Muscat, Oman, photography destination!

I recently went on a 3 week organized travel destination to Oman. The first thing people did when I told them I was going, was pause and think of where the hell this place was. It would have been easier to say I was travelling to the middle east, but then I was faced with a big scary face and the question why? The simple answer, because it is a beautiful country and I love to photograph there and explore the different landscapes, stil was not enough. BE CAREFUL, Tanja, word meant well, I heard, before people really even knew where is really was.
It was not like I was going down to the tenderloin or 6 street.
I arrived alone and had two days before I met the german guided travel group, consisting of 1 guide, 2 more drivers and 9 german speaking travellers.
After a great flight,
I arrived in Mutrah, near Muscat. A little town wedged into the barren harsh sienna colored mountain.  When I say wedged, the mountains litterally rise up immediately a foot behind the houses.
Thinking i needed to cover my head I fumble around nervously with the  white scratchy scarf I brought, while sweat was already building heavily between my backpack and my back. The streets are empty because its early and after a few blocks I toss my scarf. Nobody cares about me and I am starting to relax. The men walking around are ignoring me and it feels good and save. After a few hours spend walking around at the souq, buying a few scarfes, I am looking to find the street that leads back to my hotel. I am slightly exausted and after walking in what seemed the right direction, I seem to walk deeper into the wrong one. I turn around toward the souq and see a taxi. The man I ask for directions points me to another street. Everything starts to looks the same and as I stood there helpless, the taxidriver with a frontseat male companions drives by and tells me to get in. I get in and realize the walk was longer than I thought and grateful as we arrive at my hotel. How much I ask the driver, he waves his hand, he did not want any money. He was helping me. I was so happy and grateful and had never experienced such friendliness in a foreign none country or elsewhere.

This is Muscat.