Sunday, 24 September 2006

Marrakesh and the Souks

Yesterday I encountered the delight of the souks, magical and maze like. I walked around slowly watching people, seeing other photographers and how the locals reacted to them. After a while I got use to the new environment and managed to take many photos without offending anyone. I would upload them here, but despite finding an computer new enough to have a USB port in the back, it still refuses to let me access my camera, so it’s looking like photos will have to wait until my return, and then they shall be uploaded.

By midday the dappled light was incredibly dramatic, as it made its way to the mud floor. The air was thick with the pungent smell of spice, and something else that I was unable to identify that wafted through the souk.

The touristy part is full of all the usual crafts and clothing, but the further you go the more authentic is becomes, with less white people and more reasonable prices. There was also stalls of delicious Moroccan pastries and freshly squeezed orange juice, which was so refreshing.

In the evening I met the Intrepid tour group that I shall be joining for the next few days. It seems like everyone is greener than me, in terms of travelling so in the evening I led them through the Medina. There are only three out of ten of us that can speak any French. The people seem mostly nice though, and come from all corners in the globe.

The Moroccans here are truly friendly. Even in the souks I was able to have a laugh with the store holders, and deflect any hassle. People respond well to a smile. Unfortunately my travel partners weren’t so lucky or diplomatic, and seemed to have a rough time with it. Thankfully I’m not having that problem.

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