Today our wandering in the shops has an objective, though not one that we achieve. We're looking for a small immersion coil. Marrakesh would seem like a probable place to find one, and at first our difficulty is in describing it. However, we get quite good at explaining in French what we want, just not good at locating one. We have hopes of the small shops outside the souk, but far more of them have electronic than electrical goods. In the end, people who understand that it would fit inside a glass, make water boil, be like a kettle without the outside casing, and be handy for making instant coffee don't know where we might find one. Though many of them would be happy to console us with other goods we might purchase.
We wander recklessly through the souk, losing ourselves quite thoroughly and inspecting both the touristy parts and the depths where tourists are nowhere to be seen. Unlike the souks in Istanbul and Damascus, there don't really seem to be sectors, so shops selling leather or fabric may alternate with those carrying ceramic tagines or sweets. At one point the only non-locals seem to be an older couple in sunhats who look as if they know where they're going. They do, and disappear into a dwelling in a tiny lane in the farther northern reaches of the souk. A Berber man tells us he can show us where the big square is - it's just after the tanneries. However, the "after" turns out to be historical rather than geographical. We're not up for a tour of the tanneries and he's offended - "then give me something." We part with a little annoyance on both sides. But between the orientation provided by the sun and the odd helpful direction we find our way back to Jamaa el Fna and the snake charmers.
We wander recklessly through the souk, losing ourselves quite thoroughly and inspecting both the touristy parts and the depths where tourists are nowhere to be seen. Unlike the souks in Istanbul and Damascus, there don't really seem to be sectors, so shops selling leather or fabric may alternate with those carrying ceramic tagines or sweets. At one point the only non-locals seem to be an older couple in sunhats who look as if they know where they're going. They do, and disappear into a dwelling in a tiny lane in the farther northern reaches of the souk. A Berber man tells us he can show us where the big square is - it's just after the tanneries. However, the "after" turns out to be historical rather than geographical. We're not up for a tour of the tanneries and he's offended - "then give me something." We part with a little annoyance on both sides. But between the orientation provided by the sun and the odd helpful direction we find our way back to Jamaa el Fna and the snake charmers.
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