Thursday, May 5, 2011

{marrakech}


Buying oil-based perfumes in Marrakech - Muslims aren't allowed to consume alcohol, and this includes through the skin - so the oil-based perfume trade is alive and well.  You can get everything from Chanel No. 5 to Davidoff and Clinique!  They also last much longer than alcohol-based scents.










A walk through the souk - more olives than the eye can see, genuine leather bags on sale for a steal, lambs heads and camel knuckles waiting to be eaten, and a plethora of silver and wood goodies to tempt you.

This is Marrakech! A bustling metropolis in the middle of the Moroccan desert.  If you've ever been here, you'll know that the city never sleeps, the traders and vendors haggle til you can't take it anymore, and there are so many tourists and cafes that it's almost a little unreal.  It is an amazing place to be, but you find after a few days that you're craving a quiet place to just chill and read a book.  We spent 3 days here - luckily we got out 5 days before the bomb hit.  The attack happened at Cafe Argan, a place we remember well: one night while walking back to our Ryiad and after an evening spent shopping in the souk, we walked past Argan where a fight had erupted.  I remember the place well, because it was quite a violent one.  


We also had to walk past Argan to get into and out of the Souk, so when we heard that the bomb had blasted through this particular corner of Marrakech, we were stunned.  It's also right in the middle of Jmaa el Fna, Marrakech's most famous square - where all of the action takes place.  


Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people who died in the blast - such a horrible thing to happen in such a beautiful place!


xoxo,
Pippa

1 comment:

  1. Oh my word, narrow escape! Glad you guys are ok. It looks that satchel trend is also alive and well there!

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