MARRAKECH

We started our day tour of Marrakech at 10am. Our first stop was the Koutoubia Minaret, a large minaret that is part of the Koutoubia Mosque. Of course we could only view the mosque and the minaret from the outside. From there we went to the Menara Gardens, which were quite dusty and barren and disappointing.

Our driver dropped us off inside the medina and we walked to the Bahia Palace. The palace is outrageously large with numerous complexes. Unfortunately there was some bizarre modern art exhibition being held there so the rooms were fouled with ridiculous video installations, scabby statues, oversized furniture, car doors, and paintings that look like they were created by someone’s cat.

Thankfully we didn’t spend much time at the Bahia Palace. We walked back to the bus and went to the Majorelle Botanical Gardens, which were purchased and expanded by Yves Saint Laurent. His remains are actually entombed there, which seemed a bit odd at first. I didn’t find the gardens that interesting but did my best to take a few arty shots of the colorful ceramic pots and the aloof cacti.

A large majority of the ladies in the group wanted to go shopping in the medina but Ibrahim didn’t want them to get scammed so he arranged for us to visit a crafts super marche instead. It was a vast complex on three floors where you could find everything from the cheesiest tourist kitsch to beautiful antique Berber jewelry. Mom and I found ourselves on the third floor – the antiquities floor – with a very friendly salesman who took us on a personal tour of the various items for sale. We both greatly admired the Berber jewelry, as well as the elaborate items gifted to brides and grooms upon their marriage.

The ladies stowed their purchases on the bus and then Ibrahim took us for a special lunch at a Berber restaurant where we had b’stilla pie, which I can only describe as a phyllo calzone stuffed with chicken, lentils, and rice and flavored with cinnamon and honey. It wasn’t my favorite meal of the trip, but it was interesting.

After lunch Ibrahim led us deep into the medina. He hired another “local guide”, Mohamed, to be rear guard and make sure no one was pickpocketed, harassed, or lost along the narrow and twisting laneways. It was almost impossible to take pictures on the walk through the medina because of the sheer number of people and animals in the laneways, the vast array of goods for sale that were hanging from every nook and cranny, and because Ibrahim set a pretty fast pace – possibly to deter anyone from shopping.

We did stop for a while at a spice merchant’s shop. We were led inside to a large private room where the spice merchant and two assistants introduced us to various spices and herbal remedies. One of the herbal remedies was a mix of spices and herbs that you smell to clear your sinuses. It’s also supposed to help with migraines and asthma. The merchant also brought out natural perfumes and cosmetics for everyone to try. It was a very pleasant stop and everyone bought something. I bought a 35-spice mix for cooking and the sinus/headache/asthma remedy. Mom bought the spice mix, saffron, and a jar of argon hand lotion.

After visiting the spice merchant Ibrahim led us through some more quarters in the medina. My favorite was the blacksmith’s quarter. I really wanted to stay and take pictures but Mohamed ushered me through there pretty quickly, perhaps sensing some bad juju from the locals. A few twists and turns later, Ibrahim stopped us in a relatively safe area of the medina and let us wander free for 30 minutes. Mom and I trundled off down a laneway for a bit and then turned around. Unfortunately, we missed a turn and ended up in an unfamiliar part of the medina. We retraced our steps and after a couple of hits and misses we finally found our way back to the meeting point.

For dinner that night we drove out to what I can only describe as “Moroccan Disneyland” for dinner and a show. The singers and small drum troupes were loud and annoying. The wait staff seemed angry to be there and truly disgruntled when you ordered drinks. The food, when it arrived, was pretty horrible. For example, we were served what looked like a quarter of a lamb. However, we could only scrape a few pieces of meat from the bones and skin. By the end of dinner we were all pretty annoyed and just wanted to leave but our guide Ibrahim encouraged us to stay and watch the show.

I buggered off and wandered out into the dark parking lot, which was full of tour buses. I enjoyed looking into the dimly-lit buses where drivers were reading, snoozing, playing cards, or gambling. A local dog was my only company. I would have been content to stay out there until our scheduled departure time but Ibrahim sent our driver, Hisham, out to collect me and return me to the “safety” of Moroccan Disneyland. I found a place away from the performers and surly staff and waited until I saw our group heading out to the bus. They’d watched a few minutes of the show and decided to call it a night. Ibrahim was a bit disappointed in us, but at the same time it was after 11pm and I’m sure that he and Hisham were more than happy to call it a night. So, we drove in near silence back to the hotel and headed to bed, where we all had nightmares about grisly lamb and angry Moroccan waiters.