Manic Marrakech

---

---

We booked a four day break with British Airways to experience Morocco. We flew out on Sunday the 29th June. Our flight was good as usual with BA and arrived on time. Flying into Marrakech airport started my concerns on what I had booked.

After a queue at passport control we went through to collect our luggage. Marrakech airport is really nice. Cool, quite modern and not as busy as our UK airports. Just outside the airport there is a line of taxis, which if you read other travel sites, are the big taxis. These guys will haggle a price with you to get to the city. To be honest, taxis are way cheaper than what we pay in the UK so we were not to fussed on haggling and just wanted to get to our Raid. We paid 150 Dirham but you can get a lot better deals.

The drive to the Riad is crazy. Mopeds and taxis everywhere. Luckily, we have certain driving laws in the UK but I am not sure if Morocco does. We sped passed parks, mosques, markets on our way to Riad Carina in the Medina. Winding the windows down in the taxi was a waste of time as the thirty six degree heat was just blasted into the vehicle. The taxi weaved and dodged its way to the Riad then come to a halt at the top of an alleyway and informed us that the Riad was down the alley.

We took our case and the taxi left. A young Moroccan guy come over and asked us where we were going. We told him and he walked us right to the door of the Riad Carina. Of course, being Morocco, his services cost a few dirham. The alley maybe a bit daunting to some people but there always seems to be people coming and going from the mosque and other buildings. Watch out for the little cats though, they lay around all over the alley.

We rang a bell and were welcomed into the Riad by "Said" , a young Moroccan guy dressed in traditional clothing. We went into the Riad which we thought was rather dim initially. He took our details, gave us some tourist information and ideas, then showed us to our room.

Our room was on the ground floor, directly of the main area. The room was very nice. Clean and comfortable. The initially area had a coffee table and a sofa. Off this room were the bathroom and the bedroom. The bathroom was quite small but again clean and functional. There was no bath just a shower area. The water was always hot which was great as we were showering quite a lot because of the heat and dust. The bedroom had a double bed and also two chairs and another coffee table and masses of wardrobe space in a built in cupboard area. The only downside with the room was the proximity to the main area as the bathroom window was opened to it and you could hear us in the shower or toilet lol.

As the sun started to go, the riad come to life with light. Amazing lamps cast beautiful patterns across the walls and ceilings. Upstairs were more rooms and up again was the roof terrace. What a lovely area. As you can see by my photos, there were storks nesting on the walls opposite.

We had a glass of mint tea in the riad and decided to wander out for something to eat.

Because it had got dark, we decided just to stayed close to the riad and would venture further in the morning. We stopped at the first little café we found and decided to try a Tagine. Not what I expected really..not highly spiced, soft vegetables and chicken on the bone. We also had some meat skewers and olives. After dinner, we went a little walk and were again approached by a young man advising us where to go for dinner but of course we had eaten. So, we asked if there was anywhere for a drink but being Ramadan this proved to be a problem. He suggested a bar called Cosybar..don't go here unless you want to throw your money away. We paid 220 dirham for two vodkas. Too expensive. After our over priced drinks, we went back to the riad.

The raid was nice and cool compared to the outside temperatures. We had a pleasant sleep, no insect bites lol..

Breakfast was included in our riad and was really good. We had freshly squeezed orange juice, a jug of coffee, croissants, pancakes, bread, preserves, honey, fruit. Plenty to keep you going until lunch.

We decided to go to Place Jemaa El Fna (the market square). Through the day this is quite quiet but comes to life in the evening. Around the square there are many restaurants to choose from. The prices are all quite similar and much cheaper than UK restaurants but in the evening you can eat at the market stalls. You will get pestered to eat at different places and this can get very tedious along with the people trying to sell you watches, perfume, cigs etc. The snake charmers and men with monkeys can get a bit aggressively so especially if you take photos and don't pay them. It is a very different culture and it can be quite overwhelming. The state of the horses, donkeys and cats may upset some people and the beggars.

Haggling for the price of something is common place. You can get a good deal on some beautiful crafts but please remember that these people are trying to make a living.

We were not aware that we had booked through Ramadan therefore found it extremely difficult to get a drink anywhere. We even went to the supermarket in Gueliz, the new part of the city, we still couldn't buy any alcohol. The new part is nothing special, a shopping centre that you can walk round in five minutes and a few familiar restaurants and shops. On our walk back we were pestered by a man who wanted to show us where to get drink...well, we walked about two miles then as we got to the square he started taking us down all these little alleys. He was joined by another man which made us feel a bit uncomfortable. We ended up at this over priced restaurant and we just didn't bother going in. We decided to go back to the square, gave the guys a few dirham each and told them politely that we would find our own way.

My overall impression is not a good one. The city is very dirty and there are many strange smells around. I did feel quite safe but can imagine for a single travel it could be a bit daunting. The riad is a great escape and a lovely tranquil area in a city of madness lol. It is an experience but one I wouldn't want to repeat.

---

Photos

Storks on the Palace walls
Storks nesting on the walls of Palace El Badi

Riad Carina
Sitting area in our room

Riad Carina
Lamp fitting

Storks
On the palace walls

Storks
on the walls

Riad Carina
On the roof terrace

Riad Carina
On the roof terrace