The Djemaa El-Fna is absolutely over the top tonight. There must be tens of thousands of people here, many many more than in the past two nights. I've come to eat in booth #25—not a name for fancy review in the Times or anything. But serious fun. I am at a long table, probably four meters, and people are seated as they arrive on either side. Restaurant #25 seems more oriented to foreigners than #31 where I ate last time. there are probably 50 of these pop-up restaurants in the square each night. They are not here during the day. In fact, the square is far, far busier at night than in the day. There are small bands and one-man traditional bands, men with trained monkeys that will pose withi you in photos, snake charmers, individual sellers of an endless variety of things, cigarette sellers, hooch vendors, henna hand painters, hash sellers, folk dancers, gymnasts, zillions of orange juice sellers ($1 a glass of the sweetest most delicious nectar you can imagine) and zillions of escargot vendors.
A game of fishing for pop. (Above.)
A small band (below).
Click on images to enlarge them.
An escargot vendor (below).
My dinner at #25.
It is a warm night and the sky is full is stars. Maybe tomorrow will be sunny
and perhaps that is one reason the square is so incredibly vibrant tonight. Tomorrow is my last day here. In spite of the flies, the overly zealous touts and the rain, I will leave with very, very fond memories of Morocco. I am really glad I came, and I think it is a perfect introduction to Cairo. I've assimilated a bit of Islamic culture in advance of the megalopolis and it's challenges.
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