The distance between where I stay and the workplace is around 12kms. And between this, I have to pass six roundabouts each way on my manual transmission car.

After my arrival in Oman and getting a driving license in a few months, when I decided to buy a car, I discussed my plan to buy a manual transmission with my Omani senior.

He was surprised to learn my choice. 

“In Muscat, you are going to be in trouble with a manual car. Due to the heavy traffic in the city, maneuvering of busy junctions and roundabouts might create problems for you in a place where a majority of people opt for cars with automatic transmission for ease of driving,” he said. 

But I didn’t change my decision in buying a manual transmission car. And I bought one too. 

As my boss said, in Muscat, I saw that majority of drivers use four-wheel SUVs with high capacity engines and automatic transmission, and it is often difficult to catch up with them in roundabouts and signals. 

Such vehicles clear signals and roundabouts in a split of a second whereas drivers like who use saloons with a manual transmission, take longer to accelerate and negotiating roundabouts.

In Muscat, a large chunk of Omani workforce comes from different provinces of Oman. 

I sometimes feel that some of them are in a hurry to return to their home and meet their families in the afternoon hours of every Thursday to enjoy their two-day weekend. 

A few days before, on a Thursday afternoon, I was driving back from work. The road was crowded as people already started driving back to their villages after a week’s work. 

As I approached a busy roundabout on the way, I slowed down at the roundabout. On having a very minimal gap, the four-wheel SUV which occupied the left track parallel to my car drove fast with full accelerator and cleared. But I could not move in parallel with him. The driver, who was in a four-wheel vehicle behind my car, expecting that I would also move on, hit my car from the back! My car has gone through such minor rear-end collisions several times! 

I and the driver of the vehicle that hit my car pulled over the vehicles and settled the issue of repair costs and departed. 

By the way, the rule of thumb regarding fault in rear-end collisions is generally that the person driving the back vehicle is to blame!

When my vehicle was taken for repair of the damage for a day, I decided to go to work using the public transport facilities available in Muscat. 

Public transport is still at its infancy in Oman. Commuting is more difficult for people in summer months when the mercury level hovers around 45 to 50 degree Celsius. 

In the morning, I crossed the street and headed to the highway which is around 200 meters away from my apartment. 

I boarded a sharing bus or taxi, got off at Al Sahwa garden from where you get buses heading to the university, where I work. Though the bus board is Sultan Qaboos University, the public transport buses do not enter the campus due to security reasons. Instead, those buses stop at the public bus stops outside the campus. The nearest bus stop is almost a kilometer away from my office. One can’t imagine walking 1000 meters in such severe weather. Anyway, I got out of the bus, crossed the security post and started walking towards my office.

As I entered the campus, the second car that passed me from behind, put the indicator and pulled over a few meters ahead of me. I realized that the car, obviously a university vehicle with government’s unique license plate, was stopped on seeing me walking. 

At first, I thought that the guy driving the car should be some employee who knows me personally. But I was wrong. That person was new to me; an Omani gentleman. I reached near the car, wished him, and opened the door. He greeted me and offered me a ride in a polite manner. While travelling with him, I asked him in which department he was employed and told me about my department and job. He only said that he was an employee in so and so department. 

Though his office was in a different direction, he turned the car towards my office and dropped me just in front of my office. 

Before leaving he gave me his business card and invited me to visit his office when I have time. On looking at the business card, I realized that he was the director of one of the major administrative units of the university! I thanked him for offering me a ride and promised that I would visit him once in his office.

In the afternoon, I left the office with my colleague Ali, who offered me a ride to the nearest public bus station. Ali told me that he would drop me at my apartment, but I politely refused. At 2:30 pm, the temperature was still high at around 42 degrees Celsius. Ali pulled over his car at the bus stop and said that he would wait for me until the next bus comes. His idea was to keep me inside the car with air conditioners on so that I could avoid the scorching heat outside. I said I could manage a few minutes and said bye to Ali. I slowly moved towards the bus time table put up at the bay. In a few seconds, a white car pulled up alongside me. Another Omani gentleman! Obviously, he stopped on seeing me standing outside in such a hot temperature. He was a stranger to me. He asked me where I would like to go. I said, Al Khoudh signal from where I would get another shuttle taxi to my place. He opened the door and invited me. Inside the vehicle, we started talking. He is a retired soldier from Al Rustaq running some small business in Muscat. I told him about myself and my job. He shared his experience of visiting a government office in the morning, and the problems he faced in getting things done. 

From our conversation, I realized that he has high regard for Indians who are hardworking people. I tried to convince him that at least ‘some’ Indians are not hardworking in their homeland, especially if they get jobs in the government service or public sector! However, I did not really succeed to convince him as he had an only positive experience from the hardworking Indians in Oman! On reaching Al Khoud, I thanked him got out of the car.

I wrote this piece to say that how good the Omanis are. Two Omani gentlemen offered me a ride on the same day when I decided to go to work by taxi/bus. It is not an exaggeration to say that the people of Oman, in general, are good human beings who have courtesy, empathy, and respect for others. This is one of the factors that gives me the energy to continue to live in this beautiful land regardless of some personal constraints, and of course, the harsh weather conditions in the summer months! In winter, Oman is at its most comfortable, most accessible and most inviting!

The author is former senior editor at Sultan Qaboos University