The Souk

The souks are actually the markets. It's where everyone shops. For the past two weekends I've been to two souks. Actually I wanted to buy sandals for myself. We left the kids in the van with the driver because they were sleeping. Yes, they were not sleepy at home but once we hit the road, they just had to sleep...sigh...

Anyway, my husband and I went in. There was no pavement, it was all dirt. Like the normal open market, it was packed with vendors. Everything that you would and could want I suppose... They do sell clothe materials, quite colourful, it must be imported from China. In Sudan, the traditional attire for ladies resemble an Indian saree. Beautiful, but as we are foreigners, very expensive.

It was kind of funny though because we didn't have a clue what the traders were talking about...hehehe...it was like the blind leading the blind kind of thing. I did buy a pair of sandals, actually, after much hand gesturing...and also finger pointing...Macam ayam ngan itik...Heheh...In souk Bahari, we bought a dress for Aliah, this is where we used the handphone as a haggling tool. Since we do not know numbers in arabic, we had to keep on flashing the numbers on the phone to the 'lucky trader'... I was trying very miserably not to laugh and we finally went out with the dress which was too big for Aliah...Never mind, it was a wonderful experience.

The souks are wonderful places where the atmosphere are very relaxed and laid back. I think I'll have to learn a little bit of arabic before I dare venture into one again. But well, I do not know how long I'm going to be here, so watch this space. You'll never know, probably at the end of my stay, I'll be the haggling devil or a souk shopoholic...Heheh...Miracles do happen. One thing I noticed though, the carpets were quite cheap...I think there is still hope for me...