Arriving into the CTM bus station at Marrakech was a no-drama ordeal until we walked outside the lobby doors where the full frontal assault began with the Taxi drivers. Against all that we knew, we got hustled. It’s tough really, because we must’ve been wearing great big “I am a foreigner, probably a rich American, please take advantage of me” signs that had been tattooed on our foreheads while we dozed on the bus. Still it was cheaper than NYC.
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| Frank queuing to buy our return bus ticket |
We chose to stay in a Riad rather than a hotel. A Riad is a large private home, often a former mansion, situated within the old city or Medina with a large center courtyard into which all of the rooms and windows face. Originally the courtyard would have been a garden with a fountain but most have been converted to guesthouses with a small pool and seating area in the courtyard area. Riad dar Sheba was very homey and we immediately felt as though we had stepped into a quiet little paradise far away from the city. We were greeted by Kareem (Karim?), and then invited to sit in the pillow-laden salon to relax and enjoy a Moroccan mint tea and some biscuits (cookies). He gave us a map of the city and explained some things about what to expect and how to get around. We requested of him to arrange two things: a private walking tour and a couples' treatment at a local Hammam. He then went off to make arrangements while we got settled into our room.
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| this is only part of our room at the riad |
The Riad is literally steps away from the large Koutoubia mosque and the Djemaa El-Fna that is the main square of Marrakech. This massive square plays host to a variety of what we call “buskers”; live acts with people, snakes, monkeys, dancers, singers musicians, you name it. It is lined with large fruit stalls where drinks are made fresh while you wait. One center area converts to a multi-restaurant venue at night. Around the periphery are multi-storied restaurants with rooftop terraces and amid all of this are the entrances to the souks/suqs where alleyways will lead you on a meandering path to a shopping experience even bigger than the Turkish markets. You can shop for anything here locally/hand-made or made in China, we could never tell but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Among the myriad shops are cafes offering Tagines, couscous dishes, French pastries... You can eat well here on any budget.
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| A market stall with items made from old tires |
Every day we were approached by some random guy telling us we must hurry and follow him, saying; “the Berbers are in town for two hours only” or “Come, come, this way, this way is a short cut to the auction that is about to begin” …“The Berbers are here with carpets and will soon be leaving”. Whatever line you are fed, don’t fall for it. You will be taken on a wild goose chase, “just around this short cut here” that meanders forever and leads you to the same carpet store that is on all of the tour routes where you will be served tea and planted for a show and tell of expensive carpets that lasts for nearly an hour.
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| Mohammad and Barbara before entering the Bahia Palace |
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| Mohammad explaining the harem to Frank |
Our private tour was scheduled for the very afternoon we arrived. Our guide, Mohammad walked us through the highlights of the Medina, starting at the Koutoubia mosque, which tourists may not enter but a walk-by was enough for us, giving us its history of course. He led us through the market, explaining how to “negotiate” if we wish to buy something, and to the Mellah (the Jewish Quarter), which was far cleaner and better kept than the main - I suppose - Muslim area of the Suq. Negotiating is all part of the experience and is expected. We visited the Bahia Palace where he gave us a private tour, detailing the story behind it’s origin and the owner who had several wives and concubines within the massive estate including a school for his hundreds of children, all tucked into separate Dars and Riads that were guarded by Eunuchs because he didn’t want temptation to be an issue. He also employed blind musicians for the same reason. What a guy!
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| intricate designs in Bahia Palace |
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| Bahia Palace passage from one riad to another |
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| Ceiling of the room in the chamber of the "other wives" |
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| Ceiling center in Wife #1's room |
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| Bahia Palace |
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| Frank in Bahia Palace's "Man cave" |
Then we learned about the popular Argan Oil and were taken to an “official” factory shop where we sampled so many products our heads began to spin. Of course we bought an entire bag full. Next on the tour was a carpet show room where we saw some beautifully crafted tribal pieces from all over Morocco which was very interesting in that each area of the country and tribe makes a product quite different from the next and using materials such as camel hair, wool, cotton fibers and so on. Eventually our 3 hour tour had stretched to 4 hours so we called it a day and bid Mohammad farewell as we hustled back to the Riad to shower and rest before heading back out to dinner.
Walking back into the Suq area, we located a wonderful rooftop restaurant, Café Arabe’, a perfect venue to enjoy our first Marrakech sunset. The seating in the lounge area was arranged amid comfy white cushions, backed with lots of pillows surrounded by flowing white curtains. It was gorgeous and so was the dynamic sunset. Frank happily sipped his beer (I took a cute photo of him but he wont let me post photos anymore of him drinking beer), while I tried to catch the storm rolling in on the setting sun. As soon as our dinner arrived, the storm had reached us and waiters quickly swept us and our food up, hastening us downstairs to the internal dining room where laughing, wet patrons were cramming themselves into the pillow laden sofas to settle in for dinner and a storm. There is a gorgeous video that is on my Facebook page. I can't seem to get videos to post on our blog.
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