Contemplating a move to Muscat !

Wow !

Spent another hour sieving through the information . I think I have some idea about car rentals and also I do see a list of car rental agencies . Though most suggestions are to get your own car  

Let me check some more , may be I would get some numbers of cabs/cars who would be available on call.

Hi IndianWanderlust,

Nice to see that you have taken the effort to first sift and glean through the wealth of information that is available in the forum, before posting your specific queries for clarifications from the members. I wanted to respond earlier, but work kept me away.

Omanis are by nature are very decent, calm and quiet. They are not the loud and brash kind. They are also very polite and well behaved. To give you an example, I come from Madras. The time I was there, it was very common to see people fight with each other, or in groups in public places like roads, etc. Often times, getting physical and rolling on the ground punching each other. It has always surprised me that in the almost 17 years of my stay here in Muscat never have I seen this happen EVEN ONCE !!! I guess that speaks volumes about the kind of people the Omanis are. They have a deep-rooted culture where the family is their second religion. Elders are treated with great regard and respect. Women are worshipped. Children are loved and cherished. Omanis are in a sense a secluded community and they are very unlike the other Arab neighbours.

Someone once explained to me that the reason the Omanis are more attuned towards Asians rather than their Arab neighbours is because of an important and impregnable geographical disposition. This is just a theory, but if one thinks about it, it has to be true indeed. Oman has 3165-kilometre long coastline, spanning the Gulf of Oman in the north and the Sea of Oman (which forms part of the Arabian Sea) in the east. The Sultanate being on the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula borders the United Arab Emirates in the northwest, Saudi Arabia in the west and Yemen in the southwest. In the days of yore, in Oman's case, as recent as just 45-years back, Oman was an underdeveloped desert nation of predominantly desert dwellers (in the central part) and fishermen (the ones living along the coastline) with no absolutely no modern infrastructure. Omanis have for centuries sustained themselves on dates and fish, the only two indigenous food sources. Being a harsh desert, they could not cultivate anything else. Given these challenges, Omanis had to innovate to keep their clans alive. The unforgiving and impregnable Rub Al Khali (the Empty Quarter) stood between Oman and Saudi Arabia. With Camels and Donkeys that they had, it was absolutely impossible to even attempt to cross this vast desert. So effectively, they were cut off from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, there were no interactions with their extended regional kin. And out of sheer necessity, they built the ‘dhows', those large ocean-going vessels and explored new horizons eastwards. And so they set sail. They reached the Indian shores and from there, sailed as far as China using very primitive navigational tools ! Soon this became the practice. These dhows would export fish and dates and in return would bring foodstuff, timber and spices from predominantly India and a few other Asian countries. Thus, the long-standing relationship between the Indian and Omanis started. But for the Rub Al Khali, Omanis would be more Arabs and lesser Asians in their mindset and outlook ! There is also a theory that the famous Omani explorer of yore, ‘Sindbad the Sailor', who is said to have originated from Sur, is actually from ‘Sind' in India ! It is debatable even if there was any original ‘Sindbad the Sailor' !

In 1970, when His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said took over the Sultanate, the country started turning a new leaf. A transformation of sorts. A transformation for the better. Rapid modernisation followed. Today Oman is the pride of the region, without losing its character, or individuality (like for example, the neighbouring UAE). I am rambling ...

Coming to your queries, a visit to the dozen-plus local museums would give you a good orientation of Oman, Omanis, their ancient culture, and their proud heritage. I am not sure if there are any websites of these museums since I have never looked.

Omani Rial is riding high. The reason the Sultanate is inundated with expatriates from a plethora of nations is largely to benefit from the high currency value and of course the 100% tax-free income that they get. Secondly, the quality of life in Oman is excellent. Infrastructure is world-class. Power outrage is unknown and unheard of. I have personally found it very amusing that when I mention about the power cuts in India, many young Omanis do not even know what it means. They cannot even comprehend a scenario, when they switch on their A/Cs and it will not work due to lack of electricity!!

Well, there are no gated communities, in or around, the CBD Area. It is a predominantly commercial centre. Most residential buildings there are old. But there are also a few new buildings which are modern and spacious. You could check some of them.

Many private pick-up-drop services are available. Listings can be found in the local dailies and weeklies. It is easy to fix one that suits your needs. Costs would be under R.O. 50/- per month. It would be dependent on the distance of commute of course.

Sumitran,

Truly appreciate the time you took to paint a picture of Oman and its history!
I ask myself .....would I have spent so much time ensuring a stranger gets the information he is seeking?
Honesty would forbid yelling a "yes" !
Thanks again.

It reached me a wee bit late, as I would log in to the "new member" section to check (as this was the place where I had posted originally) . Since it was moved to Everyday life ....it took me a while to locate my post !
My bad !!!

At this phase of my life, when I have time to relax and look back ...i shall surely visit some of those museums and try to assimilate. Having stayed most of my in India, I guess I would have certainly imbibed a lot of the stuff that you mention ...you experienced in Chennai ! (Though my current location is Chennai - practically, I am more familiar with Kolkata (my roots), Mumbai and Bangalore.

Hoping some bit of 'ease" and "peace' rubs unto me if I get to live in Oman for a while !

You must be right, In my cursory 2 day visit, the CBD area didn't seems to have any gated community. It appeared to be a little crowded (by Omani standards). If I can overcome the lure of staying close to workplace and walk back to home for lunch , i might as well look for a furnished accommodation near al qurm park (budget of around 500 permitting). It is around 12 kms ....a Monthly charge of OMR 50 for pick up / drop sounds reasonable. I did see a few listing in CBD area within that budget though. Not very keen on taking the trouble of buying whole host of things unless the furnished stuff becomes prohibitively expensive.

While I re-read your observations on people/culture, I wish to make one comment. I don't know whats the right word......the pace at which things move is extremely slow ...(except for the cars on the road) . For example, each time I receive a mail from them, my reply button would be hit on the same day ! It would fetch a communication back after atleast 3/4 days . May be ...somewhere within me .....i also feel the need to slow down ....hence the desire to move !

I am checking with them to understand and set my expectation on the timelines by which clearance from labour ministry is expected.

As I wait, I shall certainly use internet in general and these blogs in particular to learn more about the place/people/way of life in Muscat.

Regards

Sumitran (or anyone else who would like to comment)

I have a very specific question.
To what extent you think the numbers dished out by Numbeo is close to reality ?

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=India&country2=Oman&city1=Chennai&city2=Muscat


Rgds

IndianWanderlust wrote:

Sumitran (or anyone else who would like to comment)

I have a very specific question.
To what extent you think the numbers dished out by Numbeo is close to reality ?

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=India&country2=Oman&city1=Chennai&city2=Muscat


Rgds

Hi IndianWanderlust,

The primary premise of this website itself is wrong because one cannot gauge the cost of living by doing a direct currency conversion. It does not work that way and yes there would be huge differences between the numbers, as can be noticed. For example, I am not able to follow the differences in costs displayed between Madras and Muscat  - because it is irrelevant in Indian Rupees.

Though a great effort, I feel it should be more realistic and therefore easier to follow. The currency details should therefore be based on the countries chosen only, and not a direct currency rate conversion.

Thanks Sumitran . I agree that direct conversion may not be tenable idea.
Let me rephrase the question.
Let us ignore the Chennai VS Muscat and just look at Muscat.

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Oman&city=Muscat

Do the prices mentioned in Muscat close to reality ? Since it has captured data in an organized manner, under several heads, if this close, it could be a good reference point for me.

Rgds

An apple to apple comparison is impossible and is not really  required.The best approach would be to tabulate your expenses in Muscat to achieve the level of living standard you are used to.You can have a pretty decent living standard for something like 800~1000 OMR a month.A typical break down would be:

Rent:400~500 for a two bed unfurnished apartment
Phone/ internet:20 OMR
Mobile phone:15 OMR
Water gas electricity:25~35
transport:50 OMR
Provisions:125~150 OMR
Eating out at a decent restaurant:3~6 OMR per meal
Typical taxi fares within CBD per trip for upto 10~15 KMS:3~4 OMR

You would need to spend about 1200~1500 OMR to furnish your house

IndianWanderlust wrote:

Thanks Sumitran . I agree that direct conversion may not be tenable idea.
Let me rephrase the question.
Let us ignore the Chennai VS Muscat and just look at Muscat.

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Oman&city=Muscat

Do the prices mentioned in Muscat close to reality ? Since it has captured data in an organized manner, under several heads, if this close, it could be a good reference point for me.

Rgds

Hi IndianWanderlust,

I looked at the site again the figures quoted are pretty close, I would say. There are some items which are non existent - like a monthly pass for transportation. By and large the prices seem comparable.

Sumitran wrote:

I come from Madras. The time I was there, it was very common to see people fight with each other, or in groups in public places like roads, etc. Often times, getting physical and rolling on the ground punching each other. It has always surprised me that in the almost 17 years of my stay here in Muscat never have I seen this happen EVEN ONCE !!!

I am pleased to learn that Muscat is modernizing, and that people are not rolling on the ground punching each other, Madras-style.

Amazingly, neither of these facts found itself into my Top 10 list of the most surprising and new things I found out here about Muscat.

If you have any interest in that list, here is the link....

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 69#2686427

If you go there, look up Report #6.

cccmedia in Ecuador

Excellent ! Thanks again !

Thanks SAK9 !
This helps. Not sure if you took a couple for your budget .

Sumitran and others .....

I have been asked to submit "medical examination report (original copy) and your certificates (attested copies by approved offices)".

Can anyone tell me :

1. what/who would be an approved office in Chennai ?
2. What kind of medical report/tests are to be done ?

I have asked the employers for clarity .....and i am sure many of you who moved there may be able to guide me too .

Regards

IndianWanderlust wrote:

Sumitran and others .....

I have been asked to submit "medical examination report (original copy) and your certificates (attested copies by approved offices)".

Can anyone tell me :

1. what/who would be an approved office in Chennai ?
2. What kind of medical report/tests are to be done ?

I have asked the employers for clarity .....and i am sure many of you who moved there may be able to guide me too .

Regards

Hi IndianWanderlust,

If you look at the forum you will find all the details you are seeking.

Do a site search for GAMCA and review the search results for information.

Hello everyone,
I'm an Orthopedic Surgeon  from india contemplating to move to muscat. I have 5 yrs experience post MS (ortho). I intend to move my kids(2) & wife along with me.
What would be approximate salary I should expect from Muscat hospital considering cost of living & saving potential. I have no idea about the industry standard salary for my field in Muscat.
Any leads would be of great help.
Thanks
Dr Parag

Hi everyone,
Waiting for your leads regarding my query.
Thanks
Dr Parag Paradkar

Dr Parag,

Though I have no idea about the salaries of someone in your field, let me paste this link for you.

http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-su … &job=2

I am not sure how close/far is this from reality.

On another note .....let me think aloud........

You are just starting your career in a specialized field . What might be more relevant for you is ......what kind of support would you get to hone your skills in Muscat ? The choice as well might be between .....a few bucks more NOW .....or a specialized career that you could milk in the longer run for a longer period?

As i said earlier, I am not an expert .....yet I felt it necessary to indulge in some loud thinking.
Cheers

Sumitran.....Thanks

I was trying to take a shortcut by posting it here !
Yes, I did visit GAMCA and I must admit it has been one of the worst experience in every sense.

Picture of people from visibly economically weaker sections with heart filled with dreams of better life ....being exploited was evident in every nook and corner.

My job got done, but it kept me thinking .........let me keep this for another day !

Thanks indianwanderlust for your reply. I've been practising orthopedics for last 6 yrs but there is lot of competition out here further govt schemes in Hyderabad have killed orthopedic practice in AP. That's the reason I'm thinking of moving to gulf.
Please anyone, who has ground reality about my field in Oman  viz salary etc , can guide me would be of immense help,
Thanks
Dr Parag

Parag someone with your experince gets paid around 20000 rials per month plus accomodation tickets etc in Qatar.In oman it could be around 2000 omr plus accomodation,tickets etc.Generally salaries in the middle east do not vary hugely from country to country.

Thanks Sak9 for your reply & helpful advice.

I am sure, people who are planning a move from India, would have factored this .....

If your stay in India is more than 182 days, you are NOT considered as an NRI and your overseas income become taxable in India.

You may like to travel by mid September, so that you keep a cushion of 15 days (just in case you need to visit india for any kind of exigency within this financial year.

Just playing the devil's advocate here How does the Indian income tax department know whether you have earned any money in Oman and if yes how much?I think there is no way they can find out unless you declare or remit money though an NRI account or any other legal means

to each one his own !!!

My intention was to make people aware about the provisions.
There can be more than one ingenious ways to circumvent the same and its pretty much a personal choice.

Cheers

Good Morning ,

Having spent couple of weeks here, I thought, it could be useful to share my experience with those who would be moving in.

The only word of caution could be , its.... just the way it happened to me ....and not necessarily everyone would meet with similar situations. 

0. Unlike the posts that I have seen on visa , my experience was extremely nice ( though the docs they wanted to process didn't seem very logical to me ). From the time my documents were received (on Sunday), it took exactly 3 days for the labour clearance and 2 days for Visa . I received a copy in my mail on Thursday - a total of 5 days .
But i must admit, the run up to this wasnt ideal . Unanswered mails ....sketchy information.....inconclusive phone calls ...all of these pointed towards a very unstructured system. Like I have read on this forum. No one generally tells you whats the rule is.

1. On landing , the process of clearance at the airport was far from smooth . With only about 50 people in queue , it took me more than 3 hours ! Phew !!! Extremely slow pace of work coupled with system outage (?) made it what it was . ( I am not sure how the elderly manage this long wait .....through snail paced serpentine queue   )

If you have an option, do take a flight that lands up during the day . Even if you are not carrying Omani Rial, do not feel hassled , you can get some at the airport itself .....nevertheless , like most airports , it is insanely costly ( i paid Rs. 2300 for 10.3 OMR , which included a OMR 2 commission). Yes, they need cash , your international credit card wont help here. I was to get to my hotel in Ruwi , hence OMR 10 was all i needed. Even if your hotel has confirmed a pick up , do not be surprised if you don't find them. Not sure , if it was the delay or they forgot though.

2. On joining , ( a monday ), the next task was getting a labour card / accomodation / initial set up / family visa . Let me try to dwell on them seperately .

3. Resident card : the office PRO took me to Seeb after a blood sample was given at Darsait (?) hospital. "system is down" was all I could gather . Seeing the huge line , i did not have the heart to wait along with the crowd squatting on the floor . I wanted to come back another day and the PRO agreed. Next day he took me to a office in Amrat . It seems it has opened recently ( less than a week then) and I was the ONLY person at the counter and it took all of 15 minutes to pocket my Resident card . ( yet the PRO grumbled about the slow pace of the officer at the counter ).

It felt like heaven after the experience at the Airport and at Seeb office .

4. Finding an acco was the next task. Since my workplace is MBD , Ruwi , I was advised to take a place close to it , though I had other ideas initially . A fully furnished 2 BHK at Bareeq al Sati was the target , which got diluted in favour of the unfurnished 2 BHK in a building just next to my office . I am glad , i did that , I just come out of the apartment and enter my office in matter of seconds . I realized, at least in MBD Ruwi, every other building have vacant apartments for rentals. 2 BHK is more easily availalable than a 3 BHK or 1 BHK . Rents , i am told , is marginally lower than what it was a year back . This may or may not be true about other areas . Though I went through Al Habib, there was no brokerage . They asked for 12 post dated cheques , which I didn't have . They agreed to take 2 months rent in cash and asked me to handover the cheques as soon as I receive it. The whole was very simple and did not require elaborate documentation.

With more than 20 restaurants in a 200 mtrs radius ....catering to all kinds of food , I am happy to be where I am.

Furnishing wasn't a challenge at all .

Of the places I visited , Home r Us in grand mall was good but on the more expensive side . A comoplete bed room set (with wardrobe) , at the lower end would take about OMR 800 to 900. I comparison , at PAN furniture or Teejan in Al-Khuwair, you could get stuff at OMR 600 ( Kingsize bed with medical mattress, 2 night stands , dressing table with mirror , 6 door wardrobe.

If you are looking to buy used furniture , OLX now Dubizzle earlier is a good source. Unless you are really getting the whole stuff , buying a table or a piece of furniture may not be a great idea with logistical nightmares that comes along with it. I got just a study table and the amount I paid for the table was almost equal to the cost of transport and labour ! I guess I could have got a new study table at that price !

The show room deliveries were on time and the guys who came , unlike in India , never asked for any "bakseesh" !

4. Lulu was a one stop shop for me for electronics and white goods. Didn't do much research ,  I guess, the price s do not vary a lot across shops. I got carried away by the advise of a 'Big" refrigerator and ended up with one , which would not fit into my kitchen . ( surely this wouldn't have happened if my wife was around:) ). Luckily , with advise from Lulu, I approached the company's (Hitachi)  agents and they agreed to take it back . This was definitely a "feel good" factor .

5. For internet , its fairly simple. Walked into an Omantel outlet . All you need is a Resident Card and your address. Better still, tell them one of the landline numbers in your building. This helps them to figure out if they already have necessary boxes with cabled lines in your building. In 3 days i got the connection. I went for a OMR 25 unlimited scheme. You have one for OMR 20 unlimited scheme with slightly lesser speed too . ( 4 mpbs vs 6 mbps if I remember correctly .).

If anyone wants me to share my experience on any specific issue ( that I might have undergone), please feel free to reach out.....

Overall , I am enjoying the easy and relaxed pace of life , where I take a nap at 3pm after office everyday

Regards

Felt really good to read all this Specially the history