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YOUR TOP GUIDE TO THE BEST OF OMAN, EVERY WEEK

TASTE TEST: Caribarawak Caribbean Cuisine

News: JOB CUTS IN OIL INDUSTRY AMID PRICE SLUMP10

DESTINATION: Discover Oman’s Pebble Beach

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IN THENAVY 3229 44

AUG 20 - 26 2015 / ISSUE 383 • WEEKLY

PREPARE TO TAKE THE PLUNGE

Court ActionMUSCAT’S VOLLEYBALL GANG

Free!EVERY THURSDAY

NOW AVAILABLE IN BARKA ALL THE WAY TO SOHAR

IS OMANISATION WORKING?

CHANGING PLACES

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CEO Eihab Abutaha

We’d love to hear your news and views. For editorial enquiries, please

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome to Y Magazine – your top

guide to the best of Oman every week.

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EDITOR IN CHIEFSayyida Iman bint Hamad

bin Hamood Al Busaidi

MANAGING EDITORFelicity Glover

DEPUTY EDITOR

Kate Ginn

ART DIRECTOR Matthew Herbst

SUB-EDITOR Matt Blackwell

PHOTOGRAPHER Shaquel al Balushi

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

Feroz Khan

@ytabloid /ytabloid www.y-oman.com

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,

Team Y has been celebrating birthdays, visiting Dubai and checking

out the new Mission Impossible movie at Shatti.

THIS WEEK…

GOING UPOIL OUTPUT

The Sultanate is churning out record levels of crude oil. Last month, it hit a high of 1,001,081 barrels per day,

crossing the 1 million barrier for the first time in the history of the country’s

oil industry. Sounds like a black gold rush now. Oil job cuts P10.

GOING DOWNFISH SUPPLIES

Next time you fancy a fish supper, you might be disappointed. Stocks of some fish are running low in the markets –

with some varieties not available at all at the moment.

Online: Visit y-oman.com for even more inspiration.

Smart device: Catch up with Y on the go by scanning the QR code below

Ways to get your Y fix

THE BAROMETER

Fast forwardHolding on to its culture is important for any country; it helps to retain the essential

essence that makes it so special. Oman is no different in wanting to keep hold of its identity and the process of Omanisation is part of the consolidation of its heritage.

It is not, however, as simple as that, as things invariably aren’t. No one doubts that building an Omani workforce capable of driving the country forwards as it evolves into a dynamic nation is vital. But being prepared enough to make it work is another matter altogether. Timing is key.

In our cover feature, we explore whether Omanisation is working and the repercussions it is having among the expatriate population and the economy.

We speak to Omanis, who are struggling to find jobs, and expats, some of whom have had to leave the country when their job was Omanised, and find that it still has a long way to go.

In some cases, jobs are being allocated to those whose experience and qualifications do not always match the level of job. With uncertain futures, expat spending is also down, with car sales in particular noticing a dip.

The way forward, it would seem, is to work together to bring about Omanisation at the right pace and at the right time.

Elsewhere in Y, we hit the court with the energetic members of the Filipino Volleyball Club in Muscat, discover Oman’s own Pebble Beach in Destination and give Caribbean cuisine a try.

Enjoy the week ahead! Team Y

editor@y-oman.com

P.S. Our managing editor Felicity will be back next week.

TWITTER TALKThe Taj Mahal in India, one of the Seven Wonders of

the Modern World, has joined Twitter, the

“first official historical monument” to have an

official handle on the social media site. It’s already got more than 15,000 followers. Perhaps our very own Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque should follow suit?

contentsA U G U S T 2 0 - 2 6 2 0 1 5

Yo u r O m a n06 Coffee With Deeba Harindra Singh

08 Voice Of Oman Karima Farid

10 News Oman’s 7-Star Resort

14 Gallery Kids Summer Art

15 #FYI 10 Most Expensive Mobile Phones in the World

16 Gallery Ballerina Belles

T h i s We e k

17 Movie Listings Mr Holmes

18 This Week Little Chefs

H e a l t h a n d B e a u t y32 Fashion Navy Seal

34 Beauty Spot On

35 Health Future Fitness

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Fo o d a n d D r i n k28 Food Feature Fig-tastic Food

30 Taste Test Caribarawak

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Fe at u r e s20 Omanisation Explored Is It Working?

27 Budget Travel Saving Time & Money

C a r s a n d A d v e n t u r e s38 Destination Pebble Beach

40 Outdoors On The Ball

42 Postcard From Tuscany, Italy

44 Y-Fi Travel Tech

46 Photo Of The Week On Your Bike

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With a friendly voice, immense energy and a cheerful

demeanor, Harindra Singh is definitely not like the traditional

businessman. He is a fitness buff, a techie and likes anything to do with

music, which led him to found the Sunburn dance festival in his native

India, a taste of which comes to Oman for the first time today (August 20), in

Sunburn Reload at On The Rocks. Harindra started his career in the 1980s

by joining an advertising agency where he quickly rose up through the ranks to become

regional manager. With a bachelor’s degree in science and diplomas in hotel management,

advertising and public relations, Harindra started his own venture, Percept Limited, in 1984. Although it was not initially a smooth ride for the

media and communications business, Harindra now has offices across India, the UK, Japan, the USA and the Middle East, with a staff of more than 1,200.

A short time after this and due to his passion for music, Harindra started Percept Live, which gave birth to innovative intellectual properties in the entertainment, sports, fashion, digital and media space including Bollyboom, Windsong and Fight Night, as well as the immensely popular Sunburn music festival.

“I thought we were doing events anyway. We were making efforts and were also involved with the concept

and marketing, but because someone else paid for it, it belonged to them and not us. This is why we came up with

Percept Live, which would help us build our own assets,” Singh tells me.

Apart from his interest in music, he also started Sunburn to engage the young people of India, and of the world. He says, “Sunburn today is one of the top five electronic dance music

festivals in the world and we wanted to engage the youth over something they liked. So it’s not only

about music, DJs and international artists, it is also about having a good time, with bungee

jumping and a mix of other fun activities including helicopter rides and food

courts with delicacies from various parts of the world.”

When it launched in Goa in 2007, around 2,000 young people attended Sunburn. Since then, it has entertained hundreds of

thousands more.

In Sunburn events last year alone, the total crowd was more than 700,000 people and this year, according to Harindra, they aim to pass the million mark.

As a businessman, Harindra feels the need to influence the younger generation. “When you are very young, it’s not your decision. When you are older than say 35 or 40, you already have your loyalties and can’t be influenced very easily so it’s the younger population we aim to attract and influence.”

At 55, Harindra is very much on the go and enjoys playing tennis, badminton and cricket. He likes to participate in competitive sports and believes in keeping fit. Like most other modern businessmen, Harindra also makes the best possible use of technology. “Given the technology part, I do most of my work when I am on the go and it really helps me with doing things faster.”

To the people who don’t find enough time to do their everyday stuff, Harindra says: “If you want to do something, you will find a way.” His own day starts at about 5.30am and even when it’s a holiday, he is still working.

“After I get up in the morning and freshen up, I make sure to spend some time at the gym or do some cardio, and then I work and also make it a point to spend time with the family either in the morning or evening. Given the technology these days, I make good use of it to get a lot of work done, I also give interviews on the go and evenings are usually for socialising.”

Harindra is married with two children aged 29 and 25. His daughter is due to get married next year. He credits a large part of his success to risk-taking and hard work.

The Sunburn Reload event in Muscat is like a teaser for a three-hour movie, according to Harindra. “We want to see how it goes here and we can take it from there. As far as the real event is concerned, that’s something you can only find in Goa, so people need to make a point to come to Goa this New Year for the real experience.”

Have you got a unique story to tell or do you know someone who has? Contact us to have coffee with Deeba and be featured in Y Magazine. Email: editor@y-oman.com

This week, Deeba Hasan sits down with Harindra Singh, the man behind

the Sunburn music festival that is about to rock Muscat

A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 30 8

EYE OPENING READING

correspondenceTHE VOICE OF OMAN KARIMA FARID ON TODDLERS AND TECHNOLOGY

NEXT WEEK: GUEST COLUMNIST

SEND US YOUR letters, photos, news and views to info@y-oman.com / @ytabloid / /ytabloid. Impress us and the winning correspondent will receive a voucher for dinner at the Golden Tulip. Vouchers must be collected from Y’s Seeb offices in person only. For the rest of the terms and conditions see voucher.

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We consciously gave our toddler daughter access to supervised technology - a

world that was unknown to her father and I, and most of the world just a few decades ago. A recent survey I read stated that 70 per cent of parents allow their toddlers and young kids to use their iPad, many of them even have applications downloaded especially for kids, and this doesn’t surprise me.

We made the decision to give our toddler managed access but in no way deprive her from the ever-expanding digital world. We used the iPad to learn all the animals’ names and sounds, to sing the alphabet, recite numbers and watching her manoeuvre is so much fun!

On the other hand, our Maryam simply loves her books, flowers, her Play-Doh and all forms of colour. We read what she picks from her bookshelf, and it can go up to four books before bedtime.

I’ve always been an avid reader, and I love my books, more than any tablet any day. I buy then donate but keep all my special books in my little library, and always wished that a daughter of mine would get to read them. And now, although she’s still very young, I can sense that her love for books will grow.

We, the parents, and their immediate surroundings are the first role models to our children, so showing them that we read or take care of a garden, and gradually letting them use computers will let them know them that there is so much more to life than just a tablet.

WE ASKED: “If you could add one subject to the school curriculum, what would it be and why?”

SADIA SHAMS Can we remove one subject please? It’s already too much for students.

DEBATE OF THE WEEK

IMRAN TAGALE For me, the subject would be “the best use of the internet”, because as we all know this is a world of technology and the younger generation are most involved in social networking. It is a moral responsibility of every school to provide the necessary guidance for the young generation, as we are all aware of the consequences of misuse of the internet.

GVK DURGA RAVI I would add a period called “dealing with daily challenges”. It would be of more practical use than theoretical, and could deal with daily situations like how to write a resume, how to apply for a loan for higher studies, how to jump start a vehicle or change a tyre.

AYESHA SIDDIQA As a student, I would prefer a subject that is related to Oman’s

Dear Editor,

The article on mixed marriages [Issue 382] provided me with a good weekend read.

It was a coincidence that I received an invitation from someone for his daughter’s marriage around the same time. She found her partner from another religion, but the parents are happy for them to make their way forward in life together.

It tells me that those children who leave their home country for further study and job opportunities think a lot beyond their culture and traditions of the past. Perhaps it could be due to the evolving thinking of people in the new generation.

The story explained in the article looked so complicated compared to my peaceful family ambience. It affects the confidence two individuals have in their life. There is also a question of freedom in it, but I am of

the strong opinion that respecting the culture and traditions of the society must come first.

With Oman being a culturally rich country, I was really shocked to know that there is a rise in mixed marriages here. The article is a good eye-opener for the youth and people who believe and respect family living. Best regards,Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

OMAN’S CRICKET HEROESThe photo of the Oman cricket team printed in last week’s Y Magazine was missing three players and although Khawar Ali, Mehran

Khan and Mohammad Nadeem weren’t pictured, we still salute their historic efforts! Khan won Man of the Match against Afghanistan and Ali is one of the team’s premier opening batsmen.

heritage and culture. As we’re living in Oman, why not discover more about this beautiful country and learn about its past?

AKRATI KOUL BHAT The subject that I would prefer to be included in the school curriculum is “empathy and compassion”. Our young children are very smart and fantastic learners. However, the outburst of technology and social media, combined with busy parents and the availability of interactive gadgets is taking a toll on our children’s health and wellbeing. Children today may be so busy worrying about themselves and their own issues that they don’t have time to empathise with others. Once you can empathise with someone the next step is to want that person to be free from suffering. Empathy cannot be learned in isolation; it must be modelled by teachers, parents and friends.

SABAH SULTAN I would prefer meditation to be included, as in every school there is a lot of stress for the students. The world gets more competitive day by day and every parent wants their child to be on top, which can lead to a lot of pressure. Therefore meditation would help them calm down and give them a relaxed mind. Moreover, it will be helpful for them in the future as well when it comes to driving away stress at all the levels of life.

MONIKA KAUSHIK I am a teacher in Muscat and I really find a lack of humanity in children. They play and learn together, but they have feelings of jealousy and revenge. They use tablets and mobile phones to play games that are full of revenge and cheating and they play continuously until they win. In real life their thoughts are becoming the same, and so I really feel that humanity should be taught by showing plays or telling moral stories that can enhance their emotions and help mould them into good citizens who can give the country a bright future.

SUNILA KAWATRA While I sincerely agree with all the posts written above, can you imagine if morality, manners and ethics were taught as a “subject” in a 30-45 minute lesson

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once or twice a week? It would be branded as “bore” by most kids in no time and instead of learning, they would be pushed away from it. Given the opportunity to add a subject, I would add “research” and let the kids choose a topic each month based on a poll amongst themselves. Kids learn best about things that interest them rather than what is imposed on them. For once, let them choose what they want to learn.

DAHLIA C CASTANEDA I suggest that “good moral character” be included because most children have no manners and they don’t know the word respect the same way their parents do.

PARVEEN SHEIK The subject should be “ethics”, which should cover topics like compassion, mercy, kindness, the art of giving and sharing, honesty and modesty. As an ancient Tamil poem says: “Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in character. When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation. When there is order in nation, there is peace in the world.”

RISHIKESH CHIDHAMBARANATHAN It would be better if they include a subject on how and what to eat, teaching children to avoid fast foods, which causes diabetes, high cholesterol and many other diseases. Food is a medicine that should be eaten sensibly.

TRACY WILSONArt History.

RODNEY WOODS Driving habits, symbols and signs to make better, more mature and safer drivers of tomorrow.

SOMI AFAQ General Knowledge.

New Debate:“What are

your fondest memories from your

school days?” Tell us on

Facebook or Twitter and be in with a chance of winning dinner

for two.

Dubai may currently lay claim to the world’s only seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab, but Oman is hot on its heels, with plans for a 40-villa luxury resort in the Musandam governorate revealed earlier this

week. The new development was announced by British Indian

hotelier Sonu Shivdasani, the CEO of the Soneva Group, who was in Oman to drum up interest in the group’s private residence property in the Maldives (pictured right).

Oman’s seven-star offering will be in experienced hands, as Shivdasani has an extensive background in luxury hotels and is already a well-known name in the Sultanate after creating the

A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 30 1 0

YOUR OMAN

As crude oil prices continue to plummet,

currently standing at 40 per cent lower than their peak last year, workers in the sector are

bearing the brunt, with hundreds of oil and gas employees having lost their jobs.

“Due to the slump in crude prices, companies are either shelving their future projects or are not willing to renew current contracts. As a result, a large number of employees have been laid off,” Saud Salmi, chairman of Petroleum Development Oman Trade Union, and chairman of Oil and gas Sector Workers Unions was quoted as saying in the local media.

Oman’s economy is heavily dependent on oil to

finance most national projects, and the government made $4.35 billion (RO1.6 billion) from oil sales in the first quarter of this year, 35 per cent less than a year ago. Job freezes and cuts have followed the drop in revenue from oil.

According to the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions (GFOTU), up to 120 workers face job losses in the oil sector. “We are trying to resolve the issues in 10 individual cases and those of another 110 workers from one company. Workers are in a fix. We are trying our best,” Mohammed al Khaldi, a board member of GFOTU told a local newspaper.

“The low price is leading to a whole series of secondary effects (debt defaults resulting from deflation, job loss, collapse of oil exporters, loss of letters of credit needed for exports, bank failures)

that indirectly lead to a much quicker decline in oil production,” Dr Anchan C K, managing director at World Wide Business House, an international business advisory firm, told a local newspaper.

Falling oil prices are also having a knock-on effect on the economies of GCC countries. This month the UAE introduced a 24 per cent increase in petrol prices to link the cost to global levels and Oman is said to be considering lifting fuel subsidies, which cost RO860 million a year, in a bid to claw back a budget deficit. Bahrain intends to remove meat subsidies as cheap oil hits its budget.

Zighy Bay resort complex, also in Musandam. He is the founder and former CEO of the Six Senses Resorts and Spas, which have eight resorts throughout Southeast Asia and Europe, as well as a further 23 spas around the world.

Shivdasani’s current project, the Soneva Group, already owns and operates luxury resorts in the Maldives and Thailand and the fact that Oman has been chosen as the site of their next luxurious development should give the Sultanate’s growing tourism industry a major boost.

Speaking to the local media, Shivdasani explained that the term “seven-star” is more just a figure of speech, but confirmed that the resort in Musandam will be a notch above anything that exists in Oman today.

But don’t go packing your suitcase just yet; holidaymakers looking for the ultimate slice of luxury in Oman will have to wait a while, as work on the resort is not scheduled to begin until 2017. Details are understandably sketchy at the minute but if the Soneva Fushi, the top resort in the Maldives, is anything to go by, guests could be treated to intuitive service from butlers, 11 types of pillow, 60 flavours of ice cream, a beach cinema, an observatory and a PADI diving school to name just a few.

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N E W SG a l l e r y I n t e r v i e w

It looks like the end of the road could finally be in sight for the thousands of motorists who

struggle every day to find a parking space in Muscat.

Whether circling for a space around the city or spending an interminable time on a frustrating search for a precious gap in Muscat airport’s clogged airport car parks, we’ve all been there at one time or another.

But life for the capital’s drivers could be about to ease.

Muscat International Airport is already starting to tackle the problem. While the solution – another level built on the existing short stay car park – might not be long term, it does offer some relief for the weary drivers battling for too few spaces.

And this week the Ministry of Housing announced that it has allocated land plots across the city to building multi-storey car parks. Areas pinpointed include Mabela, the Central Business District (CBD) in Ruwi (one of the worst areas), Al Khoudh and Ghala and Bawshar commercial area.

This is, according to Salim al Nabhani, assistant director general of the ministry’s planning and survey department, just one of the strategies planned to address parking problems.

It couldn’t come soon enough for frustrated drivers. With a growing population in Oman, there are more cars on the road – more than

50,000 vehicles were registered this year alone up to the end of June and 90 per cent of Omani households have more than one vehicle.

Add to that the fact that Muscat’s new airport has been delayed and now looks unlikely to open until 2017, and it’s been a recipe for a parking disaster of some magnitude. While the new airport will be able to accommodate up to 8,000 cars at one time, the old facilities are woefully inadequate to cope with a huge increase in passenger numbers.

“Parking at the airport is a total nightmare,” says one expat, who regularly travels for business.

“There are never any spaces. The long-term car park is always full and you end up parking on short stay and being hit with high charges. There simply isn’t enough room for all the cars.

“It’s also a fight when you go to pick up someone. The police won’t allow you to park outside the arrivals area but you can’t get a space in the short stay car park. I try to take a taxi to the airport now whenever possible,

it’s much easier and less stressful.”Passengers can’t have failed to notice

construction, which has begun on the new level at the old airport. Costing RO3 million, the project will add another 650 car park spaces.

Said Zadjali, acting CEO of the Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) said: “The establishment of this project comes within the company’s efforts to provide various basic services to passengers and other users of Muscat International Airport, most notably car parks which are one of the company’s concerns in light of the rise in passenger numbers. 9.5 million passengers used the airport by the end of last year, and the number is likely to increase in the future with the growing economic and tourist movement in the Sultanate.”

Away from the airport, things are also looking up. The proposed new multi-storeys dotted around the city will be welcome news.

“If you look at the MBD (Muttrah Business District) area, it seems like a huge parking lot,” Akbar Ahmadi, who lives in the area, told a local newspaper.

A new law introduced in 2010 made it compulsory for at least one parking slot to be provided for each new villa. However, many buildings in the jammed areas were built long before then.

“Most of the buildings are old, so there are not enough car parks for each building,” said Ahmadi.

“Apart from the inconvenience caused to the residents, there is no room left for children to play.”

Before you get too excited, however, bear in mind it will be some while – several months in the case of the airport car park – until these parking salvations come into place. Before then, it’s a case of every man or woman – and car – for themselves.

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G a l l e r y I n t e r v i e w N E W SYOUR OMAN

What’s this about?Well, it seems that bears are not happy with the latest fad to hit the skies.Bears?Yes wild bears. You know the big furry mammals with large teeth. And the problem is?Well, it seems that bears show signs of stress when drones – radio controlled devices or “unmanned aerial vehicles” used for a variety of purposes both fun and professional – are flown near them.Are you serious?Deadly. Researchers at the University of Minnesota put health-tracking collars on six bears (we’re not quite sure how they managed that) and measured their reaction during 17 drone flights. The heart rate of all the bears shot up when the drone was flown within 20 metres of their location.Er, but aren’t bears ferocious and not scared of anything?Clearly not. The bears tested were not massive Grizzlies, which can weigh up to 790lb and stand up to 3 metres tall on hind legs and attack humans, but Black bears, the medium sized ones. Black bears are harmless?No! They have great physical strength and have been known to turn over rocks weighing 147kg by flipping them over with a single foreleg. So crushing a small drone to bits shouldn’t be a problem.Do bears actually need drones?No, not really. But wildlife experts find them useful tools to observe animals from afar and in remote locations. Best do it from a long distance from now on or provide the bears with earmuffs.Don’t say: There’s a Black bear. Launch the drone! Do say: Stop droning on.

B i t e S i z e dOUR WEEKLY SLOT TAKES A LIGHTHEARTED

LOOK AT A NEWS ISSUE OF THE WEEK.

CAN’T BEAR IT

WORLD TOUR CYCLIST ARRIVES IN OMAN

A W E E K I N P I C T U R E S

27 are killed, including tourists, and more than 78 hurt when a bomb explodes in a shrine in Bangkok in an attack the Thai government has claimed is aimed at destroying the country’s economy

HEADLINING STORIES FROM THE REGION AND BEYOND

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, makes an historic visit to the UAE, more than 34 years after the last official trip by former PM Indira Gandhi, and pledges to jointly fight terrorism

Protests continue in the Chinese city of Tianjin, where huge explosions at chemical warehouses killed 114 people and destroyed homes. Around 70, mostly firefighters are still missing

A scorching heatwave in Egypt in which temperatures hit 46 degrees (114F) has killed at least 93 people with no let up of the extreme conditions in sight

A Turkish cyclist with a mission to tour the world on his bike arrived into the Sultanate last

week, crossing the border from the neighbouring UAE at the Al Ain-Buraimi border post.

Gürkan Genç’s journey began in 2012 and since then the 36-year-old cyclist has covered 36,000km, passing through 30 countries on his bike; Oman is his 31st. His trip will last until 2019, by which time he plans to have covered 120,000km across 84 countries on all seven continents.

It’s all part of his “Pedal For Future” project, which aims to promote cycling as a sport and as a viable mode of transport to use on a day-to-day basis. Speaking to Y, he said that he wanted to show the world how healthy cycling was. “Earlier I had some health issues, but I have been cycling for three years now, and feel absolutely fit,” he said.

The cyclist said that it has been his dream to travel around the world on his bike since he was 12 years old and his current expedition is not the first time he has ventured over long distances on two wheels. In 2010 he sold his food and catering company in Turkey to cycle from his home country to Japan on a year-long ride.

After this accomplishment there was no looking back for Genç, who set out on his world tour the

following year, using a customised hybrid bike, suitable for extreme conditions. On the three year journey that has brought him to Oman, Genç has endured temperatures as low as -40 degrees and has cycled some of the most difficult mountain passes of Tour de France.

The tour has been funded through income from his blog – which has gained immense popularity – and features photos,

videos and articles about the countries he visits. His blog has gathered half a million followers to date and has been converted into a magazine.

Despite the short amount of time spent in Oman, the cyclist has already tasted some warm Omani hospitality. “When I was in Ibri, I was just walking and some people invited me to their house to have

dinner with them. Before that I was invited to stay the night by the owner of a farmhouse. People are so hospitable and welcoming here,” he said.

His month-long cycle route in Oman goes from Buraimi, Ibri, Bahla, Niwa, Izki, Al Hamra, Samail, Bidbid and eventually to Muscat.

After completing his world tour on cycle, Genç intends to publish books on his adventures. To follow Genç’s adventures in Oman and around the world, visit his blog at gurkangenc.com

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G A L L E R YYOUR OMAN

KIDS

GET

ART

Y

THE CLOSING EXHIBITION

OF THE SUMMER ART

WORKSHOP AT BAIT AL

BARANDA WAS HELD THIS

WEEK, SHOWCASING THE

WORK OF THE STUDENTS

WHO TOOK PART

A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 3 0 1 5

Source: wonderslist.com

Created by the Austrian jeweller Peter Aloisson, featuring 138 diamonds and a beautiful 6.6-carat diamond as the home

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iPhone 3G King’s Button

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$3.2 million (RO1.2 million) gets you a casing made from 271 grams of solid 22k gold and a screen trimmed with 53 diamonds. The home button is a single 7.1-carat diamond. Comes in a chest carved from a single block of granite.

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Made of rose gold and featuring more than 500 flawless diamonds of over 100 carats, with

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At $1.3 million (RO500,565), it was the world’s most expensive mobile phone

when it sold at the Millionaire Fair in Cannes, France in September 2006.

Bejewelled with 18k white gold and 20 carats of VVS1 diamonds.

GoldVish Le Million4

This unique object d’art is priced at $1.3 million (RO500,565) and is encrusted

with 50 diamonds, 10 of which are rare blue ones, along with rose gold. Also has

features to protect against kidnapping and technological blackmail.

5

Designed in Switzerland in 2005, it’s made of solid gold and weighs 180 grams, with a back panel made of 200-year-old African Blackwood, the most expensive wood in

the world, and sapphire crystal keys. Yours for $1 million (RO385,000).

6

Created by the French jeweller, Boucheron, the ritzy model features a cobra-snake design with one pear-cut diamond, one round white diamond,

two emerald eyes and 439 rubies. $310,000 (RO119,365).

Vertu Signature Cobra7

This Sony phone features mirror detailing, polycarbonate mirror and organic LED technology. Decorated

with two diamonds, one on each side. It costs $300,000 (RO115,515).

BlackDiamond VIPN Smartphone

8

Along with gold, this special iPhone comes with no fewer than 138 princess cut and 180 brilliant cut diamonds of

the highest quality. That’s why it will set you back $176,400 (RO67,922).

iPhone Princess Plus9

Crafted of platinum and assembled by hand, only 200 of these diamond

decorated phones have been produced, at a cost of $88,000

each (RO33,884).

Vertu Signature Diamond10

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G A L L E R YYOUR OMAN

ON P

OINT

E

ALMOST 100 STUDENTS FROM THE BALLET AND FOLKLORE CENTRE TOOK PART IN THE ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS IN THE VAGANOVA TECHNIQUE OF BALLET THAT WERE HELD AT VARIOUS VENUES AROUND MUSCAT

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INFINITELY POLAR BEAR

Despite suffering from bipolar disorder, Cameron Stuart (Mark Ruffalo) makes the decision to move out of his halfway house and back in with his wife and two free-spirited daughters as he attempts to take responsibility as a father. The resulting film is quirky, funny and touching, all rolled into one.

Bollywatch

Fantastic Four

After cracking inter-universe travel, Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Susan Storm (Kate Mara), Johnny Storm (Michael B Jordan) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) return with strange powers that they must master to counter the threat from a former friend with dangerous powers of his own. With Fantastic Four films released in 2005 and 2007, there are questions

Mr Holmes

MOVIES MOVIESas to whether this reboot was even needed. As a result, this effort lacks action and is unnecessarily dark. Let’s face it, when even the director (Josh Trank) disowns the film on Twitter, you know it’s probably one to avoid.

Vacation

In an attempt to recapture the nostalgia of a childhood trip, Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) decides to drag his family 4,000 miles across America to a fictional theme park called Walley World. What follows is a series of mildly amusing events, each more implausible than the last; from accidental animal slaughter to a death-defying rafting trip. Filled with lavatorial humour and borderline racism at times, Vacation, which is a continuation of the National Lampoon’s Vacation series, has a few jokes hitting the mark but sadly, more of them miss it – by a long way.

ALL IS WELL Umesh Shukla’s family road trip movie promises lashings of humour as it deals with serious social issues, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Abhishek Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak and Asin, who will be hoping for a comeback after a notable absence, all join to star in the film due for release later this month.

In 1947, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) is no longer the prominent detective but rather a semi-reclusive beekeeper enjoying a quiet retirement on the southern English coast.

As he ponders his life, we are thrown back into the past to the case that was to prove his undoing, and a more recent trip to Japan as the former super sleuth slowly learns a lesson in humility.

McKellen brings impressive gravitas to the role. His take on Holmes as a remorseful, melancholy 93-year-old contrasts well with the intense focus of Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal in

the UK television series Sherlock and the energetic flamboyance Robert Downey Jr brought to the character in the 2009 and 2011 films.

Finding a fresh twist on a well-renowned literary figure is no small feat but director Bill Condon has risen to the task.

This film flits between heart-warming and gripping as effortlessly as its lead moves from between being a reclusive beekeeper to a detective, once again, at the height of his powers.

Review by Matt Blackwell

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VOX Cinemas: oman.voxcinemas.comStar Cinema: Tel +968 24791641

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T H E W H AT ’ S O N G U I D E

THIS WEEKA U G - S E P

WHAT TO DO.

WHAT TO SEE.

WHAT TO HEAR.

Release date: Aug 7Label: Aftermath, InterscopeGenre: Hip HopWebsite: drdre.com

After several years of relative silence on the music scene, Dr Dre offers up his latest album, Compton. The record, also known as Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr Dre, is the third and final studio album by the American hip-hop legend. With 16 tracks in total, this album has been long-awaited by fans and we fully recommend a listen.

For all you fun-loving fashionistas, Meena Bazaar 2015 is on its way. A festival full of surprises and shopping with exciting prizes for all the family, Meena Bazaar will showcase the latest Indian, Pakistani and western designer dresses, jewellery, accessories, handicrafts, bed covers, home décor items and much more, all under one roof. The event is at Bahja Hall at the Jungle restaurant in Qurum from 10am-10pm. Entry is free. For details, information or booking of stalls, call +968 9871 3403.

COFFEE MORNINGShare some coffee and cake with members of the Women’s Guild Oman (WGO), who will be holding one of their famous coffee mornings from 10am-noon at Paul’s in MGM. For more details and upcoming events, visit womensguildoman.com

AUG

04

Sept

DR DRE - COMPTON: A SOUNDTRACK BY DR DRE

MUSIC RECOMMENDATION

Shop

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Budding young chefs can get cooking and baking at the National Hospitality Institute (NHI). Classes will be held over six weeks on Thursday afternoons for three hours. These courses cater for groups ged eight to 12 (fee: RO75) and 13-19 (fee: RO95). For details, contact +968 2481 6313 or visit nhioman.com

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SOCIALISE WITH INTERNATIONS

23-27Aug

Ramy Gamal Ahmed IsmailShell Super Mileage Challenge 2015 Winner

*Comparison between a standard fuel and that same standard fuel containing our fuel economy formula. Actual benefits may vary according to vehicle, driving conditions and driving style.

“I am convinced Shell Super is the right fuel for my car and my driving habits.”

Ten years ago, Shell Oman introduced Shell Super with a special formula designed to give extra kilometres at no extra cost. Today, we look back with pride and thank all our customers for their support over the years.

Shell Super is the only petrol in Oman, designed for extra kilometres at no extra cost to the customer. That, along with our friendly service gives you more reason to return to a Shell service station.

www.shelloman.com.om

C.R. No.1/57123/0

For newcomers to Oman, InterNations is holding an evening of socialising, music, food and drinks at Route 66 Oman, Al Qurum Beach Resort. The event starts at 7pm and snacks will be offered between 8.30pm – 9.30pm. Entry is RO5 for basic members and free for Albatross members. For details, log on to internations.org/oman-expats/events

23AUG

CLAY CAMP

21AUG

Looking forward to a happening Friday night in Oman? Then R&B Rewind is the event for you. Join DJ Teddy Jam, who’s coming in from Dubai for a thunderous night of R&B and reggae dance hall at On The Rocks Muscat. Book your ticket now and get 30 per cent off your purchases with your reservation. The party starts at 10pm. Tickets cost RO10 for men and RO5 for women. Party folks, don’t miss this one. For more information, call +968 9798 3333 or visit Titan Entertainment’s Facebook page at facebook.com/titanevents.com

For parents looking for new ways to keep your six to nine-year-olds occupied, why not enrol them in a creative clay camp at the MuscArt gallery in Ghubra? The event runs over five days, from 3-5pm. Children can work on two colourful projects, with mementoes to take home. The camp only has 12 places so hurry before they’re all booked. It costs RO90 (inclusive of all materials). For details, call MuscArt on +968 2449 3912 or visit muscart.net

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As the government continues to encourage more Omanis into the private sector in line with its targets for the nationalisation of the workforce, Y asks whether Omanisation is working. Deeba Hasan and Matt Blackwell report

Harry* held a senior position in a prominent Omani company for five years. His wife was settled in the Sultanate with a large circle of

friends and their four-year-old daughter was born here and had lived her entire life in the country.

The young family had just gone through the contract renewal process and was looking forward to another two years in the country that had become their second home.

Two weeks after the papers were signed, Harry was told that his position was being “Omanised”. Officials from the Ministry of Manpower came in to the office, explaining that his job was being cut, with the workload split between two nationals. His contact would be terminated within three months.

With no effort on his company’s part to save his position or readjust his role to save him from the axe and without a No Objection Certificate (NOC), Harry and his family were forced to leave Oman in a whirlwind, taking all the money they would invest back into the Omani economy with them.

According to the official Omani eGovernment Services Portal, Oman.om, Omanisation is the process of “replacing expatriates with trained Omani personnel” and has been in operation since 1988. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said has underlined the growing need for collective efforts to boost Omanisation, saying he would personally follow up the implementation of the recommendations of the National Manpower Employment Forum.

The result is an initiative that has gathered pace in recent years, as Harry found out first hand. “My position was demoted to lower ranking Omanis, neither of which had the skill set I had,” he tells Y. “What’s more, no Omanis were recruited or

reassigned until I left the company, so they didn’t receive any training or support from the person that had done the job for five years.”

As the push for Omanisation continues, some are asking whether the country’s nationals are ready to shoulder the weight of responsibility that to date, has been shared with the Sultanate’s 1,623,672 population of expatriate workers.

The Ministry of Manpower has set a series of Omanisation targets, with figures differing from one industry to the next, and those companies that meet their prescribed percentage “are published in the local press and

[…] receive preferential treatment in their dealings with the Ministry,” according to Oman.om. While the process has no clear beginning or end, the effects are certainly beginning to be felt.

Kumar is another expat that has suffered at the hands of Omanisation. “I had to leave Oman about a year ago when some top officials started putting more pressure on me at work. Things got worse a couple of months later, and it felt like I was being manipulated into a position where I would ask for my contract not to be renewed. I didn’t do this, and sure enough I was soon asked to leave.”

All Kumar could see was a bleak future, as his family was well settled here. Returning to his home country of India would mean disrupting the lives of his wife and children as well as his own, but he felt powerless to do otherwise.

“We left because we had to,” he says. “We sold some of our belongings but I didn’t know what we would do back in

India. It was an unpleasant experience overall and I later learned that my company hired an Omani in my position soon after I left.”

>

The Cost of

Control

I HAD TO LEAVE OMAN ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN

SOME TOP OFFICIALS STARTED PUTTING MORE

PRESSURE ON ME AT WORK. THINGS GOT WORSE A

COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, AND IT FELT LIKE I WAS BEING MANIPULATED

INTO A POSITION WHERE I WOULD ASK FOR MY CONTRACT NOT TO BE

RENEWED. I DIDN’T DO THIS, AND SURE ENOUGH I WAS

SOON ASKED TO LEAVE.”

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It’s not just lives that are being disrupted by the implementation of this policy; the economy is also at risk of being affected. Weak growth and uncertainty over job security have cast a shadow over Oman’s retail sector during the past 18 months, something that the Oxford Business Group sees as a sign of caution amongst consumers.

In addition to this, the car industry is also feeling the pinch in terms of sales. Oman was the only country in the GCC region to record negative growth in the first half of the year according to HIS Automotive, a provider of global market industry and technical expertise. One senior employee in the field of sales and marketing in Oman, who did not wish to be named, told Y that car sales are down as much as 26 per cent. Although this cannot be directly attributed to Omanisation, the source felt that it played a part in the thinking of expatriates, with consumers reluctant to buy cars, not knowing how much longer they would have a job for.

While ratings agency Fitch warned in April that a continued downturn in oil prices could hit business and consumer confidence, Omanisation fears are certainly a worry in the

minds of some expatriate workers.One such western expat Y spoke to said that

he would be seeing out the remainder of his current contract, but will not be renewing it next year, even if a deal was put on the table.

“Everything I read in the news about Omanisation and the anecdotes I hear from friends don’t fill me with confidence,” he admits. “I have been sending a decent portion of my salary back home each month since I started working in Oman and I am hoping that it will keep me afloat while I get something sorted elsewhere.”

When Y spoke to an official at the Ministry of Manpower about the issue, he attempted to dispel what he felt was a misconception about the process of Omanisation, saying, “The idea of Omanisation is not about Omanis replacing expats in jobs, it’s about training the Omani workforce to be more employable and take up jobs in the private sector. This is something that a lot of Omanis, especially the younger ones, are not doing at the moment.”

With fewer hours than private sector jobs, enviable perks and an impressive salary package, government sector jobs – particularly those in Oman’s ministries – are an attractive

prospect for many Omanis. In 2013, more than 45,000 people applied for 2,317 positions that were made available within various ministries. The government has put a freeze on jobs this year, which is likely to run into 2016.

Figures from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) do show some success, however. Between January 2013 and June 2015, the number of Omanis working in the private sector rose by 13.3 per cent from 181,860 to 206,054. On the flipside though, 60,000 Omanis resigned from the private sector in 2014 alone, with many blaming the pay and lack of incentives.

“I left the company I worked for more than six years as no incentives were given, the salary was not enough and no training was offered,” Ahmad al Batashi told a regional newspaper earlier this month. Al Batashi joined the government sector last July.

The total number of expats in the private sector is declining, falling by 18,788 between January 2013 and June 2015, according to the NCSI. As more Omanis enter the private sector, it is beginning to create a worry for expatriate workers, who have traditionally turned to this sector for employment.

Shamsa al Mahrooqi, 24, is a multimedia student at the Middle East College and currently interning at Y Magazine. Here she shares her thoughts on Omanisation:

As many as 82,000 expatriates working in the private sector left their jobs between January 2013 and May 2014, according to data from the NCSI, with some opting to move on from Oman at the end of their contracts, while others simply abscond. The number of expatriates working in the public sector is also decreasing. In May this year, 59 expatriates left their job but this figure had increased more than 10 times to 694 one month later in June.

“I feel less secure now with my job than five years ago. The recruitment demand is not the way it used to be for expatriates with many Omanis looking for jobs,” one Pakistani surveyor told the local media last week.

Another group of people that are suffering are the graduates. According to statistics from the Ministry of Manpower, more than 25,000 graduates are registered as jobseekers, clearly showing there are not enough jobs to go around. Said, an Indian expatriate, says, “I graduated a few months back from a well reputed college in Oman and have been job hunting since then. I have an very good Grade Point Average [GPA] and have done several internships, so I feel my overall profile is impressive, but there is no job for me because all the jobs for fresh graduates are for Omanis.”

But on the other side of the fence, some of his Omani peers are also experiencing a similar situation and actually view their nationality as in inhibiting factor in their search for employment.

Rami*, a young Omani graduate from a college in Muscat, has been looking for a job for two years now without any success. “I applied everywhere I could and also gave many job interviews but luck doesn’t seem to be on my side,” he says. “Everyone keeps talking about Omanisation and the rise in salaries for Omanis, but where is my share? My GPA is good, I was an active student in college but there is no job for me. Companies don’t want to hire me because they will have to pay me more because I am Omani.”

Back at the Ministry of Manpower, the official says it is certainly not about getting expats out of the country. “Oman needs both Omanis and expats to work on many new projects that are being launched by the government. There are expats specialised in different sectors and we need their expertise until the Omanis are qualified enough to take up such focused jobs.”

So is the axe an inevitability for all expats, bar the ones who work in the low-paid jobs that nationals don’t want?

“Omanisation is not about targeting expats in a negative way, if a company has set their Omanisation target to a certain percentage, they would tell their expat staff that their contract will not be renewed. With the oil crisis going on, many companies have stopped hiring both expats and Omanis and so it’s affecting both of them, not just one.” he adds.

This week the Ministry of Manpower announced that private sector companies have until the end of the year to submit their Omanisation plans for 2016 or face an expatriate recruitment freeze.

Thinking back to his ordeal in Oman, Harry says: “As a family, it was an awful experience. We left our friends, life and home and suddenly found ourselves on the hunt for jobs, and quickly. I was deemed as not necessary anymore and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen like that.”

Luckily for Harry, his extensive experience within his industry meant that he was able to secure another position with a larger company in another GCC country, where the family has been living for that past two years.

Kumar tells Y that the whole time he was in India after leaving Oman he was praying to come back to the region because his family was settled in this part of the world. One year later he was able to secure employment in a Gulf country and life is slowly returning to normal, but nationalisation always casts a long shadow of uncertainty over him

and his family, no matter what country he is in. It seems clear that Omanisation is an ongoing process that will take

time. Oman is straining to become a competitive nation on the world stage, but for this to happen it takes training from a grass roots level and until the time that Omanis are able to take over the reins of control, working hand in hand with expatriates must continue.

As Rami says, “Omanisation sounds good for us, but we need positive results. Of course I am not for unqualified Omanis replacing expats in the field but we need to be turned into skilled professionals before that is done.”

With the current oil situation and fears over Omanisation both poised to effect the economy as expatriates save their money instead of spend it, the long-term plan for the future of the Sultanate’s workforce needs to be well thought out and cannot afford to be rushed.

* Names changed to protect privacy

I HAVE BEEN SENDING A DECENT PORTION OF MY

SALARY BACK HOME EACH MONTH SINCE I STARTED

WORKING IN OMAN AND I AM HOPING THAT IT WILL KEEP ME AFLOAT WHILE I GET SOMETHING SORTED

ELSEWHERE

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I have one more semester to go before I graduate. After this I need to start job hunting. Many of my Omani friends who have graduated from my

college are finding it hard to get jobs, especially in the government sector and I am worried that I will have to face the same thing. I think Omanisation is really a good thing but it still needs to be worked on so that Omanis are trained well and can find jobs.

“A lot of my friends are starting their own businesses from home in their area of expertise, and this is because they are simply not finding jobs. Although I think Omanisation is a good idea, I think the implementation has to be slow and it should be properly planned out so that there is no trouble with the outcome. Also, I do like working in an international environment because I believe that will help me to improve my skills at work, my English and make me more competitive.

“I sometimes feel like the young people should not depend on the government for jobs and income. They need to explore opportunities everywhere by themselves. I have started a small nail art business at home, following the footsteps of some of my friends, because I need to have some backup in case I don’t find work immediately after graduating.

“Again, I would say that the concept of Omanisation is great, but then so many of my friends are still unemployed, even up to four years after graduating. This makes me wonder who is getting the jobs in the name of Omanisation.”

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TIME FOR TRAVELWhether it’s a weekend break or longer trip, it pays to plan ahead to save yourself some serious hassle and money

Summer may be coming to an end and with it those long breaks, but that’s no reason to forget about travelling.

Whether you’re looking to cram in a last minute getaway before the international schools in Oman go back next week or are looking ahead to the Eid Al Adha holiday next month, it’s a good idea to think before you book.

From scheduling when to go and where to head to, smart planning can help you save money and enjoy a stress-free holiday.

Every employee in the Sultanate enjoys an annual leave of 30 days – 2.5 days per month – in addition to national holidays and other occasions so it’s no wonder that the airport in Muscat is so busy with people jetting off whenever they get the chance.

This can be anything from a short hop to Dubai or a long flight to a far-flung destination (popular places for Oman’s residents include Switzerland, Germany, Malaysia and Thailand). Be clever and you could save big on your itinerary from flights to hotels.

“An enjoyable vacation is possible on even the smallest budget, and summer is the perfect time to travel,” says Tom Seddon, chief marketing officer of Extended Stay America.

Try some of the following budget-friendly travel tips to see if it makes a difference to your holiday:

TimingPeople travelling during holidays and long

weekends often experience higher petrol prices, bigger crowds and longer queues. Tom Seddon suggests dodging departures and arrivals during peak travel times to avoid congested roads and stop-and-go traffic.

Save on airfares by leveraging a family member’s business trip. Simply add days to the beginning or end of the trip. Whether visiting relatives, touring colleges or universities or visiting a sibling already enrolled, adding extra time to the trip makes for a budget-friendly family getaway.

StaycationRemember, expensive doesn’t mean more

fun. For a budget-savvy version of vacation, look for shorter trip destinations two to three hours from home. From Oman, you’re looking at places like Jordan, Egypt and India. Even closer to home is Salalah, just an hour’s flight away.

Alternatively, consider nearby attractions that make for an inexpensive weekend or day trip, like theme parks (such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island), attractions (Burj Khalifa in Dubai) and sights (Dhofar has some interesting archeological sites).

Use your time to visit local hotspots you’ve also wanted to experience. The Bimmah Sinkhole is around an hour-and-a-half from Muscat and is great fun for all ages.

Select a hotel that provides a good value for what you need. Unlike a resort hotel where the experience is the hotel, use the hotel as a place to refresh, sleep and prepare snacks, so that you can spend more time experiencing all the local attractions.

Complete errands beforehand and create a full itinerary to ensure you don’t fall into your normal routine. Also, unplugging

yourself and reducing time on tech, means more refreshing time off.

Loyalty rewards programmesMany point-based loyalty programmes

require a significant amount of time and investment before you see any benefit.

Enrol in loyalty programmes that offer instant rewards, coupons, and discounts at national retailers, hire car companies, restaurants, theme parks and more. Programmes like these will provide valuable savings to enhance summer travel.

Meal CostsConsider offsetting costs by pre-making

snacks and picnic lunches. Staying at an extended-stay style hotel can be helpful, as guests have access to in-room kitchens and full size refrigerators. This gives you an opportunity to visit the area’s markets where you can shop for local ingredients and recreate a regional dish on your own.

Still craving a specific restaurant? Lunch menus are usually less expensive than dinner, and you’re more likely to catch happy-hour drink and appetiser specials.

Stay Across the RiverHotel accommodation can be pricey in

big cities. Stay across the river or in suburbs a short drive or subway trip away. The same concept can be extended to flights. Flying into a smaller airport or neighbouring cities sometimes yields lower rates.

* For more budget travel tips and ideas, visit extendedstayamerica.com

* StatePoint

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FOOD

DRINKAND

T r e n d N e w R e s t a u r a n t R e v i e w s

FABULOUS FIGSPacked full of fibre and nutrients, no wonder these little fruits are

some of the healthiest around.

N e w sT R E N D N e w R e s t a u r a n t

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Not only good for you, figs are also versatile and grown right here in Oman

N ext time you’re in the supermarket, take a wander down the fruit section and put a handful of fresh figs into your shopping basket.

These wonder tree fruits may be small but they pack a big punch in terms of flavour and goodness, and are positively bursting with fibre and essential nutrients such as Vitamin B6.

The Grand Hyatt Muscat hotel has been celebrating the humble little fruit throughout the month of August with all manner of fig-inspired desserts on the pastry trolley every day at its Sirj Tea Lounge in the lobby.

Dried figs are available throughout the year but there’s nothing like the taste and texture of fresh figs, with their lusciously sweet and chewy dark flesh and smooth skin.

“It’s a fruit that’s revered among the food cognoscenti and among Old World Italian and Mediterranean types,” says cookbook author and culinary arts teacher Robert Wemischner.

Figs, which grow on the ficus tree, are believed to have first been cultivated in Egypt. Now they are produced in Oman, counting as one of our national fruits along with the more renowned dates and pomegranates (which are grown on the slopes of Jebel Akhdar), so are easily accessible during the summer season.

You can even have a go at growing your own figs in your garden or outside space. Try a pot on your balcony or terrace.

What marks them out is their versatility, making a great ingredient for savoury or sweet dishes, adding a distinctive, nutty flavour. Figs can liven up Middle Eastern-inspired tagines, make great desserts, cookies and cakes, act as a perfect accompaniment to crumbly cheese or simply be enjoyed on their own.

You can stuff them, bake them, boil them and grill them. Or blend them into a fig smoothie.

Wemischner prefers the savoury use of figs and say they are best eaten “with the sun still on them” fresh off the tree, within a day or two of being picked, having never seen the inside of a refrigerator.

Figs also have numerous health benefits. Results of a study carried out by a team of researchers, including three from Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, was published in March this year. It suggested figs grown in Oman could help to improve memory, anxiety and learning skills, and could also be useful for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

FIG-TASTIC

FOODChef Scheihings world-famous lamb and fig tagineA succulent Moroccan-inspired dish.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:§ 500g lamb shoulder, cubed or on the bone§ 1 onion, sliced§ 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped§ 1 tbsp dried mint§ 1 container of spice mix§ 1/4 cup runny honey (Omani honey is good)§ 1/4 cup coriander, chopped§ 10-12 dried figs§ Salt and pepper to taste

Method:§ Toss the lamb in half the spice mix to coat well. In a heavy bottom pot, bring some olive oil to the smoke point, add the lamb and brown well on all sides, remove and set aside. § Add the onions and garlic to the pot, saute for 10 mins or until soft but not browned, add the remaining spice and cool until it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. § Add 2 cups of water or stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the spice. Return lamb to the pot along with dried figs, mint, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 1.5 hours or until the lamb is tender. Remove lid and add the honey, cook for an additional 30 minutes. § Stir in coriander, adjust seasoning and serve in a tagine over couscous.

Source: Cuisine Magazine NZ

Other reasons to be a fig fan are:

Helps lower high blood pressureFigs are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps to control blood pressure.

A sweet way to lose weightFigs are satisfying fruits and rich in fibre. They help to fill you up. They’re also a

good low-calorie snack – containing just 47 calories per large fig – and can form part of a calorie-controlled diet.Insulin lowering

Fig leaves are not only edible but also provide anti-diabetic properties by lowering the amount of insulin the body requires.Good for the heart

Again it’s those fig leaves, which, in studies, have been shown to lower levels of fat circulating in the bloodstream.

Get stuck into figs with this tasty savoury dish

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Don’t let their website deceive you. Caribarawak’s location is listed as Wadi Kabir, but when I rang up to confirm I was told, with a chuckle that

embodied the laid-back Caribbean outlook on life, that the map was wrong and they’re actually on the other side of Muscat, in Al Khoudh.

Making the trip to Oman’s first Caribbean restaurant on a Thursday night, I was struck by the odd choice of location. Some way removed from the bright lights of Muscat, close to an Al Maha petrol station and adjoining some hotel apartments is Caribarawak; blink and you’ll miss it. In fact, we did.

A small U-turn rectified things and we arrived. What you see is really what you get with Caribarawak; the restaurant is small and square in shape, with no hidden sections or alcoves. We were given a friendly welcome by manager, chef and waiter, who were chatting at the till and although we were the only diners, we didn’t quite have the pick of the tables as a large section had been reserved for a birthday celebration later in the evening.

A smiling waiter soon brought over the menus, along with two bottles of water, a pair of tropical fruit punches and a small dish of homemade crisps with dips, all on the house.

At only three pages long, the menu is not extensive, but then sometimes this can be a good thing. I find that leafing through a menu with pages and pages of options can often be a daunting and overwhelming task, whereas

each item on offer at Caribarawak sounded mouthwatering, from the curried goat to the fried baby shark.

Seafood dominated our starter selection, with my dining partner, Niki, opting for the Bajan fish cakes while I settled on the spicy prawns. Shortly after taking our order, the waiter returned to ask just how spicy I wanted them, medium or “very spicy”. Being a chili fiend, I of course went with the latter, but it was considerate of him to offer me the choice.

Sure enough, the meaty marinated prawns certainly were “very spicy”; smothered in a chunky salsa-like sauce, they left a pleasant tingle on the lips. The fish cakes also went down well, and with six fried balls arranged on a long plate, the portion size was very generous. The only drawback was that they were slightly doughy but that didn’t stop us from wolfing down every last one.

While I would say that my starter was the favourite of the two, Niki had certainly made the right choice with her main, the curry goat. Made to a Jamaican recipe, the goat was slowly stewed in herbs and spices until it was so tender that it slid off the bone. Served in a small iron pot, it also looked as great as it tasted.

My Bajan rice and peas came with two grilled chicken breasts and while it may not have looked quite as interesting as the curry, I cut into the chicken to find it stuffed with herbs and spices, which helped to moisten what would’ve otherwise been a potentially dry dish.

The chef even wandered out from the kitchen halfway through our meal to ask our opinions on his food and check that everything was okay. A really nice touch, I thought, and an opportunity to tell him how much we were enjoying ourselves.

With cassava, Bajan coconuts and banana bread all making an appearance on the dessert menu, we were tempted but ultimately admitted defeat, blaming the large portions of both starters and mains.

What I loved about Caribarawak was that whatever the staff were doing, whether it was replacing the cutlery on our table or bringing drinks, they did it with a laugh and a smile. It was the little things that added up to a lot in my eyes, such as when the waiter immediately came over to turn the air conditioning down a few degrees when he saw Niki reaching for her scarf and offering to attempt making a plantain split for dessert when it was revealed I’m not too keen on bananas.

When it was time to leave, I didn’t want to go. The chef waved us out from the open kitchen and I found myself promising to come back soon, as if I were saying a temporary farewell to some dear family member or old friends. And that’s exactly how I want to feel when I leave a restaurant from now on but I don’t know if anywhere else in Muscat will measure up to the warm Caribbean welcome on offer at Caribarawak.

Do you have a favourite restaurant that you’d like to see reviewed? Let Y know at editor@y-oman.com

T r e n d N e w R e s t a u r a n tFOOD

DRINKAND R E V I E W S

A TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN

Info BoxCARIBARAWAK

Opposite SQU campus, Al Khoudh

Tel: +968 2444 3880Opening Hours: Daily from

7.30am to 11pmDinner and drinks for two:

RO17.6

Verdict :9 / 10 Service

8 / 10 Food 7 / 10 Ambience

Small but perfectly formed

Y Magazine reviews anonymously and pays for its meals

MID

MARKET

IT MAY BE WAY OUT IN THE STICKS AND A LITTLE HARD TO PRONOUNCE, BUT CARIBARAWAK IS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT, FINDS MATT BLACKWELL

STAYC O N N E C T E DW i t h

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HEALTH&BEAUTY

H e a l t h B e a u t y FA S H I O N

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FEELING BLUENavy is the stand-out shade

of autumn. Mix it with neutrals or match it head to toe for a look that’s seriously stylish. I

love the simplicity of this retro-inspired dress from online

company La Redoute. It’s so French, sophisticated and

versatile. Je l’aime beaucoup.

A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 3 0 3 3

NAVY SEALIs blue the new black? It’s less harsh, and carries an air of serious sophistication for work, rest or play, says Penny Fray

1. If price per wear, and sustainability issues injure your conscience then shopping for navy is a helpful antidote. Buy blue well and it will last and last. 2. It’s a fashion myth that you can’t wear navy with darker neutrals such as black, grey or brown. Just consider combining pieces with different textures to keep dull shades from bleeding together. 3. Fashion’s focus on florals continues to flourish well into autumn. Buy navy- based blooms to be bang on trend. BETTER BUY

If owning more than a dozen items of clothing was suddenly banned or, more realistically, I only had space in my weekend bag for a couple of work outfits, then top of the list would be a navy

frock followed closely by a pair of denim jeans and a classic blue blazer.

Elegant, dramatic and directional. Navy offers all those things and more. Versatile and trans-seasonal, it can be dressed up or down and goes with virtually any other colour. But while the heat’s still on, you’re best pairing it with white or pink.

Oh, and before I go did I mention it’s more forgiving than black on tired faces? Need I say more? Thought not.

Inject your look with a bit of easy glamour with this weave and sparkle necklace from Very. It can be adjusted to suit everything from tees to plunging necklines. From RO13.5

Who cares that the skinny has been trumped by the flared jean this autumn? Slim-fitting denim remains a wardrobe essential. This Vero Moda pair at Get the Label is a bargain at RO9

Front-row fashionistas are swapping black for

blue as the colour to show chic. Here’s why:

Tom Ford’s midnight-blue, velvet blazer is a sophisticated alternative to

your classic tuxedo jacket. Flawlessly tailored for the perfect slim fit, it’s the ultimate investment buy to pass down to your most worthy daughter. Wear yours with flared denims or culottes. From RO840

Derek Lam’s black, navy and white colour-block dress is crafted from smooth silk-georgette. Cut with a flattering wrap-effect front, this fluid design has a detachable leather belt to define your waist. Team it with ankle boots and a simple shoulder bag. From RO535 at Net-a-Porter.

Mango’s suede ankle boot will never date. Wear yours with a bare leg and knee-length dress for bonus fashion points. From RO48

Leave it to Zara to cleverly reinvent the classic shopping tote. This bag is big enough

to carry everything but the kitchen sink. From

RO18.5

HEALTH&BEAUTY

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B E A U T Y H e a l t h F a s h i o n

Problem: Dark Circles

Dark circles are a problem most women have. Besides trying to get your nine hours of uninterrupted beauty sleep, drinking the daily recommended intake of water and eating well, there are some makeup tricks that can hide dark circles in a jiffy.

Generally, dark circles are blue or brown-based in colour, so after applying foundation use an orange colour corrector and apply a tiny amount on top of the dark area evenly. The orange will cancel out the darkness of the under eye. Then, use a yellow undertone concealer on top to brighten it up. Choose a full-coverage liquid concealer for best results.

SPOTONLet’s be honest, filters and skin-editing apps are great for

photos, but every woman has more than one skin issue she wants to hide in real life. Achieving perfect skin is a struggle and there are common skin issues we all deal with, according to the makeup artist Nilo Haq, who is based in

the Middle East. It’s most important to feel comfortable in the skin you are in, and makeup almost always helps. Here Nilo, Pond’s Arabia brand ambassador, reveals common skin issues and how to deal with them using makeup:

Learn some clever makeup tricks to conceal bad skin days

Problem: Pimples

An unwanted spot can be one of the worst things to wake up to. Hide an eruption easily by dabbing it with a green colour corrector to cancel out the redness. Then, apply a pink undertone concealer on top. Lastly, set the pimple immediately with a powder to keep the concealer in place and to make the zit seem like it was never there.

Problem: Large Pores

Large pores can be annoying. The trick to make them appear less obvious is to keep your makeup as matte as possible. Start off by using a silicon-based face primer to smooth out your skin and help make open pores less obvious. Then, use a matte foundation on top and set it

with a powder to make skin look as smooth and pore-less as possible. Try to stay away from highlighters, glitter or shine as these enhance the open pores further.

Problem: Dry & Flaky Skin

Dry and flaky skin can be difficult to work with foundation. Dry skin has a tendency to wrinkle and crack with foundation on top, making it look a mess. Avoid this common skin issue by ensuring you exfoliate regularly. Exfoliating is the best way to get rid of the dead cells sitting on top of your skin and will help allow the new, fresh skin to come through. Also try to incorporate a cleansing brush into your skincare ritual as these brushes are great for helping to exfoliate skin.

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B e a u t y H E A LT H F a s h i o n

Muscat is fast becoming a futuristic fitness fanatics’ paradise, and blazing a trail is The Wellness Centre. It only opened two weeks ago but it’s already drawing the crowds.

The centre’s manager, Garry Hunt, has 30 years’ experience in the fitness industry. He scoured several trade shows and conventions before coming to Oman to seek out the next big trends in fitness, and to bring them all together under one roof.

The result is something unique not only to the Middle East but also to the world. Here we look at how Muscat is being put firmly on the fitness map.

Ice Cold Cryotherapy has been big news in the world of professional sports

for a few years now but it’s starting to become available to us mortals as well. Cryotherapy is a method of using liquid nitrogen to cool the top three millimetres of the skin, taking blood away from the extremities of the body and driving it to the core. The chamber is cooled to minus 110 degrees, and three minutes spent inside can have a positive effect for those with arthritis and other medical conditions. It also stimulates the general nervous system and can assist in muscle and tissue damage recovery.

What the expert says:“We heard of the effects on certain conditions and we understood

that it was something unique for Oman. You get a great feeling of well-being afterwards and it’s great for the skin because of the flushing of the system. We will also be bringing over a local cryotherapy unit that can be used on the face and isolated parts of the body or wherever people feel they need the skin rejuvenating.” – Garry Hunt, general manager

Lights Out When the main lights go down in the Prama room, it looks like a

scene straight out of the movie Tron. Spots and strips of neon light from LED-enriched stations puncture the dimness in this space specially designed for performance and functional training.

Billed as the ultimate fitness experience, Prama uses interactive combinations of touch-sensitive pads on the floor and walls to give users a unique and fun workout. With a fully integrated electronic system that controls lighting, music and the type of exercise being carried out, the trainers can adjust the difficulty of the classes so that they are accessible to all.

What the expert says:“No one has seen anything like this in Oman so it’s very exciting and the

classes have been incredibly popular. This is my favourite room to do group classes in as they’re always so much fun and the members really love it. Group training is always interactive and everyone works together.” – Moussa al Harthi, personal trainer

The Digital RevolutionThe world is going increasingly digital and the fitness industry is coming up

with some innovative creations that allow you to take a more scientific approach to working out.

The Artis collection from Technogym contains some of the most advanced gym equipment available, allowing users to scan QR codes on the machines and sync pre-designed workouts set by the individual or a personal trainer through the accompanying app. The app also logs exercise, and provides information on which muscles are engaged, as there are videos demonstrating the correct technique.

The MyZone system uses a module strapped to your chest to transmit live data to a screen on the wall detailing your effort percentage based on your maximum heart rate.

Indoor cycle training has also been taken to the next level thanks to Spivi, a system that projects a digital version of your cycling self on a screen, with other participants also visible on the road. This allows you to compete against one another in a fun and safe environment.

What the expert says:“In the modern day it’s what people expect. They expect to have an app for

things and to be able to download their workouts and monitor progression. We want to engage members and keep them engaged. We looked at what would be cutting edge, what would be futuristic and what would keep people enthusiastic about working out.” – Garry Hunt, general manager

The Wellness Centre is located on the top floor of The Walk at The Wave, Muscat. For more information, go to wave-wellness.com

Y gives you a glimpse into the future of fitness available right here in Muscat

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GET YOUR FREE COPY OF Y AT THE FOLLOWING DISTRIBUTION POINTS…Capital RegionAzaiba• Amara

Dermatology Clinic• Audi showroom• Bentley showroom• Costa Coffee• Al Fair• Jaguar Showroom • Jeep Showroom• Al Maha Petrol

Station• Mazda showroom• McDonald’s• Mitsubishi

Showroom• Oman Arab Bank• Oman Oil Petrol

Station• Peugeot

Showroom• Range Rover

Showroom• Sayarti Auto Care• Shell Select• Skoda Showroom• The Sultan Center• Volkswagen

showroom• Volvo Showroom• Yamaha ShowroomBawshar• College of Banking

and Financial Studies

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of Business and Science

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• Oman Medical College

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Hypermarket• Alizz Islamic Bank• Bahwan Travel

Agencies• Bank Sohar• Copper Chimney

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RestaurantDarsait• Indian Social Club

• Khimji’s Mart• KIMS Oman

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Restaurant• Kamat Restaurant • Toshiba ShowroomGhubra• Al Hayat

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• Al Maya Hypermarket

• Bank of Beirut• Costa Coffee• Crêpe Café• GMC Showroom• LuLu Hypermarket• Moka & More • Oman Oil Petrol

Station• Park Inn• Porsche Showroom• Al Raffah Hospital• Stationery Hut• The Chedi MuscatAl Hail• Burger King• Caledonian College

of Engineering• Markaz Al Bahja

Mall• McDonald’s• Omantel• Starcare HospitalAl Khoudh• Al Fair• Badr Al Samaa

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Hospital• Bait Al Reem Mall• Caffè Vergnano • Centrepoint

(Splash)• Diplomatic Club• Grand Hyatt

Muscat • Harley-Davidson

Showroom• HSBC • KFC• Khimji’s Mart• Khimji’s Watches• KM Trading• Landmark Group• McDonald’s

• Muscat Bakery• Oman Bowling

Center• Oman Oil Petrol

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Insurance• Omran• Pizza Hut• Radisson Blu• Shell Petrol Station• TGI Friday’s • The Great Kabab

Factory• The Tikka Place• Zahara Travel• Zakher MallMabela• Gulf College OmanMawalah• Chili’s Restaurant• Costa Coffee• Al Makan Café• The Noodle House• Starbucks• Tim Hortons• VLCC WellnessMBD• Bank Dhofar• Centrepoint

(Splash)• Khimji’s Mart• NBO• Oman Oil Petrol

Station• Pizza Hut• Pizza Muscat• Shell Petrol StationMGM• Caribou Coffee• Gloria Jean’s

Coffees• Just Falafel • Ooredoo• Paul • Tim HortonsAl Mina• Bait Al Baranda • Bait Al Zubair MQ• Al Fair• Arab Open

University• British Council • Costa Coffee• D’Arcy’s Kitchen• Hana’s Slimming &

Skincare Centre• Kargeen Caffe• KFC• MacKenzies Café

& Deli• Mood Café• Oman Oil Petrol

Station• Papa John’s Pizza

• Pizza Hut• Saharz Beauty

Salon• StarbucksAl Murtafa’a• Bank Muscat• KFC• Muscat Hills Golf &

Country ClubMuscat International Airport• Caribou Coffee• Majan Lounge• Plaza Premium

LoungeMussanah• Millennium ResortMuttrah• Shell Petrol StationQantab• Al Bustan Palace • Marina Bandar Al

Rowdha• Oman Dive Center• Shangri-La Qurum• Al Araimi Complex• Balance Health &

Fitness • Bank Nizwa• BMW showroom • Burger King• Chili’s Restaurant• Crowne Plaza • Finland Eye Center• Fun Zone• Gloria Jean’s

Coffees• The Jungle

Restaurant• Left Bank• McDonald’s• Mercedes-Benz

Showroom• Mumtaz Mahal

Restaurant• Nandos• Nissan Showroom• Oman Oil Petrol

Station• Pizza Hut• Qurum

Commercial Complex

• Ras Al Hamra Club• SABCO Centre• Second Cup• Starbucks• The Sultan Center• Tche Tche Café Rusayl• Knowledge Oasis

Muscat -1• Knowledge Oasis

Muscat -2• Knowledge Oasis

Muscat -3• Knowledge Oasis

Muscat -4 (ITA)• Middle East

College• Omantel• Waljat College of

Applied Sciences Ruwi• Apollo Medical

Centre• Kamat Restaurant • KFC• Khimji’s Mega

Store – Swarovski Showroom

• Khimji’s Watches • KM Trading• Oman Air• Oman UAE

Exchange• Oman Trading

Establishment • Saravana BhavanSarooj• Al Fair• Al Masa Mall• City Cinema • Ayana Spa• Cosmeclic• Emirates Medical

Center• McDonald’s• Shell Petrol Station• VLCC WellnessSawadi• Al Sawadi Beach

ResortSeeb• Golden Tulip Hotel• McDonald’sShatti Al Qurum• Bareeq Al Shatti

Complex• Caribou Coffee• D’Arcy’s Kitchen• German Eye

Centre• The Indus

Restaurant• InterContinental

Hotel Muscat• Jawharat Al Shatti

Complex• Kaya Skin Clinic• Muscat Eye Laser

Center• Oasis By The Sea• Second Cup • Starbucks• VLCC WellnessSifah• Sifawy Boutique

HotelSQU• Diplomatic Club

• College of Economics and Political Science

• Students Banking Area

• Reception/CanteenWadi Kabir• Al Maya

Hypermarket• LuLu Hypermarket• Muscat Pharmacy • National

Hospitality Institute

• Pizza Hut • Shell Petrol StationWattayah• Ahli Bank• Best cars• BLS International

Services• Chevorlet/GM

showroom• Ford Showroom• Hatat House• Honda Showroom • Hyundai showroom• Kia Showroom • Lexus Showroom• National Travel &

Tourism • Passage To India

Restaurant• Shell Petrol Station• Subaru showroom• Suzuki Showroom• Toyota ShowroomThe Wave• Almouj Golf • Costa Coffee• Oman Sail • Shakespeare & Co.• The Wave Head

Office

Other RegionsBarka• Al Nahda Spa and

Resort• LuLu HypermarketNizwa• University of

NizwaSohar• Centrepoint

(Splash)• Crowne Plaza• National Gift

Markets• Ooredoo• Pizza Hut• Safeer Mall• Sohar Beach Hotel• Sohar Port and

Freezone• Sohar University

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P o s t c a r d s f r o m O u t d o o r s Y - F i

CARS ANDADVENTURES SMOOTH STONES

Hours can be spent sifting through stones of every shape, size and colour on a visit

to Oman’s Pebble Beach.

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CARS ANDOUTDOORS

D E S T I N A T I O N P o s t c a r d s f r o m Y - F i O u t d o o r s CARS ANDADVENTURES

Destination

PEBBLE BEACHBOASTING SPECTACULAR VIEWS AND CRYSTAL-CLEAR WATER,

PEBBLE BEACH TYPIFIES OMAN, WITH SEA, SAND AND MOUNTAINS, FIND SHAQUEL AL BALUSHI AND SHAMSA AL MAHROOQI

D E S T I N A T I O N P o s t c a r d s f r o m Y - F i O u t d o o r s

About 150km south of Muscat, a sweep of aquamarine water combined with a vast

tract of pebble beach suddenly came into my view.

It was not my first time here. Years ago, when driving back from Sur, I found the place by accident, much to the amusement of my travel companions. We spent a pleasant few hours there and then forgot all about it.

Last weekend however, I dug deep into the memory bank and headed back to this gem of a spot that had so delighted me back then.

This time, I was accompanied by Shamsa al Mahrooqi, Y’s intern, who was keen to take some photographs. We left Amerat at around 8am and reached the pebble beach close to Wadi Shab almost three hours later, having stopped a few times to ask for directions. It seemed that no-one actually knew exactly where it was.

Make sure you’re alert and on the lookout, as when you pass the Wadi Shab resort, there is an exit that you must take. It’s almost a U-turn and before you head to the resort, there is a right turn signposted “Shab”, which you should take.

At the beach, we saw a vast array of smooth pebbles in almost all the shapes, sizes and colours you could imagine. One little piece coral reminded me of the The Scream, the famous piece of modern art painted by Edvard Munch, and we brought it back to the office as a souvenir.

There are myriad opportunities for photographs, but a large rock carved into layers caught my eye in particular. This tells you that the water does rise considerably at times, probably when it rains.

There was no one on the beach at that point, I’m guessing because of the heat, but the crystal clear waters would be ideal for swimming and snorkelling in and it was also a lot cleaner and quieter than the beaches closer to the capital. We also noticed a lot of fish but there

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From Muscat, follow Route 17 all the way down, as if you were visiting Wadi Shab. Exit soon after the Wadi Shab Resort and follow the road signs for “Shab”. The beach should be easily visible.

GPS location of Pebble Beach: N22° 50’ 40” E59° 14’ 32”TRAV

EL G

UIDE

were no fishermen around, again possibly due to the heat. It would make sense to visit the beach during the cooler months because then it would be idyllic. You can even lie on the pebbles, as I did. I’ve heard it’s good for relieving back pain.

Considering the heat, I decided to take a dip to cool off while Shamsa went off to click a few shutters. There was certainly plenty to keep her busy.

When she got back, Shamsa told me about some very dark pebbles she saw. We returned to the spot to take a closer look at them and concluded that they were probably used to cook food. They looked as if they had been used for “madhbi” or stone cooking, in which slices of meat are roasted on hot stones with burning coal underneath, a style traditionally used in the Ash Sharqiyah region.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay there for more than two hours because of the intense heat. While I recommend that people visit this beach in the cooler season, divers, snorkellers and other strong swimmers could definitely still enjoy it during the summer as well, as a dip in the turquoise waters is a great way to cool off while exploring the riches this area offers.

HOW TO GET THERE

CARS ANDOUTDOORSCARS ANDADVENTURES

A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 30 4 0

It’s fast, furious and fun. Volleyball

is growing in Muscat and Kate

Ginn hangs out with the local Filipino club

Photos: Shaquel al Balushi

Under the glare of spotlights on a Friday night heavy with

humidity, a ball flies through the air propelled from someone’s

hand. The shouts coming from the court can be heard above

the drone of traffic from the busy Sultan Qaboos Highway not

far away and the cheers from spectators watching from the sidelines.

On court, the players are wearing an assortment of outfits, not

necessarily matching and often clashing with their teammates, while to

the side, food is being prepared and dished up (green rice buns stuffed

with cheese and sweet spaghetti) and a running commentary from the

game booms out from a makeshift tannoy.

Welcome to volleyball Filipino style.

A massively popular sport in the Philippines – along with basketball,

boxing, football and billiards – it’s now building quite a following among

the Filipino expat community in Muscat.

Coming off the court, Elmer Baron bounds over with his vest top

plastered to his body with sweat and a huge smile plastered on his face.

This exuberance and passion is mirrored by all the players who have

turned out for the one-night tournament to celebrate the first anniversary

of the Filipino Volleyball Club in Muscat (FVCM).

“I just love the focus and motivation of the sport, says Elmer

enthusiastically. “It’s also instills qualities in you, such as leadership and teamwork, that

can be used in your professional and personal life. Volleyball has a lot to

give you in so many ways.”

But the sport is more than just a game to the people battling it out on

the rubber court that the club pays RO20 an hour to rent; it’s actually a

lifeline for many.“When you move overseas and leave home, you can become

marginalised and isolated,” says Elmer, who works as an occupational

therapist in Muscat and has been living in Oman for 10 years.

“Our club offers a sense of belonging, nostalgia and a way to help with

homesickness. When you are playing, you tend to forget your worries and

that you are far from home.

“Our club, which now has nearly 180 members, is not just about the

game of volleyball; it’s a social network and community.”

Among the members are male and female Filipino domestic workers,

nurses, beauty salon staff and managers who have made a new life in

Oman, often leaving children and family behind. Volleyball gives them

meaning, friendship and camaraderie.

It’s clear, though, from watching the action

unfold on court that club members take the game

seriously. Usually, they meet for casual workouts

but tonight it’s a tournament with trophies, and

teams battling against each other to win.

The sound of the “thwack” when someone

hits or “spikes” (one of the most potent moves in

volleyball), is incredibly loud. Up close, the raw

power and skill needed is evident, both for men

and women.Physically exerting, you need to be fit to cope

with the punishing three or five sets of up to 45

minutes each although substitutions are allowed.

You also need to be quick-thinking and quick on

your feet.

“I’ve been playing the game since elementary school and I love it; it’s

pure adrenaline,” says one woman, who is known as JR. At 48, she is fast on

court and as competitive as the younger players.

“We started off playing in Oman with friends and it just grew. I enjoy the

togetherness of it all. We all become friends; we sweat and laugh and play

and have fun together.”

She says it’s also a great stress relief for her busy job, working with the

United Nations in Oman.Among her teammates are novices and the more

experienced, including Kristine Levanza, who was once

a member of the national volleyball team back in the

Philippines before she concentrated on medical studies.

Her talent is obvious as she leaps gracefully into the air, to

smash the ball across the net to score a point.

“I’ve only been in Oman a few months and before in my

downtime, I was just sitting at home. Then someone told

me about the club and introduced me. It’s fantastic,” she

says.According to Kristine, the essence of volleyball is how

you play the game, not how you win. It’s a team effort and

everyone plays a part.

“I’m happy to have found a community of people

who I belong to,” says Kristine. “There’s a real sense

of belonging here and it’s really important for overseas

workers to have that. I can now say that I have family in Oman.”

● The Filipino Volleyball Club

in Muscat meets casually most

Saturday evenings and once in

the week. ● You must be a member to

play but it costs just RO2 for

two years to join.● Search for “Filipino Volleyball

Club in Muscat” on Facebook

for more information.

A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 3 0 4 1

● Originated in 1895 in USA by William G Morgan, who

blended basketball, baseball, tennis and handball

● An Olympic sport since 1964

● 800 million players worldwide

● Six players for each side on court at one time

● Volleyball court is 9.1 metres wide and 18.2 metres

feet long and the net is between 2.42 metres and

2.23 metres high● Ball is synthetic or leather and weighs between

260-280 grams● Idea is to get the ball over the net and onto the

ground (a score)● A team can only have three contacts with the ball

during each possession. Ideal sequence is a pass, a

set and a hit (or bump, set and spike)

● No player can make contact with the ball twice

in succession● Teams could only score a point when serving but

this has changed and a point is now scored on

every rally● Matches are usually played as the best of five sets,

the first four sets to 25 points and the last one

to 15 points

P o s t c a r d s f r o m Y - F i

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TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO:1. Climb The Leaning Tower of Pisa.2. Embrace the excitement of Siena’s Palio.3. Stroll the streets of San Gimignano.4. See the Renaissance art and architecture of Florence.5. Sample the region’s delicacies, from olive oil, truffles and fine grapes to exceptional pasta and pizza.

TERRIFIC TUSCANYThe rolling hills and fields

of Tuscany make for a beautiful backdrop to your holiday. Stays at

remote farmhouses can be organised to get the most authentic Italian experience possible.

CARS ANDADVENTURES

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P O S T C A R D S F R O MD e s t i n a t i o n O u t d o o r s Y - F i

My favourite place The Leaning Tower of Pisa brings tourists from afar to this breathtaking, iconic structure. The city’s free-standing belltower construction started in 1173 but this was abandoned shortly after the third tier was fixed because it started to lean. Despite restoration work throughout the 1990s, the architectural defect currently leans at around 4 degrees, and thus the top of the building is off-balance by approximately 3.9m horizontally from its centre. The tower stands 55.86 metres from the ground on the low side and 56.67m on the high side. Before long I was climbing the 296 slippery stone steps to the top where it was exhilarating to feel a swaying sensation as I gazed out over the verdant valleys. It really was sight-seeing from a different angle!

Highlights Siena’s Piazza del Campo is a square lying on an old Roman marketplace, which captures magnificent Gothic and Renaissance architecture. But for me, the real buzz and popularity of Il Campo comes just twice a year, on July 2 and August 16: Il Palio. The Palio is a thrillingly dangerous and exciting traditional horse-racing event, in which 10 jockeys ride horses bareback around the perimeter of the Piazza del Campo. Packed dirt is laid into the ground to help the horses underfoot but the race is often risky; it is not uncommon for the winning steed – or any other of the nine horses for that matter – to cross the finish line without their rider. Not for the faint-hearted but definitely not one to miss.

Lowlights With the area being so vast and with so much to do and see, this is not an ideal location for a short break. Tuscany requires time to venture out, as well as the ability to travel – most easily by car – to appreciate it fully. Without sufficient time to explore, your Tuscan visit may be limited. Souvenirs The reputation of Italian cuisine combined with the local produce should tantalise your taste buds. As you drive through winding mountain roads, look for little handwritten signs directing you to homes brewing olive oil for you to sample. The Tuscan truffles – another rich delicacy – will also add incredible flavour to many dishes. But my abiding memory is the best, thinnest and crispiest pizza I have ever had, which came from a tiny, family-run restaurant in a Cortona sidestreet. The intriguing flavours of the pear, walnut and ricotta salata toppings just wowed my senses.

Where to stay I wanted somewhere out in the open, around the local farmland that is integral to Italian traditions, and which was not crowded with tourists. Agriturismo (agriturismo.it) provides the perfect guide to finding a range of farmhouses and countryside villas, some of which have swimming pools. As long as you have the use of a car, these can be found in the heart of the region while offering accessibility to other Tuscan destinations. However, if you find yourself short on time or are hoping for a little more luxury, then staying in a hotel in Florence or Siena may be more worthwhile. From these cities, you will be able to organise guides, day trips and excursions to the region’s more remote locations.

TUSCANY, ITALYNichola Holgate-Smith recommends

L o c a t e d i n n o r t h - w e s t I t a l y , a n d c o v e r i n g a n a r e a o f m o r e t h a n 2 0 , 0 0 0 s q u a r e k i l o m e t r e s , T u s c a n y i s s i m p l y t e e m i n g w i t h n a t u r a l , h i s t o r i c a l b e a u t y , a n d r e e k s o f c u l t u r e , a r t a n d c u i s i n e .

O n e m i n u t e , y o u c a n r e l i s h t h e r e g i o n ’ s r o l l i n g h i l l - t o p s l a c e d w i t h o l i v e g r o v e s , l e m o n t r e e s a n d g r a p e v i n e s i n C h i a n t i ’ s C a s t e l l i n a ; t h e n e x t y o u c a n g e t l o s t i n l a b y r i n t h s o f n a r r o w s i d e - s t r e e t s i n S i e n a , A r e z z o , P i s a , L u c c a , P i s t o i a a n d S a n V i n c e n z o . T h e a w e - i n s p i r i n g a r c h i t e c t u r e o f C a t h o l i c c a t h e d r a l s ( d u o m o s ) , m o n a s t e r i e s , p a l a c e s a n d g a l l e r i e s w i l l k e e p y o u b u s y fo r h o u r s .

T h e n , y o u c a n t a k e a b r e a t h e r a n d s a m p l e a g e l a t o , e s p r e s s o o r a p e r i t i v o . T h e r e g i o n ’ s c a p i t a l , F l o r e n c e , i s s i m p l y u n m i s s a b l e . T h e c i t y b o a s t s s o m e o f t h e w o r l d ’ s g r e a t e s t w o r k s o f a r t i n c l u d i n g M i c h e l a n g e l o ’ s D a v i d s c u l p t u r e i n t h e G a l l e r i a d e l l ’ A c c a d e m i a . T h e U ff i z i G a l l e r y i s o n e o f t h e o l d e s t m u s e u m s i n t h e w o r l d , a n d i t s t r e a s u r e s a r e w o r t h w a i t i n g i n a l o n g q u e u e fo r . A m a g n i f i c e n t p a n o r a m a o f t h e c i t y c a n a l s o b e s a v o u r e d f r o m b o t h t h e P i a z z a l e M i c h e l a n g e l o a n d t h e D u o m o d i F i r e n z e ( F l o r e n c e c a t h e d r a l ) .

PALIO DI SIENA

THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA

AN ANCIENT ALLEY IN SAN GIMIGNANO

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-FIT H E T E C H I N Y O U

Y - F IP o s t c a r d s f r o m D e s t i n a t i o n

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TRAVEL TECH

EDITO

R’S PI

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IN THE FRAME IT’S AN EXCITING PROSPECT TO CAPTURE ADVENTURES ON YOUR TRAVELS. THE SONY FDR-X1000V ACTION CAM IS THE PERFECT TRAVEL COMPANION FOR WHATEVER THE ADVENTURE ON LAND OR SEA. JUST MOUNT IT ON YOUR HELMET, BIKE HANDLEBARS, OR EVEN YOUR DOG’S HARNESS AND YOU’LL DOCUMENT EVERYTHING, HANDS-FREE AND WATERPROOF, WITH PREMIUM 4K DEFINITION, RICH COLOURS, AND IMPRESSIVE VIDEO STABILISATION. AT SONY.CO.UK FROM RO192.50.

FACE THE MUSIC Whether you're off roading in the mountains or wadi bashing, being active can give your electronics a bit of a beating. But this tiny, waterproof UWater G4 Chrome MP3 Player is able to weather whatever storm you throw at it. At amazon.com, from RO30.50.

IN CHARGEThe Mophie Powerstation Plus Charger’s tiny aluminium body —roughly the size of a business card holder — has built-in Lightning and micro USB ports that can power multiple gadgets at up to four times the speed of a standard charger. Ensuring you never run out of juice has never been easier. At amazon.com from RO30.50.

TRAVEL SNAPS This Nikon D5500 DSLR is lightweight and compact, with everything the family photographer needs, offering a greater range of lenses than ever before. It also has a tilting LCD display (perfect for selfies) and Wi-Fi connectivity for instant storing and sharing. At nikonusa.com, from RO288.50.

Taking your gadgets on your travels is necessary in this day and age. With so much available, Matthew Herbst checks out what’s best for those trips away

J U LY 0 3 - 0 9 / I S S U E 3 2 7 0 4 5A U G 2 0 - 2 6 / I S S U E 3 8 3 0 4 5

App of the Week

TRIPITKeep your travel plans in check by accessing your master itinerary on your smartphone, tablet, computer or wearable. By using the app, your itinerary is as close as your mobile device. If you are trying to avoid roaming charges when travelling abroad, have run out of data, are in-flight or Wi-Fi can’t be found, the good news is you can still access your plans offline. View your confirmation number on the way to the airport and even get directions to your hotel when you land. Just perfect and free for iOS and Android at tripit.com

NO NOISE You’re on a plane, a bus or simply on the beach but everyone glares at you because they can hear your music through your earphones. Sound familiar? Well, not anymore with RHA T10 Earbuds. They’re not only noise-cancelling, but can be tailored to suit the individual. Each pair comes with 10 sets of ear tips (in varying materials and sizes) and interchangeable filters to optimise sounds. At amazon.com from RO72.50.

Time is precious and won’t stop for anyone when you’re on your travels. The last thing you want is to spend valuable travel time transferring your photographs from one device to the other. If you're constantly running out of space on memory cards when you could be spending longer seeing the sights then Mobi’s Eye-Fi SD card, with built-in Wi-Fi, is just what you need. You can use the Wi-Fi SD card and the app to send your pictures directly from your camera to your favourite iOS, Android or Kindle device as you take them. Eye-Fi Mobi works just like a regular SDHC card and should work with most cameras. Wave goodbye to clogged internal memory and watch as your snaps appear instantly on whatever device you have synced. Priced from around RO15.05 for 8GB, it also includes the Eye-Fi Cloud, which is a private cloud service. Check it out and get yours at eyefi.com

SMALL IS BIG There’s nothing better than relaxing to tunes while on the beach. What you don’t want is to share your headphones with your nearest and dearest, so a Philips Shoqbox Mini is what you really want. Despite its half-pint proportions, the Bluetooth-powered Shoqbox uses sophisticated circuitry to deliver outsize audio. It’s also water and dust-resistant, which is a bonus. At amazon.com from RO19.24.

NEW MOBI EYE-FI SD CARD

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