The adventure for this week was a trip to the Souk Al Mubarakiya. Basically it’s a big market with everything from fruit and fish to clothing and kitchenware. It reminded me a lot of markets I’ve visited in the Mediterranean with crowded, garage-style stalls, goods stacked to the ceiling, and all varieties of smells mingled in the air. It was a great place for people watching as well. Crowds of men seems to appear around shops and then disperse at random intervals. I never did figure out the rhyme or reason for these curious flash mobs. Five-minute sale, perhaps?
On the whole, there were lots of men (many of them wearing the traditional dishdasha), not too many women (most of them wearing the abaya and/or burqa). I had to be careful where I pointed my camera, as it is considered very taboo to take photos of Arab women in traditional dress. I found lots of other subjects for my photos though. One of the more interesting elements of this souk, which differentiated it from the European markets I’ve seen, was a series of sprinklers at one entrance that spray you with a fine mist of water. Great solution to the heat!
The souks don’t usually open until after 4pm, I’m guessing that’s due to the heat at the moment, so we had a wander through the market before having a delicious meal at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant my roommate had been to previously. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m loving the food here! And this was no exception. Now that payday has come, I expect I’ll be having many more food adventures this week!
I’ll leave you with some parting photos of the Souk Mubarakiya. Enjoy!
McDonald’s is everywhere
Apparently this is the oldest pharmacy in Kuwait (still in operation now)
The sprinklers
The Liberation Tower
The aforementioned “delicious food”
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