Is it a plane, is it a rocket ....or is it a Lamborghini ?

The past weekend, on Saturday, around mid morning I was suddenly jolted from my peaceful existence by a loud engine-revving sound. We normally do not hear any sounds from the road which passes by very close to the place where I stay as people do not blow horns and vehicles generally move past silently. As I hurried to the window to have a peep, I saw a rare sight. There were six Lamborghini Aventador model cars waiting for the signal to turn green. The sound I heard was the collective grunt and sputter of all these cars. I barely had time to shoot a short video before the vehicles whizzed off. I don't think I will ever get to see a similar sight again. Their presence on the road unnerved even the other cars which went helter-skelter, whereas normally they line up in a very disciplined manner before a traffic signal.

This particular model of Lamborghini is a coupe made up of carbon fibre and composite materials, has a monstrous 6.5 litre, V-12 , 42 valve engine which is just short of a rocket when it takes off (0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds). It costs around $ 450,000/- so the collective cost of the cars I saw would be around Rs 18 Crore. These are super cars for the super rich. Here is the short video I shot:

Mahfoodh's Villa

Mr Mahfoodh Al Hinai, an Omani colleague of mine recently shifted into his new villa at Sohar. He belongs to Sohar which is a large industrial town having a free zone and a large port. This place is about two and a half hours drive from Muscat (around 250 km). His old house was taken over by the Govt as it was falling in the proposed Muscat-Sohar expressway zone. A plot of land was allotted to him elsewhere along with compensation to build a new house. It has taken him more than an year to build the house and he has spent a considerable amount from his own resources to build his dream abode. I had an opportunity to visit his new villa when I visited Sohar on an official branch visit last month. 

The villa consists of 5 bedrooms with attached washrooms (3 for the family, 1 guest room and 1 for the maid) in a duplex structure. All the building material and furniture was selected by him personally in China (yeah, he went to China to buy the stuff which was shipped to Oman in two containers). Additional material/fixtures were sourced from Dubai as and when required. The villa has cost him upwards of 80,000/- Rials (multiply that by 176 to get an idea in Indian currency - that's around Rs 1.5 crore,  wow !).  Here are some pics of the beautiful villa (click to enlarge):

                                                  A view of the villa from outside.

                                                 Close up from the courtyard.

                                    Bharat putting forth his view while Mahfoodh is all ears.

              The "Majlis" or the front parlor. The 65 inch TV was dwarfed in this huge room.

                                                                6 meter curtains !!

                                                    Another view of the Living Room

                                                    Wardrobe in one of the bedrooms.

                                          A set of two wardrobes in the children's bedroom.

                                                             The Dining Room.

                                                Wash room attached to the Guest room.