This stop would be our second trip to Muscat, but not our final stop. We will be returning here on the second leg of our cruise!

Because we saw all of the sites we wanted to last time, we opted to walk along the waterfront to the Mutrah Souk to do a little shopping. OK, I dragged Clayton along even though he hates shopping! My goal was a pair of lapis lazuli earrings and perhaps a new top. I had purchased multiple pashmina scarves last time and so had no need for any more – I hardly ever wear the ones I already have!

I love the tessellations seen everywhere in Islamic places! Even the sidewalks are beautiful.

The Sultan’s yachts were still moored in the harbor, but it looked to me like one of them was a “new” yacht. There IS a new sultan; Sultan Qaboos died around a month ago. This was very sad for the people of Oman as he was quite the revered figure.

I ended up not buying anything. I did find a pair of earrings I liked, but the shopkeeper wanted double what I was willing to pay. He would only drop the price by a few dollars, so I passed. On our last visit, most of the shops sold cotton tops, but that item didn’t seem as popular this time around, so I failed in finding anything at all to buy! Oh well, I get another chance in a week or so!

We headed back to the ship for the remainder of our short time in port.

The best views of the main sights in Muscat are from the water. I took a few more pictures as we headed back out to sea.