1)Oman has no Income Tax & no Sales Tax.Whoa Relief!
2)Oman runs on Oil and Liquefied Natural Gas.In Oman,with 1 US Dollar you can buy 4 Liters of Petrol.
3)With no Taxes and plenty of Oil,the cars are very very cheap.Hence public conveyance in Oman is almost non-existent.Everyone owns a car.
4)Oman is having one of the best Road Network in all the Gulf Countries.Ah! with this I take you through the video I created on Roads in Oman taking you through Main Roads,Deserts,Riverbeds(Wadis) and everywhere else.Hope you enjoy :)
5)In Oman,there is Left hand drive and no honking is allowed.Also if your car is found to be dirty by the authorities,you have to pay minimum fine of 10 Rials.
6)The Taxis have rates for fixed main routes and it doesn't go by meter.The taxis are cheap.But if you want to go to an interior street,you have to pay extra.
Dancing Dunes @ Sand Stock 2014,Oman
A night with Music to dance our blues away in the sand.
7)Oman is 1400 kms with 9 hours by car,13 hours by Bus and 1 Hour 45 Minutes by plane.
8)In Oman you get a large chunk of land(costing approx 100 Rials) as a gift by the administration on
your 24th Birthday irrespective of whether you are a girl or a guy.Earlier,the age was 18 but people use to sell the property and buy a car.
9)When you build a house in Oman;from foundation to the painting the administration checks 6-7 times each and everything.You don't need permission to color homes white.Whereas for other colors,the permission is required.That explains why Oman is oh so white!
10)Every year,the Indian Navy is in Oman to train the Omani Navy.Last year in 2013,they stayed for 6
months.
11)Omanis live by Fwala.Their age old tradition of greeting with Omani Coffee and Fresh Dates.
12)The Four Prominent Colors of Oman are Blue(Healing Properties),Green(Islam),White(Peace) and Red (Monarchy)
Click on the image to know what I wore!
13)Electronic Items are very very cheap in Oman like LED,LCD,Camera Watches.
14)You can camp anywhere in Oman
15)Oman is one of the peaceful and safest countries which has no wars with any other Gulf countries
including Yemen and Iran.
16)Muscat has been the Arab Culture Capital and has countless cleanest Arab City Awards in its Kitty
17)In Oman both men and women usually know how to drive and owns a license.Mohammed from Zahara Tours had his sisters working in Banks,Ministry and Insurance.By and large,women are educated and well to do.
The Infinite Pool with the Sea @Al Bustan Palace,Oman where we stayed
18)Irrespective of their modernity in thoughts,Omanis are very culture driven.Their traditional dress is
Dishdasha(for men) and Hijab(for women).However,there is no compulsion on how anyone should dress except the office,mosque and formal to dos.The tassel around their neck in Dishdashas usually has Itr(Fragrance) which men use when they don't like the smell at any place.
19)Omanis marry early by about 21.However,there is no such rule on who should they marry,when should they marry and how should they marry.They can marry within their communities or outside.They are also allowed to mingle with their male peers(although no PDA's are
allowed in most places).
20)Omanis enjoy unemployment benefits such as the government pays 220 rials for those who are
unemployed and search three jobs for them to choose from in 6 months.
21)50% of Oman goes to India for Medical Treatments as Medicals in India are cheaper.
22)In Oman,you can practice all religion freely including Hindu,Muslim and Christian.
23)Oman has 8 million Date Palms.Dates are integral part of Oman where the palms are woven into
mats,coverings for food,baskets and even brooms.
24)His Majesty,Sultan Qaboos Bin Said tours the various cities of Oman once in a year in Meet-the-
People-Tour.In that,he understands their needs and requirements and fulfills them with the
administration.
25)There are more than 500 forts,castles and watch towers in Oman.
There are plenty more interesting facts,which I will reveal in upcoming posts.If you know of any more,ping me down, just here in the comment Box :)
Interesting information about Oman.
ReplyDelete@R Niranjan Das:Thanks,its a unique place.
ReplyDeleteInteresting facts.. very engaging post Anki !
ReplyDeleteHey Mate! Hope you doing well on your next destination :)
ReplyDeleteI have just read about your Oman experiences and found your excitement in your description. As an Indian I like one thing of Oman as tax relief state. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful tourist place. Cheers
@Shailja:Thanks Shailja,Oman is an interesting place,a must go for all :)
ReplyDelete