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To Outpost Muscat |
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Welcome Sur is a fishermen's
town on the east coast of Oman. In the past it has been well known for
its Dhow building and was Oman's main centre of trade with East-Africa.
Dhows are still being built in Sur today but there is no trade with
East-Africa any longer. Nowadays Sur is a quiet town. You can wander in
its authentic souk with Middle-Eastern ware; it has that genuine Arabic
feel with locals wearing dish-dash or abaya. You can even treat yourself
to a bit of culture by visiting one of the forts in Sur, the marine
museum and dhows, or go for a stroll along the quay. Sur is 350 km from Muscat by the inland road and 150 km by the graded coastal road. The local language is Arabic but the business language is English and widely spoken by Omani's and shopkeepers. The religion is Muslim. At present (January 2007) there are approximately 20 expatriate families working with Oman LNG in Sur from varying nationalities. |
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The houses come fully furnished with living room, dining room and bedroom fittings, the bed sizes ranging from super king to cots and toddlers. The study is also furnished with a desk, bookcase, pin board and computer table. When you have been allocated a house, you will receive a 'personalisation allowance'. This will enable you to purchase rugs, lamps and a few other furniture items to personalise your home.
Map of OLNG Houses
(the blue ones) in town Most of the people
who work directly for QLNG live in Sur town. There are a lot of very
spacious houses in Sur, mainly along the beach road area that are rented
by QLNG. The houses that the employees get allocated are partly furnished
(kitchen and bathrooms fully equipped). An allowance is given to furnish
the house. If you have your favourite decorations or/and piece of furniture,
we suggest bringing it with you, especially if you are a fan of the
Western/European style. Some of the people who work for OLNG live in Sur town. There are a lot of very spacious houses in Sur, mainly along the beach road area that are rented by OLNG. The houses that the employees get allocated are partly furnished (kitchen and bathrooms fully equipped). An allowance is given to furnish the house. If you have your favourite decorations or/and piece of furniture, we suggest bringing it with you, especially if you are a fan of the Western/European style. Kitchens are well equipped with all modern appliances: washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, cooker and microwave oven. The company services all these appliances and air conditioning units.
Many families employ a maid or houseboy. Most houses have live-in accommodation for a maid or houseboy. A maid or houseboy can also baby-sit if required.
Summer runs from April to October, with June and July possibly the most oppressive months. From November to March the weather is normally pleasant with clear, warm days and cool evenings and mornings. Summer temperatures can reach a maximum of 55 degrees, whilst the winter months are 20-30 degrees. Rainfall averages 100m a year and rain falls mostly in January, but there are records for rain in any month. The summer months limit the outdoor activities; there are less BBQ's and beach visits. At this time most activities take place indoors for a more comfortable cool atmosphere.
Sea freight sent from Europe usually takes four to eight weeks to arrive. If you have a part container this is usually opened in Muscat, full containers are mainly opened in Sur. It has been proven that containers opened in Muscat are treated more leniently, less boxes opened, than the Sur container. Do not pack food perishables and alcohol. If Customs find any alcohol your whole container is likely to be searched and many items confiscated. Keep videos and books in one box as Customs may wish to search these boxes. Things to pack in the sea freight are all kitchen utensils, electric mixer, kettle, toaster, cutlery, crockery, serving dishes etc. If you have a particular brand of coffee, spice, herbs etc then bring them from home until you are sure they can be bought here. Good quality bed linen is difficult to find in the sizes you require - king, queen and single bed sizes. Don't forget the lightweight quilt. Things that make the house a home are essential - ornaments and pictures. If you use it at home bring it here; not forgetting the hobby section - painting, needlework, bridge, gardening equipment etc. Most children travel to school by bike, so remember all the family's bicycles. A lot of people go out boating at the weekend. If you have children bring some life vests along. Air Freight - Items to bring The air freight allowance is 50kg per person; bring the essentials for you and your family such as children's toys, bed sheets, TV & video/DVD, stereo and computer. This will help you during the short time awaiting the sea freight. Clothing should be loose, short sleeved and minimum knee length; this is due to local religion and culture issues. The religion, Muslim, is stricter in Sur than Muscat. It is more comfortable to wear loose and free flowing clothing; the locals will accept you more readily and will not stare. Clothing can be bought in Muscat, but is limited, so bring plenty of natural fabrics including cotton and linen. There are material shops and good tailors who will copy your favourite clothes at a reasonable price. You will need a few sweaters for winter evenings but no further 'cold' weather clothing should be required. In Sur parties are usually informal dress, but Muscat has many formal functions with black tie or lounge suit. Jewellery is safe to be worn, but as with any country take care to keep it in a safe place when not in use.
On arrival at Muscat Airport you will pass through the immigration point - everybody entering the country requires a valid visa. The company will organise the visa for the worker and all family members joining. A faxed copy of the visa should be sent to you prior to your departure from your home country and this should be taken to the immigration desk where the official papers will be passed to you. After this has been processed you will then pass through immigration control. You will then be able to collect your suitcases and pass through Customs; again beware of carrying alcohol and pork items. Please remember that adults are allowed to bring in only two bottles of alcohol each when entering Oman via air, however, this is a concession to foreign nationals - not a right - and you should check the situation before travelling to Oman. Due to the long drive down to Sur people normally stay overnight in Muscat and travel down in daylight hours for safety. It is advisable to do some grocery shopping before departing for Sur. For Oman LNG
staff: For OLNG employees:
At the HAS club there are two adult pools, a toddlers swimming pool, Jacuzzi, fitness centre, sauna, steam room, pool tables, table tennis, tennis courts, library with English and Dutch books, a video/DVD library and a restaurant and bar. At NG1 (the club in
town) there is a swimming pool and toddlers pool, basketball court,
fitness centre, pool tables and a restaurant and bar. The spouses enjoy many activities together: tennis, squash, painting, sewing, bridge, aquarobics, mah-jong and more. All these activities take place around the HAS club. If you would like more information, ask Outpost for the list of all activities!! More and more expats are "exploring" the local restaurants and coffee shops. They are not the most fancy and elegant, but the quality of the food is excellent and the environment friendly.
None of the expat spouses in Sur are in paid employment, as opportunities are limited. It is difficult, but not impossible, for an accompanying spouse to obtain a work permit in their own right. For details, please contact the Outpost Global Service at www.outpostexpat.nl (Shell families only).
Most families have two cars; living on the complex does allow people to share a car if required. The spouses need some form of transport to get into town as this is a 15 minute drive and the spouses in town need a car for shopping or going to the complex. Some spouses use their bicycle around the complex and in town for visits and shopping. Cars are not as expensive as a lot of other countries (especially Europe) and petrol is 'peanuts' per litre. Some nationalities need to pass the local driving test, but most nationalities can exchange their driving licence for an Omani license immediately after a compulsory eye test. There are many taxis, at a cheap rate, and one local coach traveling daily to Muscat.
Sur town used to have only a couple of very small supermarkets, which sell the basic daily necessities, but the opening of the first large supermarket in Sur has paved the way for more shops and a commercial centre is planned. As well as this the vegetable market and the brand new fish market offer a large range of daily fresh products. Moreover, the club in the HAS complex offers an excellent service: twice a week they collect orders and a shopping service from/to Muscat guarantees more 'European/American' type products which are widely available in the capital. Pork can be bought in Muscat from a couple of the larger supermarkets. It is more expensive than in Europe but good quality. Alcohol can be bought from the bulk store in both clubs; all items are available - red and white wine, beer and spirits for consumption in your own home and at the club.
The plug system in every house is the British 3-pin variety. This is unusual as all electrical items bought have the standard European 2-pin attachment. You can buy TVs, videos and DVD players, bread machines, computers, fax machines etc. All electrical appliances are sold, some locally, having good brand names - Panasonic, Phillips and JVC at less than the prices at home. The video system is the same as Europe - VHS. The telephone network is good, with internet facilities available. ADSL has recently arrived and more and more expats are switching to this service over the previously used dial-up connection. The postal system is rather slow and can sometimes take up to two weeks for a letter to be delivered; some items may take longer. The subscription of your own national newspaper is intermittent but not censored. All mail can be collected and delivered only via the OLNG office or a private P O Box at the nearest Post Office.
The company provides a medical clinic, located in Hay Al Shurooq, which is open five days per week. It offers medical assistance and will provide any pharmacy drugs required and there is also a Doctor at the OLNG site to provide primary healthcare and emergency stabilization services.
Families often have visitors; it is easy for them to visit. Obtain a blue visitors visa from the airport upon arrival for a maximum stay of three months. A longer stay requires a visa obtained from the Omani embassy in your own country. Visitors can hire a car and drive about the country to see all the beautiful sights in and around Sur.
There are no security or safety problems. The spouses travel into town alone and are free to shop without the fear of being approached. In the town of Sur most expats feel safer than in their own country.
Sandcastle Playgroup 'The Sandcastle' is
primarily run in the English language; however teachers and assistants
can communicate with the children in a number of languages (Arabic,
Hindi, Malay and Dutch). "The Sandcastle" runs on Saturday, Monday and
Wednesday mornings from
8.30am-11.45am.
Seashell
Primary School The school is next door to the Recreation Club, so the children use the swimming pool and sports hall facilities for PE. Staffing &
Numbers Curriculum From Primary 2 - 8 Seashell Primary School has two Maths and Language (M&L) Streams: Dutch and English Speaking. Both streams follow their respective national curriculum for these two core subjects. M&L are taught each day from 08:00 to 11:00. IPC is taught in
English after
11:00. Streams are integrated for IPC due to small class numbers.
Although the IPC encompasses all subject areas (apart from M&L), PE and
Music are taught separately by specialist* teachers. (* Please note that
this may change depending on the availability of such a teacher.) Cultural time is taught once a week for Pr.2-8 children from 11:00 - 12:30 in the M&L streams. Each stream teaches those parts of the curriculum that are specific to their respective country. Therefore certain the history and geography elements of the streams national curriculum will be taught during this time. For further information please see the Seashell School website: www.seashellschool.com Seashell School
Mission Statement:
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view of Hay Al Shurooq housing complex
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