Marrakech

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Marrakech – the majestic souks, the wonderful people, the fabulous food, the gorgeous sites.  I must have signed up for a different trip than the folks who rave about the majesty of this African town. 

                                                      

We were picked up at the airport by a chauffer who drove us along the dirt covered roads, lined with camels, donkeys and horses and scattered with cars and motorbikes, and into the Medina to our riad, Dixneuf la Ksour.  We were blown away by the riad’s beauty and the hospitality of Christian, the owner.  I immediately claimed a sun chair up on the roof where I could enjoy the day soaking up the sun, napping and reading my book.  A few minutes later, I was greeted by a Mark Counsulos look-alike who delivered to me the most fragrant, refreshing, delicious Moroccan mint tea and cookies.  Life was great – Scott and I spent the day on the roof enjoying one another’s company, along with the company of the sun, too.  It had been far too long since we had enjoyed an afternoon like this!  Eventually, the sun started to set and it was time for our rooftop dinner.  We grabbed a table with a killer view of the sunset and the Koutoubia Mosque and enjoyed our dinner of cucumber soup, chicken tagine with potato latkes and orange custard.  Our first day in Morocco was very much, indeed, majestic. 

Our welcome Moroccan mint tea and cookies - delivered by our Mark Counsuelos-esque tea boy.

Sitting down to our fabulous rooftop dinner on our first night in Marrakech.

Since most of our meals and leisure time was spent on the roof of the riad, that’s naturally where we went the following morning for breakfast to get our energy for the day.  We had plans to visit the souks and Djemaa-el Fna, the town square/market.  We set out mid-morning on a quest to find these magical souks everyone had told us about.  However, the medina, which is basically a maze of alleys, isn’t exactly the easiest place to make your way around and we quickly found ourselves off-track.  We were approached by a friendly gentleman who was offering to guide us to the tanneries.  Scott’s and my non-verbal communication failed at this point and we stupidly ended up following the man (neither of us wanted to go).  After a sketchy 20-minute walk, we began to smell the stench of dead animal skin and pigeon poo, a sign that we had arrived.  Upon entering the tannery, we were given “gas masks”, which were handfuls of mint leaves to cover the smell (I would have passed out without it).  After a quick spiel from the tannery manager (I have no idea what he said, it was in broken English and I was too concentrated on the smell and worried about the repercussions of staying in the tannery too long and what it could do to my baby), we were led to a second tannery across the street.  I told Scott that I had to leave before I got sick or passed out (I’m not being dramatic – the smell really was that bad).  So we kindly declined the second tour and were led to the tannery shop to look at the goods.  We took a quick look around, thanked the gentlemen, left empty-handed and made our way back in the direction of our riad.  Seconds later, we were approached by the manager and the “friendly” guide – they were aggressively demanding that we pay them for their time.  Scott wasn’t budging, but I was so uncomfortable and scared at that point that I begged him to give them something.  After a few minutes of arguing with them, Scott gave in to my plead and gave them what equaled about $35…a waste of money but worth it to get out of that situation.  We headed back to the riad after that so that I could get my bearings before we headed back out to try and tackle the souks again after lunch. 

We ended up finding the souks this time around and after bargaining with a shop owner, I am now the proud owner of a pretty little Moroccan tea set.  That was really the only item I wanted to leave with so we just strolled through the rest of the souks, never stopping for too long – the consequences of that are being hassled, sometimes aggressively.  Some people find this endearing; I don’t do well in that situation at all.  We enjoyed the vivid colors, the meticulous woodwork and the craftsmanship that went into creating such beautiful items.  

After freshening up at the riad, we headed out to Djemaa-el Fna to find a restaurant for dinner and to wander around the square.  We were approached at one point by a young teenage boy who shoved his menu in our faces and told us to eat at his market stand.  After refusing, he angrily called us “losers”.  We were bewildered yet thoroughly amused by his reaction.  We were heading to a place our guide book claimed has ‘the best food in the square’.  Once we found it, we disappointedly discovered it was an Italian restaurant, and shortly after that discovered it was the worst Italian restaurant in. the. world.  I struggled to get through the first couple of bites and stopped at my third, very relived that I had packed snacks.  We wandered through the square (which can only be described as pandemonium) after dinner stopping briefly to see the snake charmers, fortune tellers and market stalls.  It was great people watching and the colors of the sunset were unforgettable.

One of the colorful views from Djemaa-el Fna.

Djemaa-el Fna at sunset.

Since the point of me taking this vacation was to relax and spend some time outdoors in the warm Moroccan air and sun, we did exactly that on my last day in Marrakech.  Scott taught me how to play a couple of card games, we read a lot, talked a lot, drank the most delicious fresh-squeezed OJ we’ve ever tasted and generally just enjoyed one another’s company.  We ended the day with a beautiful candlelit dinner in one of the reading rooms of the riad – beet soup, beef tagine with green beans and spiced pears - it was Moroccan food at its best. 

Obligatory baby bump picture - 12.5 weeks.  You'd think I was having twins (I'm not!).

I left the following morning since Scott was meeting up with his group for his trek in the Atlas Mountains.  We said our goodbyes and I made my way through security.  While in the passport control line, I began to feel overheated and light-headed; I could tell that I was about to faint.  I asked the girl behind me (praying that she spoke English!) to find help as I collapsed to my knees.  She kindly gave me her bottle of water and ran for help.  A guard came up to me, helped me to my feet and took me straight through Customs.  I took a seat at my gate and caught my breath while drinking some water.  I quickly felt better but was shaken up after just having passed out, alone, in Africa.  I am so lucky that the people around me were so kind, spoke English and had water. 

Marrakech definitely wasn’t what I expected it to be.  I am so happy that I experienced this trip, however.  I learned a lot about the culture and got to see a brand new part of the world.  It won’t go down as one of my favorite locales, but will certainly remain one of my most memorable. 

On a side note – Scott’s trek was a success!  They spent their nights in tents, had mules to carry their belongings, muleteers to make their meals and plenty of Moroccan mint tea.  Mid-way through the trek, however, they encountered a blizzard. in May. in Morocco.  And got lost.  Luckily though, their journey was soon back on track and they successfully made their way through the storm. They stopped in the muleteers’ village on their last night where the muleteers performed a religious sacrifice of a goat for the trekking group to enjoy for dinner.  Scott and I both agree that it’s a good thing I didn’t go.  I don’t do well in the cold, on hard ground or dealing with the deaths of animals.  I’m so happy he got to experience it though.  He had the trip of a lifetime and it will stick with him forever.  

Scott at the top Mgoun, the second highest peak in North Africa (4,068 meters).