For some reason, neon lights are a big deal all around the Arabian Gulf year round. Palm trees get decorated with them but the most lit up building in Muscat would have to be Lulus, which is one of the four major groceries store chains in Oman.
I am not a big fan of grocery shopping but Lulus I love! The neon lights change color as well as a firework type ball that "explodes" into the night sky!
There are always great deals to be discovered each week. Omani families are generally large-the average Omani family will have 9 children, so there are plenty of fresh bulk fruit and vegetables on offer. One of my favorite perks of Lulus is the coconut counter and the pineapple station. At the coconut counter you can have the raw coconut shelled, juiced and shredded-too bad I am the only one in my family that likes coconut. The pineapple station has this great contraption that peels and cores the fresh pineapple with an assistant there to finish the processing by slicing it for you.
If you were to ask the kiddos what they love most about Lulus, they would say the chicken! Each day Lulus roasts little chickens on huge rotisseries. Just the smell of them cooking while you shop makes the experience better!
Another benefit of shopping at Lulus is that while you shop there are always general workers in the parking lot, who will quite cheaply wash you car while you shop. One of the unusual things about Oman is that it is illegal to drive a dirty car! Of course living in the desert means that car washes are a regular need.
When it is not always convenient to get to the hypermarket, there is always the local shops nearby. A bakery, a pharmacy, a photo shop, a dentist, a fabric store and KFC are just a street away!
