Batha Souk

Today will/should be the last day of Ramadan, when at Iftar the Eid Mubarak will start, the most celebrated holiday of the Muslim year.  Families and friends will get together, eat and be merry and the children will receive gift envelopes with money.  So, as you can imagine, people all over Riyadh are antsy to finish Ramadan and their fast.  Since this is a holiday, all services in the compound will be suspended for the next 5 days, so might as well get out while we can!  This morning, Imy daughter Emma and I took the compound bus to go to the Souk.  The driver was supposed to take us to the Dirah Souk, where you can find rugs, decorations, appliances, and abayas...  Instead he dropped us at the Batha Souk, mostly a textile souk.  Emma accompanied me as she needed a new abaya to start school, since it is school policy that all girls grade 4 through 12 wear an abaya to arrive on school campus, to cross the street for PE classes and to leave in the afternoon. 

You may think that abaya shopping would be pretty quick, right....how many models of black abaya could exist...but you are so wrong!  The souk was just opening up when we arrived, lights turned on and merchandises were being displayed.  At first, we could not see many abaya shops.  After wandering around and checking out those that were opened, they just seemed to multiply.  Everywhere we looked you could see an abaya shop.  Emma is pretty picky (already, for age 9) for any piece of clothes..so imagine her choosing a black abaya.  We knew the length she needed and she wanted one with pink!  Of course, all the ones displayed had blue, green, orange, red or yellow stiched decorations...so those did not fit the bill! Eventually, at the 10th shop (or more, as I quit counting) she saw one that she liked with interesting looking sleeves, some rhinestones details and a cool design in the back...We had a winner!!!  To my surprise, her chosen abaya does not have any pink in it, but I did not say anything as to not have her change her mind!  After some bartering, just a matter of principle since we are at the souk after all, I paid the man and Emma immediately put on her new abaya and removed the too short old one she was wearing, without showing an inch of skin!  She's very quickly adapting to the "no show" rules of the Kingdom.

Two of my freshly arrived colleagues were accompaning us on this shopping trip.  It was their first time in a Riyadh souk and they did not know what to look at, sensory overload.  Since they are new, they are still looking for necessities and ended up buying shower gels, shampoos, lotion and hairdryer.  Throw in some cashewnuts, almonds and even a new abaya for one of them and it was a successful trip!  It was interesting to see it through their eyes.  They were interested in everything and asking me if the quoted prices were reasonable.  I felt like the oldtimer, which is kind of funny since I haven't been here a year!