At the Pazaar

The local pazaar is full of stuff essential for day to day life. Fruit, vegetables, clothing, yarn, cloth, cookware, leather goods, etc. There are also a few unique items. Like handmade gardening tools, fire pokers, handmade knives, cheap knockoffs, fresh sardines, live chickens, and even livestock bells. These are cheap steel fabrications with less than musical tone, but audible for long distances. They are sized for sheep and goats. Better sounding brass bells were available, but were a lot more money.

Often, among the other vendors are a couple of what would be called health food/natural food vendors. These guys stock dried organic fruit, tomato/pepper paste that range from sweet to blister-your-mouth-hot (Use with caution, they LOOK identical - you can guess the story behind that), bulk spices, and essential oils. Among the Garlic oil and rose water I saw... Snake oil! Really! Note the twined cobras on the label. According to the label, it is a blend of some kind of herbal oil and... snake oil. According to the budding cosmeticians in the family, it might be some kind of hair tonic...


This has me wondering what has to be done to get this snake oil?