Country #44 Oman🇴🇲

As you probably know by now my objective currently is to play hockey in 50 countries before I turn 50 and time is starting to run out . It won’t stop me from travelling when I get to that goal , it’s just something to keep me motivated as though travelling and meeting all these interesting people is not enough .

Before my trip here i reached out to get in contact with the Oman Wadi Dogs which is a hockey club here in Oman that I had crossed paths with in Dubai about 18 years ago now . Had to message a few friends living in the Middle East to find out who to contact and I ended up getting in touch with Scott LaBonte and through him I found out what nights to be here for some ice time . So the plan started to take shape and I flew out here ! Scott added me to the teams WhatsApp group and through the group I got some answers and help with figuring out logistics and also got help planning a photo shoot . Lukas who is a tennis instructor who hails from Slovakia and has his own academy called LJ tennis academy https://instagram.com/ljtennisacademyoman?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= was kind enough to help me get some crazy pics in my gear . Originally we were to do it on game day then he was booked with some work stuff and at the last moment he contacted and asked if I could do it in the morning so I dropped everything and took the offer and before you know it I was in front of the Sultans Palace sweating bullets in my gear getting some amazing photos which I hope brings attention to the fact that there is hockey here in Oman 🇴🇲 without his help I could not have attained these photos so I thank you Lukas !

We drove around to a few places and I got the lowdown from the point of view of an expat which is always good to get . He has been here for 9 years and seems quite happy and I don’t blame him as life seems pretty good here with a very low crime rate and great weather all year round . Honestly I can’t say enough good things about Muscat . After checking out a few spots for pictures and going by the rink for a quick peek he dropped me off and I hit the gym and went for a run . Today is not the chill by the pool with a beer day as I don’t mess around when I’m playing hockey . Beer can come later !

Through my very close friend Adil El Farj I was put in contact with Saud Alaufi who is the president of the Oman Ice Sports Committee https://instagram.com/o_i_s_c?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= and he is part of the group chat I was added to . I had mentioned in the chat that I would like to support the club if possible and buy a T-shirt or anything I could take home with me . I do have quite the crazy collection of shirts from around the world and I’m always looking to add more to my wife’s dismay 😝

When it was time to head out I took a taxi which cost me 7 Omani Riyal’s which is around $25 CDN . Not cheap but standard , the driver gave me his number and told me to call him if I need a ride back . Perfect !

The arena is called Funzone https://funzone.om/ and the ice there is 45x24 which is smaller but plenty of room for 4 on 4 hockey . I was one of the first guys at the rink and I wandered around to check out the facility …. There is a changing area which you shouldn’t be naked in ! So have to change in bathroom or near the ice skate rentals are which is where I got into my clothes that I wear under my gear . As I sat there getting dressed I noticed we had 3 other goalies but the ice time is 1.5 hours so it’s not too bad and I know it’s gonna be hot playing here as it always is in southern countries . Pretty sure there were only 5 or 6 expat skaters and the rest of the guys were Omani players with the majority of them members of the national team . When Saud arrived he told me they tried hard to get me a shirt then pulled out a national team jersey as a gift …. I almost cried , I was not expecting anything at all . How amazing ! He also gave me a pennant to hang in my garage/man cave which I’m proudly gonna hang when I get home .

When we got on the ice I could feel that it was bumpy and rough and near the boards the ice dipped so pucks kinda have to be dug out if they end up there . All the guys there said at least we have ice and I agree . People can’t complain if it’s the only option but someday I hope to see them with a bigger better rink . Apparently this is the second rink here and the first one was a bit worse and I’m pretty sure the same company owned the old rink also . We had a scrimmage and I was told to leave the ice to switch goalies at 9:20 which I graciously did after sweating bucket loads … oh yeah I almost got a shutout but thanks to one of the expats I didn’t and only let one get past me , I didn’t cover my angle properly and he sniped me honestly . We joked after as he told me he was glad I didn’t leave with a shutout and I replied that when he scored it took a lot of pressure off me to get the shutout :) really the shutout woulda been sweet but I had a great time with the guys . The Omani skaters and the expats seem to have a bit of an on ice rivalry here which is normal and from what I was told by fellow tendy Matt MacDonald who is from BC that before there were a lot of young expats who ruled the roost but now more Omani people have taken the sport as their own which was clear to see and without the local support their wouldn’t be enough players to have any games . The Omani skaters and goalies were all very passionate about the game and you could clearly see they love hockey .

I stuck around until the game was over but I ditched my gear as it was really wet and gross . After the skate I gave the Omani skaters a thank you speech and told them I hope to see them competing in IIHF tournaments soon and then I called the taxi …. this was the only shitty experience I had because I thought the taxi would be 7 riyals but this guy was a bit of a scam artist …. Once I got in the cab and we were driving I said so it’s 7 riyals and he said yes for one way but I had to drive here and drive back so it’s 14 ? Now I thought he forgot I paid him earlier so I said ok I can give you another 7 and he said no and stopped the taxi and told me I had to pay him for driving over to pick me up . What a piece of shit ! He cut me a deal though and said 10 should cover it … that’s $35 CDN . When we arrived I just gave him the money and didn’t even look at him as I was so angry 😡 grabbed my gear and went in to meet Kathleen and our German friend Ben who we met at the hotel . I told the hotel about the taxi and gave them his phone number and told them I don’t want to see him again and that he is ripping people off . They said they will talk to the taxi company about him which probably will amount to nothing . Anyways a couple beers and some hang time with Kathleen and Ben made me feel better and I didn’t have to even vent about it .

Don’t get me wrong , this one bad apple did not ruin my experience here . I let

my guard down for a moment and I paid

for it . Take my advice and learn from my experience and always discuss payment before getting mint a taxi anywhere on the planet !