An afternoon walk in the souq, itself a world heritage site. It's Friday, the Moslem holy day, but that hasn't closed mostof the shops or the outside cafés. There are locals everywhere, enjoying a little fast food on their day off, and a smaller number of tourists, unmistakeable as they`re more lightly dressed, though Tunisians sometimes wear bright colours as well. At a café just outside the entrance to the souq one European man sprawls next to his wife, his enormous bare belly spreading out over his shorts in defiant insult to local custom. Most tourists, though, are more discreet, with short sleeves and, more rarely, shorts.
There is a maze of lanes and it`s easy to get lost - and pointless not to as the market is no more than a kilometre across and there are a number of exits. Many of the shops and stalls have wares of interest only to locals - batteries, cheap watches, hair ornaments, underwear. Others are clearly aimed at tourists, with jewellery, kaftans, and packaged spices (though one disillusioned traveller online warns against finding oneself with packets of coloured powder. Leather goods are everywhere, with the rich scent of leather in the air from handbags, cases and ottomans, most at very good prices even before bargaining begins. We`re not actually in buying mode, though I would like a light cotton jacket. There are handmade woven cotton jackets here, but much heavier than I'm looking for. There's also pretty relentless "assistance" from shop owners, making browsing more or less impossible. Will have to steel myself eventually. J's much better at it than I.
JAWORSKI TRAVELS