Page 11 - FlipBook

The Souk
Pike Place Market
Buenos Aires’s quaintest neighborhood. Plaza Dorrego is at the center of it all and on Sundays, locals and tourists alike flock to it to dig for vintage glassware and jewelry, colorful siphons, 100-year-old coins and stamps, film cameras, and much more from 270 stalls. There are even more treasures— particularly, period furniture, brassware, and glassware—to be found at Dorrego Flea Market. Bring cash (U.S. dollars will do) and be prepared to haggle.
iSTAnBUL, TURKEY
Istanbul Grand Bazaar
One of the largest covered markets in the world, you could spend days wandering
the 60 streets and 5,000 shops that make up the Grand Bazaar. The complex houses mosques, fountains, hammams, cafés, and restaurants. Here you’ll find everything from amber prayer beads to inlaid weapons, traditional Turkish clothing, and intricately carved wooden furniture. Unless you are looking for something in particular, the best way to explore is to walk around without
a plan and get lost—you never know what treasure you might find.
mARRAKEcH, mOROccO
Marrakech: The Souk
Think exotic bazaar and what probably comes to mind is a Moroccan souk, with its explosion of colors, sounds, and smells. It’s
pretty easy to get lost in the souk’s labyrinth of tiny alleyways, but that’s kind of the point. Everything you see here—ornate lanterns and beautiful rugs, teas and spices, tapestries, and silverware—is for sale and haggling is expected. Though ATMs are around, it’s best to come with cash. Don’t miss your chance
to see local artisans as they craft silver pieces by hand, dye wool in steaming rainbow-color vats, and tan leather.
KUALA LUmPUR, mALAYSiA
Petaling Street
Petaling Street is chock-full of shops and stalls selling goods and food. A signboard warning against the sale of imitation goods provides an interesting – even ironic – contrast as the whole street is practically littered with fake branded items. Handbags, watches, trainers, clothing – you name it, they’ve got it. Louis Vuitton sits side-by-side with Rolex, and you can sometimes get the latest cinematic releases at less than RM
10 each. Petaling Street is also filled with a delightful array of local cuisine. Chinese and seafood restaurants can be found at every
corner, and stalls selling all kinds of snacks are stretched along the street, resulting in an interesting mixture of aroma filling the air that is quite hard to resist.
mELBOURnE, AUSTRALiA
Suzuki Night Market, Melbourne
Held Wednesdays from November through February at the 19th-century Queen Victoria Marketplace, Melbourne’s open- air night market showcases local artisans and designers as well as culinary vendors highlighting the city’s ethnic diversity. Choose among Indian, Ethiopian, Dutch, Spanish, and Vietnamese along with Aussie barbecue and ‘roo burgers. Locals come here to cool down, sip local Victoria wines, and score handmade aprons. Others don’t make it past the food booths.
Market Find: A foot reflexology massage in the market’s health and harmony area, and a one-of-a-kind (if not particularly Australian) watch hand-carved from a coconut shell.
Grand Bazaar Turkey
Feria de San Telmo
Petaling Street
Temple Street
ENDLESS VACATION 11