The many hats of Stephen

So, in homage to the “Samurai Steve” picture, we knew that there was going to be a turbine involved. I think the Samurai Steve still wins, but for those of you waiting for the Sultan Steve – here he is, you vote! =)

When in Rome or Muscat as the case may be...

The primary focus of the Mindhi is the Hindu tradition of henna tattoos for the bride. The bride has temporary tattoos on her hands, arms (up to her elbows), feet, and legs (up to her knees). This takes HOURS to get the mud mixture applied with the fine details that are a complete work of art! And guests of the bride and groom are welcome to also partake in the henna. The Virmani must have had half a dozen women who are trained in the art of henna at the house to decorate the guests.

And as they say, when in Rome… I wanted to get the full experience, so I had Henna put on my hands – both sides… It stung/itched at first, then it was just a matter of letting it dry and flake off – YEAH RIGHT! I didn’t want to sleep with the mud on my hands so before I went to bed, I scraped off the mud and the top layer of my skin – that means it is going to hang around for a while – like 3 days instead of 2 right… that’s when Stephen informed me that Henna doesn’t last 2-3 days, it is 2-3 WEEKS.

Holy Toledo, I’ve never seen so many carnations in my LIFE!

We headed over to the Virmani residence, where I was flabbergasted at the decorations! Oh my goodness! I just don’t think I can do justice to the house, it was covered in flowers! EVERYWHERE! I will add the pictures, but the smell was something I just don't think I can describe, it was amazing, you just felt engulfed in the moment and the flowers.

On the back terrace, overlooking Oman and the grand mosque (we’ll get to that later) there were glass bead bangles that we were tasked with finding bangles that matched our outfits for the wedding the next day. All the ladies hands/wrists were swollen from the heat – but the Virmani sisters assured us that given the proper lubrication the bracelets would go right on…

Anyway – Carnations everywhere! And another spectacular meal provided by the Virmani’s

Nobody Likes Cell Towers...

So, in the US we put odd looking fake Pine Tree branches on cell towers. I am not certain that these were Cell towers, but they are some sort of tower...

Oh and coffee is important - everywhere there were decorative statues of coffee pots, incense burners and perfume bottles - or topiaries, those were cool.

Delays = Photo Opportunities for the rest of us...

The next day – after this party that went on into the wee hours of the morning, we were to be up and in the hotel lobby ready to go to the Mindhi by 10:00 AM. There was some delay in the timing of our departure to the Virmani residence – so we took off in the short buses that were transporting us around for some picture opportunities!

And the festivities begin – what a party!

So, after the folks got back from the sand bashing (which looked like a blast, and in retrospect I wish we had done – but I don’t regret skipping the turtles…) I think you can find videos of the sand bashing on YouTube (Ben and Ritu Wedding) the wedding festivities began on Day 3 in Muscat.

The Sangeet – in the evening. We had all day to lounge again, lazy river, sit at the beach, and enjoy the resort! Then the Sangeet – huge party with a ton of food! The bride and groom and their families were celebrated. The Muppats (Muscat Un-Paid Professional Actors Theatrical Something) did a rendition of the wedding planning – and initial planning – it was hilarious! (and a bit too good, I confused – the lady that played Rani and Rani (Ritu’s mother) later in the festivities. Oops…

Guess I took a holiday from picture taking for this day... but I made up for it later.

Finishing up the Oct-Nov before Christmas: Bacon in Muscat!

It has been over a month – a trip to Florida and back – since we left the Middle East, and I’ve been thinking, I should get back to finishing up the report on the trip. It is really much better to write each morning; for Christmas, I’ll be sure to keep up with the daily summaries…

Now where was I… Our first day in Muscat, concluded with a spectacular meal on the veranda near the very expensive swim suits. Tapas – where everyone ordered bacon wrapped dates. Mind you it was turkey bacon - because in the middle east we NEVER saw any pork bacon, pork chops, or ham... but the adage still holds, everything is better with bacon - even if it is turkey bacon.