Trip to Morocco: Day Two

Look at me writing again. We are now on day two of my trip to Morocco. If you wish to read day one, well, scroll down a bit.

We got up early enough on Tuesday so as to make the most of the day. I went downstairs expecting maybe a cup of tea to eat my banana with, and I think we were all surprised when we were presented with Moroccan spiced coffee, a crossaint, a plate of three kinds of cake and pancake, and a cup of mint tea. Your money goes far in Marrakech! 

breakfast

oot and aboot.

Following a route given to us by someone at the hostel, we visited the 500 year old Saadian tombs, where about 60 members of the Saadi Dynasty are buried, and then later the Bahia Palace and gardens. All very lovely and well maintained. Excuse my uncharacteristic lack of enthusiasm for sightseeing (Who am I?) but for me the real appeal of Marrakech was what we did between the sights; wandering, exploring, and trying not to look lost.

Saadian Tombs

palace bahia

Ooh.

We took the long way around through an open food market where people were doing their grocery shopping, which was as good as the supermarket as far as I'm concerned. Once you got past the flies on some of the meat and fish (which wasn't on ice) the bustle and colours were really amazing. Bags of grain, vegetables, rabbits "sleeping... upside down... and inside out" to use a Simpsons euphemism, there was even a cage of the most ragged looking chickens I had ever seen.

On another square, when you could avoid women trying to sell bracelets, there were selections of pigments for paint and more spices and sort of inexplicable stones (I had to make a quick getaway, lingering too long or conversing with a stall holder can mean you have to end up buying something... or you're just not allowed to leave). 

No idea what half of this is but isn't it a good photo?

Later on in the main Souk (market) these skills of trying to ignore people and walk away from them while avoiding being completely unforgivably rude were put to the test again, as well as haggling. Nothing in Morocco is bought at the first price given (not even bus tickets, as we were to discover) and some amount of arguing is required to get anything at a fair or, to use the stall holders favourite phrase "democratic" price. This was a challenge for me, we know I'm a shy and retiring type, but I only had to do it alone once for a pair of earrings; the rest of my purchases were team efforts. 

Having had a three course meal in the afternoon for €6, we only needed a light dinner again and had an early night as we were planning on getting up at 6am to make our bus to Agadir. To be continued :)

I've just remembered that I never ate that banana.

Hasta luego x