Tuesday 8 May 2007

Marrakesh - Heart of Morocco

Yesterday evening I took the overnight bus from Fes to Marrakesh - It was scheduled for 20:00 and arrival 8.5 hours later. In Morocco you alwas have to add the word: en'shallah (as God will). The trip was in a modern bus but without heating - After all I have spent 10 hours in a moving freezer. Finally arrived the next challenge was waiting for me. I didn't have a hotel. But it was not a big problem. Because the sun was already out and the streets got busy I found very quick a nice Ibis hotel. The only problem was that Check-in was at 12:00. I decided to check out the city in the early morning - Also a big challenge for me! After walking around i had to rest 2 hours in different parks because I felt quite smashed after two nights with only little sleep.

After having a rest in the hotel I went back to the city - after a nice one hour power walk I've reached the Medina and "La Place" The big square in the old Medina - unique in Morocco. Between hundreds of tourists there have also been many locals to see artists performing (Drums, belly dancing, story telling, snake teasing and so on..). After watching the performances I had a very long walk through the souks (bazaar). I got a little bit lost but after two hours I was back on the square and ready to eat a nice bean soup. After the Internet cafe I will head home and have again a rest. Maybe on the way a mint tea or some coffee.

Tomorrow I plan to travel to Essaouira. This place is located at the Atlantic ocean and should be quite fine. Jimmy Hendrix and Oscar Wild have been there - also some scenes from the movie "Alexander" have been shot there. I'll probably stay there for two days if it's OK. I have to be back in Casablanca at Friday night to catch my plane - en'shallah

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hallo Richie!
schön von dir und deinen Abenteuern zu lesen!
Freu mich schon auf die nächsten Berichte. Kenn die Gegend ein wenig und bin daher sehr neidisch ;.)

Alles liebe, Toni

P.S.: könntest du mir bitte eine kleine Teekanne mitbringen? ganz einfach. Meine ("made in Germany") hab ich wohl etwas zu lange über dem Feuer gelassen.

Erick said...

I love Marrakech, it is a city in the grip of a delirious imagination. A feverish dreamscape of honeycombed alleys and minarets quivering in the moonlight and haunted by the restless creatures of a visionary carnival that has lasted for a thousand years and shows no sign of stopping now. Marrakech is one of the worlds enchanted places where time becomes suspended and, through its open door, you catch a glimpse of the past so rich and so remote and yet so palpable. A cosmopolitan city where houses prices are cheaper than Europe has fuelled a drive in demand for Morocco property due to such a big amount of tourists and foreigners. Marrakech is also fascinating, full of history, the cultural center of Morocco and beautiful. If you enjoy a daily assault on all your senses then you'll have a lot of fun. When the most popular sights include numerous references to "tranquility" and "peace" like the Majorelle gardens or the gardens around the Saadian Tombs you know you're in for an interesting experience. If you find it a little overwhelming then get an official guide to take you around.