Travelogue: Marrakesh 2017 - A startling contrast

After spending 3 days and nights enjoying the quiet, natural beauty of the High Atlas Mountains, we concluded our stay in Morocco with 2 nights in Marrakesh. I have to admit, despite the beautiful historic buildings we saw, the noise, the traffic, and the constant hassles of finding your way through the city almost spoiled it for me.

The son of Joseph School

Here's an example. One day, we were trying to find our way to a walled garden that we wanted to see. We were lost and I was about to try using Google Maps on my iPhone to find our way when a man stepped up to us and offered to lead the way. We didn't really want a guide, but we let him lead us. Of course, when we got to the garden, he wanted to be paid. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my change - 5 dirhams. "Not enough," he said. He wanted 20 dirhams. I told him, honestly, that I did not have 20 dirhams. I offered the 5 dirhams again, and when he declined, I went to put the money back in my pocket. "All right," he said in a huff and snatched the coins. He then complained, "It's not right!" (The garden, meanwhile, was closed, and we never did get in to see it.)

Or another example. We wanted to find the Jewish Quarter. We knew we were close, but weren't quite sure if we were going the right way. Suddenly, we entered a square and voila! We were there. We saw the Lazama Synagogue, established in 1492 and took a photo. A young man standing at the end of an alley saw us and rushed over to us. "Yes, yes," he said excitedly. "This is the Jewish Quarter. This is the famous Lazama synagogue." All stuff we knew and had found on our own. He then put out his hand for a tip. But this time, I wasn't even tempted to give him anything.

Our basic strategy, then, was to just keep walking, as if we knew where we were going ... even if we were totally lost, and to firmly say "no" to purported guides and then ignore them if they continued to walk behind us, as they often did. It was just annoying, and I shouldn't have let it bother me. But it did.

We did see some amazing sights there. We had a list of places we wanted to see, and we found them all in a day and a half. The old city is quite compact, though as I've noted above, it's not particularly easy to find your way around.

My favorite site was the El Badi Palace. The palace is more than 400 years old, and the exhibits on display do a good job of conveying the history and significance. It's quite large and it took a long time to go through it. One feature that I found to be interesting was that storks have build nests on top of the ruined walls of the palace, and you can hear the birds squawking while your walking through the ruins.

Storks nesting on the ruins of the El Badi Palace

Another favorite for me was the Saadian Tombs. Unlike the Palace, the Tombs were a relatively short visit during a day of sightseeing. A line of tourists shuffles through a garden, culminating in a chance to view the Tombs, which also are more than 400 years old. In a city with many beautiful mosaics and decorative ceramic tiles, the decor of the Saadian Tombs was breathtaking.

The Saadian Tombs

One of the real pleasures of our stay in Marrakesh was our riad, Les Yeux Bleus (The Blue Eyes). It was a quiet haven (located at the end of a dark alley) amidst the cacophony of the city. Our room was on the ground floor. It was roomy and comfortable with luxurious, modern amenities. The door opened into the main courtyard with a pool surrounded by lounge chairs. Our stay included a very good breakfast on the rooftop patio. The riad was conveniently located for us, walking distance to all of the sights on our list.

The pool courtyard at Riad Les Yeux Bleus

The restaurants where we ate in Marrakesh were good, but not particularly memorable. On our last night, we found one with an upper level dining room overlooking the Jemaa el-Fnaa, the central courtyard and marketplace in the old city. It was a touristy choice, for sure. But from our elevated vantage point, we could observe the snake charmers, musicians, acrobats, and monkey handlers who populate the marketplace.

After breakfast on our last morning in Morocco, we made our way back into the old city to spend our remaining dirhams (which we understood could not be exchanged or taken out of the country). I was looking for a nice leather satchel to carry my electronics and reading material when traveling. After looking in several shops, I found one that suited me. We dickered a little bit over the price. I felt I got it for a fair price, though my wife believes I overpaid.

That purchase used up most of our remaining currency. But on our way out of the market, we stopped into a shop to look at some unique jewelry. My wife found an unusual wooden bracelet with inlaid silver decorations. She really liked it, but it was quite a bit more than what we had left. The merchant was intent on making a sale. We showed him how much money we had. Not nearly enough. "But," he said to my wife, "do you have something in your purse that I could give as a gift to my wife?" Linda opened her purse. She had a lipstick, a sample of cologne, and a nail file. "OK," the merchant said. So Linda got the bracelet for 100 dirhams (basically $10) plus an assortment of cosmetics. And, I had to promise to publicize his shop in my blog.

So here it is: When you are in Marrakesh, be sure to visit Kounouz Gallery d'art & de Bijous, Chez Zekrioui, located at Rue Laksour Tarik sidi El yamani No. 10.

Travelogue: Trekking the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco

A baby goat, 1 day old

We travel for experiences like this. It was Day 2 of our stay at the Kasbah du Toubkal in the High Atlas Mountains. We were on a hike with a guide. As we passed through a Berber village, we came across a woman tending a goat and its kid. The guide asked about it, and the woman told us it was just a day old. The woman asked if my wife would like to hold it. Of course she did. Here's the photo to prove it.

I first read about the Kasbah du Toubkal in 1843, the Economist Magazine's lifestyle supplement. The article was about high altitude lodges and the description of the Kasbah in Morocco captured my imagination. It offered an "off-the-grid" experience (though not literally. We had reliable cell phone service in the Kasbah and on the hiking trails. Wifi was intermittently available, but not very fast or very consistent.). Morocco seemed like an exotic destination but reasonably safe for western travelers. We enjoy mountain hiking. The Kasbah pays attention to environmental sustainability. It also works to enhance the well-being of the local Berber villagers; a 5% charge supports local projects including a program called Education for All which promotes educational opportunities for girls in the region. And, it was reasonably priced.

So it was, shortly after reading the article, as we planned a trip to Europe, I showed my wife the info about the Kasbah and asked if it appealed to her. It did, and we decided to fit it into our itinerary. The package we bought included 3 nights at the Kasbah and 2 nights in Marrakech. It would have been fairly easy to fly to Marrakech from any of the other cities on our itinerary. We opted to do it after our stay in Lisbon.

Discover Ltd. is a British travel agency that specializes in travel to Morocco. It also owns the Kasbah du Toubkal. Our package included transportation during our stay, the room and meals at the Kasbah, and a room in a riad in Marrakech. Our driver met us at the airport, as we expected. The ride to the Kasbah took about an hour. You arrive in the village of Imlil. There your luggage is loaded onto a donkey and you hike up to the Kasbah. (If you don't want to walk, they will provide a donkey for you to ride. But if you're not going to hike, why come to the Atlas Mountains?)

Hiking through a Berber village in Morocco

The Kasbah strives to immerse the traveler in traditional Berber hospitality. When we arrived, we were invited to sit down and have a glass of mint tea and snack on some nuts before being taken to our room. The room, and all of the facilities at the Kasbah, was plain but comfortable. I thought it was consistent with the descriptions I'd read online. My wife thought it was more rustic than she expected.

Our package included breakfast and dinner. Travelers who want lunch generally buy it in Imlil or any of the villages you might be hiking through during the day. We enjoyed the meals at the Kasbah very much. Breakfast was quite hearty. It included bread, cheese, yogurt, fruit, granola, and an omelette, if you so desire. Dinner each night was a tagine. It is a set menu, you don't have any other option. The 3 tagines we had during our stay were chicken, beef, and lamb. On the night they served lamb, the couple seated next to us stated that they don't eat lamb. But they were satisfied with the bread and side dishes (mostly roasted vegetables and couscous) that were served with the tagine.

No alcoholic beverages are available for purchase at the Kasbah, consistent with the prevailing Muslim dietary rules. However, the staff will serve wine to guests at dinner if the guest brings it along. We observed a few of the other guests who did that. Most, like us, did not imbibe.

Each evening after dinner, most guests gather in the Kasbah's library. That's your best bet for connecting to the wifi. They also have a selection of board games (including backgammon) and some books to peruse.

We took a guided hike on each Day 1 and Day 2. On Day 3, we hiked on our own back to one of the villages that we'd passed through on Day 2. There we did a little bit of shopping before returning to the Kasbah. One option that we did not do - the staff will arrange a guided, overnight hike that includes going to the summit of Mount Toubkal which is the highest peak in North Africa. It's not supposed to be a particularly difficult hike. But we didn't want to do the overnight stay.

Besides hiking, we enjoyed just relaxing on the Kasbah's rooftop terrace, reading, snoozing, and enjoying the views. From our high vantage point, we could see several villages, and in the evening, you'd hear the imam from each village's mosque call the faithful to prayer. It was both eerie and awe inspiring.

Moonrise, as seen from the Kasbah's rooftop