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Lulu mall Ernakulam Kerala

Munnar to Ernakulam by bus, Marine Drive and Lulu Mall

Date: March 13, 2018

Today was our last day in Munnar. We planned to leave the hill station and head to Ernakulam city, in Cochin district.

Poori vada bhaji chutney
We had a filling breakfast at Saravana Bhavan

We then boarded a state transport bus going to Ernakulam city.

Tea plantation worker Munnar
It was time to capture the last few shots of these amazing tea plantations

Munnar hill station view
It was cold up here but by the end of this bus journey, it would be hot & humid again

Kannan Devan Munnar tea estate

Munnar hill clouds Kerala

Kerala police sightseeing Munnar
Everyone is mesmerized by Munnar’s tea plantations

The journey to Ernakulam was around 3 hours long. We eventually made it to the hotel I had booked for us. Imperial Regency is a ‘business hotel’ but when booking, it was key that I chose a place close to Kochi Metro.

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Desserts The Cave restaurant Muscat

Oman: Day 2 (Part 2) – Muscat bay viewpoints, Qurum beach, The Cave restaurant

Date: 26th October 2014

After the dolphin watching tour, our driver told us he would take us to a viewpoint beyond Marina Bandar Al Rowdha.

Muscat highway Oman
We drove along the highway
Consultative Assembly of Oman Muscat
Drove past the massive Consultative Assembly of Oman building
Uphill road Muscat Oman
We drove uphill
Road to resorts Muscat
And then downhill to a resort complex at the edge of the hill
Blue waters Muscat Oman
The waters are so blue (Took this on my phone)
Viewpoint Oman bay Muscat
We drove back and kept stopping at every nice looking viewpoint. Down below was a very small beach, which seemed only accessible by boat
Muscat open viewpoint Oman
This was another. We walked towards the edge.
Muscat mountains Oman panorama
Took a panorama
Majlis Oman from mountain top Muscat
Zoomed in on the majlis
Muscat rock mural road Oman
We then drove back to Muscat city
Dhow roundabout Muscat Oman
We were planning to visit the incense burner monument
Incense burner hill Muscat Oman
But when we got there
Gates locked incense burner monument Muscat
… gates were locked. Shucks!
PDO beach Muscat Oman
So we drove to a viewpoint near PDO beach

PDO is the Petroleum Development Oman, the nation’s primary petroleum company. And the above is the company’s private beach — for their employees and their families. And if a private beach wasn’t enough of a company perk…

Ras al Hamra golf club PDO Muscat Oman
… PDO owns a golf court too! Ahhh, oil money.
Palm tree shade picnic Oman
Besides that, this viewpoint is a popular picnic jaunt
Luxury houses by sea Muscat
A lot of luxury houses facing the sea
Qurum beach white sand Muscat Oman
Next, we drove down to Qurum beach
Qurum beach Muscat Oman
It’s near PDO beach but open to public
Qurum beach clear blue water Muscat
Very clear water
Al Shati beach road Muscat Oman
After that, it was off to the popular Al Shati beach road. A lot of coffee shops by the beach here.
Al Shati beach Muscat Oman
Al Shati beach in itself is okay
Crowne Plaza hotel Muscat Oman
The Crowne Plaza hotel is the big white building at the edge of the beach
Royal Opera house Muscat Oman
The next stop was the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House Muscat sign
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much we could see of the Opera House
Inside Royal Opera house Muscat Oman
This was just a lobby, we couldn’t enter the main hall… but we were told it’s impressive! 🙂
Royal Opera house ceiling
Impressive interiors
The Cave restaurant Muscat Oman
Done with the day tour, we went to The Cave for lunch. Looks like something from The Flintstones doesn’t it?
The Cave restaurant choices Muscat Oman
You have many choices for restaurants inside The Cave

Unfortunately when we entered, there was no reservation in our names. So we had to contact the travel agent to speak to the front desk and sort things out.

The Cave restaurant buffet Muscat Oman
We settled for the buffet
Pita bread cold cut starters The Cave buffet
What I started with
Rice spring roll The Cave Muscat
Had a bit of everything
Tiger prawns mussels The Cave Muscat
We had ordered some seafood as well
Desserts The Cave restaurant Muscat
Desserts — yeah, I love my sweets!
The Cave restaurant interiors Muscat
I can’t vouch for the menu but the food we had was pretty good and the interiors of The Cave are what really sells this place

After a sumptuous lunch, our driver decided to go for a smoke break and left before us. The rest of us washed up, took some photos of the restaurant and before making our way out. But when we tried to exit the restaurant, we were stopped by one of the staff. When we asked why, she said we have to “pay first”. Stunned, we were (again) perplexed by the lack of communication. We tried to convince her that this was an organized lunch courtesy of Oman Tourism but she called the manager instead. When the manager came, we told them this was being paid for by Oman Tourism and fortunately he knew deal and understood the situation. He then just asked one of us to sign the bill, which I did.

Inside The Cave Muscat Oman
Our driver finally came back to the surprise that we were still inside. That’s him talking to the lady who stopped us from leaving. She later apologized.

Anyway, once we were ‘set free,’ we walked back to our car.

Muscat village Oman
The Cave is situated atop a hill, and this was the view from parking lot
Lulu mall Muscat Oman
Post lunch, we were dropped off at Lulu Hypermarket
Baklavah Lulu supermarket Oman
I wasn’t planning on doing all my shopping now itself. So I just prepared a list of items I planned to buy, and their prices. Baklavah was one of those items!
Grand mall Muscat Oman
After Lulu, we hopped across to Grand Mall
Inside Grand Mall Muscat Oman
Which… wasn’t that impressive to be honest. Another reminder that Muscat cannot be compared to the likes of Bahrain and Dubai when it comes to malls and shopping..

Grand Mall did have a Carrefour and Daiso though. I made note of the prices at Carrefour as well, and realized Lulu Hypermarket was cheaper (in general), and then left after buying some stuff from Daiso. By sunset, we were picked up by the driver to be dropped back at the hotel.

Saravanaa Bhavan Muscat Oman
Saravanaa Bhavan is in Muscat too!
Tiger prawns fries dinner Radisson Muscat
Dinner was at the Radisson Blu

This was our last night at the Radisson Blu. Tomorrow we would check out, visit the Grand Mosque and leave Muscat for Jebel Shams. Now I was really excited to see what more natural wonders and history Oman had to offer!

Next post(s) in this series:

Oman 2014: Day 3 (Part 1) – Sultan Qaboos mosque (Muscat’s Grand Mosque)

Oman 2014: Day 3 (Part 2) – Oman 2014: Nizwa Fort and Jabreen Castle

Oman 2014: Day 3 (Part 3) – Oman 2014: Misfah and Jebel Shams

Oman 2014: Day 4 – Jebel al Akhdar; dune bashing and overnight camp in Wahiba Sands

Oman 2014: Day 5 (Part 1) – Wadi bin Khalid; Dhow factory in Sur

Previous post(s) in this series:

Oman 2014: Day 2 (Part 1) – Dolphin watching tour in Muscat

Oman 2014: Day 1 – Landing in Muscat; Al Alam Palace, Mutrah souq and more



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