Friday, February 19, 2010

Let's Make a Deal

Shopping in Marrakech is an experience....and is a negotiator's dream! Within the souks, everything and anything is up for bargaining, if you can sway the local salesman, who can be quite persistent. 
Ask the price of an item and you will be given a figure about 3 times the final amount you should hope to pay. We had great fun navigating the souks of Marrakech and enjoyed "window" or stall shopping to see the vibrant colors of the berber rugs, the leather goods, scarves, tea sets, lanterns, and more. The continuous hassling from the local salesmen started to wear on us a bit during our trip, but it was all part of the experience and the fun of shopping in the souks. 
Walking through the souks - people and items everywhere. No street signs or arrows in there so I was thankful to have my navigation system with me (aka Scott - he always seems to know where we are without a map!). 
Watch out! A biker might just run you over....they do sometimes sound a horn, but you best move quickly to step out of their way. Better yet, if you are not quick on your feet, a donkey might just run over your foot as they trot through the winding souk streets. 
Navigating our way through the souks - stalls are every which way surrounding you...
All of the items for sale throughout the souks make the stalls vibrant and colorful. It was great fun to shop and bargain for the local treasures we purchased while there! 
Local Berber quality made carpets are for sale.
Spices....
More spices....

Scott tries to buy some Amber.....little did he know he was being charged about double the amount we should have paid! 
Lanterns....
Pottery....
Straw bags....
Handwoven scarves and blankets...
Leather goods...
Traditional tea sets and painted glasses...
More lanterns (my favorite item we saw during this trip)...

1 comment:

andrea said...

We went to Marrakech for our honeymoon and loved it - but I was so tired of the people yelling at us "Prices lower than Asda!" by the end of our trip! It looks cold there!