This city is stark raving bonkers. It's amazing and fun and loud and bustling and friendly and welcoming but it is absolutely crazy. Gaz drove us into the city (well he's done all of the driving to date, so today was no different) and the closer we got to the centre, the busier the traffic became, and the more brave (or foolish) the pedestrians became also.
The mopeds nip between cars and in front of them, cutting people up and missing other vehicles by only a few inches. Taxis are nipping in an out of lanes, accelerating and braking, and only sometimes indicating. It's never really clear whose right of way it is, but somehow in all the chaos, everyone gets where they are going without frayed tempers or accident, I suspect because of all the beeping; it appears to be a way of communicating where you are rather than indicating a hazard as such.
We had to park on the street on the edge of the old town, about 100m walk from our Riad (a traditional style hotel built over several floors around a central courtyard open to the sky). Parking was a chaotic challenge in itself as the street was so busy with taxis and mopeds and pedestrians. A man shouted to us asking if we wanted parking, we said yes and he indicated that he had a secure parking spot behind a gate. He avoided telling us the price until we were parked (surprise surprise) and then tried to rip us off, but my dad's assurity came through and I wasn't having any of it. Poor Gaz had to reverse the Landrover out of the small space into the crazy traffic that only really stopped because a Brit was reversing and blocking the way! We soon found someone a little more official looking (barely) and who gave us a more acceptable price and helped us park. If you want to park on the street in Marrakech, look for a chap in a high vis jacket. That will be the ONLY sign that he is the guy you need to speak to. He could be sat on a kerb, or a plastic bucket in the middle of the road, and apart from the hi vis, he may look dishevelled or very very old, but he is the guy. He will give you the standard price and look after your car for the agreed time. And I swear these guys never sleep; they seem to appear from nowhere whenever you walk past, day or night. In peak season, it shouldn't cost more that MAD25 per day to park (about £2.30).
Our Riad is gorgeous. Small, perfectly formed with oodles and oodles of character and charm. There are Peach trees in the courtyard which occasionally drop the biggest fruit inches from your face, so dining beneath the trees is somewhat like taking your life in your hands, but it's so pretty and lovely to have the birds chirping around you.
A hello from home
We were lucky enough to have two friends from home fly in to join us for a week and help us explore this amazing city; Jo and her son Curtis arrived late on our first day here and brought with them big smiles and tales of home. We have been spending each day uncovering all that this city has to offer, and more besides.
On our first day together we wandered through the souks of the medina, discovering new sights and sounds around every corner. Gaz and I are somewhat used to the busy streets as we've spent time in other city medinas, but Marrakech is definitely in it's own league. The cars and mopeds seem to compete for space along the tiny streets and as a pedestrian, you need to keep your wits about you and tuck in, or jump to the side when things get a bit hairy. It makes for an interesting walk out for dinner though.
We explored the Secret Garden, first established as part of a palace in the 16th century, then destroyed the following century to lay dormant and forgotten until the early 19th century when it was uncovered, before it was restored in 2008. Like our Riad, it's a walled sanctuary of calm blocking out the noise and chaos of the streets. A beautiful place to visit and spend time. Recommended to anyone coming to Marrakesh.
The famous Jem El Fnaa square was not too interesting in the daytime, and Jo and Curtis reported seeing snake charmers and monkey handlers in the mid day sun. We moved away quickly to avoid encouraging them.
After a long day, a horse drawn carriage was a bit of indulgence to take us back to the Riad. Whilst it was a hot day, it was good to see the driver caring for the horses and keeping them in the shade before we set off, and even stopping at one point en route to ensure that one of the horses was ok. It's always tricky to know if the animals are being cared for appropriately, but I hope so in the case of the horses.
Waterfalls for 3
Jo had booked an excursion to Ouzoud, specifically to visit the waterfalls there which are the highest in Morocco at 110m/330ft.
We were all so excited to see the cascades and have a boat trip under the falls etc... Unfortunately when we arrived, the guide came over to me to explain that he didn't recommend I attempt the climb. He explained that the route down was not steps but more rocky slope that was slippy and steep and that there were 741 steps to climb on the way back up and given the heat, he wanted to give me an option to not attempt it. When a guide says "hey you over there, you might want to rethink this", it would be stupid to ignore the advice, so I didn't join the tour when it descended into the gorge. I was still able to explore the top of the gorge, take photos of the falls and see the wild monkeys in the trees, but instead of heading down, I stayed in the village at the top.
I was joined by a Berber man called Mohammed who was my chaperone for the few hours, the rest of them were on the tour and who turned out to be a lovely man that I really warmed to.
Jo, Curtis and Gaz descended into the gorge and spent several hours climbing down and back up. Their photos show that the views were amazing and the experience was well worth the effort, but they all reported that the climb was tough and I'd made the right decision. Apparently a woman on the tour struggled somewhat and slipped on the way down. That would absolutely have been me. Gaz also reported that there was not a real barrier to offer protection from falling either. And of course the climb back up was a challenge for many people, especially in 35 degree heat.
I think they all did marvellously and clearly enjoyed the excursion despite the tough hike.
Meanwhile, Mohammed took me on a tour of his village and talked to me about his family and life day to day. We ate lunch together and compared notes on the differences between Moroccan life and life in the UK.
We spoke of work and family and friends, of his aspirations to travel and my hopes and dreams for the future. He was a perfect gentleman, and took me to his favourite local restaurant, and then to his favourite coffee house, and he carried my rucksack for me every step of the way. I couldn't visit the falls, but I genuinely had a lovely afternoon and made a new friend despite our differences. I was sad to say goodbye.
Amazing. Great to share with friends.