New partners in Muscat

We had a formal agreement signing with the Sheikh in his offices, then he presented Rob and I each with a beautiful khanjar (a curved Omani dagger, typically worn in front under a large belt). It is a true work of art and unlike anything we saw in the old soukh. What a great surprise! The picture on the wall behind us is the Sultan of Oman, a close friend of the Sheikh.

Muscat, Oman

Wow, what a great place! Friendly, clean, not rushed and chaotic like Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha. Cars even stopped to let us cross the street.

These are views of the inner harbour in Muscat, the Sultan's new yacht (yup, it's massive. I thought it was a cruise ship at first), one of the royal palaces with fort off to the side (old hill top forts everywhere you look), and the backyard tent we had desert in with the Sheikh and his family. That's him with one of his grandsons, and the eldest son on the other side of us. Lovely family, and our new business partners in the region. Notice the desert table to feed eight of us. This is after a massive lunch in a separate building.

I'm in Abu Dhabi now where it's 36 C and incredibly humid. Looking forward to going home.