Misfat Guest House

Day 8 in Oman

The next stop on our road trip was the town of Nizwa with the main highlights being the souk and fort. We had a wee wander around the souk encountering a particularly entertaining chap selling dates. He had one eye that was completely clouded, the other one whizzing in all directions and 3 teeth. Wish I'd gotten a picture of him now! He tried to explain that the dates were local but hitting his knee hard saying 'NEEEZ' then making a chopping motion with his hand saying 'WAAAA'. We eventually twigged this meant they were from Nizwa (now to alway be pronounced NEEEZ-WAAA!).

Our accommodation for the evening was in Misfat al Abryeen. A small village crammed into a rocky mountainside. The guest house was a traditional mud house but with a few mod cons (including a Manchester City blanket for your bed). The surrounding area had dozens of paths following the falaj irrigation system through the palms. A walk in the evening allowed us to see the water running as each area only has a small allocation of time. What we didn't count on is how quickly it gets dark in this part of the world. We were only half way round and it was like someone turned the lights off. Just about made it back to the guest house with the help of a local with a torch!