Morocco: I love Marrakech!

Photos: Side street in the Mellah in Marrakech / Spice Souq near the Mellah in Marrakech / Sahara / Me in a Berber home demonstrating carpet weaving / Berber vendor in the Atlas mountains / Snake charmer in Djemaa El Fna / Djemaa El Fna as dusk / Water vendors too happy to get paid for a photo / My OJ vendor / A sous passage in Marrakech(not sure which souq this was. I was lost most of the time) / Djemaa El Fna at night / Roof top place to relax at my 1st hotel in Marrakech

As I wind down my last 2 days in Morocco I think the initial bad impression was from the bad egg tour leader I had on my week group trip. Most Moroccans I have met are nice people. The tour leader was a Moroccan and was rude. Anyway enough of that. As I wind down, I have to say I love Marrakech. Most visitors choose to come direct to Marrakech and skip Casablanca. The reason is obvious. The action is ALL here. The main attraction is the Djemaa El Fna square with its snake charmers, monkey men, USD0.30 freshly squeezed orange juice vendors, water vendors (the men in red with the portable reservoir on their back), street performers, henna woman, stall vendors, oh, and all else. The list is long. I am not going to make this a very long entry as I am going to venture out for my last evening in Marrakech and catch the square action. The downside to taking photos is that you pay the subject be it a performer or shop(buy something). Oh well they are out there to make a living. The Sahara desert was everything I expected it to be, including getting sand in everything. Up your ass, you bag pockets, and not bathing for a night ;) It is a 12 hour drive to Marrakech from the closest edge of the Morrocan Sahara. That was one full day. But the pictures I took were priceless. On my 2nd day in Morocco, I saw another traveler get held at knife point for her camera. As a consequence I have taken less photos as I would have wanted to in fear of being mugged. That is another thing. Morocco is not the safest place. Casablanca being more dangerous than Marrakech. In Marrakech the kids just follow you around. The other cities I visited while in Morocco were Rabat, Fes, Meknes and the Roman ruins, Volubilis. Fes has quite an impressive medina. It is a as another traveler put it: a sphagetti bowl. You really need a guide to navigate the maze. It is also where the tanneries and pottery was made for the rest of Morocco. I got to see all that while in Fes. All the characters I meet in Morocco are just like out of the movies: literally. On my 2nd day in Casablanca, another traveler and I after lunch at a Lebanese restaurant talked to 2 elderly well dressed Moroccan men for directions. When the question popped up: "...but, have you seen the REALLY OLD Medina?" knowing full well that there was only 1 medina and we were already staying in it, we knew it was time to GO! The next line would have been a sales pitch for a guided tour or something! In the meantime it was amusing to observe the 2 men with their body gestures using their hands and glasses. It was too funny. All the other people I have met are just like the movie characters. I have befriended a few repeat Djemaa El Fna vendors: notable an orange juice stall, a tea stall (not the Moroccan tea) but a tea of 9 spices, and the same stall I go eat at for my Tagine Kafta. I will miss the Tagine Kafta (mince meat balls in spiced sauce, could be cooked with egg or veggies) and the Moroccan Tea (also labeled "Moroccan Whisky" which is green tea with mint leaves, and lots of sugar). I will miss the freshly squeezed OJ the most. These stalls are stacked high in oranges and the man stands behind and squeeze the drink for you. It is only 3 dirham which is about USD0.40, not even! In the States, try getting that!! Dining may be cheap but hotels are more expensive, probably due to the tourism factor. I am staying at a riad: an enclosed inner space with rooms on 4 sides or less overlooking in. The space has plants, colorful tiles, and you can eat or hang out in this area. Anyway the Square calls and I have to get going.

NOTE: A Moroccan city typically has an old medina, a mellah, a kasbah, a palace, a mosque. A mellah is the old Jewish quarter. Mellah refers to the cut of head of a Jew preserved with salt and left in the Jewish quarter in the olden days.