Spice Market and Gold Souq

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Saturday we went to the trading Spice Market in Dubai.  Driving there only took about 15 minutes, but parking was a surprising nightmare!  There were people everywhere carrying all sorts of goods and products.  Vehicles were lined up on both sides of the streets looking for available spots and we drove through an abundance of side streets for around 40 minutes before finding an available location. 

Once we were walking around, we saw all the little independent stores which would sell spices and teas, mainly wholesale to retailers.  The streets were beautiful and looked out at the water, which gave a sense of tranquility amongst all of the chaos of conducting business in the spice world!

Soon after, we made our way to the Gold Souq (Gold Marketplace).  This was much more of a touristy area and people would come out from all directions to tell you “Madam, I have beautiful pashminas for you!  You want Gucci, Prada, Versace purses?  Come see my store, I have beautiful watches for you!”.  




While the store fronts were beautiful, the aggressive sales tactics were a bit too overwhelming and I found myself rushing to get through to the other side.  It reminded me of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.  Overall, it was a good experience, but I find shopping online quite a bit more relaxing. 






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