2013-06-06 - Smelly Business

Yesterday's photo was of a Berber gas mask, which is in fact nothing more than a handful of mint. As simple as it is, it proved critical when we found ourselves at a tannery on our last morning in Marrakech. The smell is hard to describe but it is putrid and overwhelming to the point where you imagine you can taste it. If it wasn't for the handful of mint to breathe through, I don't think I'd have coped. Taking a few photographs was an effort because it meant I had to hold my breath each time. I can't imagine having to work here... I'm already very grateful for the job I have but this experience took that to a new level!

If you're wondering how we happened to end up at a place like a tannery, it wasn't intentional - in the early morning a friendly local joined us walking down a street and started to tell us about the special Berber markets he was going to so he could buy some leather. It sounded interesting and he offered to show us. Unfortunately it turned out to be an all too common scheme to squeeze a bit of money out of tourists but having experienced similar things previously, we were prepared and managed to escape lightly. It's a shame it has to be like this...