Majnoun is Arabic for crazy…

I consider Muscat, Oman as my second home. Aside from working here for more than three years now, marami ako alala sa lugar na ito noong bata pa. Lagi ako nagpupunta dito kasama si ermat at ang aking mga kapatid mula 1984 para bisitahin si erpat at ubusin ang pera nya, sa tuwing bakasyon na sa eskuwela, sem-break, at pasko.

Muscat was different then. Huli kase ang Oman na nag-develop kung ikukumpara sa mga kalapit nyang bansa at kapwa myembro ng AGCC na Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain at Qatar. It was only in 1970 that this country opened it’s doors to the outside world.

Naalala ko pa na unang punta ko dito, maysado ako na-culture shock dahil madami ang bawal, at sobra makaluma ang pamumuhay. Sabagay lahat naman ng bansa dito sa Middle East eh talagang marami ang ipinagbabawal. Konti lang ang kalyeng espaltado noon, bihira ang mga hi-rise buildings, pinakamataas na makikita mo na ay 6 storeys yata. Transportation and communication were so bad, you had to ride open pickups as taxi cabs, and the only way to get in touch with loved ones from the Philippines was thru snailmail na inaabot ng halos 2 months bago makarating sa Pilipinas. Oman then was populated by less than 1 million Omanis, most weren’t educated properly and totally oblivious to the outside world, that’s why they relied on expatriates to do most of the work for them.

That was then, now it’s a different story. Oman is fast developing into world class destination for tourists, and slowly emerging as a force to reckon with in the area. Bakit kamo? Eh di syempre dahil sa langis. In 37 years time, ang laki na ng pinagbago ng bansa na ito. Huli pa rin sila compared to other countries in the gulf, especially UAE (ang tindi ng Dubai di ba?), but they’re slowly getting there.Marami na ang mga buildings at infrastructures na na naitayo dito na maari mo nang ikumpara at ihambing sa ibang bansa. Nagsusulputan parang kabute ang mga hotels, shopping malls, recreation centers, hi-rise condominiums, hospitals, schools at iba pa.

Pati ang mga Omanis ang laki na rin ng pinagbago. They used to be shy and withdrawn, but now they’re sociable and friendly. They are even considered as the most hospitable among the gulf countries. Marami na din ang mga nagsipag-aral at nagtapos sa ibang bansa and because of their love for their motherland and patriotism, chose to be a part in the progress, and help Oman to develop further more.

But in spite of the positive change, negative transformation also took place. Gone were the days when you can just hitch a ride for free, leave your car unlocked without fear of being victimized by a car burglar, and walk dark alleys without getting mugged. Oman tried to become so modern that even drinking alcohol here is not a problem anymore. As long as you have a liquor permit, you can buy anything you want. Prostitution, although not allowed and cannot be made legal, became rampant and prevalent with the arrival of the Russians and the Chinese. Local teeners became easy target for drug pushers selling marijuana and cocaine, that a wasted young man slumped on the pavement in the early hours of the morning became a common sight. Because of the good roads and highways that were built, drivers became aggressive and dangerous, thus causing heaps of accidents and loss of lives and limbs. That’s what this entry is all about.

Driving a car in a fast developing country could be very dangerous! Ang problema kasi dito, mahirap kumuha ng license ang mga expats na tulad ko. Katakot takot na road tests and pagdadaanan mo pero wag ka, sa mga lokal madali lang. They don’t have to take the same tests we expats undergo. As long as instructors see that they can drive that’s it! Kung sino pa ang mga maingat magmanaho at magaling humawak ng manibela, yun pa ang kalimitang bumabagsak sa tests.

Delikado magmaneho ang mga Omanis, isang direksyon lang ang alam.. Straight ahead! Hindi marunong umiwas sa kaliwa at kanan, hindi marunong mag-brake at hindi marunong bumusina. Kahit na defensive driver ka at nagpapatakbo ng below 80kmh, pag minamalas malas ka bigla ka na lang bubungguin ng nasa likuran mo dahil parang laging nagmamadali ang mga ito sa pagmamaneho. Imagine driving at 160kmh with one hand on the steering wheel, while the other is on the mobile phone.. That’s disater waiting to happen.

Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit ang bibilis magpatakbo eh. May hinahabol ba na schedule? Eh karamihan naman sa mga ito eh tamad at walang trabaho kaya anong schedule? Nagugutom na kaya at gusto na makarating ng bahay? Maya’t maya na lang kumakain tapos gutom pa rin? Naghihintay na kaya ang asawa, bagong ligo at ready na sa romansa? Maaari dahil sobra libog ng mga ito kahit ata kambing yayariin pag tinigasan. Yan ang mga modernong Omani. Magaling, or should I say notorious sa tatlong bagay.. EATING, F*CKING, DRIVING..

Kaya ko intindihin yung hilig nila kumain. Matakaw din ako eh so I can relate. Na-expose sila sa iba’t ibang pagkain kaya understandable kung ang laging laman ng McDonalds at KFC eh puro Omanis. Tayong mga pinoy, isang bucket na KFC kasya na sa buong pamilya. Sa mga ito, kulang pa yun sa mag-asawa. Kailangan may kasama pa dalawang Zinger at tig-isang family size na softdrinks. Snack lang yan ha. Lunchtime, I swear they can eat a whole cow!

Yung sex part, naiintindihan ko rin. Isipin mo nga naman, sobra laki ng bansa nila pero ang population nila ngayon eh nasa 3.2 million lang yata. That’s far less than the population of Metro Manila alone which is about 12 million, to think that the land area of Oman is bigger than the Philippines. Maybe the government is encouraging them to populate? Tsaka, manyak talaga tong mga to, in a funny kind of way. Hindi naman yung manyak na mga rapists. Yung manyak na gusto maya’t maya nakasawsaw sa kanilang mga misis or girlfriends. Kaya nga dumami ang mga Chinese at Russians dito eh. Mismong mga high ranking officials pa ang mga parokyano. Mga malilibog!

Yung driving part ang hindi ko maintindihan. Arabs are the worst drivers in the world believe me. Lenient sila sa kapwa nila, pero pag dating sa ibang nationalidad, mahigpit sila. Bukod dito, mayayaman ang mga mokong at common na dito na makakakita ka ng High school student na naka Hummer, Cayenne, Escalade, o kaya BMW. Pag nabangga sila, palit sasakyan agad! Natatakot tuloy ako magmaneho pag peak hours dahil ayoko makasabay sa kalye ang mga ito. Since my job is in the field, ang ginagawa ko na lang umaalis ako ng maaga around 4am, at bumabalik ng bahay around 11am para lang makaiwas sa mga stuntmen na ito na parang sila lang ang may karapatang gumamit ng kalsada. Once na ako nabunggo dito, hindi ko kasalanan at twice na ako muntik na dahil sa pag-oovertake ng mga mokong sa maling paraan. Haay buhay. Minsan tuloy parang ayoko na lumabas at mag-field. Parang nagkaroon na ako ng trauma.

Here’s a video I found at youtube to demonstrate how dangerous these drivers can be. It’s not from Oman, but from Dubai. Wala naman halos pinagkaiba. Pareho lang ang style ng mga Emirati at mga Omanis pagdating sa driving. Parehong delikado sa kalye. At parehong maaring maging dahilan ng pagkamatay ng kahit na sino. Parehong Arabo eh.

Mga Arab drivers tlaga oo. Mga siraulo. Mga MAJNOUN!

Possibly Related Posts:


Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!