A very eventful trip to the market or marrakech

 

I send out a big thankyou to my French agency for sending me somewhere to get some sunshine! After being uninspired and freaking out every time I even have an hour off work (because I have nothing to do and Paris is bloody cold!) I booked a nice editorial job in Morocco for 6 days. I went with low expectations but by the time I was on the plane decided this would be a good experience.

The job worked like this.. There were 6 of us (everyone so cool and nice to talk to..I couldn’t believe that I was actually enjoying the conversations I was having!). On the first 2 days I shoot an editorial and on the last 2 days the other model shot her editorial thus, forcing us to each have 2 days off.

Ofcourse, as I am uninspired and don’t really entertain myself well, I was a little worried about having 2 days off by myself while everyone else was working. So the first day, I did practically nothing and sat by the pool.. Not too bad and actually really enjoyed it but, the other model told me I should go out and see Marrakech as it is a nice place.

Now I must say, given even the guys in the hotel are a little sleazy, I was a bit daunted at the prospect of venturing out into this place by myself when I have NO idea of the customs, streets, language, where to go or anything. I almost didn’t go but decided I must socialise myself!
I went to the front of the hotel, was surprised when the taxi driver spoke English and ended up at some antiques store (somewhere).. So I guess his English was not that good as I was trying to get to the market.

Within in 1 minute, some fucking annoying guy is following me down the street shouting ‘It’s alright! I am a new yorker, I am a New yorker!’ (like it almost makes me want to speak to him.) ‘Come with me to the travel agency and then lets go to the markets’ (I would just like to say that I didn’t speak a word to him other than ‘no’. But naturally he is better than everyone else in the world and we have to accommodate that by wasting our whole day doing boring shit with a random stranger).
I chose to run away and jump in a cab. Fortunately, this time it took me to the markets.

The first thing I saw was about 50 dried fruit store and orange juice stands. Given my current addictions, I was already in love. One guy who had a dried fruit stall gave me some free dates so I gave him some business (he knows the way to my heart). I was incredibly happy and concentrating on that success when I ran into some guy with one of those fake but ‘oh so real’ snakes and started screaming, stopping all those around me in there tracks and getting laughed at because it was fake. He starts chasing me saying ‘buy, buy!’ and I was like ‘U have got to be kidding me!’.

Next I found an alleyway with thousands of stalls all the way down it. The owners are yelling ‘Sister come into my store, come buy!’ Then they are grabbing my arms and trying to drag me in. Then, another store owner comes and I am being dragged around like a rag doll until I run away into another store where the owner wasn’t bothering me.
I was looking at a necklace, and sure enough, the owner just wanted to make a sale. I believe I won this one but. I got the necklace from 80 euro, to 25 with free earrings. Very proud!

I go away for another walk once again immediately run into the fake snake guy. Now a whole group of English tourists are laughing at me. As I try to calm myself down I am dragged away by 2 women who grabbed my arms and are forcing me into a seat (as I am yelling No No!). A thrid woman then starts painting my hand with henna saying ‘Its good luck! You will find the man of your dreams, its amazing!’.
Meanwhile I am still trying to get away. And when she finally finished she says ‘1000 dirum’ (I was thinking more like 20).
So I saw ‘fuck off no way!’
she says ‘Its only 100 euro.. No money no honey!’
(I now blame my non successful love life on a curse from the henna lady!)
I ended up giving her 10 euro and She stole my necklace!

As I was running away from the bitchy henna ladies I run into 4 more that are trying to get me.. ‘100 dirum, 100 dirum’ (still trying to rip me off but not as bad as the others).
I was like ‘No No go away!’
In my fury and trying to get away from these irritating people, I turn around to discover I am in the circle where the snake charmers are and there is a real king cobra standing up about 1 metre away from my foot.
I left the market faster than the henna lady cursed my love life.
Definitely an experience, and my hand will look like I have contracted some form of skin disorder until this henna finally wears off!