Morocco - Marrakesh

Posted by Anura Samara, 5 January 2015

Accommodation issues

So, the first thing to do when we arrived in Marrakesh was to find our accommodation. The bus from the airport dropped us off near Jamma El-Fna and we made the rest of the way on foot – it was hidden in a back alley in the souk. We arrived to be informed that they had double-booked and had no rooms for us, but had found a room for us in another nearby riad with a discount. But when we arrived, we found their only room was large and cold with a bed that was harder than concrete. Realising that this wasn’t going to work, we set off on foot to find something better. Obviously, this was a busy time of year – everything seemed to be booked out, even the large expensive hotels.

In the end, we decided to ring booking.com to see what they could do. After a short wait, they rang back to say they had found somewhere. So, back to the souk picking up our luggage along the way and with some help from a stranger we found the new riad. It look very new inside, and I was looking forward to it. But – oh wait – they were double booked as well! By this stage, it was getting late and we were wondering if we would find anywhere for the night. Booking.com worked again to find somewhere else for us, and while they were doing that I turned data roaming on my phone and looked up a few other places. I called Riad Le Pavillon Oriental to be initially told they were fully booked, but then the guy said his boss told him they did have a room free so I booked that on the spot. In the end, booking.com did find another room but the guy who came to pick us up kindly took us to the Riad Le Pavillon Oriental.

What a find this place was! It’s set in a quiet alley behind the main square, and like all riads all you see when you arrive is a solid door in a wall. But behind is an oasis – a cool central courtyard with a pool, dining rooms and seat areas and some bedrooms. The owner was a very polite, older gentleman who conducted business in French. He explained that they had one room for the night, but for the rest of our stay we could use the rooftop apartment. It turns out that the apartment was where he stayed, but he would move to his home elsewhere in the city while we stayed there. He could see we were stressed, and kept reassuring us that everything was fine. He then made a booking for a local restaurant – when we arrived, we walked straight past a queue of people waiting to get in. And that set the tone for the rest of our stay there – fantastic service, recommendations and help with old-fashioned politeness. The roof-top apartment wasn’t too bad either – breakfast in the morning with views across the rooftops of Marrakesh punctuated by minarets.

Cooking class

We booked an Urban Adventures cooking class. It was a full cultural experience, starting with buying the ingredients in the markets in the souk. Everything was fresh, including the chicken which was selected and weighed whilst alive and then killed and plucked while we shopped for vegetables. We also stopped in at a spice shop to hear about all of the spices, where they come from and how they are used in not only cooking but as medicines as well.

From there, we went to our guide’s family home. A lot of the preparation was done by the guide and her family, but we did meet her parents and sisters. It was a good location, as we got to see how the locals live. The food was of course a traditional Moroccan tangine – chicken for us and vegetarian for the other couple – and I have to admit it tasted pretty good! But of course, it wasn’t really just about learning to cook, but the full cultural experience of living, shopping and eating in Marrakesh

Jamaa El-Fna and the souk

Jamaa El-Fna is where all of the action is, together with the narrow side streets that forms the souk.

The square itself is quiet in the morning, starts getting exciting after lunch and is really rocking at night. There are so may people there, the streets leading in can be packed so that walking against the flow is hard. Everything is for sale in and around the square – we even say a couple of make-shift dentists with piles of teeth on their stands. A massive open air food hall is set up each evening, with separately number eating places all competing for your business. In contrast to what we were told, most of the banter from the sellers is pretty good natured.

When you head down in to the souk you can quickly get lost. The streets are narrow, but that doesn’t stop motorbikes and scooters from zipping past. It looked like different areas had their own specialties – woodwork, spices, silverware etc. The streets immediately around the square are busier and then become quieter the further away you get.

Frankly, the square can be a bit overwhelming in the end so around sunset we sat on an upper terrace in one of the cafes to watch the sunset. In fact, we did this on two nights in a row.

Palaces

Bahia Palace

The Bahia Palace is really like a grand house, with many rooms leading from internal courtyards and all decorated. The walls are decorated with tiles, and the ceilings are mainly decorated with inlaid timber. There’s not much furniture so you can really appreciate the decoration, although the lack of natural light in many of the rooms made it hard to fully appreciate it all.

El Badi Palace

By contrast, El Badi Palace is a grand, spacious and crumbling set of ruins. It’s enclosed within a high earthen walls which hides what lies in side.

There are multiple buildings inside the walls, mostly in various states of ruin; for example, they are all mostly open to the sky but in some areas the original floor tiles remain. The central courtyard feaures four ponds and four groves of orange trees. You can also walk through some underground cellars and climb to the top of the walls for a great view over the city.

Despite it’s ruined state, El Badi really has the feeling of a grand old palace built by the king to impress and intimidate others.

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