Nightlife in Marrakesh

Morocco is great for doing quirky things, like hiring a cart to carry out luggage back to the bus station, or taking a mule plus guide for a couple of pounds to carry to carry ten people’s bags up a mountain side. Much more fun than a Heathrow baggage trolley. Anyway yesterday afternoon we took a public coach back to Marrakesh, which was quite a leisurely affair, with a twenty minute break at a cafe, followed by a frantic hammering on the horn to which we all piled in. I watched the desert pass us by and various settlements with shepherds herding small flocks of sheep, in a fruitless search for grass.

We had come back to the hectic pace of the city, with hordes of taxi drivers swarming around us, saying things like, ‘You want taxi? how many? I take you there.’ Our tour leader negotiated a price and we set off back to the hotel.

A quick change of clothing and everyone emerged for our final group dinner, in their recently purchased glass bead necklaces and silk scarves as we made our way to modern Marrakesh, with its boutiques and stylish eateries. Our restaurant was no exception, with a cascading wall of water behind us and sparkly red fairy lights in-twined in the green foliage above. The meal was wonderful, olives and fresh bread plentiful as we enjoyed various tagines, and a selection of decadent puddings.

Deciding to continue in the same vein we visited Monty Crystal, a stylish bar where the walls are draped in dark red silk, the seats made of soft leather and the lighting atmospheric, with traditional lanterns adorning every table. A mint sheesha pipe was ordered, and expensive cocktails with badly mixed ingredients. Satisfactory drinks here tend to be a novelty!

A man in the corner played tribal beat music, as his group sat around, entranced. As the evening drew on a disco started, where Moroccan women danced to the latest Euro pop hits. Everyone seemed to be having fun so we joined in as well. Music videos were played on big screens, people smiled and joked, it was like one big party. By half past one the music got worse and the dance floor became flooded with uncoordinated men, so we thought it was time to leave. Ten minutes later a little fiat taxi had dropped us back at the hotel, after what had been a lovely night with great memories of a beautiful venue and friendly people.

Essouira, Morocco

The sweet sounds of ‘Castle made of sand’ ran through my head, as I walked along golden sands, with creamy stone buildings and white washed walls. This is the paradise that inspired Hendrix back in the sixties. Essouira is a beautiful seaside town, with a relaxed pace and cult hippy following.

Huge waves crash into the rocks, as sea spray dances high into the air. There is a constant breeze and a perfectly clear aquamarine sky. Fishermen bring back a fresh catch twice a day, in tiny wooden boats, much to the delight of hundreds of seagulls that swarm over head. A few are lucky and sit along the concrete walls, squabbling over a freshly bleeding Herring.

The heart of the town is the market squares and mini souks. A vibrant and chaotic mix of crafts, spices and fish stalls. Everyone seems to be buying or selling something, from the flea market auctions to the patisery, with various cinnamon and almond cakes sold by the weight.

The architecture is beautiful, with many adorned doorways and decorated tiles. Moroccan interiors are another interesting concept, with many clashing patterns and colours, which all work together in creating a design that challenged our senses. The last two nights have been spent in a riad, with a small garden and water feature in the middle and a terrace at the top. Our riad is next to a temple, but I no longer hear the prayer calls that happen throughout the day.

The bars and restaurants here are quite stylish, with coloured lighting, live bands and strong cocktails on the roof terrace, surrounded by lucious plants and comfy garden chairs. I have sampled a variety of cuisine from traditional tagines to omlettes and Italian pasta dishes, while catching up with the rest of the group, followed by the occasional chocolate cake or apple tart.

I have really enjoyed my time here and hope to return to this laid back fishing town, full of interesting things to see, and places to be enjoyed. It’s a lot more friendly than Marrakesh, with clean costal air and empty beaches. I have done much shopping and shall return home in a few days with lovely hand made wooden boxes, silver bracelets and rows of glass beads. This afternoon we leave, and head back to the medival city of Marrakesh by public bus, where I shall enjoy the delights of Djemaa el Fna.

The Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The Atlas mountains were incredible. I went on a four hour trek, high into the clouds and up to a remote shrine. Just staying in the village of Armed was an experience in itself. We lived with the locals, and saw how they survive in a fairly unforgiving environment. Every day the women use a communal oven to bake the bread, and prepare a tagine of couscous and various meats. I’m in Morocco during the religious festival of Ramadam, where fasting takes place during the day and then food is eaten after darkness. For this reason people seem quite wiped out during the day, but I have a feeling that the pace is petty relaxed here anyway.

The mountain people of Armed were truely warm and friendly, and made us feel very welcome in their village. We stayed on the top floor of an old house, with sofa style seating around the edge that we slept upon at night, and a balcony that looked out upon jagged mountain scenery. The family cooked us three meals a day, of the freshest most beautiful produce. Lunch consisted of a wide variety of veg, with cheese, eggs and fish. Evening dinner arrived in the form of a spicy soup followed by a communal tagine, brimming with rich flavours, carrots, sweet potatoes and chicken or mutton, as well as a large selection of bread. Fresh oranges or melon was provided for dessert. Every meal was followed by the most aromatic sweet mint tea. Even the smell was moorish.

An hours drive followed two nights in Armed, where we hired a mule to take our bags back down the hillside. We took a mini bus to Ouirigane, where we stayed in a really lovely Moroccan countryside hotel with beautiful pink walls covered in lucious green vines, a spacious garden and pool.

That afternoon we had lunch in a traditional Berber house, where we were invited to see how the bread was made, and were shown around the house until we settled in the living room and were served a delicious three course meal. The tables here are very low down, with soft padded cushions to sit on and lots of colourful fabric to adorn the room. Our hosts were wonderful, and we sat around chatting for a couple of hours.

Later that afternoon most of us went on a walk into the hills, across to neighbouring villages, with a local guide who pointed to new electricity pilons, and proceeded to tell us that electricity had arrived for these people just two weeks ago. There were many very old mud brick houses, set against furtile red soil. The villages resembled an ancient civilisation, unchanged for centuries, and was like nothing I had ever seen before.

That evening we had a meal at the hotel, which was lovely but we were surrounded by many tiny cats who fought each other over scraps of food. We later found out that cats are sacred here, as there does seem to be more of these wild ‘cat like’ creatures than people, many of them in a bad state. Anyway the meal was particularly satisfying and after a few rounds of cards I went off to bed, ready for Essouira the following morning.

Marrakesh and the Souks

Yesterday I encountered the delight of the souks, magical and maze like. I walked around slowly watching people, seeing other photographers and how the locals reacted to them. After a while I got use to the new environment and managed to take many photos without offending anyone. I would upload them here, but despite finding an computer new enough to have a USB port in the back, it still refuses to let me access my camera, so it’s looking like photos will have to wait until my return, and then they shall be uploaded.

By midday the dappled light was incredibly dramatic, as it made its way to the mud floor. The air was thick with the pungent smell of spice, and something else that I was unable to identify that wafted through the souk.

The touristy part is full of all the usual crafts and clothing, but the further you go the more authentic is becomes, with less white people and more reasonable prices. There was also stalls of delicious Moroccan pastries and freshly squeezed orange juice, which was so refreshing.

In the evening I met the Intrepid tour group that I shall be joining for the next few days. It seems like everyone is greener than me, in terms of travelling so in the evening I led them through the Medina. There are only three out of ten of us that can speak any French. The people seem mostly nice though, and come from all corners in the globe.

The Moroccans here are truly friendly. Even in the souks I was able to have a laugh with the store holders, and deflect any hassle. People respond well to a smile. Unfortunately my travel partners weren’t so lucky or diplomatic, and seemed to have a rough time with it. Thankfully I’m not having that problem.

Marrakesh, Morocco

I’m looking out upon dusty pink buildings, seperated by concrete walkways and chunky palm trees. In the distance the glow of floodlights attracts groups of teenage boys as they sing merrily in loud voices. I later find out Marrakesh are playing Casablanca at the city stadium.

So far Morocco has been a lot easier than I expected. The airport resembled the chaos sampled at The Queen Alia, in Jordan, with disorderly queues and hours of not much happening with little explanation, but this should be considered normal when visiting such places. A while later I found myself outside the airport trying to suss out the best option of getting to the hotel. I was a little wary of the taxi hustlers, mostly due to my experiences of trying to get a taxi just about anywhere in Bangkok, to which the drivers had their own agendas.

Here the price agreed at the start of the journey was not only fair but stuck to. The driver also knew where the hotel was and took me straight there, which is always a bonus! He also made jokes about ‘un cadeau pour moi’ which he recieved due to my relief at not having to suffer any scams. And with the most dreaded part of my journey over I arrived at Hotel de la Minara, with its beautiful Moorish decor and tranquil courtyard.

Still feeling a little apprehensive, I wandered down the main street looking for somewhere to have dinner. I stopped to ask a white couple who turned out to be French and they pointed me in the direction of a Pizza hut. Ironically it isn’t somewhere I would normally go at home and as much as I laugh at English people who go abroad and eat at McDonalds, the prices were cheap and it was starting to get dark.

The familiarity of the French language is comforting, as I am able to communicate on a basic level. It is a lot less scary than being in remote parts of Asia where no common language is shared. I like the Moroccan people. So far they have been warm friendly, and show definate humour.

I have barely encountered any of the hastle I read about, as a single female. It is difficult not to respond to a friendly bonjour in the street, but with the knowledge that once conversation is started it is very difficult to escape, I just keep walking. I have been careful to adopt the mannerisms of Moroccan women and in many ways I look quite similar with my dark hair and long floating kaftan. Here the men would never approach a woman on the streets if they respected her, yet tourists in their inappropriate tank tops seem fair game. I try to walk purposely, which is always difficult when you are lost, as not to attract hastle, but so far it’s working and I feel that I am starting to gain an insight into Moroccan culture.

***

This morning I had breakfast at the hotel and started talking to a group of travellers who are at the end of their Intrepid tour, and gave me lots of tips on bargaining, the various places they visited and seemed to have thouroughly enjoy it. I headed out and in the general direction of the main square, walking alongside noisy roads and sandy pavements, spotting my first internet cafe. I am told there are many. Anyway I shall continue exploring, and post again soon, with hopefully many exciting tales…

Rennes, France

The moment I stepped outside the airport the difference was noticeable. Just an hours flight from Southampton and I was in the provincial city of Rennes, struggling to remember my French as I ordered drinks and bought various items of clothing. After a freshly squeezed apricot juice and a brief catch up with my parents, sitting in a colourful outdoor cafe, I wandered off to the alternative part of town. The streets are lined with old timber buildings, as music plays from the floors above and stylishly dressed people pass below, the place is alive with energy. The atmosphere is relaxed as locals shop and chat, and the cafes are filled with smiling faces and joyous conversation.

I continued to the interesting ethnic shops that I visited the year before, as I absorbed the sense of decoration displayed in the jewellery stands, and cave like layout of never ending shops, filled with tables of loose beads in every size, shape and colour, bowls of swirled glass rings and rails of earth coloured sarongs. The shop assistants were genuinely friendly and helpful as tribal beat music played in the background and the subtle smell of incense wafted through the air.

As the afternoon drew to a close we gathered in the old square and ordered delicious crepes filled with spinach, cheese and salmon, as waiters bustled between the tables and an accordionist serenaded the diners with lulling French folk music. As the evening went on, families, friends and couples gathered together chatting merrily, displaying a contentedness that becomes apparent when observed by an outsider, from a world of deadlines and demands. Here the emphasis is on family and friends, where people take time to enjoy life and appreciate its pleasures. Rennes is an inspiring city of both beauty and culture, mixed with its easy going street vibe and affectionate heart. Its a place that I like a lot and shall probably return to many times for its uniqueness and just for being Rennes.