The Marrakesh Marketplace

Sunday morning came early and we firmed our plans to visit the orphanage in Aut Aurir on Monday. We arranged some travel plans and got plane tickets for 30 euros (45$) from Marrakech to Barcelona on Dec 13.

The market was an amazing experience: curious tourists mill about trough dancing cymbal players, Tarot card readers, snake charmers (yes - it’s true!). Snail soup, goats head stew, grilled surprises are all at your hands at hundreds of stall. The shopping was crazy. Jewelry, clothes, glasses, lamps, the hand of Fatima (personal favorite) and a multitude of trinkets.




We finished the night off with a massage and scrub down at the local hamman.
This is the Moroccan version of the spa. Big steamy cellar with buckets of hot water. As we started the massage I thought the guy was going to rip my arm off. This continued with being scrubbed and having buckets of water thrown on us! Old school.

Pasha is the place to be

In Marrakech on Saturday night the place to be is Pasha. The best DJ’s in Europe spin to a wild Arabic crowd. Pumping "house" music, flashing strobes, jembe jams and a whole lot of crazy dancing!

Getting Squared Away in Marrakesh

We made the best of a rainy day and had tons of fun bantering and laughing with the locals. Everyone wants your attention to sell you or show you something. We got to the hamman (traditional bath house) just as it was closing. We got lost in the medina for hours and turned it into a big game. We arrived back at our hotel to be shown our room. A lovely honeymoon sweet with one bed, complete a big pink comforter. Not gonna do it. An hour later we were at a hotel in the new city, taking a nap before the big Saturday night in Marrakech.

Our first morning in Marrakesh - Rainsong

The rain continues through the dreary, cold morning. We select a riad to stay at and grab a taxi. We struggle with French and Arabic to communicate with our cab driver. Ryan knows a little French; I stay focused on the Arabic.
Ryan takes the lead on finding the riad in the rain while I stay with the gear by the cab. Nearly 30 minutes passes and I am beginning to wonder what the deal is! Ryan returns and, of course, that riad is booked. Onto the next place. We get dropped off and meander through the next Moroccan maze. Our packs are heavy with climbing gear. Did I mention the pouring rain? We make to our place after an expensive cab fare ($6USD) and a tip for our guy that shows us to the place) and settle into the small, yet nice lounge area. We are told the room won't be ready until noon. We get some hot coffee and begin to thaw out and start to formulate our plan for the next few hours.
We decide we want to locate the hamman (spa) where we can go to a steam bath with massage for 70 dhirum (ten bucks) and attempt to locate a climbing shop and maybe desert trekking shop.

After multiple hot coffees and some bread and eggs we head back into the maze of the Marrakech medina. The barrage of beggars and shop owners is nearly overwhelming. Asking for directions without someone asking for $ is unheard of. Everyone want our $ and wants to walk with you to show you something so you are obligated to pay. This whole scene is very taxing and we begin to feel the frustration and irritation mount.

Just when we are getting to our limit of exhaustion and irritation we find the hamman! Its 12:00 and it has just closed! Sweet. So we settle in and grab some lunch at a small side shop where we see a bunch of construction workers macking down on some hot tagine. Tagine is like stew that comes in a ceramic pot filled with potatoes, veggies and chicken. Thing are starting to look up! Amazing what a little hot food will do for you.

The Overnight Bus Ride to Marrakesh

If you've never taken an overnight bus in a foreign country, it’s well worth the experience - once. Fortunately for me, I was completely exhausted so the random music, chatter, frequent stops, swerving and at times very unnerving sway of the bus only kept me up half the night. Ryan’s seat didn't recline and he kept getting drips of water on his leg from the window so he wasn't much better off! We have arrived in Marrakech and the for once the bus has arrived on time. (This is the one time we wanted it to be late). It is 5:30 am; it is freezing and pouring rain. Ryan and I both feel sick and it is getting worse. We curl up on a hard bus station seat and attempt to sleep our way into the morning when we can find a place to stay...

Fes, Morocco and the Carpet Ride

Today we entered quite possibly the largest natural maze on the planet. Fes, Morocco is known for the Medina - an intricate series of narrow cobblestone pathways with hidden gems around every corner. We navigated the tight pathways popping into tiny doorways, sampling Moroccan cuisine, including harira soup and grilled samplers of chicken and liver, some deep fried bean concoction. We shared lunch with an old school 84 year old musician, complete with the square looking cylinder hat (called a fez). The narrow pathways were a constant reminder of seeking true north and navigating the unknown pathways of life.

Of course, any trip to Fes wouldn't be complete without a trip to the magic carpet store. What an experience this was. Mahammed greeted us with kissed and ensured us all the prices were regulated and we would get "best price".

Great! I need a carpet to really complete my pad! So the rolling out of the carpets began. New style, old style, tight weave, special weave, big, small, pattern this, pattern that. So here was the pitch: if you can afford one, buy several and sell them on eBay to cover your cost! Mahammed ensured me he just got an email from someone that sold these very carpets for 16,000 USD! It’s true, really! So I narrowed it down to 3 that were really pretty sweet. First price: 90,000 dhirums. Yes, that's not a typo. That's the equivalent of like $13,000 - yes, he wanted me to pay him $13,000 for 3 carpets.

Of course, I could easily sell one of them for that on eBay. "I guarantee you there is no risk. Do you understand this word risk? You sell on eBay and cover your cost." Mahammed was a bit shocked when I pulled out my blackberry and searched eBay and found one for $200. He then proceeded to offer me $1,600 for my blackberry. "Shock me with your offer... Take this pen... Take it and write down what you pay for those beautiful art work you only find here in this world... Shock me". Okay Mahammed... I did end up offering him $1,000USD for 3 nice carpets, which I was still actually very confused about. What is a Moroccan carpet worth any way? Does anyone have any idea?????(It's not too late, I can still bring you back one. :0)

Mahammed: "I don't understand! What you say me?" Apparently he really was shocked. And turns out he had spent 7 years in New York... Go figure...

“Listen dude, I've had enough of your BS, what do I look like to you? I'm gonna have to turn you into the carpet police,” I was thinking to myself. Ryan had had about enough, too... By the time we left our energy was about gone... Just in time to make the 8:00 bus to Marrakech. We have a 10 hour overnight bus ride to look

The Rock

Well, I've been wondering what it would be like to take a ferry across the Straight of Gibraltar, and now I am doing it. Ryan and I are alone on the top deck of an enormous ship.

The breeze is warm and the Moroccan flag flies in front of the Rock of Gibraltar. I am reminded of all those things that are "solid" in life and how I want to be solid for others. Let's just call that one guy doing another guy a "tsolid." Ryan and I take some photos and relax as the sun dips into the ocean on the horizon.... Soon we will be in Morocco.