Advertisement
Published: February 13th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Ryan & Jen’s Trip to Marrakech: 9th Feb 2007 - 12th Feb 2007 (Hotel: La Parmeraie Golf Palace)
When we first touched down at Marrakech International Airport the first thing we noticed, apart from the blue cloudless sky, was how small the airport was. There were only 2 other planes on the tarmac and we were allowed to casually stroll from the plane 200 metres to the passport control area. It’s at this point that you notice the detail with which everything is made in Morocco. We are surrounded by mosaic tiles and intricate hand carved woodwork.
Upon meeting our driver, the first named Mustafa of our trip, we took a moment to capture the glory of the snow-topped Atlas Mountains which would become one of the most memorable icons illustrating the beauty of this city (see pics).
During the 20 minute drive from the airport to the hotel it did not take long to realise why they call Marrakech the ‘Red City’ as building after building is iced with a red/ terracotta paint. Old men, women and children whizzed past us on motorcycles wearing their long traditional djellaba gowns, men with groups of camels wait on corners
in the beating sun and storks fly in circles hunting for prey over the flats. We made friends with Mustafa, who tried his best to speak our language and give us some information about some of the sights we were passing. French is spoken by almost everyone and comes after Arabic as the most spoken language in Morocco, followed by English in 3rd so it was nice to learn a few words of Arabic - in particular ‘Shukran” meaning “Thank You”.
The hotel was relaxed and verging on westernised but with a core of Moroccan traditions such as the formality of washing our hands before being offered mint tea and pastries upon arrival. We were sat in a beautifully furnished reception in comfortable armchairs while we checked-in and were made to feel at home by staff who were only too happy to assist us. The room was stylish, sophisticated and large with a view over-looking the pool and mountains (see pics).
We spent a lot of time by the pool during our short stay but on Saturday morning we ventured into town (see pics). Once we were dropped off down the main road leading to the medina we
were greeted with the sound of someone asking “English? English?” he then went on to tell us how he worked at our hotel as a gardener, had finished work and wanted to lead us into the market. Whilst we were apprehensive about following a stranger down unknown streets, we were reassured by her friendly demeanour and good grasp of English.
He was the second Mustafa to have made us feel extremely welcome into his country and how lucky we were that we met him. He helped us to experience sights and sounds that not many other tourists would have the knowledge or courage to undertake. We felt protected by him as we wondered down the tiny market streets and he ushered us away from speeding motorbikes and plodding donkeys with carts. He took us into a tile shop as we watched a boy squeezing coloured pastes into sections of a mould, operating a simple compression machine and making a tile before our eyes, to be left with the others in the corner to set in the suns rays. We also visited a stone-oven bakery where residents bring their home-made breads to be cooked. No one minded us being there
or dropping in to see how the manual day-to-day life in Marrakech operates. Everyone was friendly and gave a welcome nod, or bonjour, as we wondered the poverty stricken leather workshops and various souks. One resonant image is of an old man peddling profusely turning a large round rock as he sharpens his blades for knives. Everyone here was busy doing their trade, making their goods by hand - something which Mustafa and many other people we talked to are very proud of - and so they should be, as everything is intricate, beautiful and well made (see pics of a couple of things we bought).
The other delight in Marrakech is the food: cous cous, tagine, vegetables and pastries. See pics where we went to a traditional Moroccan restaurant. Our starter of ‘Moroccan Salads’ was east enough for the waiter to translate, apart from one thing which he illustrated by pointed at himself - I said ‘lamb?’ and he agreed but after a few mouthfuls I think we both agreed that this was some internal organ and not just your typical diced lag of lamb. The funniest moment was when Jen ordered the fruit salad - just check
the pic: that’s a fruit salad! Needless to say, she did not eat it all.
Added drama came in the form on a small earthquake on the day we were to leave. Shaking of the tv and chair on the balcony left us confused and in disbelief at what had just occurred but luckily, although as far-reaching as Madrid & Libon, no one was hurt.
We left behind a lot of preconceptions of what Marrakech would be like and how, as foreigners, we would be treated but can come away saying that the people we came across we nothing but friendly, it’s a beautiful county and well worth the trip.
We’ll be back!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.061s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 5; qc: 44; dbt: 0.038s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Riz
non-member comment
Niiiiiiiiiice
WOW Looks like you had a great time dunno bout that fruit salad though. sounds like it left you shaken and stirred.lol. Luv y'all