Souq There It Is

Liz and I had spent half the day out and were ready to head over the Souq Waqif, literally “the standing market.”

But before we got too deep in to the market, we did make a pitstop at the camel pen on the outskirts. We don’t know whose camels these are, but they aren’t far from the Amir’s Palace so maybe he keeps a herd at the ready.

… and:

After we ditched the dromedaries, we headed in and walked around for a bit.

The sooq is sort of what you would expect from a middle-eastern market as represented in our popular culture. Bustling, for sure, with some wider streets and some narrower streets, just wide enough for two people to pass. Intertwining streets that don’t cut through all the way or go straight, so it can be tricky to keep track of where you are.

It’s organized roughly by product and/or service so all of the textile sellers are grouped roughly together, all the spice vendors together, all the falconers are together. It makes for great shopping if you’re able to discern the differences, but our eyes may not be so keen. With a dozen small shops selling hundreds of bolts of fabric apiece, it’s hard to make heads or tail of the whole thing and it becomes confusing. So, like many things in this world, the regular users of the market no doubt go back to their preferred vendor.

In fact, this is what we did. Jen had purchased a lamp from a lamp seller and had a good experience, and then went back with her daughter and then brought us back. So we popped in, and Mohammed absolutely recognized her and remember some of the details and asked about her kids, etc. He may have had an earbud in his ear with notes being beamed in from mission control, but it’s more likely that he’s just a good salesperson.

Next, he wined and dined us sent his associate to get us tea and he helped us choose a lamp pattern we liked and we looked at other odds and ends, and then he gave us the lowdown on the price after all selections had been made. The price he gave us was roughly half the “list” price on these items, so that tells you where things stand with these markets. You gotta negotiate, unless they know you, in which case you trust them to give you a deal. Even then, who really knows.

After walking enough, we settled in for dinner at one of the dozens of restaurants available to us. This was a Persian restaurant (recommended by a friend of Corey’s), typically Turkish or Iranian or… err, you know… middle eastern food. It’s delicious, hearty stews and side dishes, the most common of which would be familiar with. But really these places all have their own take on cuisines that have been intersecting and cross-pollinating for millennia. I’m not going to go into the meal specifics, but suffice to say… delish. That doesn’t quite suffice, so interesting takes on foods we’ve enjoyed already. Some totally new things too.

Then Corey drove us home. We were all tired. The next morning we go to Oman.