I must be offending someone over here although I wish they would come out and tell me. I’ve been getting bars of soap. Lot’s of bars of soap.

It’s Lux, which I had not hear of till I came to Oman.

Don’t get me wrong, I shower daily, sometimes twice a day if it’s really hot (120°F or hotter). And I used deodorant. There are two relatively new bars of soap in the bathroom (one in the shower and one on the sink), so I know the cabin boy that cleans daily see’s these. But, I still get soap on a regular basis. Very regular. Like 34 bars of soap, and that does not include what I’ve used while here.

Now you may be thinking that 34 bars of soap (my stockpile) is not that much, but, I’m only here half the year.

I’m thinking that I should be able to convert my stockpile of soap into some sort of income windfall, either by smuggling it back into the states to sell to the locals that miss this soap as it’s not available to them, or somehow turn it into a commodity that can not be done without. All ideas welcome on this, by the way.

So there are different fragrances of this soap too.. I’m not sure that I have a favorite, as guys are kinda stupid in that area. After all, soap is soap, right? I think my wife would disagree on that one. Honey? Care to comment? Anyway I have ‘Soft Kiss’, ‘Power Me Up’, ‘Wake Me Up’, ‘Petal Touch’, ‘Aromatic Radiance’,’Magic Spell’, Silk Caress’, ‘Aqua Sparkle’, and the newest to be delivered is ‘Velvet Touch’. Every package has some sort of lady on it (see the picture) and this is a camp of nothing but men. I would have thought that Dial or something like that would have been just as nice and more universally accepted, but I guess Lux must be more cost effective.

Suffice to say, should the soap black market ever open up here in the deserts of Oman, I’ll be way ahead of the game. I’ll just have to figure out how to declare my profits from the sale of the soap when I come though customs at the airport. I can just see it now.

Customs Agent:
Sir, you have on your declaration that you are entering with 1.2 million dollars in Omani Rials? I need ask, how did you come by this amount of money?

Me:
I sold soap.

Customs Agent:
Soap?

Me:
Yes sir, bars of soap.

Customs Agent:
Bars of soap? Like what you shower with?

Me:
Yes sir.

Customs Agent:
Ok. Let me get this straight. You sold soap, and made 1.2 million dollars?

Me:
Yes sir. It was a good month.

Customs Agent:
I’m in the wrong business. Welcome to the country, You can go.

So, there you have it. My plan to make millions on the black market selling bars of Lux soap.

Wish me luck!