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Marrakech medina – what a place!

 

Need your senses to be dazzled, your snake charmed, hands tattooed, lunch pulled out of a pit in the floor or second-hand false teeth?  Then we’ve got it covered!

The Marrakech souks are on the edge of the city’s main square – Djemaa el-Fna – inside the medina, or old town.

Looking across Djemaa el-Fna into the medina beyond

Looking across Djemaa el-Fna into the medina beyond

Here you will find any amount of entertainment – some of it even intentional – such as the intimidating snake charmers who guard their pitches ferociously, demanding money with menaces from anyone who dares to take photos from afar,

The snake charmer leaves one customer in no doubt about the price of a holiday snap

The snake charmer leaves one customer in no doubt about the price of a holiday snap

 

the drummers and dancers,

How can you resist those smiles!

How can you resist those smiles!

Drumming is an essential part of the day in Djemaa el-Fna

Drumming is an essential part of the day in Djemaa el-Fna

henna tattooists and amateur boxers.

Henna tattooists waiting for a client

Henna tattooists waiting for a client

Day and night it is all about the hustle and inside the medina it isn’t much different.

Morning time at Djemaa el-Fna and the square is barely awake - a shadow of its night life

Morning time at Djemaa el-Fna and the square is barely awake – a shadow of its night life

Nightime lights up Djemaa el-Fna

Nightime lights up Djemaa el-Fna

The medina is a rabbit warren of mutli-coloured stalls, assaulting your senses with colour, noise, taste and smell. Only the legions of satellite dishes perched atop ancient rooftops give away the modern world.

Handicrafts, food, spices, clothes, kitchenware, jewellery and shoes are everywhere – it is part local market, part tourist draw, with daily essentials and needless trinkets, beautiful artisan work and total tat in equal measure.

The shoeless salesman

The shoeless salesman

Looking down the medina side street

Looking down the medina side street

Light bounces off lights

Light bounces off lights

Herbs and spices, colour and scent combined

Herbs and spices, colour and scent combined

For once in Morocco - the price up front and obvious!

For once in Morocco – the price up front and obvious!

Any colour and any match

Any colour and any match

We strolled through for hours, just looking and tasting – especially tasting the mechoui – slow roast lamb which is lowered into pits in the floor of the tiny serving kiosks at the edge of the medina.

 

Mechoui Alley meat ready to go

Mechoui Alley meat ready to go

Mechoui ready for eating in the Marrakech medina - delicious

Mechoui ready for eating in the Marrakech medina – delicious

Mechoui pit in the middle of the kiosk - the lambs are slow baked in the hole heated by the hammam baths

Mechoui pit in the middle of the kiosk – the lambs are slow baked in the hole heated by the hammam baths

The clay pits steam day and night.

Mechoui is cooked in steaming pits heated from the fires of the neighbouring hammam (public baths)

Mechoui is cooked in steaming pits heated from the fires of the neighbouring hammam (public baths)

 

Whole lambs are raised from beneath the floor at lunchtime, then chunks are simply served in paper with fresh bread and cumin.

Mechoui lamb emerges from the steam pit

Mechoui lamb emerges from the steam pit

Mechoui piping hot is sold by weight in half kilo chunks

Mechoui piping hot is sold by weight in half kilo chunks

Mechoui (slow cooked lamb) mmmmh!

Mechoui (slow cooked lamb) mmmmh!

Deliciously tender and a perfect early lunch to set you up to feast on the excesses of medina life!

Thankfully the lamb was lovely and tender, so we didn’t need to avail ourselves of the second-hand teeth and dentures stall. We weren’t sure if the forceps were for pulling new stock or fitting the old ones!

Dentures for sale, or just single teeth if you prefer - forceps at the ready for fitting or exchange!

Dentures for sale, or just single teeth if you prefer – forceps at the ready for fitting or exchange!

In many ways life has barely changed in the square and medina. The Photography Museum exhibits from the early 20th century look strikingly similar to our ExtraordinaryPlaces exhibits from a century later.

A timeless place - this photo was taken in March 2014

A timeless place – this photo was taken in March 2014

And this photo was taken nearly a hundred years before

And this photo was taken nearly a hundred years before

The dress maybe more traditional, but the similarities are vivid in this image from the Photography Museum

The dress maybe more traditional, but the similarities are vivid in this image from the Photography Museum

 

The dress may be modern, but the street is unchanged

The dress may be modern, but the street is unchanged

 

There is so much more to see, so sit back and enjoy the show!

 

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First impressions of Morocco

 

We have never been to Morocco – we had lots of ideas of what it might be like, had read many stories, but we didn’t expect what we got…

We had been looking forward to breaking out the tent again after many weeks in the casita and house sitting and had imagined warm winter sun  gently caressing  Chubby Coleman, our big old tent left long under wraps.

This was the picture in our heads:

The sun sets and seagulls swarm over the Essaouira media

The sun sets and seagulls swarm over the Essaouira medina

 

What we got was torrential rain, lightening and thunder. We stayed two nights at our first camp, thinking it would blow over, then packed up between rain clouds and headed south – to the sun, right? Nope. More days of torrential rain, damp tent and to top it all – two punctured airbeds and a dead computer. Nothing exciting or exotic about any of that! Moulay Bousleham is next to a lagoon, which fills with migrating flamingoes in the spring, unfortunately the lagoon seemed more intent on filling the campsite during our flying visit!

Camp breakfast after it had dried out in Moulay Bouselham

Camp breakfast after it had dried out in Moulay Bouselham

Moulay Bouselham lagoon, with the Atlantic surf on the horizon

Moulay Bouselham lagoon, with the Atlantic surf on the horizon

The gaint strawberry mosque at Moulay Bouselham

The gaint strawberry mosque at Moulay Bouselham

Admittedly, the inexplicable giant strawberry outside the mosque did make us laugh, but even the sheep that were herded past our tent for morning and evening feeds – which we also did not expect to see – seemed unimpressed by the relentless rain.

Sheep are herded through the campsite twice a day

Sheep are herded through the campsite twice a day

Even the sheep thought the camp at Moulay Bouselham was too muddy

Even the sheep thought the camp at Moulay Bouselham was too muddy

Eventually we managed to catch a break in the rain, packed a soggy Chubby into the car and headed south again.

By the time we got to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, the rain was becoming just a memory and the ancient stones of the Rabat kasbah and necropolis glowed in the sunshine. The blue and white walls and doors of the kasbah are beautiful and worth a visit to the city for that alone.

White, blue and a touch of red, Rabat kasbah

White, blue and a touch of red, Rabat kasbah

Tiles and pots in Rabat kasbah

Tiles and pots in Rabat kasbah

The multi-coloured Rabat medina

The multi-coloured Rabat medina

The kasbah at Rabat

The kasbah at Rabat

Painted doorway, Rabat kasbah

Painted doorway, Rabat kasbah

Cats have it easy in the Rabat kasbah

Cats have it easy in the Rabat kasbah

Hitching a ride

Hitching a ride

 

Entrance to a mosque in Rabat kasbah - the sign says Mulims only

Entrance to a mosque in Rabat kasbah – the sign says Mulims only

Hand made door decor in Rabat kasbah

Hand made door decor in Rabat kasbah

Silver and blue doorway, Rabat kasbah

Silver and blue doorway, Rabat kasbah

Rabat kasbah from across the river

Rabat kasbah from across the river

Studded door in Rabat kasbah

Studded door in Rabat kasbah

The ancient necropolis – once a Roman settlement – on the edge of the city is a fascinating place and home to countless clacking storks, but Geoff got a stalk of a different kind – a double dose!

The necropolis at Rabat, complete with storks nest

The necropolis at Rabat, complete with storks nest

The remains of beautiful mosiacs can still be seen at the Rabat necropolis

The remains of beautiful mosiacs can still be seen at the Rabat necropolis

Stalking Geoff - how not to get hired as a guide

Stalking Geoff – how not to get hired as a guide

Stalking Geoff - it's okay if you are a cat

Stalking Geoff – it’s okay if you are a cat

Stalking Geoff - The necropolis cat wins!JPG

Stalking Geoff – The necropolis cat wins!

green door at the necropolis

Green door at the necropolis

The Hassan Tower in the centre of the city is also a sight to see, set as it is amongst more ancient Roman ruins and guarded by elegant horsemen.

The Hassan Tower among the Roman coloumns in Rabat

The Hassan Tower among the Roman columns in Rabat

Guarding Hassan Tower, Rabat

Guarding Hassan Tower, Rabat

 

From Rabat, again we have pushed south, toward Casablanca. Is there any other city that so immediately evokes thoughts of Hollywood glamour and excitement? We turned to fellow travellers on the internet for some insider wisdom on the best places to visit.  “Do Not Go To Casablanca” was the overwhelming message from almost every review we read. The only thing worth visiting is the Hassan II mosque. Built only a couple of decades ago, in just six years, to honour the dying King, it is one of the largest mosques in the world. Twenty-five thousand devotees can be housed inside and a further 75,000 outside.

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca in the pouring rain

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca in the pouring rain

Just a fraction of the massive Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

Just a fraction of the massive Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

Massive windows in the distance at the Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

Massive windows in the distance at the Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

Looking across the width of the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, with the women's balcony above

Looking across the width of the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, with the women’s balcony above

Geoff at the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca. King Hassan decreed non-Muslims should be allowed inside

Geoff at the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca. King Hassan decreed non-Muslims should be allowed inside

Ceiling decoration and crystal chandeliers in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

Ceiling decoration and crystal chandeliers in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

Titanium doors on the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Titanium doors on the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Wooden roof and Venetian crystal chandelier at the Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

Wooden roof and Venetian crystal chandelier at the Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

 

The columns are made partly of eggshells to absorb the damp from the hamman below the Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

The columns are made partly of eggshells to absorb the damp from the hamman below the Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

The yet-to-be used public baths below Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

The yet-to-be used public baths below Hassan II mosque, Casablanca

It is perhaps true that the only thing worth seeing in Casablanca is the Hassan II mosque, if you are a tourist. Its sheer scale is very impressive, but we have seen more beauty in other buildings. Casablanca itself it simply a very large city – not geared for tourism or visuals feasts. Suckered by Hollywood again!

So onward and further south we have pressed, driving for most of the afternoon past donkey carts, sheep and cattle herders, shepherds, farmers and all points in between.

Hard to decide which one looks more composed

Hard to decide which one looks more composed

Brightly coloured baskets for sale along the road

Brightly coloured baskets for sale along the road

A splash of colour in the mud

A splash of colour in the mud

A roadside chat

A roadside chat

Lady donkey driver

Lady donkey driver

Leading the way, even though he's being ignored!

Leading the way, even though he’s being ignored!

Morocco is marred by endless garbage

Morocco is marred by endless garbage

Ploughing the unforgiving landscape

Ploughing the unforgiving landscape

Shepherdess

Shepherdess

Striding out with purpose (and bucket)

Striding out with purpose (and bucket)

Tangine top hat

Tangine top hat

The long day's journey

The long day’s journey

The look in his eye says it all… the horse's eye, that it is!

The look in his eye says it all… the horse’s eye, that it is!

The sheep herder

The sheep herder

Three ladies by the roadside

Three ladies by the roadside

Two children and a wheelbarrow

Two children and a wheelbarrow

Woman in red buggy

Woman in red buggy

A well-earned rest

A well-earned rest

 

We landed in Essaouira – a fishing town beloved by surfers in the summer season and a rather chilled and easy place out of season. Those surf-making winds can be rough this time of year though and we had to hang on to Chubby the tent as it was buffeted every which way as we put it up.  A tour around town found a wonderful local metal fabricator who, after we had stumbled through our basic French and waved our one remaining tent peg in the air,  stopped what he was doing to bend and bang out twelve new heavy-duty  pegs on the spot. Chubby is now tight as a drum.

It was no problem for him to stop what he was doing and cut us 12 new tent pegs to battle the Esaouira winds

It was no problem for him to stop what he was doing and cut us 12 new tent pegs to battle the Esaouira winds

Health and safety be damned - this is how we roll in Morocco!

Health and safety be damned – this is how we roll in Morocco!

Made on the spot, with a cheery smile and a 7 euro bill for 12 new pegs

Made on the spot, with a cheery smile and a 7 euro bill for 12 new pegs

Our brand new, hand-made tent pegs

Our brand new, hand-made tent pegs

 

With Chubby pegged down we were free to explore the sights, smells and colour of the Essaouira medina and port – what a feast for the senses!

Women in Essaouira port

Women in Essaouira port

The olive seller in Essaouira medina

The olive seller in Essaouira medina

The carpet seller in Essaouira medina

The carpet seller in Essaouira medina

The boat and the battlements of Essaouira

The boat and the battlements of Essaouira

The blue boats in Essaouira harbour

The blue boats in Essaouira harbour

Souvenirs for sale at the Essaouira medina

Souvenirs for sale at the Essaouira medina

Slippers for sale, Essaouira medina

Slippers for sale, Essaouira medina

Pots of dye in Essaouira medina

Pots of dye in Essaouira medina

Night time at the Essaouira medina

Night time at the Essaouira medina

Boat builders of Essaouira

Boat builders of Essaouira

Camels on the beach at Essaouira

Camels on the beach at Essaouira

Lamps and drapes in the Essaouira medina

Lamps and drapes in the Essaouira medina

 

We are beginning to settle into Moroccan life – and even Moroccan driving!

You name it, they'll drive it

You name it, they’ll drive it

Overtaking Moroccan style - four at a time

Overtaking Moroccan style – four at a time

Hay bale hold-up

Hay bale hold-up

We hope to spend some weeks in this new country – exploring the deserts and mountains, coasts and oases – we hope you will come along for the ride.