Well, we made it to Muscat after leaving Riyadh on a 3:40 a.m. flight that was absolutely packed with migrant workers returning to India. It was quite hilarious at the gate because when I presented my boarding pass, the agent pointed to the ramp leading to the plane and said, “It’s full [of men]. Do you really want to go there?” We had wondered why all the families were still sitting in the waiting area – and it was so women could walk on to the aircraft in privacy, or at least not in the company of strange men. (Actually, the last flight we took out of the kingdom had separate ramps for men and women.) I said it was fine with me, so we got on board with all the men (mainly so we could nab some overhead space for our carry ons.

Anyway, we’re both exhausted from a total lack of sleep, but are going to try to drive down the coast in a bit to see a famous desert. This fisherman was in Al Seeb, not far from the airport, which our tour book recommended as a typical Omani town. Most everything was closed, but we did find some fishermen on the beach.