Day 2 - Marrakech

We had an easy flight on Ryan Air (contrary to what we've been told in the past), and arrived in Marrakech at 7am local time, 5 hours ahead of EST. Just to give you some light background information on Morocco, the N. African nation was previously controlled by Spain, and more recently France until they gained independence in 1956. While Moroccan Arabic is the official language, much of the country is bilingual in French. The Moroccan currency is the Dirham and at the current exchange rates, 1 USD is equal to 8 DHM. A driver was waiting for us at the gate, greeted us in Arabic, led us to the van, and we set off. The driver, non English speaking, drove the 10 minutes into the Medina. Marrakech is split into two parts, old and new. The Medina, old city, is surrounded by walls and is where all the action happens. Our Riad is located deep in the Medina, so our driver took us as far as possible until driving was no longer possible. A Moroccan woman greeted us and with broken English led us through a labyrinth of small alleys and streets to Riad Ker Saada. A riad is a large square house with a center courtyard lined with various rooms. Our riad is three stories, the third being a rooftop deck. The woman led us to the courtyard and gave us two glasses of sweet, fresh squeezed orange juice. It was probably one of the best glasses of oj I've ever experienced. We arrived before most of the guests awoke and after a short rest was greeted by Sherif, the owner, with trays of coffee, tea, and food on the rooftop deck. We soon learned that Sherif was a Berber (the indigenous and cultural population) and he presented us with various options for spending our day. Since we really only had one full day in Marrakech, we decided on hiring a private guide to take us through the city to the various sites. Sherif wrote down a few meal and site suggestions before leading us to meet the guide.

Our guide's name was Mustafa (like the Lion King), and he spoke very good English. He started to explain the history of Marrakech, which is considered an Imperial City of Morocco. We learned that the traffic, both car and foot, was busier than normal due to Mayday celebrations. It was the first of May and the locals celebrate the beginning of summer and daylight savings which turned that evening at midnight.

Our first stop was the El Badi Palace. The palace was home to Ahmed el Mansour, once a cruel prime minister of Marrakech. The palace was stripped of everything movable, but with its ornate carvings and mosaics, it has a lingering sense of luxury with large rooms, and shallow pools.

After leaving the palace, we set off to the Jardin Majoralle, a large garden in the outskirts of the city via taxi which cost about 20 dirham (<$3). The garden was built by a famed French artist and later bought by French designer Yves Saint Laurant. The garden was a true oasis of bamboo, ponds, and beautiful exotic plants. We spent about 40 minutes in the garden before catching a taxi back to the Medina where we visited the Ben Youssef Medersa. This was a place for students taking courses in the mosque and learned about the Islamic religion and Moroccan culture. It was completely rebuilt in the sixteenth century by the Saadians with a strong Andalusian influence. Like the palace, the ornate carvings and were overwhelmingly perfect. The attention to detail throughout the city is astounding. The entry fee for the Medersa included the Marrakech Museum which exhibited jewelry and sculpture. The museum is located within an ancient hamaam bath which is a weekly process of bathing in the Islamic culture. After visiting all the museums and palaces, it was time for some shopping.

The shopping area is known as the Souks which are narrow and busy streets filled with vendors. The souks somewhat resemble the Straw Market in Nassau, but without the knockoffs and with a much more authentic feeling. It is in the souks where you truly feel like you are in another world. Bargaining here is accepted and encouraged. Shopkeepers will fight for your "democratic price", fair for both parties. The one souvenir Nicole and I both bought were traditional Berber head wraps for use on our camel trek the following day. For two, the initial price: 600d Paid price: 300d. Bargaining with a smile is key. After our purchases, we stopped for lunch. Between us we shared mixed meat kabobs, salad, and fanta. We headed back to the souks for more browsing before partaking in the festivities at Djemma al Fna, the main square. It is here where we left Mustafa and thanked him for all of his help. The square is the center of the Medina and is the life of the city. During the day there are performers, monkeys, snake charmers singing cobras into dances of serenity, and numerous spice and juice stalls (freshly squeezed oj, lime, and grapefruit). We soon learned that taking photos and watching were not free and required payment to the performers. Nicole's hand was grabbed at one point by a woman who started drawing intricate henna designs on her wrist. No matter how hard Nicole tried to yank her hand away, the woman's grip was firm. After she finished she demanded payment. Luckily if they use this technique and have not agreed on a price you can give whatever you deem fit. They might argue for a bit but are eventually at a loss and give up. Another similar scenario occurred with a monkey. Needless to say, we had enough and headed back to our riad. Our originally reserved room was taken so we were upgraded to a much larger room on the second floor. It was very well appointed. After showering we left the room to enjoy the Riad. Relaxing in the cool courtyard under the palms was a definite highlight of the day. Sherif would occasionally sit and chat with us about Morocco, the US, and various topics. He put on some music and we soon learned he was fond of traditional Berber music and Bob Dylan. When we were ready for dinner, we asked Sherif for a recommendation. He asked us if we would rather eat in the square or enjoy wine. We chose wine. He told us of a great place but we were unsure of the location of the restaurant so Sherif said he would show me while Nicole was getting ready. We walked out the front door Sherif hopped on his motor bike, and said lets go. I said "on that!?!?" He just smiled and said yep. Now I hadn't mentioned this earlier, but there are no lanes in Marrakech and in fact there are no proper roads/bike lanes. The motor bikes weave in and out of people like native New Yorker's in a hurry. If you’re walking, hear a honk and don't move out of the way, your toast. The bikes come within inches of you and each other. I hopped on and we sped away to the square. Mr. Toad's got nothin' on Sherif. Five minutes and a couple close calls later, we arrived at the restaurant. Like a campaigning politician he walked right in, shook hands with all the workers and got us an instant reservation (they had been booked for days). He told me we had a reserved table for 8:30 but if the menu wasn't too our liking then just let them know, no worries. After arriving back to the riad, Nicole was ready and we headed to the restaurant. We arrived but didn't end up taking the reservation because it was a littler fancier then we planned for and sharing was not an option. So instead we decided to brave the square. At night Djemma al Fna is a completely different scene. The acts are larger and crowds circle them. For food, large stalls are set up in the evening with picnic bench style tables set up all around them. The stall keeps were very aggressive and practically pulled you to a table. After deciding on a stall, we let ourselves be captured and ordered kabobs, bread, couscous, soda, and mint tea. If converted, dinner came out to about 6 dollars a person, practically a steal. We left the square and headed back to our riad to catch some sleep. The next morning would be an early one to catch out bus to Zagora.