December
15
2011
By Matt Switzer
I'm a guy and true to the stereotype, I hate shopping. Especially at this manic time of year, I do whatever I can to stay out of the battle that is the mall. But that attitude all changed the moment I stepped inside a Moroccan souk.
Suddenly I wanted to shop forever. The endless labyrinth of stores before me was filled with ancient treasures from across North Africa and the Sahara. It was a maze of exotic and mysterious goods: wood carvings, jewellery, woven carpets and caravan trunks. Shawls, dried python skins and herbal remedies. Mint tea shops and rooms filled with newly dyed camel leather purses, beautiful bags, and wallets. It was never-ending and I loved every bit of it.
Why? Perhaps it’s not the shopping itself, but the experience. Kids dart in and out of the crooked and crumbling laneways along the uneven, often unpaved ground, instead of screaming from gridlocked strollers. The collection of Arabic domed archways and entrances, the Muslim prayers you hear overhead, the hot Moroccan heat, the bartering back and forth... It’s a sensory overload that would have me running to the nearest exit in any North American Mall, but here it is beautiful and atmospheric, instead of flourescent and claustrophobic. The Moroccan souks are alive with tradition and day to day life; they have a soul. Malls simply cannot compare.
I continue to delve in further with curiosity and amazement; eyes wide and wallet open. I run my hand softly across the unfamiliar shapes, mysterious colours, and interesting textures of the materials, feeling the stories that these objects whisper. I tell myself I must stay on budget and not show too much interest otherwise I will end up... too late. I just bought a painted tajine, or antique fireplace bellows; whatever it was I had in my hand. A gift for a friend, I tell myself. The authentic wooden Berber front-door I came home with... well that's a story for a whole other post.
Matt Switzer is an adventure traveller and writer who enjoys exploring the far-flung corners of the world. We're currently running a DNA match to find out if he is in fact Charlie Scott's long lost antique knick-knack-loving brother. He can currently be found in Toronto producing and hosting ‘Matt About Town' on RogersTV, a curious dive into the cultural side of the city.