And then there were three . . . . . with John and Rita already at Dubai headed for the UK that left just myself, Heather and Chris on this final part of the holiday as we arrived into Oman at Muscat International Airport after a an early start and a six hour flight from Singapore on the Tuesday morning. For Heather and I getting that stamp in the passport at immigration makes this country number 72 visited - there are still many more to do! Having collected our hire car, a Suzuki Grand Vitara, it was time to head inland and after a four hour drive consisting of some motorway, single carriageway roads and some unsealed/dirt track roads we arrived at the Jebel Shams Resort which was about 2,000 metres above sea level. The reason for making this trip was primarily to see 'the Grand Canyon of Oman' but it also allowed us to see Bahla Fort and the town of Nizwa (unfortunately Nizwa Fort was closed for rennovation). It was really great to see some of the areas away from the capital city of Muscat during this trip to Oman. Back in Muscat we were a little caught out as it was Eid (a muslim holiday) so the museums and shops were closed on the Thursday that did mean we visited the closed Souq at Mutrah and also just saw the outside of the Muscat City Gate museum . . . . . but we did however manage to see the forts at 'old' Muscat and the Sultans Palace (albeit from the outside). Given a busy morning of sightseeing we sought refruge at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel and enjoyed afternoon high tea. Very pleasant, and filling, it was too! Friday is also a 'closed day' for many things in Oman with exception of some shopping centres. We did visit the Royal Opera House (no tours were being offered due to rehearsals) as well as The Wave and The Walk complex and the City Centre Mall, both of which had plenty of western shops and cafes/restaurants. We also managed to return to the Souq at Mutrah as that was partially open on the Friday afternoon and it was good to see the contrast. Our final evening was spent having a relaxing drink at the Crowne Plaza Hotel which was a short walk from our hotel before wandering to Japengo for our evening meal. It was a very nice way to end our time in Oman. Our time here really has been a bit of an eye opener and, as a country, it has probably been far better than we had expected with a far more Arab feel than Dubai. You can still get all of the western goodies and brands but just without all the skyscrapers and flashy 'we are better than you' shopping malls. Oh, and the petrol is dirt cheap! (at just 20p a litre) Before heading back to London Heathrow with Oman Air, a short hop of around seven and a half hours, from Muscat International Airport we had just enough time to visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque that can accomodate 20,000 people - our final 'wow' moment of the trip!