Sand storm is not a deterrent...

View from the ground...

On the 18th of March, we woke up to the sound of the wind and when I looked outside, my suspicion was confirmed. We were in the middle of a sandstorm. It was quite a bad one because it continued for the whole day. Outgoing and incoming flights had to be cancelled because it was dangerous to land in such conditions. We had a very quiet day because there was the lack of noise from aeroplanes going in and out of Khartoum (the complex is actually in the direct path to and from the airport...hehehe).

In the complex...

But for Nani and me, the sandstorm was not a strong enough deterrent for us to keep us away from shopping...hehehe. We planned to go out to Souk Sya'bi and that was what we did. We went with Kak Adik, Kak Mek Na and Kak Ida. We had a spesific material in mind actually but we did stop at every stall selling curtain/cushion material. Nearly every shop in fact that I was quite exasperated...Adehhhh

No wonder I left shopping for these things at the last minute. I salute Nani and the gang who had the stamina to look for the materials that was 'just right'. Me? I would just grab anything that I fancy and I'll find the right concept when I got back...muahahaha!

I love 'red'...hehehe

I'll make this into a throw or whatever...

Souks in Sudan are normally made up of a big square and inside them you could find hundreds of little shops selling a variety of goods. From toys, curtains, cushions, materials, clothes etc. You just need to know where and have a good sense of direction. Me? Hehehe, not a chance! Put me anywhere and I'll get lost without fail...hehehe. I need a 'shop directory' to help me get around...muahahaha.

Buying in souks is definitely cheaper than buying in a shop, but be aware, you have to be good at bargaining. Another thing that I'm not good at. I'm hopeless because I always felt that the price quoted was low enough already...hehehe. And I 'pity' the seller quite easily...very, very bad in bargaining. So I left all the bargaining to Nani...hehehe

In one of the shops, while waiting for the others to bargain and choose their materials, I was busy snapping pictures (with their permission of course!). I even took several of the seller and he was 'bought' just like that. He was known for being very strict with his prices but because of the pictures, he 'melted'. Kak Mek Na who had been eyeing one beautiful material for about a year finally got to buy it at her demanded price, all because of the beautiful pictures...hehehe.

One of the shops...

Nani and the seller...

Kak Ida and Kak Mek Na resting...

Finally happy to buy her 'dream' material...

Kak Adik and the seller...hehehe

Walking back towards the van...

Nani resting...

Bales and bales of materials...

Velvety type of cloth...

Ni baru kata 'tersandar'...muahahaha

Visibility was very bad...

At the end of the day, we came out of the souk, very satisfied with our purchases. The visibility was still quite poor but surprisingly, it was very 'clear' inside the souk itself...hehehe. Or was it the madness of the shopoholic that gave our eyes extra strength?!! Whatever it is, I'll bring the memory of the day back with me to Malaysia and it was sweet indeed, especially when you're having fun with friends...