field notes

Travel is my research. Culture is my inspiration.

Here I share the moments that don't fit in a gallery — the human stories, street corners, and unexpected encounters that shape my work and worldview.

48 Hours in Oman: From Flight Delay to Favorite Memory

2026

the story

How an unexpected layover in Muscat turned into the most heartwarming travel experience we’ve ever had

We were supposed to fly home from Bangkok to Frankfurt. Simple. One stop in Muscat with Oman Air, then on to Germany.
Then Oman Air moved our connecting flight. Not by a few hours. By two full days.

Oman had never been on our radar. Not even a little. But with two unexpected days and three small kids in tow, we figured: why not make the best of it?

**The support we didn’t expect**

We landed in MCT pretty tired and a bit annoyed, to be honest. We went straight to the Oman Air support desk. No arguing, no back-and-forth, no voucher chaos. The young man at the counter was genuinely kind. Within minutes we had a hotel confirmed, including transfers. The driver who picked us up was friendly, the hotel staff welcomed us like long-lost relatives.

At that point we just thought, “Okay, cool. They handled it well.” We didn’t think much more of it. We rented a car the next day and drove to Muttrah to see a bit of the city.

**Then Friday happened**

My uncle went into the mosque for Friday prayer. The rest of us — three adults, three toddlers — waited outside in the shade. When prayer ended and men started leaving the mosque, something happened that I’ll never forget.

A man walked past, looked at my son, and without a single word pressed some money into his little hand. Just kept walking.
Before I could even react, another man came up to me and asked, “Can I buy your children some juice?”
I said, “Yes, of course, thank you.”

He went to the kiosk next to us. He came back with 5 or 6 bottles of water and 5 or 6 juices. I tried to tell him it was too much, that we couldn’t possibly drink all that.

He just smiled and said: “I’m Omani and you are our guests. You are welcome to my country.”

I was speechless. All I could get out was “thank you” about a thousand times.
And it didn’t stop there. Another man came over minutes later and invited us to his home for tea or coffee. Just like that. Strangers inviting a whole family with three tired kids to their house, no hesitation.

**My takeaway**

We had zero expectations going into Oman. No prejudices either. We were just a family trying to kill time because of a delayed flight.

What we found was overwhelming hospitality. Not the polished, hotel-staff kind. The real kind. The kind where people treat you like you’ve known each other your whole life, even though you met two minutes ago.

Oman wasn’t on our travel list before. Now it absolutely is. Next time, not as a layover. As the main trip.

If you ever get the chance — or even if you get stuck there for 48 hours like we did — go. Walk around Muttrah, stand outside a mosque on Friday, and let the Omanis show you what “guest” really means.

We went in expecting nothing. We left feeling like we had family there.

These are the moments that shape my work.