Morocco - Djemma el Fna

Morocco. The messiest and most exciting place i have ever visited. Fantastic as it is, it marked my first step into North Africa. Unique, totally lacking the comfort of Singapore and Europe, it is the perfect off the beaten track kind of travel to rough it out. Marrakesh, the capital of Morocco and some smaller countries up through in history, managed to fight off the effects of modernization and maintain the old rustic charm.

"souks."-cj

"you wont believe the crowd at 1am."-cj

La Place de Jamaa L Fna, filled with snake charmers, water bag mans and storytellers in the day, will entice you with the sweet amora of authentic Moroccan dishes in the evening. It bustles with life till the wee hours of the morning as I pigged out at the food stalls get myself drunk with fresh orange juices (3Dh). Always remember to carry exact change. If you pay 200Dh for a meal at 120 Dh, be prepared to give a 80Dh change.

"fresh orange juice a respite from the African heat."-cj

"the antennas are still there! look how juicy it is."-cj

"there are hundreds of food stalls in Djemma. food lover this is ur paradise."-cj

"couscous. reminds me of nasi briyani"-cj

"heavenly spread."-cj

Full of tourist traps, the souks is the place for the adventurous. They have everything from gypsie styled dresses, bags,baskets,jewellery and slippers!! Prices are all negotiable. Even marked prices are negotiable. Damn, I got fooled once. Good thing for me. I met a French girl whose bf is a Moroccan trader. She told me the local prices for the individual goods. Volia. Information is King. Armed with it, I went into the souks again this time even it out with the vendors. Prices of scarfs, beginning at 250Dh, got mercilessly slashed to 30Dh. Pottery at 280Dh went for 30Dh. Clearly the tourist inflation rate is 900%. Wikitravel clearly didn't know it better when they mentioned that prices are divisible by 3. The vendors, though uneducated are shrewed businessmen. Eagle eyed, they can shop a tourist from metres away. A quick assessment and they will swoop down on him. Like the meek clueless lambs, the tourists will soon be slaughtered and their sheep brains served as a delicacy at the Djemma el Fna.

"sheep brain."-cj

"heads up."-cj

Apparently, your attire counts too. With big SLR cameras and expensive watches, you are marked. While negotiating, money shouldn't be shown too early in the game, else they will snatched it away from your hands and the deal and your fate are more or less sealed. Negotiation are like a game to them, they enjoy it. So get yourself a good deal, give them a hard bargain and have fun at the same time.

"sentry duties. they are sharper than the guards in Singapore Detention Centers."-cj

simply exciting.