(Please let me know what photos you like!)
Joe and I spent Easter break in what I have dubbed a 'rough and raw version of Disneyland'. Marrakech is a mad-mad place that thrives on chaos and tourists. The city center is pure sensory overload when you first arrive -- musicians banging away, people selling goods/services, masses of people everywhere spilling off the side walks. We had read about how the locals would try to make a dime off of you by giving you directions, so Joe was understandably very harsh to anyone that approached us to ask of if we needed help. But we did need a little help in the end! We arrived in Marrakech airport to discover that there was a taxi strike and whoever was picking up the phone at our riad (small B&B) did not speak English. So we ended up taking a random bus to the city center where we were left to manuever through unsigned streets, following somewhat vague directions printed off Trip Advisor -- oh and Joe was hungry! And when Joe is hungry, he gets grumpy :).
We happened to find a very nice local boy who showed us the way at suprizingly no cost. Joe said 'no' to him 3 times before we decided just to follow him. We felt a bit bad being such defensive foreigners. But after 5 days of being in Marrakech, your skin gets a bit thick. Little boys will have no qualms about following you until you are cornered in the doorway of your riad, and holding out their hands expecting some kind of payment. No small talk, nothing to sell, just waiting and expecting you to give them some money. Ugg, by the end I really just wanted to slap them to wake the hell up. It makes me sad to see people so dependent on charity.
One of the first things we fell in love with in Morrocco was the mint tea and savory pan-fried pancakes (very similar to Chinese green onion pancake without the onions and sides are folded in so it's a square instead of a circle). The food choice is rather limited, but other things they do well is fresh squeezed orange juice and bread. It seemed like you could get fresh baked bread anywhere, including places that would be similar to our local mini marts/liquer stores. It's not really necessary to go to fancy restaurants often, because what you get there is the same as what you would get in the neighbors kitchen - except maybe the ingredients would be a bit higher quality and the meat would not have a chance of being cooked too well.
We checked out Dar Moha and Maison Arabe, the first known for it's culinary innovation and the other for being a posh restaurant/riad. Both served tanjines, pastilles, and bread :). I would recommend going to 1 nice restaurant while in Marrakech and spend the rest of the time eating in Jemaa El Fna (city square) and more moderately priced restaurants. People did warn us not to use utencils when eating at Jemaa El Fna, and don't eat the salad (found out after we came back), because the tap water they used to wash the veggies is no good or the water they used to wash utencils could be used many times over. I didn't get sick (maybe thanks to Purell), but Joe's tummy did feel a bit weak when we got back. But it might have been the airplane food. Don't rely on food from Royal Air Maroc!
Our riad was rather small, but we were right around the corner from a new 5 star riad with the spa. Joe and I tried the traditional hammam. Only I had a slight idea what it entailed, and I had only told Joe that someone did said they felt 'man handled' after the experience -- hehe. I definitely would recommend trying it at least once. It's basically a full-on and very very very thoroughly body scrub. My lady used just the right pressure, but Joe had little red marks on him after! Haha. But if you can imagine running around all day in the hot sun, in smoke, dust, exhaust - it feels quite nice to do that, get a massage, and take a nap in the peace and quiet.
Definitely do take day trips out of Marrakech before it runs you down faster than New York City ever could. :) We took a comfortable 3 hour bus ride (Supratours) to Essaouira. Definitely go to visit the fish stands by the harbor - multiple times if you can! Joe and I had a 'snack' and ordered an entire fresh grilled sea bass and calamari. Yum! Been living in London so long, I have forgotten what 'not frozen' tastes like :).
Marrakech was maybe not the relaxing holiday we both needed, but it is definitely a very interesting city. It was the first time Joe and I read almost every page of the guide book because we were genuinely interested in the people and the customs of a liberal Muslim country. Do get the Time Out Guide for Marrakech (includes Essaouira & the High Atlas). It's amazingly reliable and gives a lot of insight into daily life and what to expect during your visit. Next time Joe and I come back we'll probably spend minimal time in Marrakech and more time visiting the Sahara and the Atlas mountains.
One thing I would warn you about is be prepared to have people treat you like a Japanese tourists if you are Asian American. People are never satisfied when they as you are from and you answer -- America. And don't be shocked (as I was) when you approach customs at the airport, hand them your American passport, and in exchange recieve a look that says ''this passport can't be real, I don't understand why you look Asian but don't have a Chinese or Japanese passport". The lady actually waved down her supervisor to check me out because to her - I was an anomoly.
We happened to find a very nice local boy who showed us the way at suprizingly no cost. Joe said 'no' to him 3 times before we decided just to follow him. We felt a bit bad being such defensive foreigners. But after 5 days of being in Marrakech, your skin gets a bit thick. Little boys will have no qualms about following you until you are cornered in the doorway of your riad, and holding out their hands expecting some kind of payment. No small talk, nothing to sell, just waiting and expecting you to give them some money. Ugg, by the end I really just wanted to slap them to wake the hell up. It makes me sad to see people so dependent on charity.
One of the first things we fell in love with in Morrocco was the mint tea and savory pan-fried pancakes (very similar to Chinese green onion pancake without the onions and sides are folded in so it's a square instead of a circle). The food choice is rather limited, but other things they do well is fresh squeezed orange juice and bread. It seemed like you could get fresh baked bread anywhere, including places that would be similar to our local mini marts/liquer stores. It's not really necessary to go to fancy restaurants often, because what you get there is the same as what you would get in the neighbors kitchen - except maybe the ingredients would be a bit higher quality and the meat would not have a chance of being cooked too well.
We checked out Dar Moha and Maison Arabe, the first known for it's culinary innovation and the other for being a posh restaurant/riad. Both served tanjines, pastilles, and bread :). I would recommend going to 1 nice restaurant while in Marrakech and spend the rest of the time eating in Jemaa El Fna (city square) and more moderately priced restaurants. People did warn us not to use utencils when eating at Jemaa El Fna, and don't eat the salad (found out after we came back), because the tap water they used to wash the veggies is no good or the water they used to wash utencils could be used many times over. I didn't get sick (maybe thanks to Purell), but Joe's tummy did feel a bit weak when we got back. But it might have been the airplane food. Don't rely on food from Royal Air Maroc!
Our riad was rather small, but we were right around the corner from a new 5 star riad with the spa. Joe and I tried the traditional hammam. Only I had a slight idea what it entailed, and I had only told Joe that someone did said they felt 'man handled' after the experience -- hehe. I definitely would recommend trying it at least once. It's basically a full-on and very very very thoroughly body scrub. My lady used just the right pressure, but Joe had little red marks on him after! Haha. But if you can imagine running around all day in the hot sun, in smoke, dust, exhaust - it feels quite nice to do that, get a massage, and take a nap in the peace and quiet.
Definitely do take day trips out of Marrakech before it runs you down faster than New York City ever could. :) We took a comfortable 3 hour bus ride (Supratours) to Essaouira. Definitely go to visit the fish stands by the harbor - multiple times if you can! Joe and I had a 'snack' and ordered an entire fresh grilled sea bass and calamari. Yum! Been living in London so long, I have forgotten what 'not frozen' tastes like :).
Marrakech was maybe not the relaxing holiday we both needed, but it is definitely a very interesting city. It was the first time Joe and I read almost every page of the guide book because we were genuinely interested in the people and the customs of a liberal Muslim country. Do get the Time Out Guide for Marrakech (includes Essaouira & the High Atlas). It's amazingly reliable and gives a lot of insight into daily life and what to expect during your visit. Next time Joe and I come back we'll probably spend minimal time in Marrakech and more time visiting the Sahara and the Atlas mountains.
One thing I would warn you about is be prepared to have people treat you like a Japanese tourists if you are Asian American. People are never satisfied when they as you are from and you answer -- America. And don't be shocked (as I was) when you approach customs at the airport, hand them your American passport, and in exchange recieve a look that says ''this passport can't be real, I don't understand why you look Asian but don't have a Chinese or Japanese passport". The lady actually waved down her supervisor to check me out because to her - I was an anomoly.
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2 comments:
I love reading about your adventures! Keep up the blogging!
Marrakech is amazing city and I like it a lot. Marrakech (Marrakesh) is the second largest city in Morocco. Marrakech is situated in south west Morocco at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The city is known as the Red City after the magnificent red fortifications that surround it. Marrakech has an exotic traditional atmosphere and is home to the largest square in Africa, namely the “Djemaa al Fna” which comes alive during the day with acrobats, water sellers, dancers and musicians and by night becomes a huge outdoor restaurant, with numerous food stalls selling traditional Moroccan cuisine. In the alleys behind the square are the Souks (market stalls) selling a vast range of merchandise ranging from stringed instruments, brass, copper and leatherwork, to jewellery and clothing.
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