Day Twelve - Marrakesh

Day  Twelve

Date:     9 May 2013

Place:    Marrakesh

Weather:   Sunny and very hot

Accommodation:   Hotel Lakhiti

The hotel proved to be more comfortable than I thought would be possible and I had a pretty good night’s sleep.  Breakfast of bread, jam, pancakes, coffee and tea was served in the central courtyard.  Our sick companion made it to breakfast and was feeling quite a bit better however he was having a quiet day around the hotel to ensure a good recovery.

Another guide called Said was given the task of taking our tour group around the medina and souk.  The medina is not far from the hotel and we joined the shop-owners opening up for the day.

It was a fun morning trying not to be road-kill with the donkeys, hand-pulled wagons and motor bikes!  There was a vast array of good for sale including scarves (yes!), kaftans, iron ware, leather goods, shoes……and on and on and on!  There was no time for shopping however as we were herded along en-masse discovering Marrakesh.

Our tour guide showed us all the different goods on sale.....made a great difference to our understanding

We need to do this.....recycled rubber tyres made into barrels, photo frames, shoes etc.

Mind your toes!

Spoilt for choice!



Intricate plaster work....takes two hours for one square.

 

We emerged from the alleys (there are about 4000) to the central square of The Djemaa el Fna which was established over a thousand years ago.  This morning it presented a different picture as only the fruit stalls were there, a few women with the henna for the hands and many vehicles making their way across to the souk.

Our first visit for the day was The Royal Palace which is open to the public.  It previously housed the prime minister, his four wives and his twenty-four concubine.  The tiles and plaster work was very ornate and the intricately decorated cedar ceiling made it a very beautiful place to visit.

The Royal Palace.....the home of the former prime minister.

 

The museum of Marrakesh offered a reprieve from the midday sun and we wandered in and out of rooms with displays of silver jewellery, pottery, clothing and daggers.  The central area was very vast with two fountains.  The group sat together enjoying a tea, coffee and a good sit down!

Next on our itinerary was a visit to the spice shop including the selling of argan oil.  Two women demonstrated the crushing of the nuts – one with a dark brown mixture using roasted argan nuts and the other with a lighter colour mixture with unroasted nuts.

Demonstrating the crushing of the argan nuts.

A demonstrator and his helpers showed us their creams and potions and after using orange, rose, jasmine, grapefruit etc we smelt better than a prairie rose!  Some of the group, including Cameron and I, had a five minute neck massage.  Yes, of course we bought up big – so I’m expecting big things from my face cream!

It was time for lunch so we walked for another ten minutes in some intense heat to a lovely hotel for some delicious tagines. 

Passed this fellow in the square on the way home selling false teeth!  Business must have been slow as he was fast asleep.

 

We were now on our own.  The lady without the luggage was on the way to the airport to collect her bag……she has been without it for fourteen days!  Some of the tour did a carriage ride however we headed back to the hotel as David has had a bit of an upset tummy and needed a bit of rest. 

We emerged after an afternoon rest to head out for drinks (and found a place that serves alcohol) at 6.30pm.  Our shadow Peregrine group were going out for last night celebrations however with only five in the group, two now ill their celebrations were cut down to three.   It was a little like a Agatha Christie novel:  And then there were three!

Our group of eight (minus David who was resting) then headed over to the main square to the restaurant we had been to the previous evening.  Once again the square lit up and the noise heightened – such an exciting air.

A walk through the souk afterwards proved that we had no sense of direction so after about an hour we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  Marrakesh is a very exciting city!