Shopping in the Souks, Marrakesh

This afternoon in sunny Morocco it rained, large wet spots, as people scurried into doorways and merchants covered their stalls. This followed an overcast morning where I decided to take the Marrakesh tour bus around the city, hoping to see sights which I otherwise wouldn’t. It was a disappointment and turned out to be more a tour of the hotels and modern city than the old part that I was interested in. But I sat with the other tourists and listened to their opinions on the city. It always surprises me how clueless some people are on the culture of the country they are visiting.

I sat in my usual cafe, over looking the Djemaa el Fna square, with its orange juice stalls and crowds of tourists like insects, swarming around a honey pot. I ordered a dish of couscous accompanied by something else, the description was lost in translation, so I ordered, hopeful that it would be something nice. It turned out to be couscous covered by a selection of vegetables in an aromatic Moroccan sauce. It wasn't as good as last nights meal of Rabbit Tagine.

Deciding it was not a day for photography, it seemed like an oppertunity for shopping. I disappeared into the souks, to browse an endless assortment of dimly lit stalls with interesting objects and shiny silver jewlerry stalls. The sellers were friendly and I recieved the usual ‘Moroccan face’ comments. I did my best to play up to this and knew I was getting a good deal when the store holder put my chosen silver items on the scales to work out a good price for me. He told me I was getting English price not American, and I told him I was getting Moroccan price because I was an English friend. It helped that he had an older brother in Bristol and liked the English, but I came away with lots of pretty things. The glass lamps here are gorgeous, but the thought of carrying them back with all my other hand luggage doesn’t appeal. Instead I settled for taking photographs of them, glistening through their coloured panels in the darkness of the souk. I think I shall print them out big and stick them on my wall.