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Published: March 28th 2009
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We're in Marrakech sitting our room listening to a crazy thunder storm. Lucky to be inside and not wandering around the medina!
On Wedensday we got up early and took the long long train ride to Marrakech. It was 7.5 hours but what a great way to travel. The kids could move around, look out the windows and play with their toys. A movie break gave us a short window of happy silence. I think our fellow compartment mates appreciated it. We arrived at the most fantastic trainstation I have ever seen. It must be pretty new but was a great change from the grit of Fes. Our next hotel, Morocco house was a crazy explosion of colours in the new part of the city. Our room is the grand suite. It's nice having a sitting area and a huge bathroom with all 4 of us. That night we went out for french food to a trendy place recomended in the guide books. The kids gobbled up the calamari spagetti. They'll eat anything we put in front of them.
In the morning we decided to get our bearings on one of those guided tour buses. I love those goofy
things. We rode in the open top and looked around. The kids loved the views. The buses were all packed. This place is very busy with tourists. After an afternoon rest we headed to the big square, Djemaa el-Fna, in the medina. This is where all the crazy pictures from Marrakech come from. There were snake charmers, drummers, story tellers, wonmen trying to paint me with henna, boys trying to put monkeys on Evan's shoulders. It was insane. we headed past the intensity into a restaurant withe a view of the square. On the way out we tried to find a snake charmer for Evan but they seem to go home early but we did get pulled in by a couple of kooky guys wearing fez's wanting to get pictures. Lucky to get away only paying a few dirhams. We decided to take a caleche back to the hotel. We loved the trip in the horse drawn carriage.
Thursday morning we hopped on a bus back to the medina so Evan could get a good look at the snake charmers. It was very cool. The craziness got to us a little. With all the scooters and horsedrawn wagons getting
way too close it it's a bit unnerving. I went to a very nice Hammam in the afternoon and the kids and rick went for lunch and hung around the pool. Nice day.
Friday we got out of town for a day trip into the Atlas mountains. An hour and a half drive up some super twisty roads and we were in a small village in the mountains. Evan and Norah jumped on a Mule with the "mule man" and Rick and I walked with the guide. It began to rain so we decided to only hike for 90 minutes to a guest house way up from the village. From there we had great views of the fields that had been carved onto the hillside and up to the snow covered peaks. Of couse once we arrived in the lodge we received lots of mint tea. Mental note: 2 year olds don't need much mint tea (made with black tea, mint and lots of sugar) to become very vocal!!! I think I have a new tea buddy. We had a huge lunch of salad, rice with corn, couscous and chickpeas and chicken tangine, with oranges and cinnamon for dessert.
Perfect. As it was sunny we hiked up for an even better view then we headed back down to the village. Another couple of lollipops and it was back in the van for an easy drive home.
We have been to the same restaurant 3 times so far. It's called Jazz'o and is clean and quiet with pretty cheap food. As usual, why mess with a good thing!
This morning we jumped back on the bus and headed back to the medina. We weaved our way through the souks to the apothecary stalls where they sell all kinds of spices and cures. They also have cameleons, lizards and turtles to look at. We got to hold a cameleon and bought some saffron. ( The square we bought the saffron was used to auction off slaves until 1912...hmm.) We had a nice lunch, did a little shopping for some leather camels, a little lantern and some bananas. We capped things off with some ice cream then it was back to the hotel on the bus. $1 is much better than negotiating a price for a taxi. the shop keepers were very casual and the only ones who were a
little agressive managed to sell the kids a wooden cobra and a drum. Good fun.
Tomorrow we head to Essaouira on the bus. It's on the coast and it should be fun to go to the beach.
I just realized one great part of writing this is that no one is going to ask me "So, what did you do on your trip?" Cool.
Rick is back with a bag of fresh peas so I had better go or the vultures (my family) will eat them all!
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The Hepworths
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Great stuff
We'll still ask you to recount everything when you get home, not to worry. And we'll roll our eyes when you mention "When we were in Morocco..." for the 6th time in one night, or start comparing the Vancouver winters, transit, childcare, etc to everything in Sweden ... LOL, what are friends for but to be jealous and secretly drink in everything you say about these fabulous faraway places... Life's good in Vancouver - went for a walk in the rain with the kids today (yeah, can you believe it's actually raining in Vancouver!!!??). Your house is still standing, at least from the outside! Jamie is now making sentences "Daddy go dere", "Put sock on", and the like, and has started asking "Knock, knock?" every now and again, the little comedian. Jared wants to bowl with Evan, so maybe you can come back this Saturday? LOL... Love to the kiddos, and to Ricky-boy ... and I'm seriously starting to think I need to hear your voice again.