More on Marrakech

The days have gone by very quickly for us in Marrakech. The time slips away simply by walking around the narrow streets of the old Medina or journeying beyond the walls to the Villa Nouvelle (new city). Wherever we go, there is non-stop entertainment for all the senses. I am sure that for a Moroccan, all the hustle and bustle in Marrakech is quite normal, and just another element to their tightly-knit communities. To us it is akin to controlled chaos with a small amount of danger thrown in (mostly in dodging cars and mopeds while crossing the streets). In reality, this is a very tourist friendly city that just does things a little differently from what we’re used to.

Our days here begin after breakfast in our Riad. The traditional Moroccan breakfast served to us consists of freshly squeezed orange juice, Moroccan pancakes with jam, yogurt, rolls, and coffee or tea. We then stroll through the Demja Al Fna Square that Trisha mentioned in her previous blog. I won’t go into all the details of this square again, but when we arrive around 11:00, it is buzzing at a medium pace (The real action takes place closer to sunset). Depending on the route we take through it, we are bound to be hollered at by a vender to visit his stall, or accosted by a monkey wielding man wanting us to spend time with his pal. We usually find a good route to avoid attention and eventually make our way to the small alleys where hundreds of venders are selling their goods, or take a route to a place of special interest.

During our first few days we journeyed mainly to important destinations that had been recommended to us to visit. Places such as Bahai Palace and Dar Se Said Museum were interesting and provided a place of tranquility from the busyness of the streets. Many had lovely gardens, and architecture reminiscent of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.
The real points of interest we decided are simply watching the people go about their daily lives in the tightly packed Medina.

As the calls of prayer echo across the city from the various Mosques, people are shopping for food at local stalls, cruising very quickly on mopeds through densely packed streets, and eating together at small hole-in-the wall shops. Some of the Moroccan people in the city appear very well-to-do and cruise by in designer clothes and fancy cars. Others appear much poorer and look to be doing all they can scrape by. The majority however, seems fairly well established in some form or another, going about their daily lives. Trisha and I would of course need to spend much more time here getting to know individuals to accurately determine their daily lives.

It has been interesting to think about the differences in the lives of Moroccans from our own. These thoughts become even more pronounced for me when I think about the closeness of Moroccan families and communities, and the Muslim faith that encompasses 99% of the country. These thoughts have raised many questions in my mind too that I hope to have answered in the future. For example, why do only some people stop to worship during the call of prayer, while the majority seem to go about their business? Why do some women have covered heads with traditional robes, while others have heads covered and wear jeans? Many women do not have head coverings at all and wear non-traditional clothing. Do the families make those decisions completely, or is there room for negotiation? I’m sure each decision in Muslim households in Morocco varies from family to family and the various ethnic groups within the country. If I had a little more time with the Moroccans, I’m sure I could determine the answers to these mysteries. I do know that although Morocco is a Muslim nation, it is considered the most liberal of them all.

Toward the end of the day, Trisha and I head wearily back to our Riad to freshen up before dinner. Though we have been tempted to sample the eats from the street vendors lining the Demja al Fna who come out at dusk, we have mostly ventured to restaurants surrounding the square. The restaurants are not as adventurous as the street stalls, but we have enjoyed wonderful tangines and various grilled meats. The prices here have been good for us too, which has added to our dining experiences.

We have been content with our time in Marrakech and feel we have been exploring this city to its fullest. There are abundant trips that can be made from this city, such as to the High Atlas Mountains, Berber villages, or even the Sahara desert. But most of these excursion trips take a full day or more, and especially the Sahara, which takes at least two days. We could have crammed these into our agenda, but have not had any regrets about just being in Marrakech. We have not found ourselves bored in anyway nor without a new destination to reach. This is a place where seemingly normal experiences turn into adventures just by themselves. So perhaps someday we’ll come back and do the remainder of this country and its various excursions. For now though, we are enjoying this very interesting city.