Last month I went on holiday to Marrakech for just over a fortnight with my Mum, Step-Dad and sister and although travel writing isn't really my style, I thought I'd give it a go, so here goes...
DAY 1 (4th July)
There was no time difference between Marrakech and the UK so there was no jetlag to recover from, but we were all extremely tired, especially after queing to go through immigration for what seemed like hours! We arrived at the hotel - Hotel Riu Tikida Garden, in the early hours of the morning. On the short coach journey from the airport to the hotel, (bearing in mind it was around midnight), it was so intriguing to see so many people, but in particular children, roaming the streets. Witnessing families of up to four squeezed on to one motorcycle without any form of protection didn't seem all that strange having seen similar when I visited Sri Lanka a couple of years ago. However, seeing a childs' fairground operating at gone midnight and children actually on the rides was completely bizarre to say the least.
Groups upon groups of young people seemed to congregate on the grass verges directly next to the roads. For those that know Canterbury, this was pretty much the equivalent to the set up of the Dane John Gardens. Street vendors were just packing up or still doing business, which was beyond me because all I wanted to do was sleep. Overall, the landscape was barren and in some areas desolate, but the people made the area seem full of energy and life. Once the hotel was in our sights, it felt as though we were being greeted by a grand entrance.
We were driven through the gates and followed the long driveway to the main entrance. This was magnificent and really emphasised the Moroccan culture displayed on the journey in the form of traditional brick buildings. Inside, the equisite patterns displayed on the decor and the fountain positioned in the centre of the main lobby made me feel completely at peace with my home for the duration of my stay.
The staff couldn't have been more accommodating and got us checked in quickly, after which dinner was offered to us. It was 1am by this point, but none of us had eaten for a good while so we kindly accepted. We were shown to our rooms and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep.
After waking up, we spent the rest of the day lazing by the pool, basking in the sun, eating and drinking. Of course though, I managed to get burnt even after being lathered in sun cream!
As the evening approached, we chose to watch the African Show that was being performed in one of the bars at the hotel. This consisted of drumming, dancing, singing and fire breathing. The culture of North Africa was really brought to life and it was hypnotizing to watch.
DAY 2 (5th July)
The day started with a rushed breakfast due to spilling a glass of water over my iPod during the night which had the alarm set on it...typical me! We then spent the whole day on a trip discovering
Marrakech. The areas we visited were the Bahia Palace, the Mosque, a Moroccan museum, the Souks (narrow side streets filled with market stalls), the old Medina (market square) and Djemaa El Fna Square.
This trip was so insightful and being able to explore the Morrocan culture was incredibly thought-provoking. The immaculate brick work and colours that surrounded us highlighted the attention to detail. The condition of the streets and some of the animals roaming around had a lot to be desired for, but oddly what I considered as "negatives" were all part of the aesthetic of the country and by miles was the country breathtaking.
The enclosed space of the markets was claustrophobic, but stunning too and although the majority of souvenirs on offer to buy weren't that different to items that could be bought from home, there was something unique about their appearance. The variations of lights on display reminded me of the light section in Homebase, just much bigger and far more beautiful.
Lunch was held in a restauraunt in a hidden backstreet. I really got a feel for the country while eating here due to the miniature furniture...I may as well have been eating off of my hands and knees, which is kind of how I imagined the eating arrangement to be like! The food served was delicious and bright with colour. The starter consisted of rice, mint yoghurt dressing and a variety of vegetables accompanied with bread. After eating this I was quite full, but food kept arriving at our table. Chicken, spring rolls with different fillings and vegetable tagine was placed on our table. This was followed by a huge plate of watermelon. The food was stunning, but hard to describe; fresh, herby (not quite spicy), colourful and delicious. That pretty much sums it up.
Another trek through the markets lead us to a Chemist where we were given a talk on all the medicinal herbs, remedies and medicines that the country offers. This, in addition to the difference in price for products in the UK was immense. For a huge amount of saffron (the spice), it cost 195 dirham; the equivalent to £16/£17, which is insanely less than the cost of it in the UK.
We ended the day with a look around the "Big Square" (market) which was classed as our free time. Person after person wanted to sell us sunglasses, paintings, henna, sit monkeys on us, show us their snake charming skills and we, of course, walked by and said "no, thank you" repeatedly.
One of the many cafes overlooking the square was where we ended up next and it was magical seeing everything from above while sipping a mint tea (the traditional drink). This was really the only place to take photos without being hassled as if people/their stalls are photographed , they want paying. We made our way back to the coach and arrived back at the hotel just in time for a nap before dinner.
DAY 3 (6th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 4 (7th July)
By Friday, we had decided that we wanted to see more of the country, so we got the free shuttle bus
from outside the hotel at 11am (after a late breakfast) and took a 15 minute drive in the blissful air conditioned mini bus to the outskirts of town. We walked for 30-40 minutes , using the La Koutoubia as a
marking to prevent us from getting lost. This walk took us through some lovely gardens which supposedly had free wi-fi, although our phones connected to it but the connection was too poor to work. Eventually we arrived in the town and were collered again to buy sim cards, paintings, sunglasses, tissues etc. We wandered round the market square and then went to the "Cafe de France" for a drink and sat on the rooftop admiring the view. This was perfect because the cafe was positioned in the centre of the market
square, creating a panoramic picture of our surroundings.
Neither my Mum or sister particularly liked the Souks due to how narrow and crowded they were, so my Step-Dad and I decided to go on our own while they stayed in one of the many cafes. We ended up buying a couple of gifts for friends and family after chatting to one of the stall holders that we had met on the Wednesday who decided I looked similar to Shakira/Angelena Jolie and my Step-Dad, James Bond... After almost getting lost, we chose to head back to find my Mum and sister, however we couldn't see them anywhere. Roughly 45 minutes passed as we circled the market in a bid to find them and even-though we had looked in a particular cafe several times, we ended up finding them on the rooftop sat at the very back. Apparently they had both spotted us from above but we didn't look panicked so they didn't shout... A long trek back to the shuttle bus waiting point led us to make friends with a little girl who didn't know what chicken was in English (she was showing us a leaflet for the KFC next to us). We also showed her how to hi-five, which she did so quite hard so I'm sure her Mother was delighted when she showed her what she had learnt. It was brought to our attention from passers by handing the pair money, that they were in fact begging. Hind sight can be a wonderful thing.
The shuttle bus picked us up at 3:15pm and took us back to the hotel where a nap was long overdue.
DAY 5 (8th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 6 (9th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 7 (10th July)
We had planned to visit the gardens of Marrakech, but not enough people had booked the trip so it was postponed till the Saturday.
Instead, another day of heat, swimming, sun bathing, eating and drinking was endured. My sister isn't that keen on lazing around a pool when on holiday, so her, my Mum and I decided to utilisise the tennis and badminton courts, which was an incredibly hilarious and sweaty choice of activity in 35+ degree heat. Mum and I also took to doing step aerobics on the slippery tiles by the pool, using tiny steps (dangerous, I know), but once we had gotten over the other holiday makers watching us, it wasn't so bad.
DAY 8 (11th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 9 (12th July)
We went on the Berber 4 by 4 trip, which was a full day trip to see the Atlas mountains and visit the Berber villages. The day started with being picked up at 8:20am and driving for a short while before a quick briefing from our guide, Yousef. As we were in the first car, we had Yousef with us throughout the day which was great, as we could ask him any questions we had. Following the briefing, we visited a pottery shop where we witnessed the pottery being made and saw the kiln.
After looking round the shop, we continued on our drive and started going up the Atlas mountains. Our next stop was in one of the valleys to take photos and then we drove to the Berber village where we got to look round a familys home and were served mint tea and homemade barley bread with olive oil. Although the house was very basic, it had all the essentials and three generations of the family inhabited the property.
More driving and more stopping for photos lead us to a solid 45 minute drive, where we passed through several villages before arriving at a restauraunt for lunch in Imlul. By this point we were 1800 metres up the mountain and close to the summit, which had snow on the top of it, even in the unbearably hot conditions. As close as we were to it, we were told that it would take 7 hours to walk to it from where we were. We stopped off in the valleys a couple of times on the way back and were back at the hotel by 4pm.
DAY 10 (13th July)
My Mum really wanted to see the cascades of Ouzoud; the second biggest waterfall in Africa, so we
booked a trip to see it. This involved an early start and so we were picked up at 7:15am and then took a 2 1/2 coach journey to the waterfall, with a stop half way. Once there, we walked 600 odd steps down to the foot of the waterfall.
Barbery apes made an appearance which made the trip extra special and it was so nice to see them not chained up as we had previously seen in the market square.
At the foot of the waterfall we took a raft directly to the waterfall where we got very wet, which we all appreciated as it was about 49 degrees. The experience was incredible because of how close
we were able to get to the waterfall. Following this, we had some free time so we walked to a viewing platform to see the waterfall from a different height. We then continued walking back up the steps, made a quick stop for ice-cream (important) and then went to view the waterfall and general surroundings from a different angle. An hour drive in the air-conditioned coach (also important) took us to our lunch stop, although everyone was so worn out from the heat that no-one was really hungry. We drove for roughly 15 minutes after lunch to view a natural tunnel and we were able to walk down some steps to get very close to it. 1 1/2 hours later, we were back at the hotel.
DAY 11 (14th July)
The day was spent lazing around the hotel, but "Marrakech by night" was next on the trip list. At about 8:45pm we were picked up by coach and drove to where the calesh's (horses and carriages) were waiting for us.
We travelled through parts of the new and old areas of Marrakech, ending in the big square. We walked to a cafe where we had a drink and got to view the market from the rooftop. After this, we were free to wander through the market at our leisure. The food sellers hassled us, claiming they could offer us ASDA/Aldi prices, that there food was finger licking good and insisting that my Mum, sister and I were too skinny and needed feeding. The amount of times the words we had to say "no" was crazy. It's strange to think that in the UK, if shop employees addressed their customers with "oi lady" or shouted "hello, hello" or even "exscuse me ginger" (even though my sister has red hair), it would be considered rude, but in Marrakech it was completely normal due to their way of dealing with tourism being completely different to ours.
DAY 12 (15th July)
We took a 1/2 day trip to see a couple of the gardens that Marrakech has to offer. The first was The Menara gardens, which was basically just a massive reservoir with locks around it to control the irrigation. Following this, we experienced another calesh ride, but this time by day, so the street life was a little different , but if anything, less busy than it was at night.
We travelled to the Jardin Majorelle gardens which contained a few ponds and a wide variety of plant life. They happened to be cutting down an old palm tree when we visited so a man with a bare feet had scaled the tree and attached a harness to himself and the tree next to the one he was cutting down in order to remove the dead leaves.
DAY 13 (16th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 14 (17th July)
It was our last day and checkout was at 11am, with our pick up from the hotel due to be at 8:30pm. This meant we had a full day to sunbathe, swim and enjoy the food and drink available before heading home. However, we later found out that our flight was delayed and was not till 3:25am, so collection from the hotel was moved to midnight. This wasn't a massive issue, nor could it be helped, it just meant that we were more tired and got home later.
After landing back on homeground, collecting our luggage etc., we drove home with a stop at the services where a much needed coffee was had.
I hope that this gave you an idea of the fabulous holiday that I had and taught you a little bit about the beautiful country of Marrakech.
Dotty
X
DAY 1 (4th July)
There was no time difference between Marrakech and the UK so there was no jetlag to recover from, but we were all extremely tired, especially after queing to go through immigration for what seemed like hours! We arrived at the hotel - Hotel Riu Tikida Garden, in the early hours of the morning. On the short coach journey from the airport to the hotel, (bearing in mind it was around midnight), it was so intriguing to see so many people, but in particular children, roaming the streets. Witnessing families of up to four squeezed on to one motorcycle without any form of protection didn't seem all that strange having seen similar when I visited Sri Lanka a couple of years ago. However, seeing a childs' fairground operating at gone midnight and children actually on the rides was completely bizarre to say the least.
Groups upon groups of young people seemed to congregate on the grass verges directly next to the roads. For those that know Canterbury, this was pretty much the equivalent to the set up of the Dane John Gardens. Street vendors were just packing up or still doing business, which was beyond me because all I wanted to do was sleep. Overall, the landscape was barren and in some areas desolate, but the people made the area seem full of energy and life. Once the hotel was in our sights, it felt as though we were being greeted by a grand entrance.
We were driven through the gates and followed the long driveway to the main entrance. This was magnificent and really emphasised the Moroccan culture displayed on the journey in the form of traditional brick buildings. Inside, the equisite patterns displayed on the decor and the fountain positioned in the centre of the main lobby made me feel completely at peace with my home for the duration of my stay.The staff couldn't have been more accommodating and got us checked in quickly, after which dinner was offered to us. It was 1am by this point, but none of us had eaten for a good while so we kindly accepted. We were shown to our rooms and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep.
After waking up, we spent the rest of the day lazing by the pool, basking in the sun, eating and drinking. Of course though, I managed to get burnt even after being lathered in sun cream!
As the evening approached, we chose to watch the African Show that was being performed in one of the bars at the hotel. This consisted of drumming, dancing, singing and fire breathing. The culture of North Africa was really brought to life and it was hypnotizing to watch.
The day started with a rushed breakfast due to spilling a glass of water over my iPod during the night which had the alarm set on it...typical me! We then spent the whole day on a trip discovering
Another trek through the markets lead us to a Chemist where we were given a talk on all the medicinal herbs, remedies and medicines that the country offers. This, in addition to the difference in price for products in the UK was immense. For a huge amount of saffron (the spice), it cost 195 dirham; the equivalent to £16/£17, which is insanely less than the cost of it in the UK.
We ended the day with a look around the "Big Square" (market) which was classed as our free time. Person after person wanted to sell us sunglasses, paintings, henna, sit monkeys on us, show us their snake charming skills and we, of course, walked by and said "no, thank you" repeatedly.
One of the many cafes overlooking the square was where we ended up next and it was magical seeing everything from above while sipping a mint tea (the traditional drink). This was really the only place to take photos without being hassled as if people/their stalls are photographed , they want paying. We made our way back to the coach and arrived back at the hotel just in time for a nap before dinner.
DAY 3 (6th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 4 (7th July)
By Friday, we had decided that we wanted to see more of the country, so we got the free shuttle bus
marking to prevent us from getting lost. This walk took us through some lovely gardens which supposedly had free wi-fi, although our phones connected to it but the connection was too poor to work. Eventually we arrived in the town and were collered again to buy sim cards, paintings, sunglasses, tissues etc. We wandered round the market square and then went to the "Cafe de France" for a drink and sat on the rooftop admiring the view. This was perfect because the cafe was positioned in the centre of the market
square, creating a panoramic picture of our surroundings.Neither my Mum or sister particularly liked the Souks due to how narrow and crowded they were, so my Step-Dad and I decided to go on our own while they stayed in one of the many cafes. We ended up buying a couple of gifts for friends and family after chatting to one of the stall holders that we had met on the Wednesday who decided I looked similar to Shakira/Angelena Jolie and my Step-Dad, James Bond... After almost getting lost, we chose to head back to find my Mum and sister, however we couldn't see them anywhere. Roughly 45 minutes passed as we circled the market in a bid to find them and even-though we had looked in a particular cafe several times, we ended up finding them on the rooftop sat at the very back. Apparently they had both spotted us from above but we didn't look panicked so they didn't shout... A long trek back to the shuttle bus waiting point led us to make friends with a little girl who didn't know what chicken was in English (she was showing us a leaflet for the KFC next to us). We also showed her how to hi-five, which she did so quite hard so I'm sure her Mother was delighted when she showed her what she had learnt. It was brought to our attention from passers by handing the pair money, that they were in fact begging. Hind sight can be a wonderful thing.
The shuttle bus picked us up at 3:15pm and took us back to the hotel where a nap was long overdue.
DAY 5 (8th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 6 (9th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 7 (10th July)
We had planned to visit the gardens of Marrakech, but not enough people had booked the trip so it was postponed till the Saturday.
Instead, another day of heat, swimming, sun bathing, eating and drinking was endured. My sister isn't that keen on lazing around a pool when on holiday, so her, my Mum and I decided to utilisise the tennis and badminton courts, which was an incredibly hilarious and sweaty choice of activity in 35+ degree heat. Mum and I also took to doing step aerobics on the slippery tiles by the pool, using tiny steps (dangerous, I know), but once we had gotten over the other holiday makers watching us, it wasn't so bad.
DAY 8 (11th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 9 (12th July)
We went on the Berber 4 by 4 trip, which was a full day trip to see the Atlas mountains and visit the Berber villages. The day started with being picked up at 8:20am and driving for a short while before a quick briefing from our guide, Yousef. As we were in the first car, we had Yousef with us throughout the day which was great, as we could ask him any questions we had. Following the briefing, we visited a pottery shop where we witnessed the pottery being made and saw the kiln.
More driving and more stopping for photos lead us to a solid 45 minute drive, where we passed through several villages before arriving at a restauraunt for lunch in Imlul. By this point we were 1800 metres up the mountain and close to the summit, which had snow on the top of it, even in the unbearably hot conditions. As close as we were to it, we were told that it would take 7 hours to walk to it from where we were. We stopped off in the valleys a couple of times on the way back and were back at the hotel by 4pm.
My Mum really wanted to see the cascades of Ouzoud; the second biggest waterfall in Africa, so we
we were able to get to the waterfall. Following this, we had some free time so we walked to a viewing platform to see the waterfall from a different height. We then continued walking back up the steps, made a quick stop for ice-cream (important) and then went to view the waterfall and general surroundings from a different angle. An hour drive in the air-conditioned coach (also important) took us to our lunch stop, although everyone was so worn out from the heat that no-one was really hungry. We drove for roughly 15 minutes after lunch to view a natural tunnel and we were able to walk down some steps to get very close to it. 1 1/2 hours later, we were back at the hotel.DAY 11 (14th July)
The day was spent lazing around the hotel, but "Marrakech by night" was next on the trip list. At about 8:45pm we were picked up by coach and drove to where the calesh's (horses and carriages) were waiting for us.
DAY 12 (15th July)
We took a 1/2 day trip to see a couple of the gardens that Marrakech has to offer. The first was The Menara gardens, which was basically just a massive reservoir with locks around it to control the irrigation. Following this, we experienced another calesh ride, but this time by day, so the street life was a little different , but if anything, less busy than it was at night.
We travelled to the Jardin Majorelle gardens which contained a few ponds and a wide variety of plant life. They happened to be cutting down an old palm tree when we visited so a man with a bare feet had scaled the tree and attached a harness to himself and the tree next to the one he was cutting down in order to remove the dead leaves.
DAY 13 (16th July)
Lazy day.
DAY 14 (17th July)
It was our last day and checkout was at 11am, with our pick up from the hotel due to be at 8:30pm. This meant we had a full day to sunbathe, swim and enjoy the food and drink available before heading home. However, we later found out that our flight was delayed and was not till 3:25am, so collection from the hotel was moved to midnight. This wasn't a massive issue, nor could it be helped, it just meant that we were more tired and got home later.
After landing back on homeground, collecting our luggage etc., we drove home with a stop at the services where a much needed coffee was had.
I hope that this gave you an idea of the fabulous holiday that I had and taught you a little bit about the beautiful country of Marrakech.
Dotty
X
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