Some of you will have been in this situation before.
Traveling on a budget and booking the cheapest flights available often comes at the price of long overnight layovers in remote airports. These layovers often seem to be too long to stay awake but too short to justify spending precious money on hotels and taxi fares. This is particularly unattractive when the airport in question is old and doesn’t provide any furniture even remotely comfortable on which you could lounge and catch a nap.
Having been in Oman before, I knew there was a possible solution to this dilemma: get a short-term visa, rent the cheapest car available and go exploring.
Arriving at the rental desk long after midnight and asking to hire a car until 9:00am caused some confusion and took some reassurance, but looking at the faces of the puzzled staff was totally worth it for amusement value alone. I still had to pay for a whole day, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?
The car handed over to me was nothing to write home about, just a plain and rather dull Chevrolet Malibu. But hey, the A/C worked and the seats are way more comfortable than the benches in the transit area of the old airport. OK then, let’s go. No GPS, no map, no plan…
Muscat At NightSultan Quaboos Street takes you from the airport to Muscat and is brightly lit at night. Cruising at a leisurely pace on the empty four-lane highway, soothing electronic music playing from a local radio station, the city lights and the full moon shining is like meditation. I kept on driving until I eventually hit the end of the road at the Al Bustaan Palace, where the dhow sitting atop the roundabout is lit at night in absolute silence.
By now the jet-lag demanded its toll. I was properly tired and in most other countries I would have made an effort to find a safe place to sleep for a couple of hours. But this is Oman, so I just parked my car somewhere in Mutrah and dozed off for a couple of hours. That was, until the Muezzin call from the nearby mosque woke me up at the faintest hint of daylight.
Rising early ensured that I arrived at Al Khuwair North in time for a colorful sunrise. All of a sudden people appeared from every direction. First some fishermen, heading to their boat in a well-kept Nissan Patrol pick-up. Other people were walking their dogs, jogging along the beach or swimming.
Work & Play At The BeachOn virtually every flat surface along Street 37, groups of people from India set up makeshift cricket fields for a game. What a nice way to start the day. Most of them parked directly on the beach, so don’t be fooled by the empty parking spaces in the sunrise picture three images above.
The warm color of the early morning sun gave the red paint of a Chrysler 300C and a Ford Fusion a sparkling golden hue. It had been hot at night, but the heat intensified massively once the sun came up. Being quite thirsty by now, I started looking for a convenience store or gas station to buy some supplies.
But again, this is Oman and one gets distracted easily by the cars parked casually in front of the houses. This time it was the pair of Subaru Impreza WRX STIs in the opening image.
Across the street, a rather subtle Lexus IS300.
The Daihatsu Wildcat around the corner certainly looked scared, as he would much likely prefer to be lifted. It must have been decades since I last saw one of these outside of a museum. The doors have been replaced with custom items and painted to match the body.
Working HeroesThe Wildcat’s bigger brothers are a more common sight in Oman, but living in Germany unfortunately provides very few opportunities to spot these legendary 4x4s. First up was a blue Defender 130 pick-up equipped with what looked like a home-made roll bar.
A couple of roads further west, a 40 Series Land Cruiser was patiently waiting for a random photographer to drive by.
The successors of these legends are my favorites. The form-follows-function design approach of the 70 Series trucks proves once more that it creates timeless lines that never go out of fashion or look dated.
These are common and relatively affordable work trucks in most Arabic countries, but are worth a fortune in Germany, because it is so expensive to modify them for compliance with European emission standards.
The 60 Series Land Cruiser is starting to become a sought after collectible now. Cars and trucks living in the desert generally don’t suffer from corrosion, unlike their counterparts in Europe which are affected from salted roads in winter, making rust-free examples very expensive.
Unexpected DiscoveriesSlowly making my way back to the airport, I found a nicely modified eighth-generation Honda Accord.
If you look closely, you can see that the interior is wrapped in clear plastic film. Having seen similar in many cars, I have been wondering why somebody would want to do that? I presume it is to protect the fabric or leather from wear and tear, but it seems odd to use a material that causes sweating. It would be great if one of the local readers could share some insights about this peculiar trend.
It probably doesn’t make much sense to own a convertible in such a hot country either. This Volkswagen Golf Mk1 Cabriolet was parked next to a Lexus ES near the airport, in what looked like a free or cheap long-term parking lot.
The Mercedes-Benz O303 coach in the background triggered many childhood memories from the 1980s, when these were new and plentiful in Germany.
Lots of trucks and buses I’ve spotted in Oman have been imported at some point in time, and surprisingly, many still sport the old German company names on their bodywork.
Imported from the other side of the world, this Toyota Corona T100 still goes strong and provides reliable transportation for the owner. Which Speedhunters reader doesn’t have pictures of over-fenders and a set of retro JDM wheels in their mind when looking at this picture?
Do you like contrasts? How about a stock standard Hyundai Accent in driving school livery, parked next to a lowered Ford Mustang with a set of aftermarket wheels?
After eight hours in the country, half of them asleep in the reclined seat of the Malibu, I made my way back to the rental car counter and returned the keys. Total mileage driven: less than 100km. Would I repeat this if I ever have a long layover at MCT again? No need to ask, really. The best drive-by snapshots experiences are the ones you least expect.
Oman is a great and safe country with very friendly people. Most, if not all, younger people speak English and are happy to talk about cars. If you have the chance, go and visit – even if it’s only for a couple of hours or days.
Sebastian Motsch
Instagram: drivebysnapshots
www.sebastianmotsch.com
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Oh great, the Middle East.
Where you go if you're desperate to see what the end of the world looks like.
No water, no greenery, no wildlife - no thanks.
you must be a lot of fun at parties
Wait till you live there idiot.Don't comment until you physically visit the place. Oman is different than the rest of the middle east. White honky love it. The beach, the people. I worked and lived there for 8 years. It is a hidden secret better than most countries, yes Europe, Australia, Canada included.
And your point is?
Nice article - A good change of pace from the usual SH content. I've flown through Qatar and the UAE many times but never stepped foot outside of the airport. This might change that!
UAE is awesome with great street food and lost of car spotting, you should definitely venture out of the airport the next time your there
Thanks for the nice words. I'm glad if my post inspires you to go exploring.
What a nice shoot location, its great to see car culture internationally, even in places such as the middle east. Cool :D!
-Tofu
The wagon is a Ford Flex. Fusion is a sedan.
Hello Paul. You're right, this one slipped through. It's a Ford Flex, indeed. Thanks for the heads-up. Cheers, Sebastian.
Oman is beautiful
And the cars there are amazing
It's good to see a variety of cars in Oman
Allow me to explain. I've lived in the UAE my entire life, and your guess is correct. The plastic covers are usually put there by dealers selling new or pre-owned cars or car-wash businesses. Some keep it there, preferring it over ruining the clean leather/fabric, or they just never bother to remove it, instead leaving it to deteriorate with exposure to the sun. And as for sweat, growing up in/being accustomed to the weather means it's not really an issue, plus vehicle regulations mean the A/C in GCC-specification cars is ice-cold: perfect for the weather. Oh, and we only have paid parking downtown in the bigger cities (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, etc. Don't know about Muscat), as well as airports and some malls. Just to comment on
. Otherwise, you can leave a car parked anywhere for eternity; no one will question it, no one will steal or break into it.
Expanding on that, in some portions of the Middle East it's gone further than that. In Iraq they choose to leave ALL of the dealers plastic on the car. The white stuff they put on when transporting? Yep that's still on the bonnet. The emissions stickers in the window? Leave them on. It's a selling point on the used car market over here for the AC to have never been used... It hits 50+ celsius in the Summer. But don't turn it on as it'll dent resale.
I've been in 5/10 year old cars that are still plastic wrapped, from the seats to the steering wheel to the roof lining, all for resale value. It's pretty grim to be sat in a 4 year old cling film wrapped Land Cruiser in 50+ heat with the owner denying you the use of the AC as 'it's for the next owner'. Weird car culture
"It's a selling point on the used car market over here for the AC to have never been used... It hits 50+ celsius in the Summer. But don't turn it on as it'll dent resale. "
Which is quite funny knowing not using the AC is the best way to dry up the seals and cause it to leak.
@AG_427 Thank you for sharing your knowledge about this topic. Your comment also explains the "abandoned" cars I've seen in many places. Best regards, Sebastian.
Thanks for this. Interesting write up. I hope to visit one day soon. Obviously not all doom and gloom in the Mid-East.