| Málaga – the beginning | |||||
| Day 1 - Leaving Spain | Day 2 - Chefchaouen | Day 3 - Fes | Day 4 - Er Rachidia | Day 5 - Merzouga | Day 6 - Tinghir |
| Day 7 - Aït Benhaddou | Day 8 - Marrakesh | Day 9 - More Marrakesh | Day 10 - Cascades (Ouzoud) | Day 11 - Ifrane | Day 12 - Tarifa |
| Day 13 - Málaga | Day 14 - Torremolinos | Day 15 - Torremolinos-1 | Day 16 - Torremolinos-2 | Day 17 - Caminito del Rei |
12th (Sunday)
No Map
Marrakesh – Sunday & Monday
Marrakesh. In all honesty, I had dreaded this part of the trip. I had read so many reports of people who went to the Medina and were harassed by vendors, pick-pocketed, duped into “guilt buying”… I wanted none of it. But I also wanted to see it for myself. In my mind’s eye, I had this scene from Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: short youtube link. For as much fun as that movie is, I really didn’t want to experience this chaos – or did I?
Our afternoon was free to do as we liked. The rest of the group disappeared to do their thing, and Dan and I discussed what we wanted to do. “Get out of the heat” was at the top of our list, so we chose to walk through the local neighborhoods to the mall. I know: “You’re in Morocco, you’re going to a MALL?”. Yes. It would be cool inside, and we also thought that it would be interesting to see what kind of shops would be in a Moroccan mall. So off we went, enjoying the variety of building styles, traffic chaos, and general people-watching along the way.
The mall, it turned out, wasn’t all that interesting. It was like most modern shopping malls, three levels of shops that catered to the consumer with things useful and useless.
Another ball of fur that I wanted to bring home with me
A modern water sculpture in the mall
After we ran out of things to look at in the mall, we returned to the hotel for some pool time and a couple of drinks. The service at the outdoor bar was rather dismal, and we ended up leaving before they could finally get around to bringing us our drinks. The pools were nice and there was more than one, which was good, since there were many people here.
We sorted through our laundry. This was the halfway point of the trip and we had planned our clothing around it. Hana had said that we would be able to have our laundry done here, so we grabbed the bag provided by the hotel and started to fill out the form of what we were including. On the form was the price list and as we tallied it up, we looked at each other. Seriously? It would have been cheaper to buy new socks and underwear for what they were going to charge us for cleaning it. We quickly emptied the bag and filled up the sink for some hand washing. There are some things in life that just aren’t justified paying for.
We had a group plan for the evening: Hana and David would arrange for a couple of taxis to the Medina, just a couple of kilometers away, where we’d have dinner together. As we stood in the lobby waiting for the group to gather, the sound of the lobby’s background music finally reached my consciousness: it was all Christmas tunes. Christmas tunes in May, in a blistering hot North African country. Why not?
It was evening by the time we gathered, with the sun dipping towards the horizon and the heat slowing waning. The taxi ride was quick and I was glad that I wasn’t trying to navigate a four-wheeled vehicle through the busy streets. The drivers let us out near the entrance of the Medina and we made our way into the plaza.
My first view of the Medina at Marrakesh
The square was open and massive. While there were plenty of people wandering around the free-standing stalls, it was not difficult to get around. We did, however, have to pay close attention so as not to lose the rest of our group. This wasn’t the opportunity to sightsee, but we did linger by stalls as we made our way to the restaurant.
The restaurant (whose name escapes me at this time) was nice. We made our way upstairs and had a table near a window, so there was a small view across the Medina. Not that we had much time to admire the view: there was a lot to look at inside, the food ordering seemed difficult due to the noise of the other patrons, and then when the food did come, it was very good. A couple of the dishes included beef skewers and lamb with apricot (which went over especially well)
Restaurant entrance
Our view, with the setting sun
As we were enjoying the last of our meal, a commotion started at the other end of the dining room. A performer had shown up and started to dance through the room. He was Aladdin (or so I assumed) and he twirled and spun his way from table to table, the music a bit overwhelming but it seemed fitting for the occasion.
Aladdin!
A short video clip
After dinner we strolled back out to the Medina, now under twilight skies and lit up by the stalls and vendors’ lights. The crowds had grown, with that the heat of the day was passed. The collection of people in this open space was more than just the ones manning the stalls. There was a huge variety of other groups that I noticed as we walked through. I saw fortune tellers, musicians, snake charmers, Hena tattoo artists and groups of dancers. It was a wild, chaotic mass of humanity and it was exciting to see it up close. I did try to be mindful of who was around me, however, with the thought of “pick pockets!” always in the back of my mind.
The party atmosphere would go on for hours, but not for us: we were tired and wanted to go back to the hotel. Not too tired to walk, however. Some chose to take a taxi back to the hotel, but some of us decided to walk. It was a pleasant evening and it felt good to stretch my legs – and work off some of the meal I had just eaten.
Evening in the Medina
I’m rather glad that this was not our dinner
Lanterns for sale
Kutubiyya Mosque – rebuilt in 1158
Part of the old city walls
The walk back to the hotel took us about half an hour, along busy streets and quieter side streets. It was still hot, but not as brutal as it had been earlier in the day. I was ready for bed.
13th (Monday)
It was a day off of the bikes, but it wouldn’t be a boring day. A tour had been arranged for this morning, back in the Medina. But first breakfast! Hana had told us about the amazing fresh doughnuts that were made near the breakfast buffet. I wandered over to the stand and asked the man for a doughnut (sfenj). He proceeded to pull out a length of dough, poke a hole into the middle of it and then drop it into hot oil. The result was an amazingly simple yet delicious treat that was so good, I went back for seconds. I found this website that describes the process and results with perfect detail. Enjoy!
Morning in the Medina
What I saw yesterday was the wide open area of the market. What I’d see today were the narrow back alleys, where the the craftsmen and artisans worked. Our guide was energetic and friendly and we were soon on our way into the labyrinth of the souks.
Scaffolding supports earthquake damaged walls
Bags of debris from damage clean up
Amazing door of a Riad in the old town
The first part of the tour was focused on the history of the market and how it was built up over the years, and merchants came from far and wide to sell their wares here. He told us about the Riads (hotels) and how the most basic door could hide behind it an amazing living space.
Market cat
Ornate archways separate the neighborhoods
Some market areas had shaded roof designs
Our guide ducked down a tiny alley that led to a small room. It was the neighborhood communal oven. Because most homes in Morocco don’t have their own ovens, these communal ovens exist to support the community. Each household makes its own dough, which is then brought to the oven to be baked, paying based on the size of the loaf. Think of the logistics of this: you have brought your dough to the bakery, but so have five other families. How do you make sure that you get YOUR loaf back, and not your neighbor’s? One way is to bring the dough there on a plate that is easily identified as yours. Another trick is to inscribe a unique mark in the top of the loaf. Some times little kids are tasked with picking up the baked loaves and might bring back the wrong loaf, or accept burned bread because they don’t know (or are afraid) to complain.
We each got a sampling of bread, which was ok, but nothing special. We thanked the baker for his time and then left the room to continue our tour of the market.
I love door ornamentations
So many quiet little corners to explore
An old well, where caravaners would bring their camels to drink when they entered the town
The butcher shop
The second half of our tour was all about the craftsmen behind the wares that we saw for sale in the market. There were many times when photos weren’t allowed, and we were kept “on the move”, so stopping for a good photo wasn’t always easy. But here are some pictures that I did get, along with some description of what you’re seeing. Our guide mentioned that there are no women working in this area and that the workers that we did see were generally uneducated, the skills being handed down from generation to generation.
Ceramic production and sales
Locals picking out fresh produce
Hand-making tiles – it took 10 days for a big tile, 3 days for the smaller tiles
Finished leather goods for sale
Metal working
The true metal working area was intense! The lanes were narrow, the work areas small and dark, and the materials being used often stuck halfway across the walking area because the work space was too small to hold it all. Grinders, welders, cutters…all sorts of methods were being used to create amazing and often intricate pieces. Later during the trip I would have a new respect for some of the railings and gates I saw, understanding how they were probably made.
More leather manufacturing
Behind each door is a workshop or storage – the craftsmen generally live outside of the old town
Behind one of the doors was a Riad that showed what the visiting merchants would experience. Each room off the central courtyard was just big enough for a single bed. That’s all you really needed, since the town itself provided for the rest of your needs.
A load of dyed wool (?) being delivered for crafting
We had left the artisan area and were back into the market itself. It was still early (some time before noon; our tour had started at 10:00) so the crowds hadn’t all made their way here yet. But they were coming, and I wasn’t too keen on being here when there wasn’t room to move. Our guide led us through some more passageways, these ones dedicated to the selling of the goods we had seen being made. At this point he started to sound a bit like a shill for certain businesses, but I simply ignored his “suggestions” on where to shop and eat, and enjoyed the remainder of the tour. The guide did offer quite a bit of information, and seemed happy to answer questions. I asked him why some stalls had tiny little turtles in a cage set out in front. These turtles were so small – maybe 3″ in diameter – and had nothing to do with what the shop was selling. The guide explained that they were there merely to grab the attention of the passers-by. It worked for me, but I can’t say that I approved of the practice.
Another intricate door design
Narrow lanes packed with people, goods, and scooters (and more scaffolding)
…and things bigger than scooters; this was a tight fit!
Ceramics for sale
I love baskets – it was hard not to bring home one with me
Our guide returned us to where we had started, for which I was grateful. The maze-like lanes and zig-zagging we had done had left me completely disoriented. I suppose with enough time – and bottles of water – I could have found my way out, but that sounded more like torture than a challenge. Our little group thanked the guide and then we had a decision to make: It was noon on our day off – what did we want to do? It was agreed that we’d stick together for now, walk back to the hotel, and then “divide and conquer” for the rest of the day. It was already hot (32°C), although it could get up to 45° during the height of summer. Good thing it was only May!
What really surprised me the most is that the Vendors were not pushy at all! Yes, they were often engaging, but over all they were surprisingly quiet and friendly. I ended up wishing that it wasn’t so hot, as I would have enjoyed “going back in!” to actually take the time to look carefully at the items being offered and even possibly buying something. But as it was, I wasn’t ready to spend more time here today. Maybe if there was one more morning to come back in, I would have.
First thing was to get a freshly made fruit smoothie
The similarity between Euros and Dihrims was surprising
Seeing the Kutubiyya Mosque in the daylight
There were so many horse-drawn wagons at the entrance to the Medina. I felt sorry for the animals, but I was informed that the horses’ health are checked by veterinarians and have to pass the exam in order to be allowed to work. It was in the owners’ best interest to take care of their animals so that they could work. I still refused to take a ride, as it looked like a miserable existence regardless.
We returned to the hotel and took down our now-dry laundry and then relaxed for the rest of the day. It was Monday, so a lot of the Weekend Crowd had left, leaving the pool area very quiet. But it was still hot and the sun was beating down with all of the fiery blast of hell, so I didn’t spend too much time sitting by the pool.
Public park near the Medina
A modern apartment building, covered in greenery
In the hallways of the hotel I saw some photos that depicted the Medina from earlier days. Other than the clothing, it doesn’t look like much has changed in the intervening decades.
We had dinner in one of the on-site restaurants and made it an early evening. Tomorrow was another day of riding and I wanted to be packed and ready for it!
Moonlight and palm tree
Day 10