Our experience visiting this area of the old city was certainly heightened by the darkness that surrounded us. The streets were pitch black, the air was filled with the scents of food cooking and incense burning, the crowd was thick and at times overwhelming, and the poverty and begging were unmistakable. There were monkeys on leashes, dancers and musicians enticing you into taking a photo (for which a payment is demanded - nearly causing a fight to ensue between the local who suggested it, and one of my colleagues), women and children tugging at your sleeves in an effort to provide henna decorations, artisans drawing you into their shops and bartering with animation and persistence.
I could add so much more, but my internet connection prohibits, so instead I leave you with a few photos of the sights we saw.
And I can truly say that I am thankful that we shared this adventure with a colleague of mine from Saudi Arabia, who was able to translate effectively on behalf of the entire group. Bless him for taking care of us.
meat cooking in the square
oh, what i'd give to be able to bring home some of these spices.
handcrafted lamps
my colleagues Issa (pronounced ah-EE-sah), Paul and I, dressed in traditional Moroccan attire(And I must mention that blogger automatically displays all site information in Arabic, when logged in in Morocco. It was certainly a challenge to try to remember which buttons are in what location, and to realize that because the language is read from right to left, the "sign in" and "password" boxes are not only on the other side of the page, but also in reverse order!)
1 comment:
ROFL. Glad you were able to post this update - I can't wait to catch up with you! LUMI!
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