Winding down our time in Marrakech.. Sexist steaks in Morocco?…A year ago treasure of the ancient world…

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The ATM is near the entrance to the Medina.

Last night, we headed out to the souk to make our way to one of the few ATMs in the Medina, one closer to the souk and another close to the exit to the Medina, quite a walk.

We’re not intimated with long walks. With the continuing necessity for me staying covered up to avoid being bitten by sandflies, the walk in the sun at 93F, 34.4C was challenging. The small bottle of relatively ineffective insect repellent has proved of little value, now with the bottle almost empty. At US $25 there’s no sense in purchasing another bottle. 

Exiting the souk to an outdoor area in the Medina.

It has worked to keep my hands from being bit further but there wasn’t enough in the tiny bottle to cover my entire body every day. Thus, the necessity of wearing jeans, a long-sleeved BugAway shirt, and heavy socks are my mode of dress through our remaining time in Morocco. Tomorrow, the temperature will be 104F, 40C. 

Last night, I wore a long cotton dress to bed topped with a long sleeve shirt. The two bites I got on Thursday kept me awake most of the night with my knee and thigh both swollen, red, hot, and pulsating.

At the entrance to another souk.

I tried everything we had on hand including a jar of prescription cortisone cream that I found in the prescription bag. Nothing helped. I didn’t scratch having learned weeks ago that it merely prolongs the discomfort. One might think, “Get a grip. It’s just a sandfly bite!”

But, these are no little bites. I can only compare these bites to the types of discomfort from getting a horsefly bite years ago on my hand which swelled to the size of a baseball mitt, painful and itching for weeks.

We took advantage of walking in any shaded areas.  Friday, which is the Islamic holy day, the souks and Medina are less crowded.

Enough about that. We continued our walk to the closer ATM only to discover it was “closed.” Our only alternative was the walk through the Big Square in the sun to the other ATM. 

We have yet to pay the household staff for the second portion of their tips before departing, requiring a few ATM visits. The machines only dispense MAD 2000 per visit (US $249.99) certainly not enough for tips for all four staff members, the cart guy to bring our luggage to the road, and the taxi fare and tip for the ride to the airport.

Undercover at the ATM where there are multiple machines.

We always attempt to be left with no local cash when leaving each country with the outrageous exchange rates once outside the country in which the money was issued. Monday, we’ll go out again for more cash and dinner since we plan to stay in today and tomorrow due to the extreme heat.

With only two remaining dining options in the souk, we headed back to Café Arabe, where I’d found the noodle in my food last week. This time, I ordered a plain grilled steak and a side of butter sautéed vegetables, not cooked in the reused pasta water. Our usual waiter hadn’t forgotten last week’s faux pas agreeing to cook the vegetables himself.

The ATM stations are not guarded as they were in Kenya and South Africa.  Surprisingly, the Medina and souks are safe during the day with guards at various locations. Of course, one must take the usual precautions against pickpockets.

We’ve noticed an oddity when we’ve both ordered filet Mignon in Moroccan restaurants. As a female, I always get the smaller steak, and each time we’ve ordered I’ve forgotten to ask for the man-size steak. Eyeballing Tom’s larger steak, he always cuts off a portion of his for me. 

When eating only a small steak and veggies, it’s hardly satisfying. He usually has chips (fries), and bread to fill him up. Plus, I prefer rare to his medium-rare.  His larger steak is usually rare to my small medium-rare.

The heat of the scorching sun will only increase over the next week.

Soon, we’ll cook our own steaks to perfection in Madeira on the grill on the veranda overlooking the ocean. Last night, contemplating the excitement of cooking for ourselves, I made a grocery list on the Grocery Tracker app on my phone, a nifty app I’ve used over the past several years.  Here’s the link to download this excellent free app.

As I write here now it 11:30 am, later than the usual earlier time of 10:00 am, Morocco time. Tom’s sitting beside me in the salon listening to his favorite radio show from Minnesota, US, Garage Logic Sports, an adjunct to his usual show, Garage Logic.  Here’s the link to the podcast.  At the moment their discussing the NFL draft picks for the Minnesota Vikings, the only sports team he follows. 

A garden shop in the Big Square.

Later I’ll continue to listen to Day Five of a free 12-day seminar with many of the speakers espousing the benefits of my life-changing diet for diabetics and for those with many other health conditions. If you or someone you know may be interested in this free three hour per day podcast, please click here. 

I should have mentioned this sooner since they’re already into Day Five but with seven more days remaining, much more valuable information is available. These are many of the top doctors and medical professionals in the world on the topic of inflammation, the source of most diseases.

That’s it for today, folks. Have a wonderful day as many of you ramp up to celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow.
                                               _____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 10, 2014:

We were surprised as we stood looking a The Great Sphinx of Egypt one year ago today. It was much smaller than one might expect. I purposely left the tops of two tourist’s heads as a frame of reference for the size. For details from that date, please click here.

Fun date night in the souk…An attitude adjustment hatched…

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This gorgeous rose was growing in one of the many flower beds in the restaurant where we dined last evening.

The souk and the Big Square of the Medina of Marrakech change at night. The energy level ramps up, the shopping crowds are less frenzied though crowded and the mood goes from “let’s rush” to “let’s have fun!”

Dining on the rooftop, we spotted this familiar Minaret Tower.

As we walked by a shop, a vendor yelled to Tom, “Hey, Grande Mustache! What you buy for the madam?” Tom returned, “She has it all!”

I giggled, as we women often do when our loved ones make assumptions that we already have everything we could possibly want.

When we asked for a dinner menu, the server brought this huge chalkboard for our review.

Yesterday afternoon, an attitude adjustment was born out of our magical way as a team, of making a conscious decision to “reframe our thinking” (words used by motivational speaker Tony Robbins from years passed) by returning to our usual cheerful and enthusiastic selves.

We’d been in a bit of a funk for this past month, mostly precipitated by one of us more than the other, looking for all that wasn’t right, as opposed to what was right, invariably sucking the other into the mood. As hard as the more positive one tried to stay upbeat, the at times more somber partner quietly refused to partake in rampant bouts of cheerfulness.

Plants, trees, bushes, and flowers were on display on the restaurant’s rooftop.

Without prodding, criticizing or any form of recrimination, the more cheerful one had an idea: Let’s start planning  our travels from May 15, 2015 into the future for the somber one’s first choice of the next stop along the way. And then, magic happened! We had a light bulb moment.

We have no home, no stuff and no idea where we’ll be in 13 months when on May 15, 2015 our last booked rental ends. Imagine that such a thought could be disconcerting. 

These tables were rather low suitable more for children than adults.  We sat in a corner managing to get comfortable.

Add the fact that present circumstances don’t necessarily keep us entertained and busy without the day to day responsibilities of managing a household to some extent; planning and shopping for meals, cooking and creating a familiar routine and ambiance, had left us both with too much idle time on our hands. As a result, idle time…la la la…idle mind (or whatever they say).

With the utmost excitement, we both began researching online with a greatly improved WiFi signal, thinking, discussing, and planning. An animated conversation ensued along with a renewed sense of “why we’re doing what we’re doing.” 

The views from the restaurant’s third-floor rooftop.

Over our next 30 days in Marrakech, we’ll enthusiastically continue our search, already with a decent plan in mind as we strive to make it affordable, exciting, and befitting our dreams of continuing on in our travels

Although much of the Medina is well maintained, the age of many of the buildings result in many distressed buildings.

Instead of dining during the day, as we often do, last night we walked the short distance from our door to the souk with a spring in our step, determination in our hearts on a mission to find a new restaurant serving mostly French or Italian cuisine and have a lovely evening.

The restaurant’s name was displayed in white stone in the backyard.

After a 20 minute walk through the souk, we discovered exactly what we were looking for, a three-story restaurant we’d noticed on prior walks, one which we’d never tried. We weren’t disappointed by the décor, the food, the service or the prices at Terrasse des Espices or, of course by the conversation. OK, their credit card machine battery was dead. No big deal. We paid in cash.

Here again, more old and worn buildings mostly unoccupied.

As I enthusiastically type fast and furiously while voraciously pounding on this uncooperative keyboard, once done here today, the search will continue. Over the next few weeks, we’ll book the remaining five flights for our family members for Hawaii, book a car and flight for Madeira, while we continue to research our options for future.

More rooftop views.

And, of course, once we start booking for the future, we share the details with our readers.

This Arabic symbol Hamsa, protection from the evil eye.

Once again, we’re our old (yes, old) cheerful selves filled with determination and enthusiasm for today, tomorrow, and times yet to come. 

“Hey, Grande Mustache,” I mutter with a huge grin on my face, “Thanks for sharing a great day, delightful date night and yes, you’re right..she does have it all!
____________________________________________

Photo from one year ago on April 15, 2013:

Tom coming down the slide of the ship’s pool. For details for the post from that date, please click here.

Confusing evening out…Running in circles…Made a purchase in the souk…

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To capture this photo I had to zoom through the restaurant’s railing when the customer sitting next to me grumbled when I tried to stand to take this photo. These trees were at least one mile, 1.61 km, away from our location, perhaps more accounting for the blur. But the color amazed us.

I often mention Tom’s superb sense of direction. When we’re driving or walking I always leave the navigation to him. As a result, I pay no attention to a path we’ve taken in the past and can never retrace our steps. That’s his job as “Chief Navigational Officer!”

The chair of the person sitting next to me in the restaurant prevented me from standing from my seat at the table.  I had no choice but to take this first shot of the sunset last night while seated with this railing obstructing the view.

However, his usual fine skills are left blowing in the wind when walking through the souks of Marrakech. It truly is a maze. Google Maps/Street has not sent their vehicles through the souk to create accurate navigation in which way to maneuver on foot from location to location in the maze of the souk. 

The sunset a few minutes later than above.

Also, the roofs in the souk may have an effect on the satellite images. (The assessment of this is not within my range of expertise so I apologize if I’ve stated this incorrectly).

And then, the sunset, creating this colorful backdrop;

Although a specific location may be illustrated on the map, from our experiences so far, the directions aren’t accurate. As a result, finding our way to the restaurant is challenging, especially when they’re off the beaten path, as was the case for a restaurant we searched last night, Café Clock, #3 on TripAdvisor.

Finding highly rated restaurants in itself is quite challenging when we no longer want to dine in Moroccan restaurants nor do we always want to take a taxi to go out for a casual meal.  International restaurants are in short supply inside the Medina, where any location can be reached on foot, if we can find it.

This little vehicle appeared to be an ice cream truck.

Late yesterday afternoon, with two things in mind, we took off on foot.  We’d carefully checked the map, able to spot the general location of the restaurant. One was to purchase a black leather belt for me and two, to find Café Clock where we’d have a leisurely dinner. 

Finding a location to purchase a belt was as easy as finding a casino on the Las Vegas Strip. There was one after another. We figured it was more practical if we waited until further away from the weekend crowds in the Jemma el Fna, the most popular area of the souk attached to where we live. With fewer crowds, we’d get better service and perhaps a better price.

At this point, is was approximately 6:00 pm in the Big Square.

Our guess was good of the service, not so much on the price. I wanted a belt similar to the one I had in my old life that I wore to its death, tossing it after many years of use. Knowing my preferred style made the shopping easier, a wide black belt, without sequins and jewels on it (I usually prefer simple as opposed to bejeweled items). 

Another criterion was that the belt would fit well enough that it wouldn’t have a long flapping tail, always an annoyance. The end result; a wide, woven leather black with an adjustable clasp in silver. 

The Big Square was beginning to fill with tourists as the festivities of Friday evening began. Fridays are holy days in Muslim countries and the souk is uncrowded during the day. As the afternoon wears on, the tourists arrive for the weekend, and once again, it’s packed.

Along the way to the restaurant (so we thought), we spotted a perfect shop in the souk, selling shoes and belts.  Preferring the shop owner not show me one belt after another, I showed him my preferred style.  He steered us to his backroom where I easily found what I wanted. 

Asking him the price, he said US $30.69, MAD 250. We settled at $ US 18.42, MAD 150. My former similar belt was US $25, MAD 203 when on sale at a local boutique in the US.

The pastry and cooking vendor carts always appeal to me. Tom, on the other hand, who could try some of these, won’t buy one cookie saying none of them appeal to him.

Sure, I could have purchased it for a few dollars less but based on the soft leather which he claimed was “camel leather” (which may or may not actually be camel leather) and the good construction, I felt the price was fair. Tom grumbled that I’d overpaid when the owner left to install the buckle that I was able to choose. I scoffed at him, saying I was content.

Yes, I’ve read all the online comments about not paying more than 50% of the asking price, and then it may be close to fair retail. But, thoughts ran through my head during this small transaction, that we may have been his only sale for the day in this more remote location in the souk. 

The smoke began to billow as the food vendors starting cooking for Friday night’s dinners under the tents.  The smells are amazing.

As a former business owner I can recall, only too well, all the times that clients asked me to lower my fees. It was a painful decision to make when the cost of doing business was so high. It was only after the market failed in 2008 that I had no choice but to coalesce in making the numbers work for clients, a factor that eventually inspired me to retire a few years earlier than I’d hoped.

When the shopkeeper hesitantly agreed to the MAD 150, I felt comfortable True to form, Tom let it go and we continued on in search of Café Clock which was supposed to be around the corner from Le Jardin, where we’ve dined on several occasions.

Still unable to stand freely with the people next to us, I shot this photo through the ornate railing. This vendor had four or five other men with him who would pick up the items while yelling, creating an atmosphere of a frenzy in order to attract buyers. Rather clever, isn’t it?

After walking down every alleyway in the area, after over an hour of searching, we gave up, deciding to go to the Big Square (in the center of the Medina) and find any restaurant whereby the outdoor menu gave us hope for an acceptable meal. As we’ve often mentioned, we prefer to avoid bashing local businesses unless we feel we were intentionally “ripped off.” 

A less than desirable meal could be a result of an off day, a cook being out sick, or the lack of ability of the owners and managers of what appeals to their public, a surprisingly common occurrence worldwide.

We had no idea on the final asking prices on these items that didn’t sell quickly during the frenzied activities over a period of one hour.

We chose a restaurant on a second level with excellent views of the Big Square. Many tourists chose this location for its good view and wine-drinking only as we noticed the waiter looked surprised when we asked for menus.

Tom ordered what was referred to as an “American” pizza and I ordered two entrees after showing the waiter my restrictions list which included grilled chicken chunks and tagine vegetables. I thought he fully understood:  no sugar, no starch, no rice, no potatoes, no wheat, and no grains, clearly illustrated on my food list on my phone. He didn’t.

A closer look at the pastry cart.  Yum…

My vegetable tagine arrived, half-filled with potatoes (which I removed) and my plate of chicken arrived with a side of rice (which I also removed) and chips (French fries) which I gave to Tom. 

Tom said his pizza tasted like frozen pizza which I’d never made for him in our 23 years together. Surely, they’ve improved over the years. But, he ate the chips, the bread, and the pizza (I kept my mouth shut over his carb-laden unhealthy meal) when he hardly likes any available foods in Marrakech. Who eats fries with pizza? 

Moroccan women are not involved in the aggressive selling techniques utilized by men. Most women selling products do so sitting on the ground in the Big Square, not inside the souk. We’ve only seen two women selling in the souk shops, neither of which attempted to get us to make a purchase.

After dinner, we headed to an ATM to get cash for the halfway mark tips for the staff which we’ll present to them today, explaining more will follow before we leave. 

Today, we’ll stay in while we continue to shop for airline tickets for our kids and grandchildren for Hawaii at Christmas time. So far, we’ve purchased five tickets with eight more to go which hopefully we’ll have completed over the next 60 days. Rates change several times a day as we continue to check back every few hours.

We have more good photos than we can share in one day. We’ll be back! BTW, this morning I received an email from Café Clock with their hours of operation which I’d requested yesterday before we tried to locate them.  They’re sending us a map. We’ll try it again!
                                                    ____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, April 5, 2013:

This photo is from of one of our last night’s out in Belize with Tom ready to tackle this giant Marguerita when we were out to dinner from our next-door neighbor Bill, a friend we’d made while in Belize who was also from the US, formerly living only about 35 from our old house. Small world. For the story from April 4, 2013, please click here. 
Note: My computer had the wrong date resulting in my mixing up the photos from the 4th and 5th. The above photo is from April 4, 2013. Tomorrow, we’ll correctly post the photo for April 6, 2013, and we’ll be back on track. Sorry for the confusion.

Chilled to the bone…49F (9C this morning)… What do we wear?…Only women will get this!…New photos!

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This cat found comfort sitting atop the seat of a parked motorbike.

One of the aspects of traveling the routes we’ve chosen has been to avoid cold weather. When we researched temperatures this time of year in Morocco, we’d never expected it to be as cold as it’s been.

Luckily, the sun was out again as it filtered through the slats in the ceiling of the souk.

Keeping in mind that we’re almost living outdoors with the open courtyard, the largest room in the riad around which all other rooms are situated, it’s not unlike living in Kenya in the outdoor living room instead, with the unbearable heat, humidity, and mosquitoes.

This shop’s specialty was hand-carved wood chess boards and pieces.

Definitely, I’d rather be chilled than in scorching heat and humidity. Its a lot easier to bundle up than take off clothing to cool down which hardly seems to help at all.

Clothing shops are popular in the souks as tourists strive to bring Moroccan styles back home. From what we’ve seen, the locals buy their garments from shops in the side streets away from the tourist areas at more affordable prices.

The trouble is, we have a few warm items with us having not planned for such chilly weather. Tom has one lightweight zippered sweatshirt and I have two long sleeves warm BugsAway shirts, one white, one pale green, which I seem to switch off every other day. The 70 washings guaranteed to maintain the bug deterrent features of these two shirts will be washed away before I ever get to go on another safari. 

Bangles and the little pots are commonly sold items.

The only other long-sleeve items we have are our two long-sleeve BugsAway cotton safari shirts which we each often wear when we go out under our jackets of which we each have two, one parka and one slightly heavier weight.

One could get confused trying to decide on pairs of sandals with endless affordable offerings from around the souk. 

In Kenya, after donating more of our clothing I left myself with only a few pairs of jeans shorts to wear during the three months in South Africa. After wearing them every day they began to wear out and I noticed the fabric thinning, wearing through at certain points. One was awfully low slung and the other not as much.

Colorful small tables used in home décor.

As a typical woman in my old life, I’d have gone shopping, trying on 15 pairs of shorts, to end up purchases a few for the new season. Since we’ve been gone 17 months without shopping, I currently have a dilemma.  Styles have changed, sizing may have changed and its no longer as simple as going online and purchasing a few pairs of shorts to be sent when they may not fit. 

Pillows in Morocco are filled with very heavy durable material making them rather heavy. With the numerous pillows where we sit in the salon, we’ve found it difficult to move around, they are so heavy.

You may think…go shopping! Ha! I dare anyone to find a pair of jean shorts in Morocco, respectably long enough to go out in public at age 66, that fit properly when most women’s pants are typically low slung anomalies. Now, I can live with a bit of a low slung pair of pants but not those with a zipper only as long as my thumb!

Leather handbags, carryon bags, and other travel bags are popular in the souks.

Knowing we’ll be receiving a box of supplies while we’re in Madeira for which we’ll be adding the new camera when it comes out on April 20th, now is the time for me to figure out a solution to include in the box.

Several shops comparable to a boutique type store are found in the various courtyards between the souks, as in the case of this store where we spotted this bronze horse.

Why only jeans shorts? They are durable, can be worn several times without looking ratty, don’t wrinkle and above all, are comfortable. I donated all the khaki shorts I’d originally included in our luggage after wearing them only a few times. For me, jeans are my first choice for long pants, capris, and shorts. Style was long ago sacrificed for practicality and comfort.

Bead and jewelry making supplies.

Looking online for a few hours, I became frustrated, feeling that I’d never get a pair of shorts that would be guaranteed to fit. Of course, I put my little brain to work on a solution. Boom! As often happens during the night, I had an idea.

Almost every day, except for washing day, I’ve been wearing a pair of Old Navy jeans that I love. I’m not an easy fit; tall, relatively lean and with overly long legs, a 35″, .89m inseam. Try to find that in a country where the average woman’s height is 5’2″, 1.57 m! Old Navy has always had jeans that work for both my size and height. 

Cute puzzle made n the shape of camels.

Yesterday, after unzipping my pants, Tom read off the labels on the inside of my jeans including the style name, style number, and the size. Immediately going online to Old Navy, I was excited to find they still carry the exact same style and size. On sale for US $49, MAD 399, each they were down to US $34.50, MAD 281 each. I ordered two pairs in varying shades.

When they arrive in a few months, I’ll cut one pair off for shorts and the other pair for capris, rolling up the ends into narrow cuffs. Having done this on many occasions with old jeans, I have no qualms that I can easily do this again using one of the few pairs of sharp scissors we have on hand.
The dark, busy souk is a challenge to navigate when crowded with locals, tourists, bicycles, donkeys with carts, hand-pulled carts, and motorbikes.

Problem solved. I placed the order for the two pairs of jeans and a few more dressy looking tee-shirts suitable for dining out. My total order was US $101, MAD 823, with free shipping to our mailing service in Nevada, USA.  Of all things, an hour later I received a coupon for US $40, MAD 326, as a reward for my purchase if I was willing to spend another US $100, MAD 815, between now and May 5th. Hopefully, I can convince Tom to use this credit for himself. 

Of course, anything new we receive requires disposing of an equal weight of things we already have to keep the weight of our luggage acceptable to airline standards. Fortunately, I have already planned what I’ll toss before we’re ready to leave Madeira on July 31st.

This is what I should be admiring as opposed to cookies I can’t eat.

In the interim, I will continue to wear the heck out of the clothing of which I plan to dispose of. Tom also wears the same tee shirts and button-up shirts over and over, as you’ve seen in our photos with a plan to wear them out as well. Yes, I get sick of looking at his same tee shirts, although clean, day after day, as he most certainly does mine.

Who’d ever thought we’d be planning and contemplating the long-term wear-ability of a pair of shorts or a tee-shirt? In our old lives, if a tee shirt looked worn, it became a rag or was plopped into the trash with nary a thought. Now, I can spend 10 minutes looking at a tee-shirt with the intent of determining its fate…keep or save…keep or save.  Ha!

We giggled when we saw this traditional phone booth.

In a funny way, I enjoy this triviality of our lives. Fashion-forward in my old life. Fashion free in my new life. I think I like it better this way.

Today, we’ll be going outside the Medina with more photos to share tomorrow. I’d hoped to take a video of the birds flying inside the house early this morning. Alas, hardly any birds flew inside this morning although I was waiting with camera in hand. Perhaps, another day.
                                               ______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, March 31, 2013:

A year ago today, we were living in Belize and it was Easter day.  Having few photos from our old lives when neither of us enjoyed taking photos, I’d posted a few older dessert photos on that date, including this butterscotch pie I’d made for Tom using 12 egg whites for the meringue and a homemade rolled crust. I have posted this photo in the past and apologize for the repeat if you’ve seen this before. This link will take you to that date and other desserts from our old lives, including Tom’s custom-made retirement party cake.  Please click here for the link.

It’s a fairyland…Full of magical sights…If not for food and shopping…Why are we here?…

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Out for an early dinner, we had a bird’s eye view of the Big Square.

As we walked through the Jemaa el Fna souk yesterday, we passed a carpet shop. The hip-looking well-dressed owner looked directly at us and said, “Want to go for a magic carpet ride?”

A wide variety of women’s clothing is displayed in both the souk and in the Big Square.

We chuckled aloud, along with another couple walking next to us. The old city isn’t as old as it appears.  Everywhere you look, young nicely dressed salesmen, rarely women, manage the shops in the souk, smartphones in hand, fingers flying in text or game mode. Times have changed.

A postcard and newspaper stand in the Big Square.

Modern looking clothing, similar in appearance to clothing one may find in their modern local mall, hang from neatly arranged displays. Oh yes, there is the expected belly dancer outfits that one may purchase for a flirty girlfriend or as an outfit to be worn to a costume party. 

Cats are respected and revered in the souk and the walled city. The shop owners feed and care for them and yet they don’t “belong” to anyone. We see them everywhere roaming about the streets with little fear of humans.
These four cats were on a rooftop.  Gingerly, they move from rooftop to rooftop.

Many of the shops contain the long robes worn as everyday clothing by the locals with matching scarves for the modesty required for women by the Muslim faith. 

The Medina and souks is guarded by local police. Overall, it feels safe in the walled city, although one must be careful of pickpockets as one would anywhere in the world.

Overall, the merchandise is geared toward the tourist anticipating negotiating the bargain of their lives for an excellent price from an owner. Most often, they may pay a similar price at the local mall, a short taxi ride outside the Medina. 

Locals commiserating in the Medina.

The owners may purchase the item for US $10, ask for US $40, and settle at US $25, a seeming win-win for everyone. It’s all part of the process that travelers experience in any country they visit. To buy or not to buy.  To stop and look, or not.

Playful interaction among the locals as they await their next “job.”

What often amazes us is the dedication and hard work of the vendors as they must continually procure new prospects to enter their shops, to hopefully make a purchase. Did any of us ever have to work at a job where we continually had to bark at passersby in an effort to attract them for a sale? 

It could have been a bake sale at a local church bazaar or at a flea market in an effort to sell homemade craft items we somehow believed that people would flock to, and yet they didn’t. We’ve all been there.

Ordering hot tea, this tray was delivered to me. The mint-flavored tea was delicious and the water stayed hot in a little silver pot, often seen for sale in the souk. Apparently, the locals utilize similar tea trays and pots when sipping on tea in the souk.

It goes against the grain of our humanity to pester potential shoppers to buy something. In a sad way, we equate it to begging. Our nature and desire is to simply display our hard gotten wares and buyers will come.  Not the case as any person with a job or a career in sales so well knows. You have to “be in their face” in order to get results.

These rolls are often served with meals as in this case for Tom’s dinner.  No butter is served at any of the establishments we’ve visited.  When asked, the waiters explain that buerre, French for butter, is not available.

I commend these hard-working people as we wander through the souks; the older generation selling peanuts in the shell, the middle-aged well-dressed man selling women’s modern-day dresses, the young man playing a game on his phone, frequently looking up to invite potential customers into his grandfather’s pottery store or the butcher behind the bright lights and his hanging slabs of meat, hoping locals and self-catering tourists will partake of his fresh meat. 

It appears that salad is my only “safe” meal when dining out. This Nicoise salad, a vegetable and egg salad with canned tuna had potatoes on it which I removed. Tom, good Irishman that he is, will eat a potato in any form.

It’s no job any of us would choose. And yet, generations of vendors line the souk and the Big Square as tourists from all over the world long to partake of the unique excitement and energy one only finds in faraway exotic places. Or, a Tom mentioned one day, “In a lot of ways, it’s not unlike the State Fair.” So true.

Amid the various satellite dishes, a common sight in the walled city, sits a local enjoying the view from his rooftop as darkness fell.

For us, making purchases, however, tempting is impractical. We don’t own a kitchen cabinet to hold the pretty plates or a wall on which to display a handmade tapestry either made locally or imported from India or China.

Back down on the street, we made our way back to or riad. Having failed to wear jackets, we headed back.  We’ve since learned that wearing jackets at night is a must, even on warm weather days as the nighttime temperature drops considerably.

Tourists come to Marrakesh to eat and to shop. For us, we must look deep inside the culture to discover the wonders it beholds beyond food and wares. Perhaps, in essence, that is a more interesting perspective for us to pursue as we strive to glean every possible treasure from this magical place for which we don’t need a carpet, as opposed to an open mind and heart.

Part 1… A night in the Medina…A memorable experience…

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As we entered the Big Square in the Medina, the night’s varied activities had just begun.

Yesterday, we were itching to see the “Big Square,” the center of the Medina, as often called by the locals, on a busy Saturday night. Marrakech is a short flight from many locations in Europe. attracting many tourists from many countries.

Leaving Dar Aicha at 5:00 pm, our home until mid-May, 2014, we immediately got into step with the massive crowds, working their way through the Souk, stopping every few feet to look at the vast array of colorful merchandise. 

On the crowded trek through the Jemaa el Fna colorful shops began to light up for the evening’s activities.

With both of us adamantly opposed to being caught in crowded areas, we’ve somehow had put aside our disdain since arriving in Marrakech (going forward I will spell the name of this ancient city, in the same manner as the locals, ending in “kech,” not the English version of “kesh”). 

I’d be in big trouble if I had room in my one large suitcase for a few of these colorful dresses.  I’d then ask myself, where would I’d wear a dress such as this?  How would I wash it?  Practicality is of the utmost importance when traveling the world.

The relentless crowd pushed and shoved as we bounced around like ping=pong balls, neither of us into shoving and pushing. During the week when more locals were in the Jemaa el Fna Souk it was an easier trek to the Big Square.

Leather bags are a popular item among tourists. Excuse the blur as I shot this while maneuvering through the crowds. Also, some shop owners don’t want photos taken of their merchandise and we must refrain from doing so or be discreet in doing so.

We were on a mission to find a rooftop restaurant for dinner and an opportunity to watch the evening’s activities while high above the crowds. The challenge? Food I could eat, food Tom was willing to eat. 

It’s a good thing I can’t eat these tempting confections. I’m certain I would have loved them gaining weight while here. We have no option of gaining weight in our travels. Our clothing supply would no longer fit.  In his old life, Tom had jeans in a few different sizes for those “up and down” times. Now, he has one size, the size he wore when we left the US, which he’ll definitely return to while in Morocco as he struggles with the spicy foods when we’re dining in restaurants.  This is not an issue with Madame Zahra’s cooking, which we both enjoy.

All of the restaurants in the Medina have menus posted outside, giving us an opportunity to review each as we made our way from one restaurant to another. None of the menus are in English. They are posted in Arabic and French. 

The colorful fabrics in the souk are appealing to the eye.

Thank goodness for my four years of French studies while in high school, 50 years ago. Thank goodness, that my way of eating has been instrumental in my memory being sharper than ever. (Read Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter, if interested in improving your memory and health by eliminating inflammatory foods from your diet).

As we entered the Big Square we could sense that the size of the crowds was growing by the minute.

I was able to translate the entire menu except for one word: huile. Looking it up this morning in Google Translate, I discovered it means “oil.” OK. Good to know. 

Products that please the senses are a big aspect of life in Morocco, both for selling and incorporating into one’s life. The combination of the herbal scents coupled with the smell of the spices and foods being cooked is heady.

As we discovered after dining in three restaurants thus far in Marrakech, my only safe bet is to order a salad with grilled beef, chicken or fish, avocado, olives, veggies, and cheese. Of course, when we dine on Madame Zahra’s fabulous foods, we have no fear. She totally gets it, making the most interesting and delicious foods I’ve had since the onset of this way of eating 31 months ago. 

If we stop to take a photo, the hard-working vendors are compelled to get us to make a purchase. Where in our luggage could we ever fit any of the colorful trinkets?

We won’t mention the name of the restaurant where we dined. The food wasn’t good. It could have been an “off” night and long ago, we choose not to write bad reviews. In other words, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” a policy, we adopted when we started writing about local businesses. Why would we want to potentially hurt the hard-working owners and employees of local establishments? We wouldn’t.

The size of the crowd continued to grow as we made our way around the Big Square checking out the dining options.

The view was the restaurant’s rooftop was stupendous, as you can see from our photos. Later, when we walked through the Medina we were amazed how the Big Square became about food after dark as tents were set up with vendors enthusiastically steering passersby to their “stations” each of which we clearly numbered for future referenced.

As the sun began to set and the crowds grew, we were comfortably situated atop of the roof of the restaurant we selected for the evening.

As we passed, literally hundreds of diners were seated together at picnic tables, plates piled high with colorful fresh foods cooked to order. As we meandered through the outdoor food area, I’d wished we hadn’t already had dinner when I saw many items that appeared to be suitable for me. We’d hoped to participate in this exciting aspect of this extraordinary old city. 

The vendors organized their wares in preparation for the upcoming evening’s activities.

This morning in speaking with Samir, he suggested we avoid the “street” food. He explained that it would be very risky to ensure these foods are made befitting my way of eating. We can’t take the risk and will stick to the restaurants where each item is prepared individually.

The crowds increased by the minute…

Dining high above the crowds at one of many rooftop restaurants definitely has an appeal after last night’s experience. Last night’s dinner was our most expensive, thus far, at US $38.53, MAD $320 with no alcohol included. 

The vendors were prepared for the growing crowds.

Madame Zahra’s amazing meals are US $24.08 (for two), MAD $200. There’s no comparison to restaurant food and her delicious meals. We’d dine in every night for the divine quality of her food if we weren’t so determined to get out for more experiences. 

The sky darkening over the rooftops of the homes and shops located in the walled city. We were too far from our riad to find our rooftop.
It seldom rains in Morocco, although the sky at dusk was covered with fast-moving clouds.

Before we’d booked Dar Aicha we’d read several reviews written by past guests stating the exact same dilemma; Madame Zahra’s food as compared to restaurant food inspired them to prefer to dine in.

Smoke began to waft through the air as wood-fired grills were started for the evening’s foods. The smells were indescribable.
The pigeons are fed by the locals as well as the many cats that wander the Medina and the souk.

The old walled city of Marrakech and the Jemaa el Fna Souk, make it tempting for a visitor to seldom venture outside these walls. The energy, the excitement, the entertainment, and its diverse culture have an irresistible appeal. One’s senses are stimulated to a point of wondering why one would want anything different or more. 

The horses and colorful buggies were awaiting their next customers.
Many of the vendors began to turn on the lights in their tents and shops.
This mosque was lit creating an enchanting scene.

In time, we’ll explore outside these walls to discover what other wonders Morocco has in store for us.

Note: Tomorrow, we’ll return with photos of the Big Square, after dark when we were able to get some excellent shots of the night’s activities.