We arrived in Marrakech, Morocco early in the morning on Wednesday Dec. 23. After going through customs and marveling at the beautiful airport terminal, we met back up with David and Mike to share a taxi into town. We did our best to haggle a decent price and headed off toward the medina. The taxi driver stopped in some tiny alleyway and told Mike and David that it was their hostel. We didn't see anything that looked right, but they said ok and got out to try and find their place. The taxi driver did the same with us, pointed down a long alley and said we would find our hotel in that direction. Luckily for us, there just so happened to be a teenage boy who was more than happy to show us the way to our hotel for a small fee. We quickly learned that this is common practice here and the kids have learned a great way to make a quick buck. The streets are so small and winding, if you don't know where you are going it is almost impossible to find your way. So of course the poor, confused tourists are glad to have someone show them the way.
The boy took us down the dark and dirty alley, making several turns, and left us at a very plain, old and door with no markings. This was our hotel. Hmmm... We were unsure what to make of it, but knocked on the door to see what would happen. A woman opened the door and showed us into a beautiful, white immaculate courtyard. It was completely quiet inside except for the chirping of the two small birds that fly around the courtyard. The decorations were amazing and the whole are was so light and airy, it felt just like a slice of heaven. We were shown to our room, which was just as beautiful as the courtyard, and immediately fell into the big fluffy bed for an overdue nap.
After a few hours of relaxing and washing the dirt of the airport floor off, we decided to head out to explore the city. We found some delicious couscous at a small restaurant on the main square, Djemna el Fna. The square is really amazing. It has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site, and rightfully so. It is constantly bustling with activity, late into the night. There are dozens of snake charmers, playing their flutes for the cobras standing on guard. Henna artists that grab any limb they can reach to do their drawings. Men walk around carrying monkeys to pose with tourists, people put on short plays for whoever will listen, play guitar, make games, dress up in costumes, etc. The fresh orange juice stands that line the square are one of my favorite things there. Only about $0.40 for a glass of delicious fresh squeezed juice any time of day.
And in the evening is when things really get going. At sun down, around 100 vendors pull in their donkey carts and set up tents that are turned into restaurants. It is amazing just how many things they cart in, and the fact that they do it day after day. Tables and benches, stoves, all the cooking equipment and pounds and pounds of food are all brought in and prepared to make dinner for tourists and locals alike. It's an incredible sight to see, and another thing that makes Marrakech such a special place.
So anyway, after having lunch we met back up with Mike and Dave to do some exploring. We wandered around through the souks (markets). In the souks you can find pretty much anything you can imagine. From American style clothing to traditional head scarfs to butchered meat to live chameleons. Plus there are great handmade leather bags and shoes, beautiful tea sets, rugs galore, hookahs, wood carvings, pricey ceramics, Moroccan clothing, etc. The souks are, of course, in alleyways and are so twisty once you get in it's nearly impossible to find your way back out (I think this is the idea..). So that first day with Mike and David, we didn't buy anything but just marveled at all the wonders. After walking around for some time we all got a little tired and decided to head back to Mike and David's hostel to relax and ready ourselves for "the feast" the hostel was preparing. We had a great time hanging out drinking Moroccan beer, sharing a hookah with new friends and listening to the rain (by the way, it had been raining all day and we were all soaked. My favorite boots soaked through and drenched my feet. I had to toss those boots after that because they were too destroyed by the rain. RIP brown Spain boots). Anyway, we met relaxed in the candlelit room and met new travelers (Belgian, French, Dutch...) and enjoyed the wonderful feast. The hostel staff made giant dishes of vegetable couscous, chicken tajines, lamb, etc. Later that night we waited for the rain to slow and wandered home through the alleys. It was a perfect first day of our trip.
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