Wednesday 7 October 2009

Oman: Transport in Oman - part I

TRANSPORT IN OMAN - PART 1 Omani taxi: All terrain, musty smelling public transport vehicle with informal three-tier pricing structure. Frequently seen reduced to the size of a suitcase after a head-on collision.  Omani gas bottle truck: Battered orange truck clanging around local streets driven by small boys. Extra services include checking your gas connections when your daughter is alone.  Omani Expat 4WD: Freshly washed in a local supermarket driven by an expat lady listening to Hi-FM doing the school run or on her way to a nail appointment.  Omani ‘Sports car’: Low level dark coloured Honda Civic with throbby stereo and seats at 30-degree angle driven by brainless fuckwhit.  Omani driving school car: Ubiquitous vehicle containing an ‘instructor’ chatting on the phone while draping the other arm around the headrest of the female learner victim.  Omani baiza bus: Medium size passenger vehicle which accumulates under footbridges after performing life-threatening manoeuvres to collect one more passenger.  Omani petrol tanker: Heavy vehicle usually clustered with other lorries in ‘No Parking’ zones overnight. Might start disappearing in a few years when the oil’s gone.  Omani tow truck: Common sight during rush hour carrying the largest remnants of an ‘accident’ leaving a group of men in orange overalls to sweep up the rest on an open highway.  Omani water truck: Blue lorry generally spilling more water than carrying. Worth watching smaller sized trucks going over speed bumps.  Omani dustbin lorry: Smelly orange trucks hopping around the streets of the city in the early hours picking up rubbish dumped by maids in the vicinity of the rubbish bins.  Omani  poo truck: Best avoided, especially if hooked up to a house or performing an illegal dumping operation.  Omani  pickup: White mangled Toyota with maintenance or insurance driven by toothless sun-baked mountain man with a driving licence.This guide to cars and trucks in Oman has been compiled for the benefit of tourists, visitors and new residents. Don't say you haven't been warned.

There are plenty more, so suggestions for a second edition gladly received.

11 comments:

Jet Driver said...

Awesome!

JD

Anonymous said...

Nice one although you need to add: a) dark-windowed Porsche Cayennes driven painfully slowly by expensively bejewelled Omani wives, b) large Lancruisers containing middle class Omani families and their maids (usually two), at least 10 people in total, many on top of one another, and c) ancient Japanese cars on their last wheels containing groups of Indian men enjoying a rare day off by driving around and marvelling at the conspicuous wealth they are helping provide.

Btw, it won't just be the petrol tankers that disappear when the oil runs out - it will be all of the above.

WM (OO)

Sue Pownall said...

Excellent and so true.

Suburban said...

May I link to this? Fantastic.

I would suggest adding a blue and white ROP cruiser. Rarely seen, local authourities fear they may be endangered and nearing extinction. When sited, they are generally found nowhere near where they are needed.

livinginoman.com said...

No problem Suburban, link away. I've also got a 'how to spot an Omani car' cartoon in the pipeline...

Shirley Dockerill said...

great stuff, thanks

Reality said...

lol! This is so funny.. and soo TRUE!

I think I will forward the link to all my friends!

Umm Sarah said...

Don't forget the VWs and Cayennes driven by well-heeled Omani men who usually look at you out of the corner of their eyes, the Indians in their Echos and Camrys, Pakistanis in beat-up four wheels and pick-ups, and of course drivers of FMCG trucks who tail-gate you from AlHail to Al Khuwair no matter how many lanes you change!! Lovely post, can I print a couple of copies of the pic?

livinginoman.com said...

Thanks for the suggestions Um Sarah, of course you can print!

Anonymous said...

spot on

Anonymous said...

Amazing paps... Loving the cartoon, Keep up the sketching...Its funny how similar our cartoons are!!!
Big Hugs
xxxxxx