Marrakech: Chaotic, Colorful, and Confident

On my 3rd day in Morocco, I went with Abdel (my Moroccan son) to visit Marrakech, about three hours NE of Agadir. It's a city that many people want to visit when they come to Morocco, and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I'll say this now: If you don't mind chaos, loud noises, crowds of people, imminent danger walking down alleys and crossing streets (even in the crosswalks), seeing extreme poverty and not knowing what to do about it, and just general sensory overload, then by all means - Marrakech would be a good place for you to have an adventure.

For the most part, I can tune a lot of those things out, or at least compartmentalize them. The one thing that I truly struggled with was seeing the people who were clearly blind, maimed, deformed, and stricken in various ways, just sitting on the ground with a cup or container of some kind held out in front of them. I didn't have enough money to help them or save them. Even though I said a silent prayer after each person that I passed, it still tore at my heart and I cried later. Twice. It is hard to see people suffering and wish that you could help them or heal them. I thought of Jesus often, even in the crowds, the loudness, and the commotion. I thought of how he would notice the ONE. He would reach out to them. He would communicate to them in their language. He would have compassion on them. And He would heal them. How I wished that He would heal these people, too. 

Abdel had offered me the choice to either go to Marrakech or to Essaouira, both cities being roughly 3 hours away by bus. I did my research back in Italy and decided on Marrakech. Essaouira was another beach town (north of Agadir and directly west of Marrakech), but I already loved Agadir plenty as the beach town that it is. No one talks about Essaouria on their top list of places to visit in Morocco, but Marrakech is always on that wish list.

Abdel and I met on the boardwalk outside my hotel the day before so that we could visit and also plan out our trip. We talked for a long time, sitting in the shade under a tree. It was so good to see him again, after two years, and especially after his harrowing experience during that earthquake last September that caused him to break his ankle. He's recovered now, but I noticed that after he sits for a while, he's a little gimpy when he takes those first few steps, bless his heart.

On the morning of our excursion, I had a good breakfast consisting of an omelette, a crepe, and some fresh fruit. The staff at The View Hotel are amazing. They are full of hospitality and kindness, waiting on you hand and foot. There's the omelette chef, the crepe chef, the guy overseeing the bowls of fruit, etc. There's a hostess to help you be seated at your table, whether it's outside or inside. Someone else will bring you whatever beverage you would like - I always seemed to surprise them with my simple request for bottled water, which they would bring out in a 2-liter bottle to pour some into my glass. 

I am trying to be SO CAREFUL so I don't get E-Coli and Campylobacter again. That one time two years ago was traumatic enough. I am avoiding any beverages that don't come in a bottle or a can. I am choosing hot foods (for the most part) and fruits that need to be peeled in order to be consumed. I am taking some special prebiotics and probiotics, along with Propolis Plus (a supplement with its main ingredient coming from bees - thank you bees - and it is known to be quite powerful in fighting off infections, viruses, etc.) I also have two additional things in store if things go "south": one is called Saccharomyces 10B and the other is a VIP access to Scott's prescription strength anti-diarrhea medication. He never needs it because he has the stomach of an ox. 

But back to the story . . . 

Abdel met me in front of my hotel with a taxi, which we then shared to get over to the bus station which is close to his own neighborhood. 

He was very thorough as he inquired at several bus line windows to see who had the best price and the most direct route to Marrakech. We settled on one that would be leaving shortly for about $15/person (one-way) and was a direct route with no extra stops. I like the money system in Morocco. They use durham as their main currency. 100 durham = 10 USD. 1,000 durham = 100 USD. 330 durham = 33 USD. Basically, you just take a zero off their currency to figure out what it really costs in dollars. There are ATM's all over the place, so you can withdraw money in either euros or durham, although not everyone will take euros here. The one issue is that not many places will take a credit card, so you literally have to have enough cash on you. I wasn't sure how much the bus tickets were going to cost until we got to the station, and I wanted to have enough to be able to get a meal and a bus ride home later as well. It was a challenging guessing game to play in advance . . .

Our tickets gave us assigned seats and I was grateful that the bus also had A/C. No toilet, though. Oh - that reminds me . . . I learned that you need to have your own TP or tissues with you in Morocco because the bathroom stalls do not have anything in there for you. AT ALL. Not even something that might hold some TP if it were available. Just empty walls, a floor, and a toilet. Well, thank goodness I like to be prepared. I happened to have a small bag of tissues in my backpack, so that's what I used. I was grateful that there were sinks and soap in all of the bathrooms that I used. 

 

Abdel pointed out the Argan Trees to me as we drove past several orchards of them. He also told me that there are herds of goats that love to perch in the branches of the argan trees! We kept an eye out for the silly goats up in a tree, but we did not see any. The goats like to eat the fruit - including the "seed" or nut in the center. Eventually, the goats poop out the seeds and then they dry in the sun on the ground. This is not the only method to get the nuts . . . most of the fruit just falls naturally from the trees and then the nuts are harvested by Moroccan women who work together in groups to collect the nuts into baskets.. The excess pulp is often used as feed for cattle. 

Here is a website with the anatomy of the argan fruit: 

https://www.arganfarm.com/argan-tree-history/argan-fruit/

We drove up and through the Atlas Mountains, whose highest peak reaches an astonishing 13,671 feet in elevation. This area was also where the epicenter of the devastating earthquake took place last September 8th. Its effects mostly wreaked havoc in Marrakech, but it was felt for many miles around, including Agadir. The earthquake was registered at 6.8 and 2,960 people were killed because of it. Another 5,674 people were injured, including Abdo.

There were some areas of the Atlas Mountains that reminded me of Southern Utah, Arizona, and even New Mexico.

While we rode along, Abdel and I spoke of many things, incuding our religious beliefs. He wanted to understand more about what is the name of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and how does it relate to the Presbyterians, Catholics, etc. I told him we are a Christian church and we have some similar beliefs, but other doctrines are quite different. I opened up Google Photos on my phone to show him the chart that I took photos of back in January, which lists the beliefs of the 10 major Christian religions. We looked at a few things together, and then I asked him how these doctrines compare to what he believes as a Muslim. 

He believes more in God than in Jesus Christ. He was trying to explain it to me in words, but because his English is limited, he used Google Translate on my phone to share his thoughts better. 

We passed a lot of desert, with tans and browns, but occasionally we passed fields of crops and orchards full of fruit trees (mostly oranges). I saw many man-made pools to collect water. The workers basically form the shape of an above-ground swimming pool, drape it with a black waterproof liner, and then lay tires around the edges to keep it in place. I also saw on the internet that some communities in Morocco have had some success with harvesting fog!! 

Some communites are so far from civilization . . . so I'm not sure what their status is and how well they are thriving . . .

Video as we passed a very small community: (8 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qj58hxMdRRGrCG827

Three hours later, give or take, we arrived at the bus station in Marrakech. The area downtown that Abdel wanted to show me was a 50 minute walk . . . it wasn't until later that I learned why he didn't want us to take a taxi at the start. He wanted me to see the city and experience the vibe on foot. We found a few interesting features to explore that way, whereas in a taxi we would have just flown past everything. 

There was a large park with numerous and interesting sculptures, along with several shade trees . . .

A unique and charming opportunity, if you wish, is to ride in a horse-drawn carriage through some parts of town . . .

One of those special places that we found while on foot was an Artisan "mall" of sorts. They had similar vendors to what you could find in the "souk" market, but here the shops were more spacious and you could see the artisans actually working on their crafts. 

As we wandered through, we found this large weaving room. A lady sitting at her loom invited me over and motioned for me to come sit next to her. She started speaking in French to me, but quickly learned that I only speak English, ha ha. She switched gears impressively fast, and began showing me how to tie a few loops onto this eventual rug. She was very friendly and also very patient.

Video of me trying my hand on her large loom: (15 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bizR6u1eJCkmDGan8

We continued on toward the Medina and the Souk . . .

Abdel told me that this lady was dressed in traditional Berber clothing. She had a display showing how the local argan oil is processed. Abdel explained that as the nuts are pressed, one of the steps is to form "patties". I learned at breakfast in The View hotel that there are two kinds of argan oil: one is for the skin and the body, and the other is for eating - like a good olive oil. 

Video of how Moroccan argan oil is made: (1 minute, 33 seconds)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQqVIXNy3eE

Video as we came into the main square, called Jemaa el Fna: (7 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sYnYXRp8dNCkiJV99

Video of the entire triangular shaped square: (19 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/u7fmk8mTb4FoUGc27

Jemaa el Fna has been a gathering place for vendors and street performers since the 11th century.

As we looked for a place to eat, Abdel pointed out that the scaffolding work (in the photo below) was for what used to be a tall mosque - Kharbouch Mosque. It had toppled down in the recent earthquake, but its restoration is continuing to make progress.

For more information about the mosque following the earthquake, read here:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/10/africa/mosque-earthquake-damage-marrakech-intl/index.html

We chose a French restaurant with a rooftop terrace and shade under their numerous umbrellas for our mid-day resting spot. It was called "Cafe de France". The food was delicious and the service was very good. You can get a 3-course meal for 200 durham (20 USD). The menu is somewhat fixed, with a traditional Moroccan salad as the only "starter" option, and a plate of fresh fruit for dessert. But there are about 10-12 options for the main course, including several traditional tajine dishes (meats and/or vegetables cooked in a lamp-shaped clay pot), and even a few vegetarian options.

Moroccan Salad . . . fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, olives, and cucumbers, with a bit of olive oil.

Tajine chicken, flavored with lemon, and some cooked potatoes surrounding the chicken thigh.

Khubz is the traditional Moroccan bread. I did not eat any, although I really wanted to. Still watching those carbs . . . But Abdel said that Moroccans don't use utensils to eat their tajine or most other meals - they use the bread to grab the meat and vegetables. 

I found this FASCINATING article about the history of bread in Morocco, including details about their community ovens and the men who run them. I think they should make this into a documentary because it was seriously that interesting!

https://www.theperfectloaf.com/the-breads-of-morocco/

This was the dessert that we were served individually. It was simple and yet fabulously delicious: a sliced orange, sprinkled with cinnamon. It was perhaps the sweetest orange I've ever tasted.

After that nice respite from the heat, we were ready to get back into our adventure. I put on a fresh layer of sunscreen, and off we went into the Souk. A Souk is an open-air marketplace with several individual stalls for the vendors who offer their goods, foods, or artisanal crafts for sale. Often, it seems like there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of stalls. 

Video as we walked along, with scooters driving by: (7 seconds) *These scooters weren't nearly as crazy as the several others that we witnessed.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FdSiQoEEJkR7J9fc7

Looking back through my videos later, I thought for sure I had captured some of the craziness of the scooters and bicycles going both directions through the very narrow alleys, but all I had were videos in much wider alleyways instead. I guess it was more important for me to stay alive than to get video footage, ha ha.

I did find this very short clip with some scooters zooming by: (4 seconds) Now just add scooters honking and flying past in both directions, with a lot more people - and you'll be closer to understanding what it was like in some areas.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oXyb3QbxG28HJbae7

Occasionally, I paused for a moment to look up and take notice of a few things higher than all the colorful items for sale. That's when I saw this reinforced hole in the exterior of the building next to us. It appeared to have something like sandbags stuffed into the cavity of the hole, with a heavy-duty screen in front of it. More evidence of the earthquake from last September. 

I found a spice shop that had eucalyptus crystals for my friend Kelly, back in Italy. It was quite the experience . . .

First of all, if you even GLANCE at an item in a shop, the worker practically pounces on you to try to convince you to come in, to try something, to purchase something, etc. They have eyes like a hawk and nothing gets past them.

A worker quickly jumped into action as I pointed to the jar of crystals and mentioned to Abdel that I wondered if those were eucalyptus or not. The worker took the lid off the jar and motioned for me to smell. Yep! Those were the all-powerful eucalyptus crystals alright. Wowza. (A bit like eating a spoonful of wasabi on your sushi, ha ha)

He asked how much did I want and indicated a level with his finger while pointing to a plastic bag. Here? A little more, I said. Here? Yes. 

He took me back to the far end of the shop where the baggie could be weighed. That's when I saw that it was 100 durhams ($10) per gram. So, um, I don't know how much a gram weighs, but I had chosen an amount by sight. Well, it turned out to be roughly 8 grams. Yikes. While Abdel and the man bartered for a better price, I had to quickly decide if I should put some back. I decided to keep the amount because I knew that Kelly wanted a fair amount, and I wanted some, too. 

(*And maybe some of my family members will end up getting some for Christmas . . .)

  

The worker ended up knocking the price down from 830 durhams to 730 because Abdel is Moroccan. Wow. It pays to have friends in high places. :)

After we left the shop, Abdel was clearly rattled. He was upset because he thought it cost way too much and he wanted me to consult more with him beforehand. As we slowly walked along, he made two phone calls to some trusted friends to ask if that was a good price or not. The first phone call did not yield a definitive answer, but the second call did. His friend said that yes, this was a good price for Marrakech. It would have been cheaper in Agadir, but harder to find. Abdel was consoled at this point. I did not realize that he likes to have more context and perspective before making an unfamiliar purchase, but I appreciated his concern for me. He did not want me to get ripped off.  

We continued wandering through the dangerous, crowded, and chaotic alleys of the Souk. I did not have any other items that I wanted to buy, mainly because I did not want to spend all my money in Marrakech. Nor did I want to haul extra items around in my backpack for hours when I was already so hot and sweaty.

These two young men were peeling an entire wagon load of garlic . . . by hand . . .

It was hard to picture all the people sleeping outside for days last September because they were too afraid to sleep in their own homes. But that's what they did.

More cleanup and restoration efforts . . .

Video of two men and their donkey, hauling some building supplies, as I stood reading about a mosque: 

(4 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/7D9vuFRHXEJ8812k6

This mosque is known as the Ben Saleh Mosque and it was built in the 14th century. There is an inscription on an interior monument that says construction began in August 1321. I was not allowed to go inside because I am not Muslim.

As I was reading the signs outside the mosque, the mid-day call to prayer was issued through the mosque's loudspeakers high up in the tower. 

Video of a portion of the call to prayer: (8 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/62wyzAqAdo4TeZg9A

Essentially, the call to prayer says:

Allah is the greatest. (recited 4x) (Allah = God)

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. (recited 2x)

I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. (recited 2x)

Come to prayer. (recited 2x)

Come to success. (recited 2x)

Allah is the greatest. (recited 2x)

There is none worthy of worship except Allah. (recited 2x)

To fully understand what is being said, and to see the Arabic characters, you can click here:

https://www.alislam.org/book/salat/adhan-or-muslim-call-to-prayer/

Abdel explained to me that for Muslims, you essentially have 30 minutes to go find a place to pray in private, after the call has been issued. If you are not able to pray within that time frame, it is not the end of the world. But you should give a very high priority to finding a place to pray at your earliest convenience. He actually brought a small bag with him to Marrakech for the day, but I couldn't tell what was in his bag. I carried it in my backpack all day though, except for when he went to find a private place to pray at the end of our lunch. I don't think it was a rug, but it looked more like a traditional dress to cover his street clothes. It was a light tan color, and looked like a linen fabric.  

Muslims pray in this way five times per day. Before dawn, at roughly 5:00 a.m., mid-day around 1:00 p.m., roughly 5:00 p.m., sunset, and 10:00 p.m. The times are based on the sunrise, sunset, and other factors, so the times change every single day. Something else I noted is that during the "Call to Prayer", everything seems to stop during the song that blares through the loudspeakers of the nearest mosque. All the noise pauses, people generally stop walking and stand still, and it is a refreshingly quiet minute or two.

I loved seeing all the artisanal crafts and clever creations in their stalls throughout the Souk. 

I also loved getting a chance to see the hard-working people of Marrakech, including those who work "behind the scenes". 

Beautiful woven rugs . . . which - if I coulda, I woulda!!

Open-air grocery stores and produce . . .

Beautiful pottery and dishes of all kinds . . .

The sign below describes an ancient Dome near the Souk . . .

It says: "The Almoravid Dome is located next to the Ibn Youssef Mosque in the city of Marrakech, built in 1064 AD. It represents one of the last remains of Almoravid culture in Marrakech. It served as a place for the ablution of worshippers in the mosque of the Almoravid Prince Ali Ibn Youssef, of which this dome was a part, and was demolished following the city's fall to the Almohads in 1130. It remained active for several centuries. Its water supply came from an underground system and was distributed through bronze pipes."

Ablution is a process of washing and cleansing oneself prior to prayer and worship.

One final section of the seemingly neverending alleys of the Souk . . . with animal skins and tanneries for starters . . .

Abdel said that these skins were probably from goats . . .

Dyed wools of several bright and beautiful colors . . .

And somebody is barbecuing ahead . . . YUM.

Shoes of every possible color . . .

Beautifully arranged baskets of spices . . .

I was very sneaky in taking this picture while still walking, ha ha. I didn't even miss a step.

In retrospect, I wish I had bought some of these shoes for my grandchildren while I was in Marrakech. But I didn't know their sizes at the time . . . I did find some shoes a few days later in the Agadir Souk, but they weren't quite as cute as these.

One last historic pitstop before heading back to the bus station . . .

Video of all the horses and carriages lined up, waiting for their next customers: (11 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ieJLM2vSesMmFFiJ8

The Kutubiyya Mosque (also known as the Koutoubia Mosque) is the largest mosque in Marrakech. It was founded in 1147 AD, but an entirely rebuilt version took place in 1158 AD. The minaret (the tall tower where the calls to prayers are issued) was finalized around 1195 AD. It is considered to be a main landmark for Marrakech.

Abdel and me . . . 

Information about the Minaret . . . (click photo to enlarge)

Or here is a larger version . . . (click photo to enlarge)

Information about the first mosque vs. the second mosque . . . (click to enlarge)

Below: Information about the ancient entry gate built in 1071 AD. It was originally for a military Kasbah that was connected to the palace of the Prince Ali. (click photo to enlarge)

Wow. It is unreal to think about how old this stone wall is. Over 1,000 years ago, this place would have been bustling with people, animals, wagons, guards, etc. 

 

That concludes our walkabout throughout the heart of Marrakech. Sweaty and hot, we hailed a taxi to go back to the bus station and head back to Agadir. Abdel slept for most of the way home, bless his heart. He goes to bed so late every night and then gets up so early for prayers at the mosque. It was a quiet and relaxing ride, except for the part that it took over 3 hours . . .

Just as we neared the city limits of Agadir, the bus was stopped for a security check. I have no idea why. I don't know if this is standard or random. I didn't have any identification on me, but I did have a photo of my passport on my phone, so I got that ready. Abdel said not to worry and that most likely I wouldn't need to show it to the police officer. The people sitting in front of us were from Germany and once the officer learned this, he wished them a good day and immediately moved on to our row. 

He checked Abdel's identifcation card and asked if I was with him. Yes, Abdel replied. Where was I from? The United States. Oh, well have a good day, he told me. And then he moved on.

Scott was so happy when we returned to the hotel. I didn't realize just how worried he was the whole day. We made sure that he could track my location the entire time, and I sent lots of photos and updates, which he greatly appreciated. But still, he was visibly relieved that I made it back. 

I am glad that I went to Marrakech because of its rich history and culture. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for Agadir, though, with its much more relaxed vibe. I wouldn't have known the extent of Agadir's charm and peaceful atmosphere if I hadn't gone to Marrakech. 

Would I go again? Probably not.

Would I go to Agadir again? Absolutely.