Carpets in a Carpark

Is it possible to buy carpets in Morocco without mint tea? Some would say absolutely not. I would say absolutely yes! There are not many people that wouldn't have a 'story' to share about buying a carpet in Morocco. Whether it be getting a good deal because business is tight and the salesman is throwing his carpet at you or paying an obscene amount for a carpet that you just had to have and it ends up costing three times as much as if you bought it back home. However, it was handmade by the family that lives down the road and it was once a wedding gift.... and the stories go on. I am not saying that these stories are false by any means but it definitely puts a romantic spin on something you literally put on the floor, walk over, spill your crumbs on and when having a party red wine and cigarette ash get ground into.

So how did my carpet story unfold. Was I in some ancient kasbah in the valleys of Morocco? Was I wooed with mint tea and told stories of long ago? Was I introduced to the women who made the rug and asked to enjoy a traditional meal of tagine with the carpet salesman's family?

No, I wasn't. My experience was a little more informal. I was lead to a car park, the back doors of the van were opened and the carpets were laid out on display on the gravel. At one stage a woman came along in her car and drove over my potential carpets to get to a park. There was a brief intermission on the sale when the woman and the salesman decided to have an argument as to why she would do such a thing. Finally, I decided on two a 2x3m and a 1.5x2m carpet. The price was negotiated and I saved myself the obscene mark up I would have had to pay if I had of gone the option of being courted with mint tea.

After handing over my dirhams there was a handshake and a shukran bezef. The deal was done and now my apartment smells like a camel, but its looks beautiful.