Fabric, Koko and welder from hell!

Another part of the previous mission to Fez was to get the 'soft furnishings' in order. This meant going out with Koko to and old school friend of his who sells fabric. I was initially planning on getting something from one of the swish places I'd looked at in the Ville Nouvelle. But the eventual place of purchase was much more interesting. Tucked away in the Bab Guissa area of the medina, this sprawling 'shop' consisted of three large, old, and rather dilapidated dars, seemingly held together by centuries of goodwill, beautifully illuminated by... yes, strip lights.


Nothing appeared to be organised, and indeed, wasn't. When I said I wanted something in red and gold, teeth were sucked and the proprietor (who's name escapes me, but was an unusual one) shrugged. A few ferocious sounding orders were dispatched to the assistant who leaped from his mid-day slumber on a pile of calico and a huge roll of red and gold cloth appeared. The same happened for the blue and gold. I think I may have bought too much, but any excess will be turned into extra cushions. And you can't have too many cushions.

During the next trip I'll be drilling my first holes in a Moroccan wall putting up the poles for the curtains... now, where were those electrical ducts again?

This second image is of two happy chaps who came to the dar to reinforce the massive heavy table that we have. I got them to weld two extra round bars at the ends to minimise the wobbly effect that sets in due to the enormous weight.


The welder looked like it was saved from the middle ages. The head man found our electricity circuit board and bypassed the fuse with a length of copper. They proceeded to cut lengths of steel and weld them with only beach wear (flip flops and sunglasses) for protection.
Job done though.