Real soap

Syrian soap
Originally uploaded by Shanti, shanti.

I just love a real bar of soap. Shower gel is convenient and everything, but there's something romantic about having the real thing. You can take your time smelling them all in the shop to get just the right one. And then, when you open the paper, there's always just a little bit of soap dust that falls out onto your sleeve that you might rediscover later in the day. Sometimes, it's the wrappings themselves that are beautiful. They can be ornate or just simple and stuck together by hand with bits of glue that has squished out between the layers of paper.
This one is obviously hand-cut, and has been pressed with unknown (by me anyway) and intriguing language. It's an olive oil soap from Syria that was given to me last week by another teacher I work with who has spent time teaching in Oman. Thanks スー!