Marrakesh brings mixed views to my cognitive space. It is definitely an intriguing city, the buzz of Djemaa el-Fna (the main square), the interaction within the souqs (covered alleyway markets), the peaceful tones of "Call to Prayer". If Bucharest was the city of stray dogs, Marrakesh was certainly the city of cats. It was not possible to walk 2 minutes without seeing another cat scamper by, perfectly adaptable to the crowded alleyways.
Hassled like Egypt, moderate Islam like Istanbul (yet strongly followed) , and markets like Syria, Morocco has more apparent poverty than any of these countries. Morocco poverty I expected, however it was more obvious and demorilising than I has presumed. I think the worst of it was seeming sick people sitting or lying on footpaths, begging for money to get by in life. Whilst I'm not an extreme socialist, as an Australian I am again thankful, that ours is a country of nearly full employment, healthcare, and welfare programs.....such that this sight is much rarer. When it does occur it is usually alcohol or drug related, which is much less of a problem here.
Our first stop for the day belonged to probably the wealthiest person in Marrakesh at the time-Yves Saint Laurent. His cactus garden- Jardin Majorelle was a spectacular display of cacti that had been growing for 80-100 years. He used this for inspiration, and to get away from France, where he was no doubt persecuted for his sexuality.
We spent the late afternoon looking at a museum, the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, and Kouba Ba'adiyn- an wash building that had been buried for centuries and only recently rediscovered. It was built in 1117. A Madersa is an Islamic school, and this was built in the 14th century. It had over 900 students in around 130 rooms, and the interior courtyard in particular was beautiful architecture.
After a rooftop lunch we headed toward a museum, however became sidetrack by a shop we liked. The shop had mirror frames, and a half hour later we walked out of the shop with four mirror frames at a bargain price. The seller seemed pretty happy with his afternoon sales too, so it was definitely win-win.
During the evening we went exploring to find a tour, as this was no doubt easier, and cheaper than hiring a car and doing it ourselves. we found a nice little business called nature Dreams, and surprisingly a Moroccan who didn't hassle us, and explained his tours well. A 3 day tour into the mountain, gorge and desert region sounded like it was ideal for us.
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