Our friends left the next day (sunday), so we decided to explore the area of Muscat on our own. First stop was the beach – the waters of the Gulf of Oman! Across from the hotel was a public access to the beach. The sand was very soft and very hot! And the beach was very wide – a great place to walk! The girls were excited by how different the shells were here. Very small and colorful! A contrast to the “rocky sand’ of Melbourne Florida!
After lunch it was time for one of our favorite actives – a dhow cruise! And this one would be during sunset!! I have decided that these cruises are a great compromise for my family! I get my wish to “do something” and my family can relax! The best of both worlds!
We were picked up at the hotel at 3:15. Having spent the afternoon walking the beach we didn’t have time to change so we headed out as is! These boats were very similar to the one we took through the Musandam Peninsula – but no such luck at having the boat to ourselves! But we did snag a nice spot on the carpet! We pulled away from the dock around 4pm and began sailing around the coastline. This enabled us to see some of the other hotels form the water!
As we headed out towards the spot where we would watch the sun go down, I noticed about 8 large oil tankers stationed just off the coast. I asked the captain about this and he explained that these ships were meeting up with a larger barge that would actually refuel them! It was awesome to see these massive ships so close!
The dhow slowly came to a stop as we watched the sun set behind the mountains. Quick get the photos in as it sets very quickly! Then we turned around and began the journey back to the dock. The mountains were really beautiful now with the sun casting a glow upon them! This part of Oman had a different feeling for me than the Musandam Peninsula. There the mountains shot straight up from the water and were quite impressive, with their sharp angles and horizontal layers. Here the mountains were much softer and seemed to roll a bit. Maybe it was the time of day with the sun’s glow. But I did enjoy the ability to see part of the towns today as we cruised by. It gave the landscape some more character and dimension. A wonderful way to spend the late afternoon!
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