Beauty and the Beast

Judy. I don’t know what made me choose Marrakech. Maybe it’s remembering “Marrakech Express” from my formative years. Or maybe Ted picked it. But no matter where the idea came from, it was a pretty fabulous one.

How to describe Marrakech? Ted says the city reminds him of the Cambodian Night Market. To me it’s like a smart ADHD kid—there’s lots of depth in there, and if you look past the wildness, you can find it. But the wildness can be so much fun!

Flags everywhere!

When you step outside your quiet riad in the Old City, you are absolutely overwhelmed. Chances are you’re in a covered street, narrow and dark. At the end, you can see light, so you head that way. Turning right, there’s a donkey cart blocking your way, but you edge past and continue on your way. At the “house under construction,” Sam has said to turn left and “stay to your right.” As a motorbike roars past you, you understand why. Just as you reach another dark tunnel, a small truck filled with gravel is heading out, so you step aside, but then a bike dashes past you, and you’re forced to slow down by the three women chatting as they go to do their shopping. Building is going on everywhere, a sign of a growing tourism trade, and the sounds of saws and hammers add to the cacophony.

As you reach the spot where the road opens up, the shops begin—pharmacies, lamp shops, antique shops, rug shops—and the residents stopping to chat with each other as more motorbikes fly by.

Souks in the morning

At last you arrive at the souks, and the craziness builds. Everyone seems to have the same merchandise—at least all the leather shops, all the lamp shops, all the t-shirt shops, all the jewelry and antique booths—but you notice a purse that’s different from any you’ve seen. Careful! The shopkeeper has a sixth sense, and before you can ask, he’s pulled it down and begun to bargain. If it’s the morning, he’s not too persistent, but once the tourists really head over after lunch, it’s total

and after lunch

pandemonium!

As you push past the shoppers and shopkeepers who stand right in the middle of the pathway, another bike flies through the crowd, then the call to prayer begins. As in Indonesia, it starts with one muezzin, and others pick it up till you can hear the call all around you. You notice a man in a djalaba quietly remove his shoes by a door you didn’t notice, and step to the fountain you spot in order to do his ablutions. It’s a beautiful reminder to take a moment to say a little prayer yourself.

Turning left, you find the Spice Market, filled with spices, cosmetics, herbs, perfumes, argan oil, black soap, and lizards and turtles. I don’t even want to know what the last two are for. Bargaining, as in all the shops, is de rigeur here, and if you work hard enough, you’re rewarded with a bag of goodies and a “gift”, maybe a tiny bowl with natural blush and lipstick. Actually, pretty cool. You can also score lava stone to pumice your heels and alum to use as a natural deodorant.

An indoor spice market

From there you can work your way to the main square, Place Jemaa el Fna. You thought it was crazy in the souks? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet! There are women painting henna designs on tourists, fruit stands serving fresh-squeezed juice, men in red robes selling water, Sub-Saharan Africans with t-shirts and carved wooden masks. There are musicians with drums and pipes who, if a large enough crowd gathers, will dance, twirling the tassels on their hats. Men walk by with monkeys on leashes, and there are carriages lined up, with horses ready to pull tourists or locals. 

Water sellers

Snake charmer

And then there are the snake charmers.  Really. They have bags—literally BAGS—of cobras, which they pull out and arrange around them. Rumor has it the poor snakes’ mouths are sewn shut, but periodically one’s isn’t. The charmers play their flute pipes, and the cobras sway. And there’s not just one charmer. There are maybe five or six. Sometimes a helper tries to drape a snake on a passing tourist. You give these guys a wide berth.  

Across a wide street is the large mosque, Mosquée de la Koutoubia with a quiet garden where you can sit and catch your breath, then head to a café for a Coke or coffee. It’s time to stop and marvel at this wonderful city.

Mosque Gardens

 

Mosque

Heading back, you’re feeling confident, so in the souks you wander down a side street. And then onto another turn. And then you have no idea where you are. Relax. Nobody’s died trapped in the souks. But be careful whom you ask for directions; the “lazy boys,” as Sam calls them, will lead you back, but then ask for money. And not a couple of dirham, but maybe several euros! A policeman is good, or young girls headed to school. By the way, if you speak French, it makes it easier to communicate with those not involved in the tourist trade. 

Following their directions (or not), you surprisingly find yourself coming back to the riad from the opposite direction, but that “house under construction” never looked so good, and you can find your way home from there.

If you’re smart, you’ve booked a hammam for a real treat. You’re seated and offered tea while you peruse the menu and make your selections. Stripped down, you sit in a steam room where a woman covers you in black soap, then tells you to wait. Fifteen minutes later, she’s back with an abrasive glove to scrub you down and remove all dead skin (a wonderful idea after camel rides in the desert or train rides in crowded cars). You’re covered with more black soap, left alone in the steam for another fifteen minutes, then rinsed in warm water. Your skin is glowing and feels soft. Then it’s down to the masseuse for 1½ hours of muscle release with argan oil for the body and desert sand to remove dead skin from your feet. After you’re dressed, there’s more tea and the bill. Not a bad price for feeling so good.

 

Sunset on the Square

Back to the big square for dinner on a terrasse high above the madness on the streets, then a walk through the souks, past the donkey carts and motorbikes and little construction trucks to the quiet of the riad courtyard where Sam and Youness may welcome you with more tea. As you head to your room, the final call to prayer begins, and you stop to say a thank you prayer for this crazy, noisy, vivacious city that has won your heart.

At the bottom are a couple of videos that Ted took. One shows an evening in Place Jemaa el Fna and the second shows a typical street scene.

Courtyard at Riad Romance

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