Marrakech: Tales from the Red City

This travel photo-journal is divided into four sets:

    Set I: Marrakech Tales from the red city

    Set II: Spice and Sizzle: A full day Moroccan cooking class

    Set III: The Saharan Dunes [coming soon]

    Set VI: Portraits of Maroc [coming soon]

About this trip

            Why Morocco? I wish I can share a romantic reason why Hubby and I chose this destination -– so far removed from our city life.  The cause was pragmatic. The Hubby forgot to renew his Philippine passport and by the time we were about to book tickets three weeks before my mandatory vacation kicks in, visa requirements will not get processed in time. There were only 2 countries outside Southeast Asia where we can go: Morocco or Brazil. Rio tickets cost $2,500, so Morocco it is: 4 days in Marrakech, 5 days in the Sahara desert.

            I tell stories in pictures more than words so if you need travel advice, email me.

            In a nutshell, this trip was borne out of pragmatism but the experience is storybook magic.

Marrakech – Tales from the Red City

Marrakech is a welcome assault to the senses. From the plane, the buildings and city structures are visibly of a single color: caladryl pink. It was made into law to keep the color consistent to preserve the city’s character based on materials first used in the early days.

The heart of Marrakech is the main square -- Djemaa el Fna -- enclosed in a walled city or the medina. I am up at 530am and took the taxi alone to the main square (glad to report it is safe although I did get a lot of curious looks) to catch the sunrise.  The locals, dressed in this part of the town in traditional wear, are walking about to catch the early morning commute. The shop owners are starting to set-up wares to sell for the day. The early starters are the fresh orange juice vendors  selling a glass for 60c each. The vitamin C is much needed since I was starting to get colds. Beats my staple glass of Emergen-C powdered drink. No surprise on the abundance of orange sellers as orange and olives trees dot this land.

Inside the medina is a veritable maze of souks, riads (local hotels with a central courtyard) and residences. Interesting supply chain system to support local commerce. The donkeys are tasked to make the deliveries inside the shops in the medina. Money is exchanged and the owner and donkey are off to the next shop. It is easy to get lost in the maze so kids pop from out of nowhere to be unsolicited guides for a few dirhams. Since one can navigate around via Google maps GPS, this was really not necessary so when I said “No Thanks”, I got an enthusiastic “F@#k You” from the kids as I was walking away.  Pretty impressive vocabulary especially that Arabic and French are the main languages spoken here and English is not all that common. 

If you are a hard negotiator, shopping is a delightful exercise to flex those bargaining muscles. 50% is at least the average markdown and my main approach is to walk away, and the shopowner will run after you. From high quality leather goods (tanneries are within the medina), crafts, plates, antiques, spices, pure silver jewelry --- this place is a shoppers paradise.

At night the main square converts into more than 100 stalls selling meats, vegetables, cous-cous cooked on the spot. Stalls dedicated to snail soups also abound. The snail soup is spicy, a perfect appetizer.

From Dawn to Sunrise Inside the Walled City

(above: leather tannery inside the walled city)




The City Square at Night