Originally Posted on Feb. 5, 2021

A man with a bundle of about 30 balloons walked along the outside of the Flower Festival, where all-the-colors-of-the-rainbow flowers, along with succulents and ferns, were sold—for a price negotiable via bartering.

Though located in Doha, Souq Waqif (Arabic for “the standing market”) is a wonderland of its own. Walking from one vendor with bunnies and parakeets to another vendor with genie lamps and compasses, I almost forgot I was still in the city. The outdoor market is basically a combination of a flea market and a fair.

Near the Flower Festival, parents sat on wooden benches as they watched their children chase bubbles. Around the corner, the cooing of a large flock of eager-to-eat pigeons could be heard. People crowded around to feed them.

As usual, I was reminded of home as I took in my surroundings—particularly when I saw the bunnies. My dad bought Jacy and me two bunnies at a flea market when we were in middle school. I remember throwing on a hoodie early that Saturday morning and riding in the backseat of Dad’s blue truck to go to the flea market. I have no idea how much the bunnies cost, nor whose idea it was to buy them—but I can still hear my dad saying, “Well, now, they aren’t going to be butchered.” Jacy and I saved their lives.

I didn’t save any lives at Souq Waqif today—and all those animals are destined to be pets anyway—but I did support one of the vendors by purchasing 400 QR worth of souvenirs for my family. I was at his store for at least half an hour asking, “How much is this? OK, thank you, sir. How about this one?”

He lowered every sticker price by at least 10 QR without me asking—and he gave me three free items: a keychain compass, an old Central Bank of Iraq bill worth 25 dinars, and a rhinestone-studded peacock compact mirror “for my mama,” he said.

After leaving his store, I immediately turned around to go back after realizing I forgot to ask him his name. His name is Firos. I thanked him again, and he gave me a few business cards and said, “Yes, you can go tell your friends to come.”

If you’re ever in Doha, stop by the Bin Turkey Al-Subaey Store. Firos is a local.