le fin.

All things come to an end, and now my time here in Oman is about to come to an end as well. Due to some unexpected personal developments, I will be leaving Oman at the end of this month for the last time in the foreseeable future. Muscat has been my home for 11 years and 1 month and it has been a truly wild ride! Here is a brief summary of my life here:

2 jobs. I have been fortunate to have worked on some really impressive and unique projects here in the Sultanate, and I leave Oman feeling proud that projects I have worked on during my time here have been significant. My three favourite projects are HM's palace in Adam, the Al Ameen Mosque in Khuwair and the Kempinski hotel in Al Mouj. All are one-of-a-kind projects and I feel fortunate and proud to have worked on them all.

3 houses. All in Glorious Ghubra. It's been great, and I highly recommend my neighbourhood as a place to live.

4 cars. A Landrover (loved it, but for the love of God never buy one), a Hyundai (great family SUV, not great service from the local dealer) and 2 VW's (excellent cars). If anyone wants to buy my GTI... RO 2,000 will get you a great car that has been maintained very well - get in touch!

2 dogs, 4 cats (and about 200 Bin cats). 1 dog and 2 cats remain... they're about to take a trip to Canada.

2 children. Both of my kids were "made in Oman" and born here, and something that will keep a piece of Oman in my heart for the rest of my life.

Muscat has grown a lot in the last 11 years, and I have grown with it. I am truly sad to be leaving Oman, but I feel that it is time for me to go now. There are a few people (realistically the list is very long, but I'll keep this list short) who I would like to thank, as they have been instrumental in helping make MM what it became:

The Undercover Dragon, Suburban and Muscati. These three bloggers, along with my wife Angry in Oman were the catalyst that made me decide to start up Muscat Mutterings in the first place. It has been a lot of fun and to anyone who is toying with the idea of starting their own blog - I say just do it!

Christoph, the first GM at the Grand Hyatt that I met (he's now running things in Qatar and Oman for Hyatt). Chris reached out to me with his marketing person, Nicole (an absolute star), and we had a good run with John running the newly revamped Habana sports bar. Chris showed me another side of the hotel business, and embodies for me the concept of a true hotelier: professional, kind and very generous. Thank you, to you and the rest of the team at the Hyatt for your endless hospitality and the many, many laughs had along the way. Whilst I'm mentioning names, Dirk & Demian - past and present F&B guys - you've been awesome!

Maurizio, the guy behind Oman Collective Intelligence. Maurizio put me in touch with the great guys over at Sabco for the launch of Merge FM - and my first ever "deal" from the blog. We became good friends as a result and I know we'll stay in touch. FatSu has always made me laugh and I hope to read her food-based ramblings for many years to come!

Darren Shortt - he beat me out of Oman, but Darren is a genuinely nice and down to earth guy who was always very generous with things to give away on the blog. Daz also introduced me to Gordon Mackenzie, who has been responsible for bringing some incredible concerts to Muscat, and also has been exceptionally generous. On the topic of generosity and tickets, Nithin has also been fantastic to work with, having in recent years consistently supported me with both competitions on the blog as well as supporting events I've had a hand in working on (Canadian Stampede and Rugby Club events).

Sacha, David & Auke. Over the years I have been unbelievably fortunate because of these guys, and they really have brought more to my life here in Oman. From the hospitality and all the way to the observations on hair styles - it's been so much fun knowing you guys and I wish you all the best in the future. Whilst here on bottle shops, Sean at A&E has been quite literally a legend, having helped the Canadian Stampede pull off Canadian beer for the party twice in recent years and I remember one year he sponsored Team Canada in the Touch Rugby World Cup held by the MRFC - I still have (and wear occasionally) the kit - it's certainly very eye-catching!

The list could go on and on, you see, because people in Oman are extraordinarily nice - I think it might be something in the water! A few last names to mention: Ekta, Luma and Bosky. If you're reading this, you know who you are and you know what you've done for me in the past - thank you!

And so I have a week left here in Oman, and it's time to do some things for the last time ever. I've been to Salalah more times than I care to count, and so I'll pass on that (although working on the Anantara Al Baleed project and seeing it flourish makes me proud). I stayed in Alila Jabal al Akhdar just before the last Eid in June, so I'll cross that off too. I walked end to end up and down love lane the other night, and I plan to do the Riyam park - Muttrah loop hike in the coming days too. Dinner at the Turkish House is also on the agenda, as is watching MRFC play for the last time this Friday evening in Bousher (followed by "refreshments" in Habana afterwards - again for the last time).

So what else shall I do?! If you have any suggestions please do let me know.

And finally, one last thank you. To all of YOU - those who have read my mutterings and allowed me to meet so many new people and see so many things that I am not sure I would have if I had not started this blog. It's been amazing, and I thank all of you.

So long everybody!

Freddie.