When we visited M-ville while living in Lal, we kind of fell in love with the charm of the place. Streets lined with tall pine trees, horse drawn carriages instead of taxis, the coolest rug bazaar, ornate hand carved wooden gates. It is a very old town and has a lot of charm.
We still like to remind ourselves of those things on days where the ick of this place seems to prevail in our minds.
One of the things that M-ville and the surrounding area is famous for is rugs. The rug bazaar boasts many many beautiful (and sometimes very expensive) works of art.
First, a word about carpets and rugs: This country is known for both, and sometimes in the West we use the words interchangeably, but there is definitely a difference between the two. A carpet is knotted and the top of the yarn sticks up. A rug is woven and the yarn is flat on the ground. This seems like a no-brainer for some of you, but it took me a while to make the distinction. Now, I realize that it makes sense…but I am a little slow I guess.
So, M-ville is known for it’s rugs. Maybe I should say that the surrounding areas are known for their rugs. Because M-ville is the commercial hub, many of the rugs are brought here to be sold in the bazaar. There is no end to the number of rugs in the rug bazaar…each shop has piles of them. Literally. While each one is unique, they all have similar characteristics. Most rugs here are made with very bright and bold dark colors. The base colors are usually a deep red and black. Then they have greens, blues, creams etc. woven throughout them. Some absolutely crazy person started a fad of fluorescent wool. So many of the rugs may have nice colors…with a splash of neon orange or neon green running through them. They make me cringe to be honest. Also, the pattern is usually made up of small geometric shapes. While many are pretty, they are just a little too busy for my taste, especially when paired with those obnoxious colors.
There are some fascinating tales of the making of rugs in this part of the world…maybe I will expound on them in a later post.
Today, however, I want to talk about a specific rug.
When my mom was here we visited the rug bazaar (as we do with most guests) and I fell in love with a certain rug. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. The colors were different (more mellow and much more my taste) and it had a great pattern that was striking but not too wild. It really stood out to me. It was hanging on the wall of one shop and I asked the shopkeeper about it. He told me where it was from and that it was old. He was asking a fair price for it and I was interested. I pointed it out to A and hinted strongly that I thought it was great. He rolled his eyes. He knows I have a thing for special pieces of ‘art’ and wasn’t surprised that I had found yet another! We walked away empty-handed that day. Having just arrived A was not ready to invest in a rug.
A few months later we were back in the rug bazaar with other guests and I went right to the shop to see if it was still there. I chatted with the shopkeeper and told him that my husband was the problem – the reason I hadn’t been back to buy the rug. He laughed and said they usually are. I made sure to point the rug out to A once again…this time with a hint that my birthday was just a few months away. He nodded and didn’t say anything.
Months passed and we found ourselves in the rug bazaar a few more times. I would look at other rugs, but find myself not grabbed by them. Each time I was drawn back to that rug. My husband kept a straight face each time. I couldn’t tell if he didn’t like it or was just being obnoxious…either way, I was a little irked. I mean, it isn’t like we will be here forever…and we would be crazy to leave this place (so famous for its rugs) bereft of one. But, I try (really really hard) not to nag. So, I held onto hope that it would still be there after my birthday and maybe I would have some birthday money I could use to buy it myself. I would take matters into my own hands if he wasn’t going to come through!
A few weeks ago, we went back to the rug bazaar and much to my dismay, my holding out had backfired. I went straight to the shop and THE rug was gone. The shopkeeper immediately knew what I was looking for and informed me that someone else had bought the rug. “It was a great rug, I don’t know why you waited so long,” he replied. I agreed…and walked away very sad. We looked at other rugs that day and though I found one I could live with, I was not heartbroken when my hubby pulled me away without it.
I made a decision that day to ask kAkA if his wife would make me a rug. Many women do around here and I thought it would be special coming from her. I was all set with the colors I wanted – light neutrals with blues woven in. Not popular here, but what I knew we would love.
I put off asking him about it for a few weeks and woke up the day before my birthday with that in mind. I didn’t think of it again until later that evening when A handed me a package with my gift in it. It was a rice sack…so romantic right?!?
Inside was a rug. I squealed before I even got it out…because it was a rug, and because it was colors that I loved. When it was halfway out of the bag A asked me if I recognized it. I then realized that it was THE rug…the bird rug that I have had my eye on for months....that someone else had bought.
I couldn’t believe it as we unfolded it in the living room. It was more beautiful and detailed than I had remembered. I couldn’t stop smiling and saying thank you. Seriously, the Hubs totally came through on this one! He went on to explain that he had taken note each time I had mentioned it to him and had held out until summer to buy it. He was afraid that someone else would buy it when we were home in the state for 6 weeks, but lucky for him that didn’t happen. He bought it and hid it. He also told the shopkeeper to not say anything to me the next time I was in the bazaar and (inevitably) asked about it. They managed to pull it off beautifully.
Love it!! Such a beautiful gift. Way to go, A :)
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