Folks, the time has come for me to recount my time in Marrakesh last year to you as part of my ongoing retelling of the adventure of ‘Dhaka to Dakar’. I’d like to start with a post of thoughts about the city and what happened to myself and Graham who was travelling with me at the time in today’s post, and then get into the detail of the different places we checked out when we were there after that. THEN I’ll write about the day trip to the Ouzoud Waterfalls in a third post. I’m likely to revisit a bit of Marrakesh in other blogs I suspect later in the year because it really was one of the most interesting stops of the trip.

To get there from Tangier, where we were when last you left us, we took the Al-Boraq super fast train to Casablanca (see the above video) and then changed onto an Inter-City style train that was still pretty good in the speed department for Marrakesh.

Once at the station in Marrakesh we had to organise a taxi into the medina area, the centre of town or the old city if you prefer. I think we probably got a bit ripped off but not by any amount that really was worth worrying about. The train station is actually a way from the centre of town, and you get to drive through the newer parts of town on the way in which is pretty interesting as there are a lot of gardens and trees, it’s actually pretty beautiful.

Marrakesh was one city I was a little concerned about in regards to getting hassled, scammed, you know what it’s like in these sort of tourist cities which see high volumes in certain countries. But the truth is we didn’t really feel pressured etc at any time in Marrakesh. Compared to Egypt, and I was expecting a similar experience to Egypt here, it was nothing. I’m not saying there were no encounters etc, but it was all pretty chilled and easy to deal with. NOW – it was Ramadan. I suspect that had something to do with it but there were still a fair amount of tourists there and the medina is a true old city filled with passageways and markets and even the odd haman.

We had booked an Air BnB in a ‘riad’, which is a traditional Moroccan dwelling based on several floors with a courtyard on the first floor and a great rooftop area. It was really a great choice, gave us a lot of autonomy and it was located just inside the old town area, and meant that most of the action and the things to see and do were easily within walking distance. It was around $150AUD a night, or $100USD with a full kitchen, washing machine and WiFi. We really didn’t need anything else and this was a positive Air BnB experience.

Marrakesh’s old town centres around the Jemaa el-Fna, a massive square which at night filled with a market. We were lucky enough to only be 10 minutes walk from there if that and we would walk past a number of places that did good shawarma on the way so we never went hungry. There are bars (dry) and cafes around the Jemaa el-Fna (spelt in a number of different ways depending on who you ask) and the evenings meant we generally ended up there. We had our favourite restaurant where we ate out in the open which was great – except for our final night there when it bucketed down. Rain had not been something I had expected but rain it certainly did!

The weather was pretty good in Marrakesh apart from that though, barely a cloud in the sky and around 30 degrees most days. Warm enough that if you didn’t pace yourself you would regret it, but still cool enough you could pack your days and get out and about and see things.

We knew we wanted to do a day trip too from Marrakesh and there are loads of little shops that can sign you up for many different tours – into the Atlas Mountains or to other nearby towns. We weren’t sure at all what to pick, but we asked a guy at one place on our first night who suggested that we take a tour to the Ouzoud Waterfalls.

On the first night we met a British couple who were doing that tour in a couple of days, they had booked online so we did too – but in the end we weren’t in the same group. It’s a great place to walk around (the medina) and get lost, and eventually find your way to the Jemaa El-Fna. In the evening part of the market that opened up were these food stalls – little tented restaurants with some friendly vendors – all with a number. Not sure how many there are but the numbers we visited were like 48 or 36 – so there are a few. Mostly seemed to be selling the same sort of thing, meat hanging in some cases or presented on a table. It was a lot of fun but I should say that they didn’t seem to have any fridges so just how tummy safe the food is, well I wouldn’t like to speculate.

Also there are plenty of people trying to sell you things like artwork and souvenirs. Surely you can find the perfect Moroccan souvenir in Marrakesh! Also snake charmers playing a pipe and making the snake ‘dance’. And I was warned that they don’t like to be photographed or filmed unless you pay them. I talked to a guy and he asked for something ridiculous. I offered a couple of bucks instead and he got a bit angry, another snake charmer next to him said it was fine. Sometimes you think you’ve insulted someone but really that’s just part of their tactics. To be truthful I felt a bit bad, the snakes are apparently defanged and are probably not looked after well. Even with permission I didn’t take as many shots as I should have. Then again, I probably shouldn’t have taken any. I can add that to my list of things I seen and done when travelling that I’m not so proud of.

Marrakesh was a great city to visit, but it was also a point of worry on the trip because Graham had a health concern whilst there and he decided, wisely, to look after himself and when I left Marrakesh he returned to England. He’s okay by the way, but never a bad idea to play it safe.

Next time I will go through the places we visited in Marrakesh. For now though, I will bid you adieu. Take care wherever you are in the world, May the Journey Never End!