A Safe Harbour-An excerpt

Aafreen's visit to Matrah Souq- Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

"Arriving at the Corniche, she parked directly opposite the
Matrah Souk. The view from here was splendid – the deep blue
sea, the even bluer sky, the ships in the harbour, and the people of
various different nationalities milling around – Omanis, Asians,
Europeans, all looking busy and happy….

Walking across and entering the Souk, she sniffed
appreciatively. She could inhale the mingled aromas of spices, dates,
roasted coffee beans, the famous Omani Halwa, and Baklava,
another popular Arabic sweet. Clicking her first shots for the day,
she was satisfied that they had turned out well.

Matrah Souk represented the best of traditional Omani, as
well as Arabic art and culture. Aafreen knew that if she actually
wanted to buy something, she had to be prepared to bargain, and
bargain hard. She also knew that this was reputed to be the place
where antiques could be picked up at throwaway prices.

Looking around, she could see a host of bearded vendors, old as well as
young, some wrapped in shawls over their traditional dish-dashas,
selling a delightful array of goods. On display were exquisite carpets
in rainbow colours, embroidered Pashmina shawls, traditional
Omani silverware, the most prominent of which was the Khanjar,
the traditional Omani dagger. In addition, she could see a range of
brightly coloured women’s clothing of all types. And was intrigued
by a range of the most amazing marine accessories, including
compasses and steering wheels, that she had seen in her life. On
enquiring, she learnt that they had actually come from a real ship!

Through the entire walk, the delicious fragrance of aromatic
spices and other food items used by the locals, followed her
wherever she went.

Like the tourists and locals alike, she loved it…."