This morning we headed out with Hussain, a local guide, for a walking tour of the medina. We started out by catching a local bus to visit the minaret at the La Koutoubia mosque. Due to the significance of the minaret, the city planners have put in place building restrictions to ensure the minaret remains the tallest building in Marrakech.
From there we walked to the Palais Bahia, which is still in use by the royal family for friends and family. They have opened up about 25% of the Palais to the public, which is pretty impressive with its wood, marble and stone work.
It was at this stage that I started to lose interest. Been on so many tours over the last couple of weeks that I think I was just toured out, so didn't really listen to what was being said. I'm sure it was interesting!!!
After that we went for a wander through the alleyways of the medina. I like the Moroccan medinas with their network of alleyways and deadends. This one was a bit crazy as bikes and scooters would rush around coming so close to collecting you! And they'll just come out of a side lane without looking, so we really needed to be on the lookout.
At one point as we were walking past a butcher, Cindy was distracted by a scooter and ended up with the hoof of a recently slaughtered lamb in her ear. Pretty sure it was at that moment that Cindy also gave up on tours and wanted out!
We wended up in Place Jemaa El Fna where we sat, ate lunch and watched the thousands of people milling around. It's such an amazing place, it would be so easy to sit and lose hours just people watching. Fascinating, both the people trying to make a living and visitors like us.
In all the main cities and towns of Morocco, they have two main sorts of taxis. They have the petit taxis, which are generally a locally made car, the Logan. And then they have the big taxis, most of which are old Mercedes. The type of car that can be used as a taxi is determined by the government - there are only two or three makes/models they can choose and each car is privately owned. It's a huge business and there is real competition amongst the drivers to get your business.
The petit taxis are only allowed to carry three passengers (one in the first, two in the back), even though you could easily fit a fourth passenger in the back. but when it comes to the Mercedes, they can seemingly shove in as many as they can fit.
After lunch, six of us piled into one of the old Mercedes (me and Cindy up front, Maggie, Jess, Kumi & Peta in the back) and headed to the Jardin Majorelle. A couple of minutes after we arrived 'dangerous' Dane pulled up in a taxi as well, so the seven of us headed in to enjoy the peace and serenity.
Jardin Majorelle is a beautiful garden set in amongst the busy streets. It's been around since the early 20th century, but wasn't being well maintained and there was a potential for it to be lost. However in the 80's Yves St Laurent, saved it from being bulldozed and turned it into apartments and restored it to its former glory. Now there is a team of over 50 workers who are employed directly to look after it and keep it open to the public. It's a great sanctuary to escape to!
After that, it was time to head back to the hotel, a few via Dino's for gelato, for our last meal together before heading our separate ways tomorrow.
Dinner was in the hotel and followed up with a few drinks on the rooftop bar. A great way to end our trip to Morocco.
So tomorrow it's off to Portugal. We've had a blast in Morocco and, lost bags aside, have loved every minute of it. The Moroccans are really nice people - they're warm and inviting. They're interested in the rest of the world and like to talk and learn from people passing through their country. We got to meet a lot of the native Berber people, very proud and passionate! They're also hardworking. Whether it's on the farm or in the city, everyone works and the they work hard. And they love sweet tea! Yuck, it's disgusting, but they love it. It's like they've half filled a glass with sugar, then added the mint and hot water later. I couldn't drink it.
The group we have been with are an brilliant bunch. We really were a mixed bag of young and old, international including a couple of expats (English/Cypriot, SouthAfrican/Kiwi/Aus/Canada), Aussies, kiwis, American, Japanese, Croatian - seasoned tour groupers, virgin tour groupers and from all walks of life. Everyone got on really well and I would definitely go on another trip with them!
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