We are in darkness

Today we visited Tiznit. The silver market by the butchers held various jewels and silver work. We had intended eating but couldn't really find a restaurant selling light food.  Met a man inside the walls of the old town who said beware of touts and guides. Then he took us to his shop!  On the way he showed us the Blue Source which is the old water tank of the town being restored to beautiful public gardens. 

On the way back to the car we met another man (Tai-eeb) as Helen wanted to find some pottery. All the tagines are too big for a suitcase on the plane. He took us on a walking tour to another's silver/carpets/pottery/ shop. We discovered that all Moroccans believe in the power of magic. He explained the shops we had seen selling traditional Berber medicines. There were gazelle heads, skins, hedgehog, baleen whale vertebrae, dried animals, an Egyptian vulture (dead). All these treatments help to make people stronger and work alongside western medicine. You can get sick if someone gives you the evil eye and you might need medicine to make you better. It's a different mentality. We say "we'll come back tomorrow" they say "we'll come back tomorrow, Inshallah" which qualifies everything  they talk about in the future. We have everything in our grasp, they only have it if Allah permits it. 

The Jetstream  forecast since last week brought  a storm to Africa and this afternoon it arrived with dark clouds and thunder. Eventually the rain and lightning hit the house. One of the sockets was wet with streaming water! Two hours ago the power went off. Luckily we had already bought candles so we played Scrabble in the gloom. 

Bed at 9:15 pm since we can no longer connect to the Internet. We are plunged back to ancient times with only candles to light our way....

Another good day.