Salaam alaikum / Bonjour!
Morocco, and in particular Marrakech, has for almost 20 years held me in thrall and been at the top of my travel bucket list. It is the reason why our two week trip to France quickly got extended to a four month jaunt around the world! How could we go to France and not pop over to Spain (considering we've been learning the language for about a year at Milligan!) and then it's just a teeny hop step and jump across to Morocco from there ... And so it went! 😊
I've always had a mental checklist of what I just had to do if I ever got to Maroc. And today as I sit here at Djemaa el-Fna, sipping on sweet mint tea with that unique herbal scent wafting up my nose mixed with the smell of kebabs being fanned over flames by dozens of chefs at the over fifty food stalls, watching the antics of the various entertainers at this place and hearing a mix of French and Arabic and English and Spanish being yelled out to lure customers to food and market stalls, I realise that I have been ticking off these items on my mental list!
* Let yourself get lost - one does not have to TRY to get lost in Morocco's medinas and souqs with their maze of narrow winding streets where each intersection and offshoot distracts and invites you in with colour and bling and interesting daily life. However I'm always glad for Ben and his great sense of direction (and his gps when his sense of direction fails!) - me? I'd be lost forever!
* Enjoy a glass of mint tea in those tiny glasses - this has been such a refreshing drink and we've had copious amounts - offered free in some places and paid for in others - each tasting unique and yet the same.
* Check out Moroccan tiles / zellige used in old buildings - this has been well and truly crossed off the list with our visits to Hassan II mosque in Casablanca and the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Bahia Palace in Marrakech. Mere words cannot describe or photographs do justice to the beauty created by master craftsmen in these wonders of architecture and design.
* Take lots of photos - when there's a stunning photo opportunity around every corner (and sometimes every second!) it's a photographer's dream! I just wish I had the skill to do it all justice. Been using my phone a lot due to convenience however it seems it's difficult to take a 'bad' photo in Morocco!!
* Take some time out at one of the many gardens - some famous and most not. Escaping the chaos at some of these green oases has been a real highlight.
* Unwind at a Hammam - check out an upcoming post titled 'Shedding my modesty in Marrakesh'!
Photos on Instagram - @ebonyivory91 and @ben8820
There were other things we've enjoyed that were not on my 'list'
* Drinking endless glasses of freshly squeezed Orange juice. We've frequented the Orange juice sellers wherever we find them, especially those at the Djamaa El-Fna after sunset - when it's over 40c and you're footsore and hot there's nothing quite like it. At .60c a glass drink up and keep those cold and flu viruses away I say!
* chatting to genuinely helpful (not wanting a tip!) locals when the language allows.
* loved the banter with the young, often very charming food stall PR men. I'm a sucker for a 'nice' face (in my world that means trustworthy looking!) especially on a young man so have stopped to chat to a few of these checking out where to visit 'next time'. "You look skinny" they say to Ben when we say we've already eaten. The other night one fella said to me "you look skinny" and when I laughed he patted me on the back and said "I wish"!! I think he meant to say "YOU wish"! Bwahaha 😂
* being taken for Morrocan. Have had some interesting conversations because of this and I'm again grateful that my face has never put me in a box because I've been taken for so many different nationalities over our years of travel.
* sharing laughs with locals at our expense because of our terrible French!
* we feel there's less tourists - maybe because of Ramadan - which is awesome for us.
* learning to slow down - with Ramadan people seem even more relaxed. But it's the "inshallah" (if God wills it) attitude that we've been trying to emulate in order to really be in the moment and stop worrying.
Some things have frustrated us or put a temporary damper on the moment -
* the constant trying to rip off a 'tourist' - we quickly learnt to be wary of the many offers of help "what you looking for?", "I will take you, it's on the way, you're welcome" as these offers of help usually end with "maybe you have a little present for me for my help". This can happen even if we're following the gps and the guy ('guide'!) was just Walking alongside or in front of us talking and we aren't responding! Sigh. Can get a bit tiring but the trick I've found is to smile and firmly say no thank you. Or "we are just going for a walk". Etc
* donkey cart drivers who think you want to take their photo and get aggro for no reason. Today I had one ride up towards me with his middle finger held aloft - it took me awhile to realise it was meant for me! I was totally unaware as my camera was zoomed onto a doorway (no people!) and since he was kind of in that direction he must have thought I was photographing him. It made me feel cross and a little yucky. I find there's young ones who are like this here and the tourist trade is to blame somewhat I suppose - one boy told me to F-off yesterday (he actually yelled out those words!) when I said no thank you (very politely I thoight!) to his offer of help. Some older stall holders nearby heard him, looked shocked and yelled at him. I didn't understand what they said but I felt supported and appreciated it.
* not having as much opportunity to just sit and watch the world go by. We usually do this at streetwise cafes but due to Ramadan we've needed to eat or drink out of the public eye as we are respecting those that are fasting. This means we re in a back room or rooftop terrace of a cafe - thought still enjoyable it's not the same as feeling immersed in the everyday life.
So we have been absorbing the chaos and becoming familiar with the rhythm of this country (to a small extent) and Morocco has been every single thing I hoped for and soooo much more!
No comments:
Post a Comment