Saturday was “Quad Experience” morning. A driver picked me up and took me out to the Palmeraie Oasis. It is outside of Marrakech where all the “rich” people live, they call it the Beverly Hills of Marrakech. Not sure I really saw that, but ok. The 3 boys meeting me there did not speak any English, once they were sure I could ride the quad (around their yard) off I went with one of them. We rode for about an hour before he stopped and we took pictures and I learned this was the “break place” some house with men working on the olive trees feeding their donkeys and cows. 3 boys running around playing and it was mint tea time. I forgot how much I liked the mint tea when I was in Egypt, and I think the Moroccans do it better (just my memory ;-).
After washing our hands in a water system that they had to pump to get water to flow we sat down to mint tea, awesome bread, olive oil and olives (from their trees). It was great snack!
Back at my hotel by noon and it was so warm in the sun, I wish I had brought my sun tan lotion, so 20 minutes was all I could do in the sun without it. Then off exploring looking for the big red double decker tour bus that takes you around the city. Once I found that, I got off in the main plaza Jemaa El Fna. I could not get anymore money out of the ATM yet, so no money to spend in the famous Souks. But I had a little snack (crepe and nutella) and got the courage up to enter into the Souks. Ego boast it is and man do you get it.
Single white female in the Souks I just had target on my forehead ;-). I was b-lining it through to an art gallery I had heard about it and got plenty of offers along the way. The Souks wear you out so I had to get back to El Fna and have some really nice grilled bread and mint tea. The place was so dirty, if I don’t get sick, I am just lucky! There were baby kitties everywhere in the square and souks. If they looked pretty I would have taken pictures, but they were kind of sad and skinny, just too many of them! Hoped on the pretty red bus and traveled around the rest of the route learning about all the sites at sunset and back towards the hotel.
Dinner and taxi’s ;-) The hotel arranged dinner for me at Al Baraka.
The first taxi they got for me didn’t know where it was, after much arguing with the door man, second guy was very nice and I got his card for the rest of my taxi needs ;-). Dinner was right off the main square. The international film festival is going on and they broadcast the films onj a large screen right in the middle of El Fna, not like that square is not already crowded enough. (I learned later that Leonardo was there and thus the mob scene) Dinner was fab, fab, fab….all Moroccan cuisine, assortment of salads (6 different kinds), some appetizers (deep fried cheese and minced meat) and the main dish I tried was tangia. Then of course a fruit plate and Moroccan cookies. The live music was awesome and mesmerizing. The heartfelt Gnaoua music which is Berber-inflected Andalucian classical music was incredible. After dinner walking back through El Fna I can’t even count the amount of attempts I got for attention.
Serious ego booster which was needed after the waiter kept asking me why I was dining alone and not married (there is nothing good to say to any of that), however, I had decided to be much nicer and smile back when I get the compliments. But that seemed to only encourage them to follow me. And then if they could speak English I would chat with them as I walked. My taxi driver met me and had to pull me away from the last one who just would not leave ;-) Oh well they are all nice and mean well right?
Did I mention I love the Mint Tea?
