The Bahrain Souq. Smelly Indians, Fake Goods, and Crumbling Buildings

The word "souq" in Arabic means "marketplace." This souq has been around for at least a hundred years, and is a good representation of what shopping was like in this culture before the mall culture took over. The souq is an interesting place in that there are lots and lots of narrow streets (that cars still drive down) and alleys lined with little shops that peddle any and everything. Most of the stuff is extremely cheap or is counterfeit, which makes for a cautious shopping trip. You quickly learn not to buy anything of value here; most likely it's a knockoff of some sort. But the Indians like it, and they are fucking everywhere. It's amazing how busy this place can get. You are wall to wall people walking down the street with cars inching along trying to get through. It's something better experienced than seen. But as you are taken aback by how interesting it is, you also notice how shitty the place looks at the same time. The biggest complaint that I have is that when I go there I am assaulted by almost every shop owner because (presumably) I'm white. "Excuse me Mr! Excuse me!" "Sir!! Camels!! Cheap watches!!" "Sir, sir, SIR!! Ghutras (the Arab headress--i.e. tablecloth)" And this happens at almost 75% of the stores--I'm not fucking joking. You think Jehovah Witnesses are bad? Go to the souq and be white. They don't bother the Indians, or the Arabs. Just us whiteys. 2nd on my complaint list is how dirty and run down the place is. Most of these buildings are in bad disrepair, and walking through many of these narrow streets and alleys makes one think that they may crash down at any point. And if that's not bad enough, they create shelter in between the buildings with shabby-looking tin or bedsheets (see the 3rd and 5th pic). I shot these photos last week when Rachel and I went there to try and find cheap beach towels, which brings up another point. Everything, and I mean everything, you have to barter the price, or you are a fucking idiot. They will say 4 dinars, you say 2, and you meet somewhere in the middle. If you think it's too much, walk away and watch the price come down like the stock market crash in the 20's. They will even run after you lowering the price as you walk further away. It amuses the shit out of me, really. For example, the second pic is of me trying to lower the price on a F1 t-shirt that was way too small for me. I just enjoy fucking with these guys. They will do anything to make a sale.