'The crowd caught a whiff of the crazy Casbah jive'

One of the things I touched on earlier involved the need to be a little on guard in the developing world for those trying to extort money from the rich American.  Marrakech, having a firmly establish tourist trade, is no different.  And it's not usually done with a high level of malice, but just the way things are done.  Anyone who's been in a souk or an Asian market knows that capitalism is alive and well regardless of the "official" national economy and every price is negotiable, and should be negotiated.  It's an adjustment one has to make when venturing about, and no amount of research you do prior to putting boots on the ground will really get you an accurate price list for goods and services.  That being said, there have been times were I know, in retrospect, I was "taken".  I felt my second full day in Marrakech was one such event. 

I had made arrangements with an individual (named Abdul, go figure) for a day trip to the Ourika Valley just outside of Marrakech.  The valley itself is dotted with villages and ends at a climb up the hill to the falls.  The price I had agreed to paid, with no research, was 600 Dirham for the trip out.  This got me a driver, a guide, and private van.  Oh well, it's done and paid for so I might as well enjoy it, and leave behind the slightly paranoid feeling that soon I could be a feature on a Al Jazeera video in the near future.  Getting an early start, we rolled out of the Medina at 8 AM. 

On the drive out, new developments and housing starts were pointed out.  New Riads being built outside the bustle of the city where for a few thousand dollars a night you to can live like a sultan.  Where the old city behind the ancient walls seems to be a destination for the slightly more adventurous, developers are building more upscale accomodation for the well heeled traveler.  These places were huge.  There are also multimillion dollar private residences dotting the landscape.

Driving on, the full impact of the tourist trade is evident. Any scenic pull off comes with a group of people trying to sell you some trinket (according to the guide, most of these "authentic" Berber goods come directly from China).  Usually a polite "No" or "La Shakra" disperses the hawkers.  Being a good tour guide they have places of prearranged stops... such as a Berber house where the women have foregone their traditional Islamic ways to invite tourists in... for a small donation of course.  But there was a breakfast of traditionally made bread with honey and olive oil.  And of course the ever present mint tea (which if I haven't mentioned it prior, is yummy).  As we were finishing up our bread, a busload (literally) of French tourists roll in.  Perfect time to leave. 

Driving on, I did elect to forgo the camel ride (been there, done that, not a fan of camels) and we headed on to another stop of local ingenuity to see how Argan oil is made (traditionally).  It's an involved process that results in an oil coveted both for skin care as much as for flavor.  I do wish I had brought more cash, I probably would have picked up something to bring home with... and not cook with. 

Before I get too negative sounding here, let me state that the scenery was beautiful and there was an occasionaly tidbit offered about the history and the demographics of the area.  For instance, each village was a single extended family.  Each has a mosque and a madrasa, except one village... which is Jewish.  There were, according to the guide, once about 27 Jewish villages in the valley, now only one or 2 families remain.  The Jews have been in the area long before Islam came.  Amazingly, for the most  it seems like a peaceful coexistence.  If a male family member gets fed up living with the family, and he has the money, he can take his wife and kids and start a new village.  When women marry, they leave their family village and move in with their husbands family.  Usually married couples get at least a private room in a house (isn't that convenient) where as unmarried family members (of the same sex) share a large room.  Nothing like sharing sleeping quarters with 12 of your favorite uncles, brothers and cousins.

Ourika Valley VIllage

After the argan oil stop and sampling (an now with softer, more fragrant hands), we moved on farther up the valley.   I've found in my years of globetrotting I'm not a big fan of the "organized" tour precisely because they involve stops I don't care to make at shops and food stalls that the tour guide pre arranges, for a little baksheesh.  It's just not my kind of thing, but suppose it beats getting lost in the Atlas mountains never to be seen again. 

All along the road into the valley, there are numerous guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, stores, etc... catering to the trekking crowd.  In the summer, there is a draw to the hiking in the mountains and the cooler temperatures (Marrakech routinely gets up to over 50C).  At the end of the road, I decided to take a short (hour) hike up to the falls.  This requires a guide (and payment) to get up there.  There's a reason.  It's not the Western style walk up a well beaten path complete with handrails, but instead good old school walking through the woods hopping from rock to rock trying not to fall, with one exception.  Along the way there are several shops and stalls, some perched precariously on the side of the ravines.  Of course, the guide had the one he preferred to make into a rest stop.

Ouirka Valley, near the end of the road

And so, we pressed on.  There are seven separate "falls" to see.  To hike all of them, it's a 3 to 4 hour journey up the hill.  I wasn't up for that.  So we made it to the second falls and I was pretty much done.   Being out of shape and of bad knee, I felt it was better to stop now and head down.  But I'm definitely glad I made the climb I did (originally i wasn't going to do any hiking).  So back down the hill we went and heading back down the valley toward Marrakech.  On the way, we passed flocks of school kids on their lunch break walking home.  It looks oddly like school kids everywhere.  Hrrmm..  People are kinda the same almost everywhere... who knew?? 

A couple hours later I'm back in Marrakech and stop by the Jardin Majorelle.  These gardens were designed by the artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 1930s, and later owned partly by Yves Saint-Laurent who's ashes were scattered here.  Made up of mostly desert type flora around bright blue fountains, it's very subdued and relaxing to walk about the garden, like walking through a lifesize work of art. 

Jardin Majorelles

After the Jardin, the last stop was an art gallery (where it seems everything was for sale and "original".. ugh).  I did see a couple metal astrological globes (that may one day find their way to a future abode), but not having the cash or a credit card on me, no purchases were made.  I felt almost bad for the guys trying to sell me a Berber rug (after I reiterated I'm not buying) who spent lots of time and energy laying out rug after rug.  In truth, had I not been on a budget and had a place I felt worthy of a new rug, I'd probably own one now. 

Thus ended my day trip.  I know it comes off slightly negative above, but I was really happy I took the excursion.  It just reminds me how much I don't like being herded into stores, but at least the herding came with amazing scenery and a little bit of imparted knowledge.

Sunset over Marrakeh from La Salama

Being late afternoon when I returned to the Riad, I grabbed some dirham I had stashed there and headed off again.  As I came out of the passage into the Njemaa El Fnaa, the screaming from the minarets kicked off again.  Answering the call to prayer, I headed into Le Salama for a cold beer.  Having been here the day before, I really liked the view (this day there was no rain and the snow covered Atlas mountains were clear in the distance) and the two for one all day happy hour.  The spring rolls appetizer was delicious, even if I'm not exactly sure what was in them.  La Salama, atmosphere wise, is a little reminiscent of Rick's cafe from the movie, which they seem to be going for based on the decor of Bogey pictures on the wall.   I sat down and before I knew it I was in a conversation with the neighboring tables.  Turns out the British couple to my right had been up at the falls earlier that day and had actually seen me coming down form the hike.  They too made all the same stops, but for 250 dirham more than I paid.  So maybe I wasn't "taken" as much as I thought.  The next few hours were spent talking to amongst ourselves (along with a a couple from Belfast and another couple who live in London, but went to school in the US). 

After an evening of comparing travels and tales with citizens of the world with a spectacular sunset, and of course enjoying the happy hour special, it was down from the roof terrace for the belly dancing show.  Which may or may not have involved select audience members from the table I was sitting being pulled out to join the dancers.  From there it was back out to the square for another delicious street tagine and on to listen to some of the musicians playing in the square.  As the drumming and singing moved late into the night, it was time to head to sleep after a long, but very satisfying, day of natural beauty, meeting fellow travelers, and belly dancing.

Belly Dancer, La Salama in Marrakech

The next day it was time to start the journey back home.  After spending the morning relocating a shop in the souk to pick up a painting I saw when hiding from the rain a couple days earlier (Success! and I even got the "first customer" special pricing... which was then negotiated down about 50%) and a final cappuccino overlooking the Djemaa, I headed off to the airport. 

A couple side stories, one night while perusing the souks I saw what looked to be an Arab beatdown in progress.  A teen had apparently stolen or just pissed off an older (maybe in his 20's) guy who proceeded smack him around for good measure.  And while sitting in the airport waiting for check in, a man was being led around by a helper (the kind of helper that in US pushes the wheelchairs) while being followed by a woman.  I'm thinking the man was blind, because he would turn in the general direction of the woman and say something very animated with much hand gesturing and flailing.  This went on for a few minutes, they would move in and out of my view.  Each time the blind man would stop and turn toward the woman (but not always facing her directly), he help would try and pull him on.  At one point, the blind man managed to get his pimp hand in contact with the woman in a classic "bitch slap" before they all exited the terminal.  I do so enjoy people watching. 

From there it was check in, then through security and a non working metal detector (why they didn't use one of the other 3 I have no idea... maybe they enjoyed the patdowns???),  And onto Madrid via the airline the really gives you no frills... RyanAir.  Connecting up in Madrid after a couple hours with a browntail, it was off to Louisville via Cologne and Philadelphia.  This time I remember to get the correct passport stamps so hopefully the future will be free of Customs harassment.  Almost exactly 24 hours after leaving Marrakech, I walked into my apartment, dumped my pack out onto the floor and started doing two weeks worth of laundry.  Still having a week left before needing to be back at work, i started looking for some place to head to pass the time.

Morocco Souvenir... soon to be framed

All in all, though there were unexpected costs and annoyances, and the occasional slight detour, it was a great trip.  I had a blast and would be interested in returning both to Southern Spain and Morocco.   For some reason, maybe it comes with age, these kind of trips are as easily undertaken as they were a decade ago.  Then again, 10 years ago it was only Europe and Australia that I seemed to head to and those destinations seem more comfortable than say North Africa or Cambodia.  But once I get going, it gets easier and I tend to relax a little and start to enjoy the actual journey more than stressing about what might happen.   Perhaps next time seeing different cities (that haven't yet become tourist meccas) and a trip out to the desert (I'll again take the organized tour...  I don't want to be lost wondering the desert for the rest of what will surely be a short life) and push the comfort level a little more.   Anyone interested in going with??