 45 or 60 (depending on which type of Moet et Chandon you want to drink). Dinner at the Chedi's The Restaurant or The Serai Cabana is 4 courses and RO 40. And there is a Christmas buffet for RO 38 at The Restaurant.



Hyatt

I emailed the people at Hyatt but apparently they were too cool to get back to me. I understand that they have the following for NYE (special thanks to DITD for getting the info):

Safari Rooftop Grill house - 50 RO for the normal meal options & unlimited selected beverages from 7.30pm-1am
Mokkha Cafe - 60+ RO for a gala dinner (buffet) and drinks
Tuscany - 70+ RO for a black-tie gala dinner and drinks
UPDATE: Hyatt people got in touch, and shared the following information:

24th
Dinner at Mokha Cafe - RO 30 (RO 15 for kids)
Dinner at Tuscany - RO 40 (RO 20 for kids)

25th
Brunch buffet at Mokha Cafe - RO 32 (RO 16 for kids)
Lunch at Tuscany - RO 40 (RO 20 for kids)

NYE
Gala dinner in the hotel gardens - RO 75 (RO 35 for kids) including unlimited selected drinks
Tuscany - 6 course dinner with bubbly at midnight - RO 60
Afrah Ballroom - Kids party place with snacks, games and entertainment RO 15 (this is the only thing like this I've seen)
Safari Rooftop - RO 50 (kids RO 25) unlimited selected drinks - upgrade for access to the pub for an additional RO 15
Safari Pub - RO 35 with unlimited selected drinks
Copacabana - RO 25 per couple or RO 30 per single person for entry only, drinks are extra

Additionally, you can order your Christmas Lunch to take away (each serves 8-10 people):

Honey Glazed Ham - RO 160 (I think I might actually get this!)
Roast Mulwarra Prime Rib Eye - RO 150
Roast Butterball Turkey - RO 115


Left Bank

The Left Bank are throwing a NYE party with 2 different set menus - one being RO 30 the other RO 40. A free glass of bubbles at midnight but that is it.

Raddisson Blu

Also, too busy to get back to me with a summary of their events, but I understand that the NYE gig is at the Lazy Lizard and is RO 49 with unlimited bubbles or RO 59 with unlimited drinks.

And that is all..... Hope this helps!

le fin.

Holidays

As you are all no doubt aware, tomorrow thru Thursday will be holidays, and Saturday will also be a holiday for Public Sector employees.

Additionally, it has just been announced that December 25-31 (aka Christmas week) will be the official National Day holidays. The Public Sector announcement has been made already, and it is expected that the Private Sector announcement will be made imminently. The Oman News Agency website is currently down... probably being overloaded.

I guess the Oman World Fireworks Championship starting tonight (and running until the 18th of December) will have cause for extra celebration from all the workers in Oman tonight!

le fin.


UPDATE: Private Sector return to work on Tuesday 28th December.

Muscat to have bus network in 5 years.

It appears that we are about to see the start of a Muscat bus network comparable to that of Dubai. The Oman National Transport Company has been existence for quite some time, and I'm sure many of you have seen the somewhat pointless bus-stops that are dotted around Muscat - it appears that the buses may finally be coming!

ONTC have been given the mandate to get the bus network up and running within 5 years, so expect to see some development on these bus stops soon. ONTC currently operate long-haul routes, but no local bus service here in Muscat. Most of the infrastructure is already there - roads, bus stops (even though more are needed I'm sure). I guess most of the work is to actually establish the routes, train the drivers, price the tickets and purchase the buses. The maintenance facility is existing (to service the long distance coaches) but I suspect that will need upgrading as well.

Rather disturbingly, statistics show that only 15% of the population in Muscat actually own a vehicle. 15%. That is set to grow as the population boom matures and we find more and more drivers on the roads. So really it makes perfect sense to get a bus network in place, and those lovely bus stops can finally be used!

The only fall-out I can think of is that the taxi drivers are not going to be very pleased about this development. The rest of us should be pretty pleased about it - no more high-speed swerve & stop manoeuvres being carried out by taxi's on the highway.... I hope.

Local blogger Andy in Oman recently blogged about the ONTC and their existing timetable and fleet here, a quick but fact-filled read. I also ripped his photograph of the ONTC logo - hope you don't mind!

le fin.

Weekend activities.

What a busy week it's been, catching up after the Eid al Adha holidays. Many thought we would be granted more day's off, but lets face it - it was nice to get even 1 day off in this amazing weather.

Tomorrow evening see's the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth here in Oman - for a 4 day (3 night) state visit to the Sultanate after a 2 day (1 night) state visit to the UAE. There are rumours floating around town that last weekend Prince William visited HM Qaboos in a private meeting - it's just a rumour though, nothing solid on that! You can see more on the planned itinerary on the official website of The British Monarchy here.

So, on with the blog. Here's a selection of things going on this weekend that you might be interested in:
1/ Harry Potter. Another instalment of this money printing press franchise has been released this week. It's on at the Shatti cinema at least 3 times a day - not sure if they are doing the 3D screening though. Please comment if you know if they are or not.... :)

2/ The Commitments. Irish Soul band... sort of - entertaining both musically and comedically - tickets are still available - RO 15 - doors open at 8pm tonight at the Copacabana in the Hyatt.
3/ The Muscat boy's are playing the Royal Navy's HMS Cumberland at the Muscat Rugby ground on Thursday at 6:30pm. It'll be a fun game and as usual there will be a bbq afterwards.
4/ On Friday, between 4-8pm there is the second chill-out session at the rugby club. Pay 10 rials, get 10 drinks (bottled beers or glasses of wine). There's a bbq on offer as well. It'll be a nice warm-up for the next item...

5/ Bollywood Friday's at Zouk. Starting this Friday at 8pm, a bit of fun - Bollywood nights at Zouk. I have high expectations of a group dancing around the club in synchronized perfection. Perhaps I've been watching too much Glee again.

Now don't forget to enter for the free tickets give-away to Bryan Adams next month - I'll randomly pick a name out of a hat on Friday afternoon, and depending on how my Friday goes, I'll either announce the winner on Friday evening or Saturday morning! Please remember to leave a way for me to contact you if you choose to leave a comment.
And lastly, a very warm welcome to the blogosphere to a new blogger: Ms Adventures of the hilarious new "local" blog - Misadventures in HR (not to be confused with "hoomin resource"). She's one seriously funny writer, who lives in "Sand Land" but I'm going to say she lives with us here in Oman, and if she doesn't, I will still say she does! Go and read her stuff. It had me in tears!

Enjoy another fantastic Omani winter weekend. Next week, something about buses. Stay tuned.

le fin.

Muscat Private Hospital, and others.

Well that was a nice break - I hope you all enjoyed your Eid vacations.


This is a blog post that I've been trying to write on and off for quite some time. I've come to the conclusion that I cant prove anything as I'm obviously not a doctor, and can't get one to go on record (I haven't even tried) about anything that happens here in Oman at these health care facilities.

I was first approached by a reader half a year ago, and told to look into private hospitals that have been opening up around town (and even further afield these days). Over the months I've come across various stories that have left me shaking my head, and with a sole determination that should I or anyone close to me have an urgent need for medical healthcare here in Oman, we're going to a Government hospital.

Here are just two stories:

1. A married couple drove to the recently opened (well, late 2009) Al Raffah hospital in Ghubra late at night. The hospital boasts a 24hour ER facility (source - read the 5th sentence in the 3rd paragraph) and so they went there as it was the closest ER to them. Upon arriving at the ER, they were promptly told to go to the Royal hospital as they could not treat the man there. By the time this couple had gotten to the Royal, the husband had died of a heart attack and was DOA. Over the months I've heard similar stories of people being turned away by the "emergency room" at Raffah. Why are they allowed to continue to operate an Emergency Room?

2. Muscat Private Hospital and pregnancies. I am not joking about this - I have heard numerous alarming stories about problems that seem to occur with births at the MPH. On the one side, I'm no Doctor and a lot of these stories could be based on over-worrying parents who are not getting the information/confidence/communication they need when dealing with their new born children and the occasional issues babies have. However, it seems to me that the stories of problems are growing at MPH. I'm aware of 3 separate births in the last 2 months alone where there have been significant questions raised over the practices at MPH. I just feel that this is worth airing in public - where there's smoke, sometimes there's fire.

Now, I've no way to prove any of this, and so I've decided to let this story out and ask you all what your experiences have been with these "private hospitals". It appears that the Ministry of Health appears to grant licenses to these private institutions, but any sort of review or regulatory inspection seems to be a bit difficult to tie down. I'm left asking the question: Who's checking on these "hospitals" to make sure they are up to scratch? Who's regulating them? Self regulation is just something I don't think can happen when you're talking about people's lives.

So anyway - over to you, please share your experiences!

le fin

Lots of local news!

Well it's Wednesday already - where did the week go?!

There's lots of little bits and pieces I wanted to blog, so I'm going to lump them all into this post because I think it'll be easier. Please do feel free to email me or tweet me bits of news if you would like me to share with everyone.

Crime in Muscat.

Rising crime in Muscat. You've all read the papers, the letters to the Editor in The Week, and so on. It seems that crime, specifically robberies, are on the rise here in Muscat. And the ROP appear to be struggling a little with this significant up-swing in break-ins. One person who contacted me informed me he had to wait 3 days to get a police report in order to file an insurance claim - surely these things should be issued on the spot by the attending officer? Just this morning, the ROP were called to the Etihad offices in Ruwi for a break-in. Apparently some bright spark thought he could nick himself an A380 or something!

So be sure you are vigilant. Ensure your doors and windows are locked, ensure your sliding doors are secured in a way that they can't be easily forced open from the outside, and ensure you do not leave anything of value in display inside your cars.

Eid.

Eid holidays have now been called: a nice cool 3 day haul for the Government, and 4 days for the Private sector. It will be a nice long weekend for sure! I read with interest the letter to the editor published in this weeks The Week about expatriate government employees being discriminated against due to their race. I fully agree with the author of the letter, but we all know nothing will change on that front.

Tom Millward.


Tomorrow, the 11th November, sees Tom Millward start his ride for charity around Oman. 3000 KM's starting at Qurum City Centre, at 11:11am. Tom is raising money to assist the Association of Early Intervention for Children with Disability in Oman. During his cycle he is also hoping to raise awareness of Oman as a destination for Cycling to the wider community. The cycle ride will take between 2 and 3 months to complete and will cover all sorts of terrain and areas including the difficult and unpredictable interior.

If you require further information or would like to donate towards this charity, please contact omanbycycle@hotmail.com or GSM 9761 3342.

Fancy coins.

There are two commemorative coins being minted to mark the 40th anniversary of Oman as we know it today. One is gold, and the other is silver, and will contain the Oman coat of arms and a special 40th anniversary logo - so keep your eyes out for them.

Bryan Adams.

It's long been rumoured, and has finally been officially announced: Bryan's coming to town on December the 18th. Tickets are RO 25 and are on sale now in all the usual outlets. Stay tuned for a free ticket give-away right here on Muscat Mutterings soon.


War of the Djz Final - Thursday night

In new nightclub Nuts & Bolts, on Thursday night there is the final of the 2010 War of the Djz competition.


It should be a laugh, so check it out, the finalists are really good at their craft and it will be a great night of musical entertainment!

Zouk.
Tonight, the ever-trendy Zouk bar are having their very own VJ (Video Jockey) play some fun videos with crowd interaction, and of course their signature House music pumping all night long. Remember - you pay RO 20 at the door and then you get RO 20 worth of food and drinks inside.

Muscat Rugby & Aussie Rules


This Friday afternoon, from 1:30pm sees an afternoon of fun on the Rugby ground. At 1:30 the Muscat Magpies play the Dubai Dingo's, then at 3pm the Muscat Rugby Club's U12 group have a demonstration game, and at 3:30pm we have Muscat RFC Men's Vs the Dubai Exiles. There will be a music system in the stands for spectators, as well as a bbq and drinks (non alcoholic ON the rugby pitch), then down in the clubhouse there are special offers on food and drinks available (including alcohol of course). It will be a fantastic day for everyone, please do come on down and show your support for our local expatriate community.

Royal Opera

There have been reports that the Royal Opera people have been over-selling events to ensure packed nights, with the slight problem that some people who paid for their tickets do not get to have a seat. Reportedly nearly 30 people were left standing at the Monday night performance. So if you're planning on going to the Opera - make sure you get there early to get a seat!

UAE & Canada

It seems that the on-going spat between the UAE and Canada has gone to the next level: The UAE have now announced that as of January 2nd 2011, all Canadian passport holders visiting the UAE will have to apply for a visa before-hand, and pay the Visa fee (presumably RO 20 a time). One does wonder what the end result of all this diplomatic arguing will be, but it's routed in the fact that the UAE want more than 6 landing slots at Canadian airports each week for it's two airlines (Etihad and Emirates currently have to share the 6 slots). Having personally been on many Etihad flights to Toronto, I can assure you those flights are always jammed full, and more flights would be a good thing. But Air Canada don't want the competition. It would seem that the sound business solution would be to sell more landing slots to the UAE - why is a private company (Air Canada) dictating the Government of Canada's policies on this?

That's all for this week - have a fabulous weekend everyone.

le fin.