We arrive in Marrakech by bus and are met by the guide who will be with us for the next 10 days. The rest of the pals are flying in from France later and tomorrow we will officially start our tour of the country. What we’ve seen so far of the city is mostly unaffected by the recent earthquake. It’s good to know that we will hopefully provide some income for the people who work in the tourist trade in these hard times.
We’re not quite sure what vehicle to expect and having seen some six seater vans earlier are thinking it might be a bit of a squeeze but when we’re brought to our “van” we’re very pleasantly surprised. It is a beautiful brand new Mercedes that seats 15 people in addition to the guide and driver.
Our guide’s name is Hocine and he takes us straight to the Riad so we can check in. It’s called Riad Melhoun. The manager welcomes us with some mint tea and coconut biscuits and one of the staff shows us around. It is stunning and we are very excited.
Shane has organised the tour and been the main point of contact, so the tour company called ahead to tell the manager of the riad that he should get first choice of rooms. There are two regular rooms on the second floor and one bigger room on the top which we obviously choose.
The riad itself has only nine guest rooms so it is quite small but it has a lovely terrace and overall is just really impressive.
We take a walk to Ozadriya square which is near the Jewish quarter and have some lunch at Mazel cafe. I have the most delicious lamb in a bread roll and Shane goes for some vegetable couscous. Fresh lemonade is the perfect thirst quencher to accompany it.
From here we take a walk to the main square in the medina – the famous Jemaa El Fna square. Since 2001 this is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a huge open expanse exposed to the scorching sun. You definitely need a hat here and if you don’t have one you can certainly find one to buy. There are stalls in the square selling juice and fruits, ladies waiting to give henna tattooes, musicians, men with monkeys and strange pets (we saw baby turtles and exotic tiny birds in the one cage) and the infamous snake charmers! The square and surrounding souks have been on Shane’s list of must see’s for years so he’s very happy to be here.
As we are leaving the square we see the remains of the minaret of the Kharbouch Mosque in Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fnaa Square which collapsed during the earthquake. This one was all over the news.
Looks like the flight is on time, so we’ll head back to the riad to rest our feet and anticipate their arrival! They arrive around 4 pm and I greet them with my feet in the water! We decide to eat at the riad tonight and they told us they will surprise us with the menu.
We have a drink upstairs on the terrace – a very nice white wine and San Miguel for the boys – that’s all they’ve got!! A first selfie with the gang back together before we move downstairs for dinner.
The surprise menu does not disappoint, it is delicious and such a nice venue around the pool.
We have two different starters, one is tomato based, the other aubergine. I’m not sure how to describe them, suffice it to say they are gorgeous. Then onto the mains which are served in tagines (of course!), one a lamb dish with apricot and prunes, the other chicken with vegetables. It‘s all served with bread and of course the obligatory olives. We finish our meal with a chocolate mouse and they have black tea with milk so I’m happy out!
Next morning we have a leisurely breakfast as our guide has suggested we meet at 10am. The breakfast is much like what we had in Essaouria including yogurt, jams, breads and fruit. Delish!
Our guide arrives and we are off to our first stop – Koutoubia mosque. This is the largest mosque in Marrakech and can accommodate 20,000 faithful! The area outside is closed off due to the recent earthquake, although we cannot see any visible damage. Friday is the busiest day as everyone goes to the mosque to pray.
From here we walk around the mosque and head through one of the many beautiful gates (bab Agnaou), toward the Jewish square.
There is a spice market that our guide recommends so we spend a half hour in there being served tea and learning about the benefit of different herbs and spices and of course Argan oil.
We all buy a few bits and pieces and the ladies get a gift of a green lipstick which actually is pink or red on your lips depending on your temperature. I’m particular excited to try my ras el hamout spice when I get home.
Onwards through more winding alleys and narrow lanes.
We are supposed to visit the beautiful El Bahia Palace but it’s closed due to some clean up needed after the earthquake so instead we visit Ben Youssef Medrasa. A medrasa is an Islamic school or Qur’anic school. This one dates back to the 14th century and is no longer in operation but had 900 students at any one time.
We visit the small rooms where the students stayed.
The moorish design with its many arches and bright tiles are beautiful.
We explore the souks around Jemaa El Fna square. There is so much to see – hides being dried, leather shoes being made, blacksmiths, shoes, hats, wood carvings, it’s insane! We’re not in shopping mode yet but there’s so many things to buy at good prices.
We stop for a local lunch on a terrace where there’s a nice breeze from this 30 degree heat.
Throughout the medina there are communal ovens where local families still being their bread to be baked.
Majorelle gardens are next on the tour. Jacques Majorelle who settled in Marrakech and ended up designing much of the new city (we have mostly been in the medina which is the old city) built these beautiful gardens and placed a striking blue building at their centre.
It’s quite a change of pace roaming around the gardens and the trees have a cooling affect. There’s a lot of variety of cactus and there’s also, as you’d imagine, an awful lot of posing for photos going on…. And it’s not by us!!
After Majorelles death the estate fell into disrepair and it was purchased by Yves St Laurent. At the end of the garden there is a “love gallery”. Apparently YSL designed a postcard each year to send friends and it was always about love… I love it! (pun intended)
Driving back, you get a great sense of the size of the medina and it’s walls which apparently are 19 km long.
We have booked a birthday dinner for James at a restaurant called Naranj close by the riad on a terrace along one of the narrow streets into the middle of the medina. There’s no alcohol here but the food is gorgeous. I have aubergine served like a steak and covered in mince with a yogurt sauce and topped with fried pitta.
After dinner we go to “Cozy” bar in the Jewish square which is only a few minutes walk from our riad. Again they have Spanish beer but they also have an 8% beer from Casablanca which is the obvious choice for the lads. A few of those with white wine for the ladies on the outdoor terrace is lovely. I’m impressed by the background music which is a cool French jazzy tune and comment that’s it going on for a long time. I even Shazam it to see what it is. Then I realise it’s the same 3 minute (ish) song playing over and over again…. Argggh. It’s time to go!!
Next day we are driving 200km to Ouarzazate so will be driving for approx 4 hours. Our guide tells us lots of interesting things along the way. He tells us that today is a holiday in a lot of Muslim countries as it is the prophet Mohammad’s birthday. For some reason this is a bit of a controversial holiday not celebrated everywhere. He tells us the people respect the king and are grateful for the improvements he’s making in Morocco.
There’s some great scenery on the journey especially as we start to climb up high.
We pass through the Tizi-N-Tichka pass and take a quick pit stop to admire the view from 2,260 metres, the highest road pass in Morocco.
We are heading toward the most famous kasbah (Aït Benhaddou) and seeing many new and old ones along the way. A kasbah is a fortified family dwelling and they appear among varying landscapes across the country.
We arrive to Aït Benhaddou, an expected highlight of the trip. It is a fortified cluster of kasbahs and the best preserved in the country. A popular spot for tours, it’s a UNESCO world heritage site.
Before we climb to the top, we have lunch of Moroccan salad and kofta and egg tagine. Very nice. Outside it’s over 30 degrees but it doesn’t stop us clinging to the top and enjoying the views.
This is the oldest ksar (fortified city) dating to the 13th century and currently there are only five families still living within its walls.
We continue through Quarzazate and stop for two things. Firstly at a Carrefour for some booze as our accommodation for the next two nights does not have alcohol. This however, is a bit of a disappointment as due to the feast day of Mohammed’s birthday there is no alcohol for sale. The second step is to see the picturesque Taourirt kasbah.
We see an amazing concentrated solar power system. There are five across Morocco and they generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. It’s so bright, I’ve never seen anything like it. Hard to capture in a photo.
We do a quick drive by the Atlas film studios where many movies have been filmed taking advantage of the surrounding landscape.
We continue on the road of a thousand Kasbahs to Skoura where we will spend the night. It’s another beautiful accommodation in the middle of nowhere with a huge gate keeping us in!!!!
We are served mint tea and biscuits on a very relaxed lounge.
There’s a nice swimming pool so after checking out our digs we go for a dip….it’s cold – just want we need and feels great.
Our dinner is included at our secluded little resort tonight. After watching the sun set and “enjoying” some local music put on for another Aussie group staying, we sit outside and are treated to a beautiful meal of salads, chicken on skewers, kofta and even some homemade chips. It’s really tasty and all the better when halfway through Hocine arrives having found some wine for us! Hooray!!!
Tomorrow we will travel further south toward the Sahara… coming in Part III
odohertyelaine 