Blog ≫ 2024 ≫ Winter holiday to Marrakech part 6 - Marrakech
Up early on day six of our holiday to go into Marrakech itself. There was a free transfer bus from our hotel, but we had to book a trip there and a trip back in advance. Lucky we knew this or we'd have missed out. We didn't get first pick of our days, I think we'd have gone earlier in the holiday, probably swapped this with the Ourika Valley trip. Still, we're breakfasted and ready to go.
We were really expecting this to be hectic, intimidating, constant harassment, and this coloured the whole day slightly. One thing we knew, the bus will drop you off near the centre, and people will be waiting for you claiming to be with the hotel, to help you out. They do not work for the hotel. This happened, we got out of the bus and several people are showing us passes, laminated ids saying they are official and they will help us into the centre. No thanks mate, no sorry, you don't work for the hotel, we're fine. One person did look particularly hurt at my insistence, and after Clare and the boys said, er, he does work for the hotel, we think he was on our bus. I still don't think so, if he was why did he wait to announce this until he got off the bus? Hmm, I am still worrying about this.
The bus did not drop us off at the square we expected, so annoyingly we did need some guidance into the central markets etc. But we could not ask anyone. Clare turned her data on this day, so we could work the maps. I had offline maps but couldn't figure it out.
We got to the central square, it was a bit early to be fully up and running. It's the same spot where they launched the celebrity version of Race Across The World recently, but they were there at night when it is busier. We did see the animal hawkers that I had feared, some snakes, someone with a monkey, and an upsetting stall with more domestic type animals. Who is buying a kitten in a market like this?? Maybe the guy with the snakes. We kept our distance from these. We went to a cafe type place that climbed up to a roof terrace overlooking the square. Good spot, and we had coffee - good coffee, the coffee in the hotel was not - but they could not provide us with the juice we really wanted. We could see oranges in the market, even oranges growing on their own roof terrace, but no orange juice to be had today. Here is a view over the square from this terrace. I have a nice scrollable panorama of this picture too.
The centre is hectic with mopeds, event the very narrow streets. It was nearly as Indiana Jonesish as we had imagined. Lots of stalls and shops that were quite similar. We did not look too closely at anything which is a shame, we were expecting to be pounced on and not allowed out of the shop again, but it wasn't really like that. It's not like we could have brought back a carpet or anything but we might have bought more if we were more relaxed.
We did see some earthquake damage, I think, but not too much.
We went into The Bahia Palace for a quieter cooler look around, it was ok. Not all that old.
We had some lunch and cocktails in a pretty fancy bar up on the rooftops called Dardar. Relatively very expensive I would say, more like London prices. But nice. They had a lightswitch that I think I might want for home. I was quite taken by the Moroccan decor generally.
Back at the hotel in time for candyfloss from the snackbar, and a seat by the fire pits. Then I went to the "international light show" later. It was a dance show put on by the excellent entertainment team, UV lights, flourescent outfits, and a dance to represent each nation. I don't think there was a UK dance actually.
We've taken a day in the Medina, the big market1. The center of Marrakech, which I think is mostly a market, and Medina is the right wall city. We got a bus in courtesy bus for my hotel and I'm sure the one thing we were told was "when you get off the bus lots of people will pretend they work for the hotel and they don't work for the hotel and don't go with them". So we got off the bus and there was a man telling me he works for the hotel, and I said "no you don't, thank you" and walked away and then Clare and the boys said that man actually did work for the hotel, and he was just telling us where we supposed to meet the bus again. Very confusing.
The market is not as busy as I thought it would be. It's Saturday morning, or Saturday lunchtime now. It is warm and sunny. There are lots of stalls and kinds of things you would expect. Lots of fruit, lots of argan oil, a lot of tat, some shiny things. Some rugs. Not too many with animals on which is pleasing2 so we stopped for a coffee and orange juice at Restaurant La Place because it had big terrace up on the rooftop and we can look down over the market. So here I'll probably have pictures looking down over the market and we got coffee and the boys got Pepsi Max but they couldn't do us any orange juice. I'm looking down and I can see oranges even growing on the lower terraces but they couldn't do it fresh orange juice. We think we're going to go to a pharmacy after this to try and get something for the boys dry skin and to buy some more lip balm because my lips are dried in the sun3 and then we're going to a palace, and then we're going back to the bus about 4pm. We had a big breakfast at the hotel, so we're probably not eating here. We'll have more of a walk around. The market is a little intimidating, but not as bad as it might have been. Loads of mopeds riding through the narrow streets. I expected to see fewer mopeds, and more baskets of chickens to be honest. I think this is early and this big central part really gets going later into the evening. This is the big central square where they started Celebrity Race Across The World.
The holiday has been nice so far. We did one excursion into the hills to see a waterfall that was okay. Clare and the boys did a camel ride yesterday, and I walked along with them. Hotel has been good. The weather has been lovely, but the temperature really goes up and down. So this morning when we set out it was 7°, but now it's warm T-shirt weather. Back at the hotel it's been quite chilly in the mornings, and chilly in the evenings, but we've been swimming outside around 2-3:00. Yesterday we went to the gym and I did aqua aerobic aqua yoga type thing and then we did Zumba in the evenings. Mostly we've been too tired for the entertainment, but I stayed up to see the full show one night. We're saving ourselves for New Year's Eve.
- Just found some content that I dictated at the time, so pasting it in here in August of 2024, way after the event. As always it might be a bit wonky, and as it is after the event I might not remember what I meant when I said it.
- I meant not too many stalls with animals on, rather than rugs with animals on.
- This is why lip balm is on my travel list now.
⬅️ Are the flats in Bar Vasa being downgraded? :: Run stats 9/1/24 - 5'35/K ➡️