Tuesday 25 March 2008

On Impulse

So today we initiated Tina into the marvel that is Muttrah Souq.
Damn I love that place, I could stay there forever, just as long as I had my camera. But sadly no camera today. Boo.
One day I'm going to go back, on my own, and explore every little alley and lane, and open my eyes and look at the place with the developing eye of a photographer. And then I'm going to come home and be happy with my work.....
So we'd gone there to buy a gift for someone, a colleague of mom's and Tina's......it's like a little treasure hunt in there.....you never know what you'll find....and once the doors of a shop vanish behind you, you never know if you'll be able to find your way there the next time.....every few metres a new alley opens up a bhandaar of possibilities......
I've mostly been here at night, it adds to the mystique of the place....but there is something to be said about it when it's in blazing sun. I looked up at the ceiling to see a glass mosaic with the sunlight filtering through, I look around me, I see silver and stones in every corner, sacks heaped with spices, piles of shawls, mojhdis in a neat row, abayas, telescopes, jewelry and curios handed down through generations.......cheap toys, in fact this is one of the best places to come for them, mom buys dolls for her special ed. class here, mostly.
It hurts to get out of here.....
So this shop we went into, it has these beautiful lockets and all, semi-precious stones in an open setting in silver, lovely floral designs and all, as well as strings of stones, little studs, rings........as mom picked out her choice, I slid up to the counter and enquired about the possibility of getting my ears pierced....
"Peerbucks," the man told me. "5-6 shops down, in this line."
Off I went, mom following....and then I found it, an unassuming shop with a picture of a piercing gun on the door.
In I go, mark the spot with a dot of ink, squeeze mom's hand and shut my eyes tight as Tina regales us with a story about how some guy in Rajasthan pierced her ear with a hot needle....
Prepare to feel excruciating pain that will make me scream and scram...
and open my eyes as the stud rams into my lobe..
"That's IT???"
And we go home, a stud richer.....4 rials poorer.....but happy.....

11 comments:

Anindita said...

Sounds like a right little treasure chest to me.. Except that it is a whole market.. And congratulations on the piercing. :)

Ish said...

I used to have horrific images in my mind about piercings. I guess that was because of all those Guiness Records things. The other day a guy in our class got his tongue pierced and everyone was looking at him with a kind of admiration. Well, everyone except the teacher from the other school who had come to take our Viva. She thought he was trying to impress her(yeah, as if she was worth it) and threw him out of the class. That's one piercing gone wrong.

Zee said...

so where is this exactly?

Renovatio said...

Told you so.

Unknown said...

Yeah, sure. Sounds like you just initiated the person into the realms of the Himalayas or inside the Golden Temple.

Princess Consuela Banana Hammock said...

it sounded all so mysterious ....
and beautiful
congrats on getting em periced .. now you can wear wonderful joy's called "earrings" :)~~!!!!

Mystique said...

2 anandita: yeah, it is. It's beautiful.

2 snitch: hahahhhaaaa......

2 zee: Muscat. Oman. neighbouring country to Saudi, UAE, and Yemen.

2 reno: fine, fine.....

2 onyeka: Sarcasm. right.

2 butterfly: I already do, now I can wear two on each ear....

VenkyMarg said...

dude you like that... place...??? i like it only for football jeryeses..???zzzzz!! other wise it hell ass boring.. oww yeah ytou get hookahs for 6 buxks how neat is that..>!!

Espèra said...

Wow. I got my ears pierced when I was a kid and they hurt like hell.
I daresay they didn't use a hot needle.

Mystique said...

2 venky: yes, I like that place. a lot.

2 espera: hahah I had that done too, mom tells me I cried a LOT.

five_silver_rings said...

Hmm.. next time, try getting your nose pierced ;)
Might as well get the good stuff done while you're at it, right?