I'll be writing two blogs about this Tuesday, during which I attended a wedding and went to the souk. This is addition one: the souk. I'll talk about why the souk is probably my favorite place on earth, but first I shall explain the title of this post, a little insight on Americans abroad.
At the souk, I experienced the first instance of rudeness since I arrived, but it wasn't from an Omani. The girls and I had seen our program director with a necklace with her name in Arabic, and we wanted to find a place where we could get one. At one of the shops, an American couple walked in, and the women was wearing such necklace, so we asked her where we could find one. She laughed at us, saying "It's from Lebanon." Her husband snorted "it was custom made." My friend and I were veryyyyyy tempted to ask "Was your culturally inappropriate minidress custom made as well?", but decided it wasn't worth the time and the possible legal consequences, as insult is illegal in Oman. Side note: we asked our program director, you can get them custom made for $10... Moral of the story: don't be "the ugly American." No matter where you're traveling, be mindful of the customs and courtesies! And just be nice!!!! Even if you don't know the language, a smile goes a long way. Okay cultural rant aside, the souk!!! Most of my posts will be in lists just because it's easier to write and organize my thoughts. The following list is what I learned from the souk and why it's my favorite place on earth.
1. Best part of the souk: there rarely are price tags, and if there are, ignore them. You and the seller agree on the price, and it's one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.
2. There are dozens of little shops at the souk, selling mainly scarves, silver, perfume, henna, kohl, frankincense, traditional dress, rugs, jewelry, hookah and teas and juices. Think Chinatown but a lot less tacky magnets and tshirts, although if you've ever yearned for the tourist staple Omani camel tshirt, you'll find a place. Keep in mind that there are many shops that sell these items, so if you can't agree on a good price, la moshkilla! You will find another shop.
3. Bulk buy! Bargain! Bundle! These magic "b" words are the key to successful shopping. If you want five scarves, buy them all at the same place!!!!! That way, if the seller tells you they're 4 riyal a piece, you can offer 10-15 for the five and they will probably accept because it's a lot of business.
4. Alas, the "white person tax". The stories are true: they will try to charge you more if you're foreign, thinking you have more money and probably won't understand the value of the items (or lack thereof). The fix? We used "Ana taliba!" (I am a student), which leads the seller to the accurate conclusion that your spending money is not top tier. Also, try some Arabic! Most all of them speak English, but they really appreciate us trying to speak Arabic and would often agree to a lower price. Even if you mess up, they'll love it. (My host family thought it was hilarious when I messed up "heart " and "dog".. Qalb and Kelb? It's close, right?)
5. When in the souk, buy perfume!!!! It's oil based not alcohol based, so it stays on longer. And smells SO good. I would never have thought to try it, but a seller and I reached a very good deal so he gave me a bottle as a gift (Omanis are like that). I would go back just to buy more of this stuff.
6. Bargaining is so fun. It's a whole new language. Tips: always ask the seller the price first, if you tell him first he'll just raise it. Instead, ask him. Act like whatever number he says is just rediculously high (it probably is. See "white person tax") but just be careful not to insult the value of his grandma's handwoven rug. Offer a price much Lower than his, and lower than the price you are willing to pay. He'll raise it, you'll lower it until you meet in the middle (which is why it's important to offer a price lower than what you're willing to pay). He doesn't budge? La moshkilla, no problem. Walk away, 9 times out of ten he will call you back and lower the price, and if he doesn't, you'll find another place in the souk that sells the same items.
To summarize, if you ever find yourself in Oman, make the trip to muttrah just for the souk. You'll find some wonderful finds and may even get really good deals. I bargained from 40 riyals down to 19 (110 dollars to 50, approximately). It's fun, the goods are beautiful, and it's just another reason why Oman is an incredible country. Ma salaama, until next time :)
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