Foodie Friday: Savannah BBQ

To clear things up for my US friends, for this restaurant, Savannah refers to the savannas of Africa.  And BBQ refers to various grilled meat that will not resemble the BBQ you would expect in the US.

Savannah BBQ is a restaurant that Stephen and I ate at in Panorama Mall for one of our date nights.  Because we were there for dinner at 4:30 pm, we were the only ones eating.  No surprise there.  They serve African food in a very well decorated and themed restaurant.  There is an outdoor seating area as well that I imagine could be very nice and pleasant in the "winter."  

Shot of the menu and some decorations.

Foodie Friday: Crepe Cafe

I love crepes!  They are probably one of the reasons I gained weight my summer in France.  Doener Kebabs and pain au chocolate can also shoulder some blame.  Basically, street food was our jam while we were backpacking.  And a simple nutella crepe while walking around was heaven.

When the boys and I were moving to Muscat, we had a long (long, long, long) layover in the Abu Dhabi airport.  They had a crepe restaurant where we decided to eat lunch.  I was so excited to introduce my boys to crepes.  They were expensive (hello, they were in the airport), but they would also be expensed to the company.  I full intended to order savory crepes then split a dessert crepe (the dessert crepe on my dime, though).  We ordered an egg and cheese crepe and some type of chicken crepe.  They were so good and ridiculously filling.  We couldn't finish them, so we certainly weren't ordering a dessert crepe.

It was all good because Stephen had told me that there were Crepe Cafes in Muscat.  I know of 3:  one in Oasis by the Sea in Shatti, one in the Wave, and one in Ghubra near the Oxy building.  There are other crepe restaurants, too.  There is Crepe & Wrap, Omani Crepe, and Yummy Belgian Waffle & Crepe.  You can even order crepes at some restaurants such as Kargeen.  I have only tried Crepe Cafe and Kargeen so far.

Touching in Oman

I'm sure I've touched on the fact that men and women are not to show public displays of affection over here in the Middle East.  This means that Stephen and I don't hold hands while walking.  We almost never hug unless it's a quick hug at the airport.  We certainly would never kiss in public.  Please keep this in mind so you're not the couple that Stephen saw in the Doha, Qatar airport making out.  It's highly inappropriate over here.

I've often thought this isn't good for someone like me who is already averse to touching.  I scored a 2/12 for my physical touch score in The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.  It was my lowest by a lot.  I worry that I will get too used to not touching.  Will this become our new normal?  Will it be okay as our new normal?  Or will it really even change anything since I was so terrible at touching before.  I used to muse over how little our dates probably looked like dates to people on the outside.

Throwback Thursday: 1999 Women's World Cup

Way back in 1999 (Whoa!  20 years ago!), I was at my Grandma and Pa's house with my cousins during the final game for the Women's World Cup.  I remember watching it upstairs in their library, all of us older cousins sitting on the floor.  The game ended tied, went into overtime, that ended tied, then went to kicks.  We were on pins and needles for each shot.

When Brandi Chastain ripped off her shirt in celebration, we were going crazy jumping around in front of the TV.  Well, all but my cousin, Mark.  He nonchalantly asked, "What did they win a pizza party or something?"  He was always full of jokes.

Dar al Herfya

Today I am sharing about my favorite local place to shop.  Dar al Herfya is a shop here in MQ as well as in the airport.  They aim to bring Omani crafts to the world, and they support local families and communities through their sales.  You can check out their website to read more about their mission.

I had wanted to check them out for a while, but I finally got around to it when my parents were here visiting in March.  At the time, they were in this quirky little building in between al Noor Plaza (Costa) and al Madina Plaza (Starbucks).  They have since moved upstairs in al Madina because they will be tearing down their building to make more parking (my guess is their store will supply about 4 parking spots, maybe).  But their current location is just temporary because they are planning on moving into the new mall opening behind Costa (if it is ever finished).

The current location is small.  I was told when my parents were here that the airport location is larger with a better selection and the same prices.  I'm hoping to check out that location when I head home soon.  I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to bring back some more frankincense anyways.

Millennium Resort Mussanah (Again)

For a little summer trip before going home, we decided to head out to the Millennium Resort in Mussanah again.  It's a good little get away trip from Muscat.  It takes about 1.5 hours to get here, the rates for all inclusive are really good, the internet is fast and everywhere, and the food is phenomenal.

Ready to go zip lining!

Waiting for the other two to finish their last trip on the "hamster wheel."