And we did, but the sun was setting quick and the traffic soon became a nightmare.
As we chose to stay in the heart of the old city our little car had to struggle with other cars, bikes, beeping motorbikes, donkeys, horses, carriages filled with all sort of things, stray dogs and plenty of pedestrians going all directions. Driving in Morocco and driving in Marrakesh are different as day and night. If you are a less confident or nervous driver it’s probably better to take a taxi here.
Marrakesh Medina is an absolute maze – you can’t tell if you’ve been going around in circles or whether everything just looks the same. Don’t bother following signs – it doesn’t work and most of them are stolen on purpose to confuse tourists. Most of the maps are useless too. If you find yourself lost most likely you will be offered ‘help’ by local boys to find your way out and that is not showing kindness to a stranger. You will be asked to pay a fee which they tell you at the end and if it’s not enough or you dare to refuse to pay – the outcome is unpredictable. We had an amazing host that evening who wrote down for us how many steps to take left or right, which shop or café sign to look for as a guidance to get somewhere particular and how to get back after.
As we arrived late in the evening Jemaa el Fnaa seemed a perfect place to go to experience Marrakesh. And it being a main square of the city – it was absolutely crazy. Huge open-air dining area filled with smoke from barbecued meats, fish and veggies was packed by tourists and locals. All the food stalls were numbered and it was more than 200 of them close together. If street food is your thing this is pure heaven. There were guys in front of each stall responsible for attracting clients. Menu was shoved right in your face passing by ‘just to see’’ what they have on offer. Each stall had fresh uncooked food on display and you could choose anything to be cooked in front of you. All of it looked delicious, but constant harassment made us keep shaking heads saying we were not hungry. As we walked a bit further away we were yelled stall numbers to remember and had to promise to come back. And we actually did came back to one of them that was least annoying. As you sit down the whole team claps as you have chosen them. It’s the thing in Morocco – if you agree to eat or buy they become friendly and will make sure you get the best service. While we were enjoying grilled meat skewers other tourists passing buy were asking if it’s worth to stay here as most of them were pulled in ‘just to look’ too. The atmosphere is somewhat overwhelming and If you looked for the chaos this would be the place.
With limited time in Marrakesh before our flight and ridiculous Moroccan customs to pass through we had to plan our day well. We decided to wander around leather tanneries, to go through some souks and get back to Jemaa el Fnaa at daytime.
Our host told us to head to the north of the Medina to look for tanneries and be prepared for ‘helpers’, because if they see a tourist in northern part of the city they know what you are looking for as this part is largely residential. And walking with the camera surely didn’t help as we were soon approached and even followed by various people yelling that we were going the wrong direction and they knew better the streets leading to tanneries which were open that day as most of them were ‘closed’. This can be very exhausting and I felt being on a very fine line just about to lose my temper, but you must be firm to say no or just ignore them. We were stubborn to go our own way and we eventually found the street for tanneries, but the attention hadn’t finished there. There were people offering you spring of mint on every corner to deal with the smell as it’s various animal skin dyed in open air, but as March is not peak month for heat there is no smell really.
And to finish us off we were told we needed a guide if we wanted to see the tannery from inside and as all entrances were blocked by the ‘guides’ you could’t really get in without paying them. But we didn’t fall for the trick and just kept walking further until we found some unattended gates and managed to sneak in to look around and to snap a couple shots. This part of the city is not glam side of Marrakesh and seems to be a hub of scammers. Disappointment really.
It was more interesting to see how leather bags, belts and poufs are made from this fresh leather as we were heading back towards central Medina. The souks in Marrakech are the heart of the Medina. This biggest market you have ever been to is unique as most of the goods on offer are actually made just round the corner. There is nothing that isn’t sold here – perfumes, spices, dried fruit, baskets, pottery, carpets, dangly lamps, sandals, jewellery – you name it. We knew what we wanted to buy specifically, but it was difficult to focus looking around as we could see some other things as we walked, which are pretty to look at, but you don’t really need them.
And yes, you will get lost here as stalls are endless and if you see something and think you will get back for it – you probably won’t be able to find it again. If you ask for the price – it’s a sign you intend to buy and think how much you actually want to pay in advance. Depending on the item we were haggling for we got it for 4-8 times less than the original offer as a compromise and shopkeepers seem to love this ‘game’ as their starting price is always just silly.
All the market streets go back to Jemaa el Fnaa and the closer you get the busier it is and you will get less price negotiation opportunities. Shopkeepers are spoilt here with constant flow of tourists who pay a lot without much bargaining.
The square in daylight is busy with horse carriages, taxis and motorbikes and you have to be cautious not to be driven over. We were heading to the rooftop balcony of one of the restaurants to sip some coffees and absorb this chaos from the top from a different perspective.
A typical thing to look for here are snake charmers. It might look magical when the snake rises from the basket following the tune of the flute, but we have witnessed later on the owners were kicking snakes to make them stand straight up, which is appalling and made us upset. I’m terrified of snakes and my other half got draped a snake around his neck without warning expecting we will take a photo and pay. It didn’t happen. Apart from the snakes you are offered to hold a monkey and pose with it. They all are kept in cages chained up as they would run away otherwise. How ignorant can you stay when you see this cruelty? We kept saying monkeys belong in the jungle and we were yelled at to go home if we don’t like it.
Marrakesh is a love or hate city and as it takes you to the extremes. For us it was equal of both – we absolutely hated being harassed, it’s crowded and noisy, but we would like to come back to wander through the markets again, see colourful buildings with secret gardens and explore more areas of this unique city.
