Souks and Snake Charmers in Marrakech

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We arrived in Marrakech after dark and were met at the airport by a driver who took us to our Riad. After a welcoming mint tea we went to our room to settle in before having our prebooked evening meal.

Eileen visited Marrakech two years ago and loved it, barely venturing beyond the medina for her five day stay. For our visit she booked a Riad for us that is in the medina close to Djemaa el Fna and in a quiet lane. We enjoyed walking through the labyrinth of streets and discovering the wonder of the souks (central market area). I would joke with Eileen whenever we got lost that I was finding my way like an exocet missile. As it turned out we did not have too many difficulties and our Riad was easy to find.

The Mosques of Marrakech are mostly plain on the outside. As non-Muslims we were not able to enter so we did not see the interiors. You get a good external view of the main mosque, Koutoubia, but most of the others are surrounded by the jostle of other buildings and often go unnoticed to the untrained eye.

We enjoyed poking about the souks. They were different from most of the markets I have seen as many of the products were locally produced, whereas in many other markets most things are made in China. If you ventured out from the edges of the Souks you could see all sorts of things being manufactured in small workshops.

In Uruguay Eileen borrowed a pair of felt slippers, and she had been wanting to buy a pair ever since. In the medina we found two men who were manufacturing and selling felt products in their souks. Eileen purchased a pair of slippers from one and I walked on as I spied a pair I liked in the neighbouring souk. The craftsman did not have a pair to fit me but he offered to make a pair for me by the next day. We showed the craftsman the eccentricities of my feet and I made my colour choice. (Both pairs of tango shoes I had made in Argentina had to be made three times before they were right and this was after the store owners took the measurements.) When we turned up the next day and he had made two pairs; the first fitted beautifully while the second were obviously for a standard foot shape. Eileen could not resist a purple pair of slippers so we both left satisfied.

After visiting many carpet souks, where we inspected half the carpets in Marrakech, and after a long negotiation over plenty of mint tea, I closed the deal on the purchase of a small carpet. After the lengthy process Eileen said "Great! We get two lots of excitement for the price of one. The thrill of the negotiation here and then the thrill of opening the parcel when we return to New Zealand!"

Eileen commented that she was surprised that the vendors seemed more relaxed than her previous visit where she and Moira frequently had to deal with the 'hard sell'. I said “The world is different for us big white guys!”

A lot of leather goods are manufactured in Marrakech, from tanning the skins through manufacture and finally the sale in the souks. Eileen purchased some camel leather goods on her last visit to Marrakech and she was determined to find the same vendors. After viewing the tanning process, we asked about the people she met before. We were taken from place to place and vendor to vendor, and just when she had given up hope, we were taken to a place that had ceased operation. This was the place she had been to before and she met one of the brothers that had served her on the previous trip. Now satisfied, we moved on.

At another souk, I purchased a leather jacket. This came as a bit of a surprise to Eileen because throughout our journey I have visited a multitude of leather shops in many countries and turned down many well fitting and well made jackets.

A highlight of our time in Marrakech was finding food in and around the souks. In Rhaba Kedma we ate in a couple of three storey cafés, La Terrasse Epices and Café Rahba Kedima. Very nice!

In Djemaa el Fna one of our treats was to have a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice from one of the many vendors at a cost of 4 dirhams, about one NZ dollar. In the evening there is a multitude of food stalls set up selling cheap meals of modest quality. We dined here on several occasions on the long tables with a piece of clean newsprint as a table mat and serviette. The best meal was a couple of tajines with no cutlery but plenty of bread to scoop up the delicious lamb and gravy. Also Eileen enjoyed a bowl of hot escargots (snails in their shells) in a delicious consommé while sitting with the locals around the vendor’s enormous bubbling pot. The ambience of the main square is enhanced by local musicians and story tellers.

On our last full day we had lunch at a top floor cafe on the edge of Djemaa el Fna. It was interesting observing the goings on; the snake charmers working the crowd, men with monkeys on a string for tourist photos, and vendors plying their wares. Especially interesting was the band of youths dressed in bright red uniforms playing music. They would walk beside people, or in front getting in their way and then demand money. It was a cross between busking and a mafia shakedown operation!! If someone took a photo even remotely in their direction, they would race after them demanding money, then more money!

We visited Jardin Majorelle, a garden complex started in the 1920’s. It was purchased by Yves Saint Laurent and restored. A recent addition is Musee Berbere, a museum paying tribute to the Berber people, and well worth the additional entrance fee. The museum displays a range of traditional Berber clothing, jewellery and artefacts. From the gardens it is a short walk into the new city. Eileen visited a favourite shoe shop. After trying on every pair of shoes in the shop in each colour, and as the pile of ‘possibles’ grew and grew, I thought I was going to have to hire a truck. As it turned out she purchased just one pair! (Such restraint don't you agree? - E)

We visited a number of significant buildings. They all impressed us with the detail of their construction and more particularly detail of their decoration. These included Saadien Tombeaux, Palais de Bahia, Medersa Ben Yousef, and Musee de Marrakech.

On our last morning we met Hassan M’Souli, a charming man originally from Casablanca. He is now an Australian TV chef who has written several cookbooks including “Make It Moroccan”. He gave us some advice about our upcoming stay in Casablanca and he recommended some specialty stores for shirt shopping.

In the afternoon we trekked across Marrakech to have a hammam and massage. The hammam process took place in a specially built wet room and was performed by a quiet woman while I stood and sat in my underpants. We were rinsed with warm water, greased up with special black soap, left to soak in the now steamy room for a few minutes, rinsed again, rubbed down with a sandpaper-like cloth, and finally rinsed off. The massage was very good, but we could have done without the trek back to our Riad afterwards.

Earlier Eileen ordered a meal at our Riad so we could relax on our final night. Sitting and eating on the top terrace of the Riad was great and we enjoyed a bottle of Moroccan wine.

Marrakech still possesses the romance of times gone by and fortunately does not have that 'made in China' feeling.

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