Sunday, October 03, 2010

VERY HOT IN JEMAA FNA

It continued to get hotter that day. Long walk up to Jemaa Fna, the famous square, where we hoped to find a taxi back to Riad, after a cold drink.

I was wearing a skirt, a big mistake because I was sweating so much and legs got v. hot and damp.
I must remember that silk trousers are much more comfortable for walking, in the heat.

We couldn't find anywhere in the square to have a cold beer. No alcohol served in any of the cafes. We ended up with coca-cola in a newish cafe opposit the mosque, which was playing irritating loud music and had no air conditioning. And I don't like coca-cola anyway!

To get to this cafe we walked past the long lines of caleches and horses, with a terrible pong from many years of horse urine soaking into the paving, made worse by the heat. So smelly it was really unbearable.

To make matters worse, we had to wait in the blazing heat for a taxi - several quoted 20 dirhams (it cost us 60 centimes to get there). The taxis are old and battered and have no air-conditioning. We finally ended up with a driver who overcharged us and couldn't find Bab Doukkala, driving up and down by the city walls, and of course not stopping at first to ask the way. In the end he had to ask, and by that time I was totally overheated and very red in the face.

Another time I think it a good idea to take photo of the landmark near your hotel, on digital camera, so as to show taxi driver who does not know his own city.

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