So we arrived in Marrakech on Wednesday our time. The one thing that has really struck us here in Morocco is the traffic and how calm it is. We are used to cars and motorbikes and horses and cows and monkeys and dogs and everything else under the sun in the streets when we travel, and for motorbikes to be swarming in the streets and everyone going in five lanes at once and criss-crossing and darting in and out and driving down the wrong side of the road more than half the time. Morocco has been a huge and pleasant surprise. The traffic is orderly. There are a few motorbikes but cars far outnumber them instead of the other way around. People mostly stay in their lanes, and while things can get a little gnarly around the traffic roundabouts, for the most part, Moroccans seem to drive much more calmly than a lot of the rest of the world. It’s sure been a different experience not having to white-knuckle our way around a country!
Marrakech is a beautiful city. The buildings look like sandstone and there are many beautiful parks.
I think that the thing that has struck me the most about Marrakech is the feeling of calm that you feel around the city - that is, until you go to “la place,” (in French) the square in front of the old medina and shopping area. Talk about a three-ringed circus! “La place” is filled with people: shoppers, vendors, snake charmers, men with monkeys, water men and tourists. No cars are allowed in “la place,” but there are always motorbikes and bicycles zipping past you. Music is blaring from vendors hawking Moroccan music and snake charmers charming their cobras. We saw them doing their snake-charming thing, but unless you want to pay BIG BUCKS, you cannot take a photo. Ibrahim warned us about them. He said they are the worst people in Morocco and will try to force you to hand over up to $50 for a photo and will literally rip your wallet out of your hands and take your money from you if you are unwilling to pay. Needless to say, we caught a glimpse as we walked by but that was all. They were real live cobras, tho!
Here are a few photos of “la place” by day.
Water men. In Morocco, water men walk around in these crazy costumes, carrying goatskin bags full of water and brass cups hanging around their necks. The water is free for anyone who needs a drink because “water is life” and Morocco is hot. The photo, however, will cost you a buck.
And here are some photos of “la place” by night. If it seems like a crazy place by day, just wait until night falls. It is literally jam-packed with people. More vendors are out selling their wares, restaurant tents are set up and street performers are out doing their thing. Apparently, “la place” is “the place” to be at night in Marrakech!
Beyond the buildings is the actual market in the medina. It is chock-full of vendors hawking everything from lanterns to clothing to shoes to wooden items to spices and argan oil. It is crowded, it is crazy and it is a whole lot of fun. Bargain and bargain HARD!!!!!
And just so you all know, I am apparently from anywhere BUT the USA. I lost count many days ago of the number of people here, including Ibrahim, who have asked me if I’m Moroccan or who have told me that I look like I’m part Moroccan. And when we’re shopping, unless the vendor has heard me talking to my mom or Jill and has heard me speaking English, I am NEVER spoken to in English right off the bat, unlike my mom who is apparently recognizable as an American right off the bat. I’m mostly spoken to in French or Spanish, occasionally in Arabic. Remember, I apparently look Moroccan. When they speak to me in French or Arabic and see the blank look on my face that comes from my five years of studying German, they immediately switch to Spanish. The ensuing blanker look then usually elicits a puzzled look on their face. I don’t know what they’re thinking, but they clearly aren’t thinking this lady is an American. I then usually have to say “English?” Then more often than not, I’m asked if I’m from Britain. When I say USA, they say “Oh, New York?” Then I tell them that I’m from California. “Oh, Los Angeles?” “No, San Francisco.” “Ahhh,” followed by a skeptical look. “You look like you’re Moroccan.” Yeah, apparently I’m from anywhere but where I’m from. 😂😂😂
One of the optional excursions that we booked and were looking forward to was a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of Marrakech followed by dinner and a belly dancing show.
We arrived at the location of the show and were taken through a dark alley and what looked like ruins of an old building. We were all wondering where in the world we were going. What kind of restaurant could be in a place like this?
If nothing else, Morocco has been full of surprises, and this was one of them. We rounded the corner and were met with this sight.
Which led to this courtyard in an old home that has been turned into a fancy-schmancy restaurant.
We were greeted by having our hands rinsed in warm water from this large silver teapot.
We were then served a fruit juice drink that was delicious and entertained by some African musicians and singers that were amazing.
I’ll warn you now. You’re going to have to forgive the photography from here on out. It was super dim inside the restaurant and my poor iPhone can only do so much, especially from far away and with moving targets. That being said, the restaurant was beautiful inside and the appetizer course was laid out on tiny dishes the full length of the table and it looked amazing.
But the real highlight of the evening was the entertainment. It started with a candle dancer. Her performance was beautiful, but her outfit had me really creeped out. It was the black mask thing over her face that did it for me.
A little later came the belly dancer. She was amazing and much less creepy!
It was a super fun evening UNTIL we got back to the hotel. You’ve all heard of Montezuma’s revenge, right? Well, here in Morocco we have a little something that I’ve named Mohammed’s revenge. Let’s just say that Mohammed decided to pay me a little visit last night about five minutes after we got back to the hotel and on and off for the rest of the night and the whole next day. After I started getting sick, Jill thought she was having sympathy pains or a case of hypochondria because suddenly she thought she was feeling sick, too. Yeah, it wasn’t sympathy pains or hypochondria. Let’s just say Mohammed paid her a little visit too. He obviously didn’t want her to feel left out of the fun. We’ve been wracking our brains trying to figure out how we got sick. We’ve been super careful to only eat hot, cooked foods, no unpeeled fruit, no tap water, no ice. We even brush our teeth with bottled water and Mohammed still got us. He’s been a popular guy on this trip. He’s paid a lot of people on our bus a little visit. Fortunately, it seems that Mohammed’s visits are of the 24-hour variety and most people feel much, much better within a day or so.
As a result of our little visitor, Jill and I missed the excursion today to the seaside, but fortunately we were feeling well enough to get out to the market for a little bit on our own this afternoon. Hey, it’s hard to keep a good shopper down! I made my mom and Frank take pictures of the things they saw today, so I’ll try to include a few in my next post.
Tomorrow is our final day in Morocco and we are heading to Casablanca for some sightseeing and our farewell dinner. We will also spend the night there before heading home on Sunday. It’s a pretty jammed itinerary tomorrow so I probably won’t be able to post my last blog entry until I get home, but I promise that I’ll get it posted as soon as possible.
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