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The end of our drive into Marrakech was absolutely beautiful. We even stopped in a beautiful Berber village and we met an old man that gave me a beautiful necklace as a gift. We also bought some mineral rocks from him. It was a great end to our journey through the mountains and desert.
Arriving in Marrakech it was busy. Luckily our new friend and driver Mustasa called the hotel and the manager came to meet us outside in the Medina so we would not get lost. We checked in and relaxed for a little before heading out to the market and for dinner.
The market here is huge and we made our way to the famous Jemaa el Fna square that overlooks the big mosque. I however was slightly disappointed by Marrakech. There are so many tourists...... SO MANY! It is hard to get through the market as everyone stops in the middle of the aisle out of nowhere because they decided they wanted to take a picture of the ceiling or a shop. I also did not like all the animals being put to work in Jemaa el Fna. There are snake charmers
and monkeys on leashes and horse rides. There was even two kids boxing for money. I felt that both the animals and the kids are being exploited completely and preferred not to watch or be a part of it. It was not my cup of tea.
I feel that maybe my expectations were high for Marrakech as well because we hear about so many Europeans always visiting. It is nice and fun but I have preferred all of the other places we have visited.
We have spent two nights in Marrakech and in that time we have visited the tombs and the old square and have made our way to New Marrakech.
Last night we made the mistake of staying out past dark. After dark we tried to make our way through the winding streets of the medina back to our Riad. All of the shops were closing and all of the creepy people were coming out. We got lost and after being grabbed by a man and having received many creepy looks I freaked out and was scared and so was Tyler. Luckily thanks to the help of phone GPS
we found the proper pathway and were able to get back. Throughout Morocco I have stuck to wearing conservative clothing and making sure my knees and my shoulders are always covered. After arriving in Marrakech and seeing how laid back everyone is and seeing how little the tourists wear I felt it would be alright to wear a maxi dress. My knees were still covered but my shoulders were exposed. After the experience last night with all the creepy stares and the grabs I think I will make sure I stay properly covered in the evening moving forward until we leave Morocco. Also as alcohol is not allowed here as everyone is Muslim there seems to be underground alcohol ring. So sometimes we pass by a bunch of men standing under a bridge crouched down. The smell of alcohol is strong when you pass by. Very strange. No restaurants or stores carry alcohol here either which is very different than what we are used to.
Tomorrow we will take the bus to Essaouira where we will hopefully be able to relax a little by the ocean. We will then spend the next few days making our way
up the coast back to Casablanca where we will fly to Rome.
Until next time
Jill
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