Morocco, Day 2

This is the kind of place we passed on our way to the resort. I felt kind of guilty.

We had a reservation on the 10am bus to the medina, so we got up, ate breakfast, and hopped on the bus. The bus dropped us off at the square.Max really wanted a picture with a monkey, but the only ones we had seen the day before were really large monkeys. But, when we went to the square this time, we saw those same big monkeys sitting on people's arms. So, we went to get our monkey pictures. Before we got them, though, I wanted a price. So, I said, "100 for 3 pictures?" He said yes. So, we took our pictures. Emma was first, and then Max went up near her and apparently startled the monkey, and it kind of freaked out a little. Max backed off. The guy took the monkey back and said, "No scare, no scare." I'm not sure if he was scolding Max or the monkey. When the monkey went to Max, it looked like it wanted to eat Max's face. So, we rather quickly took that picture. My turn was uneventful, except that the picture makes it look like the monkey is groping me. He really just grabbed a hold of my sweatshirt. After we were done, the monkey guy said, "300". We said no. We argued that we had asked specifically if we could have 3 pictures for 100 and he has said yes. He said, 100 per photo." Again, we said no. We gave him 100, and he kept trying to get more. We just walked away.

 

Today was our day to get lost in the souks. Our shuttle wasn't until that night, so we had no time constraints. As we headed back towards the souks, a guy (the one in the puffy jacket in Em's  & my monkey pictures) came up to Max and started talking. He wanted to know if Max remembered him. Max said yes, though he really didn't. The chances of his actually meeting us the day before were pretty slim, but whatever. He told us that the souks were expensive and for tourists, and that he could show us the Berber market, where everything was cheaper. We knew he was blowing smoke, but we decided to follow him anyway. We thought he could take us in, and we would have fun exploring finding our way out. So, we followed him down alleys and around corners. He showed us the Berber area, and took us into a shop. It was a pretty big shop by souk standards. It had a few rooms. He said he would take us back to the square when we were done. We said that we would find our way back, but he wouldn't listen. He went outside. I asked Max if he had a 20 for a tip, but Max was pretty sure the guy had left. 

So, we shopped. I kept asking how much everything was, but the shop guy wouldn't answer. He kept telling me to pick out what I liked, and we would talk about price afterward. That is the Berber way, he said. So, I found some shoes that I really liked, as well as a pretty dress. We also found a purse for a friend, and Em found a decorative knife she really wanted. The guy said 2225 Dh. I said no way. That's about 225€, and I wasn't about to pay it. I talked him down to 840, and Max said he thought that was still too much. So, I played the meek wife and capitulated. The Berber talked to Max then, and Max said 800. The guy said OK. They wrapped up our stuff, we paid and were happy. The guide came back in, and we gave him 20Dh and said we would find our own way back. He said thanks and left.

My new dress and shoes

We went back out into the rest of the Berber market and looked around. Max found a couple of hats that he liked, and Emma saw a turtle she desperately wanted. The guy said he couldn't sell it to her if she was going to take it out of Morocco, though, so her turtle dreams were smashed. He also had a chameleon that Em wanted to see. He took it off the cage where it had been sitting and asked if she wanted to hold it. We said no, thank you, because we didn't feel like paying for any more pictures. He said, "It is free, not like on the square." So, we took some pictures.

As we were wandering around, another guy asked us to follow him. He said he had spices. I already had spices, but I had seen pictures of huge cones of spices in the guide book, and I really wanted to see that part of the souks, so I could get a pretty picture. So, we followed him. On the way, he took us through the dyers' alleys, another part I had wanted to see. There were bunches of newly-dyed yarn hanging overhead. It was really pretty. He took us to his spice shop, and we looked around a bit. We didn't want to be rude, so we bought a little bag of Moroccan curry. We had seen it at the first shop and decided against it, but this guy told us it was used for preserved lemon chicken, which Max really wants to make. So, we got it. I was disappointed that his shop wasn't in the spot with the rest of the spice shops. This shop did have some of the cones of spices out front, but they were worn down and not pretty. So, I got a rather lackluster picture. Ah, well. Then we started wandering again.  

 Em was getting hungry, so we stopped at a little snack bar-looking place. It had a cabinet in the front, a counter just wide enough for the 12-year-old working there, and a pile of what looked kind of like puffed up pita bread. We got a bread for Em to snack on, since Max  I weren't ready to be done exploring.

We managed to wander out of the souks altogether, but then we found a way to wander back in. At one point, we stopped to look at some things and were chatting with one of the shop guys. He asked where we were from, and I said, "America." Then, he kept asking me if I could help him get a job in America. I told him that I can't even get a job in America. Which isn't true, but I thought it might appease him. No. He really wanted me to get him a job in America. Sorry, dude. 

We found an alley that was almost all silver goods. Teapots, tea sets, and some really pretty plates that I thought would make good cake plates. I found the size I wanted and decided I would pay 50 for it. I went to several different shops and haggled with all of them before I found one who would sell it to me for a reasonable price. We finally settled on 70. So, I got an awesome new brass cake plate for about 7€.

We found our way almost back to the square when we found some little keychains that would make great gifts for Em's friends back home. We weren't sure how many we needed, though, so we decided to come back. We took a cab back to the hotel for lunch and an afternoon rest. When we got back, we signed up for the 4:00 shuttle back to the medina, so we could buy those keychains and some more souvenirs for people. Em had her first taste of liver and goat face at lunch, and liked them both. We had plenty of time, so Max took Em to the pool, while I took a bath.

We got back to the medina and bought the keychains. Then, I was looking for some scarves to give as gifts. I looked at one shop, but didn't like what he had to offer. Another guy came up and told me he had more kinds of scarves in his shop, and to follow him. So, we did. His shop was mostly scarves and shoes, though he had a few other things there, too. I saw the scarves I liked, and asked how much. He said 180Dh. I said that I wanted 4 of them, could I have them for 100 each? We finally settled on 125 each. Then, I looked at his shoes. We had one person who needed shoes, and I was able to talk him down on those, too. We chatted with the guys in the shop for a little bit, and one of them offered me 2,000 camels for Emma. :) He said it jokingly, though. The one that originally brought us to the store asked if Max was my dad, and if Emma was in college. He was pretty surprised when he found out that Max & I are married, and that Em is 11. We paid for our purchases and started to leave. Then, I saw little stuffed camels, and asked Em if she would like to get one for her cousin, Steven. We had gotten two of the smaller ones the day before for 50 at a different shop, so I asked if I could have one of the larger ones for 50. He wanted 100. I said OK and started to leave. He said OK, since I was a good customer, he would give it to me for 50. Woo hoo. On the way out again, I saw that they had tagines (Moroccan pots for cooking) with the cooker bottom on it. Previously, we had only seen the tagines themselves, not with the bottom part where you put the coals. I asked how much. He said 750. We said thank you and started to leave. He asked how much I was willing to pay. I said 200. He said, "No, no, that is too little!" I said OK and turned to leave. He kept talking. I told him I had seen the exact same thing for 200 at another shop yesterday, and I would just go back there and get it. He sold it to me for 200. :)

We were done, so we decided to see if we could get on the 5:20 shuttle instead of the 6:30 one - the one for which we had reservations. As we were waiting for the bus, we noticed that there were an awful lot of riot police across the street. Then we noticed that there seemed to be some sort of demonstration in front of the big mosque. We stood back a bit. When the bus came, we asked the driver if there was room for us. He asked us to wait a minute, and then he let us on, when the people who had a 5:20 reservation got on. I really think that he let us on because of the demonstration.

Sheep zombie Emma

we had dinner in the Moroccan restaurant at the hotel that night. I wasn't all that impressed, but Emma did eat lamb brains. She wasn't fond of them, though. 

I figured out that, all together, we saved about $450 from haggling that day. I'm pretty friggin' proud of myself.