Morocco

In sharp contrast to the drinking and eating binge of Euro Trip 2008, my trip to Morocco was anything but; the food was surprisingly not my favorite and not a drop of alcohol was consumed in the 6 days. In addition, there is nothing more opposite from the western cities visited in Italy, France, etc than the liveliness and chaos of Marrakech, Morocco. The change was welcomed.

Marrakech can only be described as an attack on the senses - a blur of moving people, stalls selling everything from food and fresh squeezed orange juice to toiletries and souvenirs, intoxicating smells of spices, leather and livestock and the noise of the main square in the old town - a combination of snake charmers, monkey handlers, story tellers, musicians and the town trying to sell you something. And while all of your senses are fully overwhelmed, there are plenty of locals eager to get you into their shops, their brother's restaurants and cousin's hotels.

Initially I was taken back by the forwardness of the locals and their constant calls and whistles to get your attention. On the first day we innocently followed a local to what he said was a reasonably priced non-touristy restaurant just off the main square. Upon walking onto the terrace, we noticed and later recognized the look of warning from the various other patrons, trying to save us from an overpriced menu before it was too late (we in fact gave the same look to the next couple who walked in bleary eyed, following yet another "helpful" local). However by the end of the trip, I was fully in support of the forwardness! I embraced the art of bargaining (and prided myself on getting great deals, with a slight pang of guilty conscience for getting such good discounts) and we intentionally walked the through the middle of the stalls the last night when deciding where to eat to see what type of offers, compliments and lines we would receive in attempt to gain our business.

And although I learned to embrace the chaos of the city, a large part of Marrakech, however, was defined by the quietness just inside each building’s walls. Within each Riad (Hotel) was oasis of calm, without the sounds of the city around me. Both of our Riads in Marrakech had beautiful open terraces and sitting areas to relax while enjoying the local mint tea. I would spend an entire afternoon on these terraces, reading a book and resting from shopping. And if that wasn’t enough, Morocco offered, and we accepted, the ultimate spa experience, the Hammam, which consisted of a sauna, body scrub, more sauna, mint tea, massage and lounging..

As a side note, the group took a two day side trip to Essouira, a small beach town about 3 hours outside of Marrakech. The town itself is small fishing village with great fish market where you can pick your fish and have it cooked up right in front of you.

Blogger's Note

Below are the various blogs from my recent 2 week holiday with two of my best friends from college. I had been looking forward to this trip for months and had referred to it with my friends in the planning phases as “Euro Trip 2008”. And as promised, it lived up to its expectations as an eating and drinking binge through various European countries. I have posted the blogs based on the actual dates of occurrence. As such I would recommend reading them from the first post “Euro Trip 2008 - Zurich” and scrolling up.

Enjoy!