The decision to go to Marrakesh was already one of the toughest points of contention in our itinerary. It’s one of those places that you just feel like you have to see. The attraction point is the old city and the huge square in the middle. John had wanted to see Marrakesh since the early nineteen-sixties. Jill knew it was going to be unbearably hot. Robbie wasn’t looking forward to the stress of the city and wanted to keep relaxing at the beach. Chris and Anna were ready to get away from the beach. I figured Marrakesh would be neat for a little while, but certainly wasn’t enthralled about driving through it. The guidebooks said “Don’t drive in Marrakesh.” The couple we met at our apartment in Essouaria (from Asheville, NC, small world) told us to avoid it alltogether. And the apartment representative assured us that driving there would be “easier than in Tokyo”. We figured we’d give it a shot, spend 2 nights there and then head on to the mountains.
We were supposed to meet our landlord at the McDonald’s on which was right off Ave. Mohammed the fifth as you enter town. (Note to those who travel to Morocco: Every town, city, village, or hamlet you enter, you will be entering on Ave. Mohammed V.) Well, we were, in our typical fashion, quite late, and our guy seemed eager to go. He told us to follow him. He jumped on his vespa scooter and jetted off like Mario Andretti. Driving in Marrakesh isn’t fun. Following this guy at least turned it into a game…
We got to the apartment, and there seemed to be something in the air:
We set off for the city center, our group of seven an easy target for faux guides. But we managed to make it down to the center without incident.
One of the greatest things about Morocco might have been the fresh orange juice. Everywhere we went, delicious orange juice better than any I’ve ever had, even fresh squeezed, in the US. And a whole lot cheaper than a jug of Tropicana. We got some of the fresh stuff at the market in Marrakesh:
The remarkable part about the square is the way it comes alive at night, with rows and rows of stalls selling grilled Moroccan dishes.
The first night we opted for the Moroccan-Thai fusion restaurant. It turned out that it was only “fusion” cuisine in so far as that there was Moroccan and Thai stuff on the menu. But that suited us just fine, since we’d had our fair share of Tagines up to that point.
The next day we ended up back at the square. Here’s a view during the day:
We walked around a bit, saw some spice markets. This is why you come to Marrakesh.
Just remember that the same exact spices can be bought in the grocery store for many times less… I guess that’s not very much fun though.
We then continued on the the Bahia Palace.
John in the courtyard:
We then headed on to the Madrasa, an old Islamic school. Interestingly, Morocco has closed virtually all of its Mosques and religious sites to foreigners. This is in contrast to Egypt, for example, which has many Mosques from different time periods which are simultaneously open to tourists and in regular daily use for prayers. This school is one of the few in the country that are open to tourists.
Robbie out front:
John and Laura walking in the courtyard:
Robbie, used to sitting in the corners at school?
At that point, Jill, John, Robbie and Laura had felt like they’d had enough of the hustle and bustle, so they headed back to the apartment. Chris, Anna, and I wanted to see a bit more of the city, and wanted to try a Vegan restaurant their friend had recommended (I was desperate to try a pumpkin couscous, a local delicacy).
We found the non-tourist part of Marrakesh, which was refreshing. Active markets and bustling streets, but with people going about their own business and not hollering at us to buy some dumb junk.
We eventually did find Chris’s restaurant. But sadly it closed at 5pm.
The amount of lean in that wall made me pretty uncomfortable though…
So the three of us returned to the square to get food from the stands. It was a pretty neat experience. We took three loops around, each vendor shouting at us reasons why his was the best, even though they all looked identical. One was particularly obnoxious, some were offensive. We first sat down for some soup at a place that only Moroccans were eating at. We figured that was a good sign. Had a great lentil soup, and a chickpea soup. Then we walked around again until we found a vendor who’s salespitch appealed to us. This guy appreciated that we spoke/were learning Arabic and wasn’t pushy. So we sat down and had some brochettes.
Then we walked to meet the rest of our group who were having dinner on the other side of town. We had ice cream at Haagen Dasz, then headed back to the apartment.
This is my attempt to take a picture of the moon in front of a tree. Not much I could do without a tripod or place to set the camera. I thought it was a particularly Middle Eastern picture that would look pretty cool. It really just looked more like this.
I still don’t understand why there was so much controversy and discussion about visiting Marrakesh. Why would people tell you to avoid it? Is it that horrible of a place? What could make a place so undesirable? It seemed great from your story and photos.
I agree with Donny, it seems like a very interesting place? Nice pictures.
Yes, Marrakesh was cool. But I’m not sure I would recommend it to others. If you’re going through there on the way between the mountains and the coast, I suppose it’s worth a visit. But I wouldn’t recommend going out of the way to get there. There are so many more pleasant places to see in the country, and if all you’re looking for is a bustling Old Town, it exists in much more quaint versions in Essouaira, Rabat, Meknes, and especially Fez, which has the “best preserved Old Town in the Arab world.” Ultimately I’m glad I saw it, but I’m also very glad we spent only the amount of time there that we did, instead enjoying the coast and the mountains for some extra time.
One-One-Seven takes you to heaven!
Air-Conditioning!