• Lulu's - located in downtown Salalah at the corner of 23 July Rd. and the Al Matar St. (the street that leads to the clock tower and airport).  Good provisioning with fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken and beef.  Look for the canned tahini Hummus in the canned food aisle.
• Cold Storage - located in downtown Salalah near the airbase.  This store has a better selection of "western" goods.  Follow A'nahdah St. to the airbase entrance gate.  Turn right  and then right again into the parking area.  You will see a health club and a small local restaurant.  Cold Storage is the building just behind the restaurant.
• Fresh fruit and vegetable market located in the center of town.

Photo Developing -  Kodak Express located at corner of 23 July Rd. and A'nahdah St.  

Water - Potable water is found at the seaman's ablution block - the small white building and can be used to fill jerry jugs for free.  If you need 1 or more tons of water, contact Mohammed.  He will arrange for a truck to come to the port where you can come along side the seawall to take on water.

Laundry - 

• No self-service laundry at the port but most people use the "trough" located in the seaman's ablution building.  You will have to contend with the fishermen who are doing their laundry and also using the the toilet and shower facilities.  
• There are lots of laundries in town - just pick one.  They charge the the piece and do a good job, but are somewhat expensive.  They must use caustic soda in their washing as some of the colors on the white items came back a different color, but the white was really white.

• Lulu's - downtown Salalah ad corner of 23 July Rd. and Al Matar St.
• Cold Storage shopping center - located downtown Salalah near the air base.
• Souks - gold and perfume souks (markets) are located near the palace in downtown Salalah

Banks/ATMs -  HSBC and Oman National Bank both have ATM machines located about 1 km. outside the port gate.  Turn right outside the port gate and continue on for about 1 km. until you see the small bank signs on the left-hand side of the road.  Turn left and follow the road to the banks.  You can walk, but it is about 1/2 km. to the port gate and then 1 km. from there.

Fuel - If you want to fill jerry cans, the easiest way is to rent a car and get it at any of the petrol stations on the way into town.  If you need 1 or more tons of fuel, contact Mohammed who will arrange for a fuel truck to deliver diesel to the seawall where you come alongside.

Postal Services - The post office is located in downtown just off the exit at the clock town onto Al Matar St.  It is located in the complex of large government buildings on the left.  The building has lots of "lattice" work windows.  Ask Mohammed to explain how to find it.

Courier Services -  DHL located in downtown Salalah on Al Salaam St., north of A'nahdah St.  Local phone 290 447 or 563 599 in Muscat.  Mail and a West Marine order arrived in 4-6 days.

Internet Access -   The best internet place is upstairs in the fairly new pastel yellow building with lavender Arabic lettering located at the traffic light intersection on the northern by-pass road east of the Raysut roundabout (the one with the marine motif).   The sign on the upper level says "Internet."  1 riel per hour  for a reasonably fast connection.  If going from the port to town, turn left at the traffic light and then left again to get on the access road to the internet shop.

Car Rental - Arrange to rent cars with Mohammed (port facilitator).  His cars are a $1/day more than what they are in town, but he delivers them inside the port.  The other car rental agencies are prohibited from entering the port.

Taxis -  There are usually taxis waiting outside the port gate.  As usual, you need to establish a price before getting in the taxi.  Ask Mohammed what the going rate should be.

Industrial Areas - There are 2 industrial areas on the right side of the by-pass road into Salalah.  Turn left at the traffic light just east of the Raysut roundabout and then left again into the industrial park.  You can find almost any type of shop in these areas to do most anything.  We had stainless welding done at a shop label "auto repairs."  They did a reasonable, if a bit crude, job at a reasonable price.  Mohammed recommended the shop and told us how to find it.

Pubs - Oasis -  Beer, wine, good burgers and other pub food.  Located in an unmarked building up on the hill behind the port anchorage.  Go out the port gate and turn left onto the road.  Continue up the hill until you see a small mosque and mini-mart on the right. ( If you start seeing military housing, you have gone too far.)  A lot of Muslim men are usually sitting around the area.  Turn right down the small road between the mosque and mini-mart to the building straight ahead.  There is no sign. 

• Rent a car and drive up into the hills or along the spectacular coastal road West to the Yemeni checkpoint or East to Taqa and Mirbat.
• Visit the gold souks or the perfume/frankincense souks (where you can buy frankincense and myrrh and other types of incense) downtown near the Palace.
• Walk around the Sultan's Palace area.
• Have dinner at one of the traditional Omani restaurants where you are served your meal in your own "family" room while seated on pillows on the floor.  There are several located on 23 July Rd.  You can ask Mohammed to recommend one to you.

 More Information

• Lonely Planet Guide - Oman or  Middle East
• Red Sea Pilot 2nd edition 2002, Stephan Davies and Elaine Morgan