TRAVEL RECAP: MARRAKECH PART 1

Marrakech DAY 1:
Our first night in Marrakech had been mostly uneventful. We landed at around 6pm, but unfortunately got caught in a customs rush at the airport and didn’t make it out of the airport until 2 hours later. We knew we just wanted to pass out and so we proceeded to do just that at the ZamZam Riad.

Day 1 was exploration day, which also means no itinerary day. Since we had a total of 4 full days in Marrakech, we had the luxury of an exploration day. This is a day to get your bearings, a day to recoup from travel and just get lost a little.  I’m so glad when we get a chance to do this. I usually don’t take a lot of pics on day 1, as I’m really just taking it all in and making mental and digital notes about streets, shops, parks I want to return to.

CHAOTIC- is all I could say by the time we made it back to our hotel.  2 lovely British couples were staying there and we spent the evening talking about our experiences walking through the streets, totally and completely getting lost in no named streets but thankfully being saved by Google Maps; the different tactics the shop owners use to get you to notice them and their wares.  Here’s a sampling of what I believe where attempts to grab my attention:  Hey Chocolate, Cameroon (yes they got that one right), Rasta, Bob Marley (I think this was for the hubby), America, Obama…

Marrakech Day 2:
The itinerary comprised of Jardin Majorelle, Ben Youssef Madrassa, Chabi Chic shopping and food at Nomad.

Well, what a difference a day makes. What I described as chaotic on Day 1 was already growing on me. I didn’t feel so lost and confused, the alleys that were once confusing were already so much more familiar. I didn’t even have to look at my phone to make my way back to the Riad. You should know that many young kids and some older people can easily tell the tourists apart. If you don’t want to be followed and charged for location services, then do you best to avoid looking like your lost/confused. We had a small incident where we needed a minute to get our bearings and that was more than enough to get caught in the scam. Immediately, 2 young men were like what are you looking for? Let us help you. We tried our darndest to say we were fine and we got it. Alas, it was too late, they helped us “locate” our riad which was literally about 15 feet from where we were standing and then proceeded to request payment for the service. Oh well, lesson learned, from that point on, we always made sure to look uber confident wherever we went.

Marrakech Day 3:
We had to switch hotels, so we packed up and headed to the Royal Mansour. The Mansour’s location is closer to the Jemaa El Fnaa Square as well as the Bahia Palace, so we knew we had to make both happen. More on our stay at the Mansour in another post – too much to share.

By Day 3, I was looking to start making purchases. I had a better idea of prices at the souk, the negotiating tactics necessary to get a deal and I knew I had to speak French if I wanted that deal. Funny thing, English speaking tourists get charged the highest- I wonder what the reason for that is- might be an assumption that they have money- the British pound is still going strong.

TO BE CONTINUED…   For now watch Video Below – change the setting to 1080p on the wheel thingy for best quality.