Comments on: souk

By: Roads

Roads — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:31:37 +0000

Yes, sometimes you simply have to learn to experience a place, before you can really start to enjoy it.

But I’ll tell you what – it sure as hell beats a day shopping in Croydon …

By: Mlle Smith

Mlle Smith — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:23:34 +0000

Damn, I’m glad you came out okay…I was starting to get a bit nervous reading this post.

Thought you might have to “layeth the smacketh down” on his “candy ass”.

Okay, I’ve obviously been watching WAYYYY too much WWE.

By: Banana

Banana — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:25:47 +0000

I love Marrakesh. It’s a magical place. Getting lost in the souk is the best part.

By: fjl

fjl — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:11:17 +0000

Well that’ll be my next stop then ;-)

By: honeybee

honeybee — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:27:17 +0000

I spent a month travelling around Morocco by myself (pale skin, green eyes, redhead)and I really rate it as a great place to visit. It probably helps to view places like that as a travel experience rather than a holiday – fewer expectations. Also, that I was pretty well covered up, learnt enough arabic to say “no thankyou, not today”, and I hung out with some young professional, educated Moroccans. I met a family who insisted I stay with them but it took a slightly awkward turn when they couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to marry their brother to get him into the UK….
It’s a massive culture shock and I think that is more apparent in a short and/or first trip. I do dream of going back one day – it’s a completely different world.

By: Little Miss Moi

Little Miss Moi — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:52:44 +0000

I agree with franko, although I said I was hassled in bangkok it was a great place. Would hate for people to think I’m dissing it cause it was fantasmo. But could be full on.

By: Camshty

Camshty — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 13:56:05 +0000

Petite, do you mind if I just cut and paste your post into an email for my mum, minus the kissing scene of course. I just got back from Marrakech yesterday and your description exactly describes the experience. Intimidating but not actually dangerous. And that Marrakech Museum was impossible to find, until we stumbled onto it. The maps were of no use at all, as the stalls created their own alleyways and I swear the map maker was an impressionist.

We played Russian roulette and had dinner in place Djemma El-Fna one night. Naturally, we were served expensive things that we hadn’t ordered, had to argue the bill like every other tourist for additions we hadn’t had, and paid proper restaurant prices, but we managed to avoid food poisoning. So it’s was a great experience.

Did you not try the 3Dh freshly squeezed orange juice ? The best bargain in Marrakech. And today it is wet and rather colder in London.

By: David in London

David in London — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 13:05:19 +0000

I find that an afternoon in Brixton is much the same experience as Petite’s.

‘Skunk, weed, pills, coke’…

By: Corinne

Corinne — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:57:53 +0000

I can understand the experience you had, Petite.

My skin is very pale and I have light hair and very blue eyes. When I went to Egypt with my folks, I was about twenty at the time and we went for a stroll in a market in Cairo. A strange, somewhat sleezy-looking, guy kept following us around, looking at me all the time. I can’t say he actually was threatening because he remained somewhat at a distance but he made me extremely uncomfortable and nervous. I made sure to stay close to my parents.

On the other hand, when we were puzzling our way through the metro in Cairo, trying to make sense out of the squiggly lines of Arab writing for the metro stations, a young Egyptian stopped and gave us directions. No hassle, no demand, nothing, just kindness. Then again, he did look like a young man you’d find in the Paris metro, all dressed up in a business suit and on his way to work.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 21:27:09 +0000

Crikey. Travelling is hazardous, isn’t it?

Sounds like you handled yourself impeccably at the hands of fabric stall pimps, though.