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Published: July 22nd 2010
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During my first time wandering the Medina, the touts and faux guides were becoming increasingly annoying, and frequent. It became apparent that Marrakech is not a place you can discover at your own pace, the second you stop to look at something, get out a guide or map, you get hounded. People try and steer you towards shops and hotels where they will doubtless get commission, or hassle you to engage their services as a guide (which is illegal, and bloody annoying). Whether you ignore them or politely decline, the reaction is often unpleasant, and many times I was followed by unpleasant people who were very difficult to get rid of. I might sound like I'm being a bit pathetic, but trust me, when you're there and the hassle is constant, it gets too much.
Despite the annoyances, I pressed on and absorbed the overwhealming atmosphere of the Medina. The bustle was unlike any busy population centre I had ever been in. It didn't take long before I'd lost count of the amount of different forms of transport I'd been nearly run over by, cars, motorbikes, horses, donkeys...
Dinner came in the form of brochettes, basically some very salty
Marrakech in the evening
Exploring one of the many souqs meat on skewers, at one of the many food stalls being set up in the Djemaa El-Fna. Still knackered, I washed the meal down with a glass of delicious freshly squeezed orange juice at one of the carts positioned in the square, and headed back to the hotel for more rest. Before long however, the background noise outside was getting louder. A quick trip up to the hotel's roof terrace to investigate the commotion I could hear in the distance revealed what I was missing out on. The Djemaa El-Fna was now a hive of activity, shrouded in the smoke from the food stalls and bathed in the sound of drummers and other musicians. When I arrived back of the square, the place had come alive. The amount of people around had trebled, many gathering around in tight circles to see the variety of street theatre on offer. Among the things I saw that evening include snake charmers, acrobats, musicians and even amateur boxers. The atmosphere was electric, and not like anything I had ever experienced before.
The next day I visited the Museum of Marrakech. Perhaps not the most interesting museum I've ever been too, but it was nice to have some peace from the madness outside. Back in the main square, a man in traditional dress introduced himself to me. I'd already read not to shake a stranger's hand here if approached, which seemed like sound advice. However he was very insistent and stood there for ages with his hand out, so I figured I'd keep him happy and shake his hand. A mistake, it turned out. He suddenly pulled me closer, as though to embrace, and before I realised what was happening he dumped a large snake around my neck. Firstly, I did not want a large reptile draped around me like a squirming necklace, and secondly, I didn't want to pay for the privilege, which was undoubtedly the point to this bizarre exercise. Of course as I was finding, the word no seemed to have little meaning here, so I simply said 'I have no money!' and sure enough, after a horrified look flashed across the man's face, he took the snake and was off like a shot.
I later explored the Kasbah, visiting the Saadian Tombs. There wasn't a whole lot to see, but it was a very peaceful place. On the way back I met a group of travellers, a guy from Venezuela currently living in London, a girl from Brazil and another from the US. The girls had experienced first hand what sleazy Moroccan men can be like, and went through a list of all things they'd been called thus far. It didn't sound like an awfully pleasant experience.
I spent the evening once again enjoying the atmosphere of the Djeema El-Fna, but had decided that I'd definitely had enough of Marrakech, I wouldn't be staying the third night I had planned and would get on the first train out of there the next day.
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