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Published: March 1st 2008
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Having a bed that wasn't entirely hard meant that we could actually have a sleep in. Even when we woke up we chatted and lounged around for a bit. When we did get up we noticed that the sun was shining which hasn't happened for a while.
The central market seemed like a good idea for picnic stuffs initially, but we blatantly forgot that we were in the middle of Morocco. We strode into the market place and then just as quickly as it took our eyes to adjust to the light, we strode right back out again. Saying that my stomach couldn't handle the debris inside may not be saying much to those that know me, but it was too much for Rob to handle and that's saying something. We bought some bread and (proper) cheese from a cremerie around the corner and then Rob braved it and nipped back inside the market for an onion. I guess it probably isn't that bad when you are prepared for it.
We sat on a bench at the top of Hassan 2nd Boulevard for our picnic which we enjoyed immensely despite the curious stares from passers by. We even began
to think that perhaps picnics aren’t allowed for some reason because people were staring long after they walked past us.
The walk the medina wasn't so long this time as we had more of an idea of the route. The souqs were relatively quiet and stall owners seemed more concerned with wining their card games that trying to hassle us. We saw a group of older men intensely participating in a board game. On closer inspection we discovered that not only was it Ludo, but the colours were personalised by football teams.
Lonely Planet has a map of a route around the medina taking you past some of the main sights which is pretty good place to start sightseeing. It is such a big place that picking a beginning is pretty difficult. We followed the route through the souqs into a maze of medina like narrow passages. We stopped off at Medersa Bou Inania and paid 10Dh each to have a look around. It was worlds away from the outside world as it was silent inside and little noise from the streets came through.
Just outside we were standing looking at the map when a familiar face
approached us; it was Anthony the guy we met at the desert. We stood and chatted for ages until we realised that we were wasting they day away. We sought out the palace restaurant because we liked the idea of a meal with a show. The backstreets we walked down would never enable you to guess at the interior of the restaurant which was large and ornately decorated. Unfortunately despite our best bartering skills we couldn't really afford the meal there so we had to walk away.
We split from Anthony with plans to meet up later and we continued on our Lonely Planet route. We navigated our way to a square that was so close to the main tanneries that there were a lot of dodgy characters hanging around. No matter how many times we told people No! We kept on being asked to see the tanneries. We were struggling to figure out the route and so tried a few different ways off the square. One road we took was blocked off by a group of lads around our age and when we walked past they said it was closed. We ignored them and continued walking but it
got Narrower and darker and they continued to warn us about our bags etc. We guessed that the road went to the tanneries and turned around, but I really didn't like the guys that were hanging around at all.
We arranged to meet Anthony at the main gate at half six but we were early so we picked out a café for a mint tea. The café was entirely male dominated and we definitely attracted some curious looks but once we were sitting next to the street we were ok. Guidebooks mention male dominated cafes all the time and suggest places where women are more accepted but I think there always more expensive and never conveniently located.
We opted for a restaurant just inside the main gate which was actually surprisingly cheap. We sat upstairs in a decorative area on a very low sofa with an even lower table. The set menu was fair priced so we had that and I ate my best couscous by far. When we were asked what we wanted to drink we asked if he could get us beer and the waiter leaned forward and said we would have to talk to his
friend. Anthony disappeared off to meet this friend and after a long time and plenty of fussing around, he returned with a bottle of red wine. By the time we had finished eating there were plenty of people around who were smoking the sheesha. We decided to get a normal one (and declined the offer of hashish) and it turned out to be even cheaper than Turkey. The waiter who had told us of his friend came over to us and told us to leave his tip under the ashtray. We didn't particularly like him but we left a small tip anyway. WE ended up leaving pretty late and once we were outside there was nobody else in the streets which made our walk back to the hotel a lot quicker
There is a girl upstairs with an irritating cough. We have turned on our music and we can still hear her. Rob bought me a new book when I was ill so we are both going to read for a bit. Night Night. Stob.
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kate
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tagine
Are you quite sure you want to buy a tagine pot? It sounds as if you are all tagined out!! Love mum xx