Day 5 in Morocco, Day 14 travelling
My favorite part of Morocco wasn't the camels (they were surprisingly uncomfortable), but the markets and just wandering through the sunny streets of Marrakech soaking in chaos. Our last day in Marrakech was filled with more shopping and some solo wandering through the twisting streets.
Understandably, some people get incredibly overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the market, uncertainty of the narrow roads and motorcycles, and often touchy shopkeepers. I was not one of those people. This meant I had some rather incredible experiences with some of the shopkeepers. Wandering around, I ran into the man who sold me scarves my first day in Morocco, we chatted for a little bit about Moroccan life and then he pointed me towards the spice market.
In the spice market, I met up with this crazy spice shop owner. We met him on the first day and he sells the normal spices along with little turtles and a lizard. I wanted to buy some more "magic" lipstick. It's a green stick of lipstick that changes colors based on your PH level...and TOTALLY awesome. I showed it to my mom the other day and she was freaking out about it.
When I tried to leave, he asked where I was going. I had to find a specific gift for someone and so he told me to wait, and went to his friend's shop to bring me back some examples. Since I didn't have enough cash, I had to go to a bankomat. When I came back, the guy had tea waiting for me and I bought the souvenir. Customer service in Morocco is fantastic if you're willing to take the time to chat and potentially drink tea. Moroccans are incredibly friendly and awesome.
After finishing my shopping, I decided to walk through some more of Marrakech because I had about two hours until we had to meet at the hostel to get in our taxi back to the airport. I ended up in the more residential part of town, which looked exactly the same as the markets, without all the craziness of shopkeepers yelling at you.
When I was heading back to the hostel, a crazy henna lady grabbed my hand. On our first day, our tour guide warned us that they overcharge and do poor work. So I politely refused her, and when she said come back to me next time, I (without thinking) said "Insha'Allah" or "God Willing". She freaked out about how I could speak Arabic (all eight words of it). And offered me free henna. Fr. Will's Fourth Rule of Pilgrimage (which I adapted for normal traveling), "if someone offers you something, take it," applied here without a thought.
One of the craziest parts of Marrakech is transportation and roads. In one part of the city, there is an open square filled with pedestrians and things like snake charmers and henna ladies. Vehicles aren't prohibited in this area though, so close to the people sitting on the ground you'll find lots of motorcycles. Further out in the square, away from the stationary people, motorcycles, cars, vans, pedestrians, donkeys and pushcarts all occupy the same spaces WITHOUT anyone getting hurt. Makes me wonder if the traffic laws of the west are a bit over the top. I definitely stopped being surprised when I saw four or five people crowded onto one motorcycle zooming through the narrow side streets.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. Morocco was my favorite stop on this trip. It wasn't just because it was warm and sunny...or that I got to ride a camel. It was filled with excitement from the moment you walked out of the hostel door. Moroccans are welcoming and accommodating. If you invest time into learning about their culture, they'll talk to you for a solid hour. Life is entirely different there than anywhere else I've visited and it was spectacular to have to opportunity to learn more about it.
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| Spice Market |
Understandably, some people get incredibly overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the market, uncertainty of the narrow roads and motorcycles, and often touchy shopkeepers. I was not one of those people. This meant I had some rather incredible experiences with some of the shopkeepers. Wandering around, I ran into the man who sold me scarves my first day in Morocco, we chatted for a little bit about Moroccan life and then he pointed me towards the spice market.
In the spice market, I met up with this crazy spice shop owner. We met him on the first day and he sells the normal spices along with little turtles and a lizard. I wanted to buy some more "magic" lipstick. It's a green stick of lipstick that changes colors based on your PH level...and TOTALLY awesome. I showed it to my mom the other day and she was freaking out about it.
 |
| Moroccan Mosque |
After finishing my shopping, I decided to walk through some more of Marrakech because I had about two hours until we had to meet at the hostel to get in our taxi back to the airport. I ended up in the more residential part of town, which looked exactly the same as the markets, without all the craziness of shopkeepers yelling at you.
When I was heading back to the hostel, a crazy henna lady grabbed my hand. On our first day, our tour guide warned us that they overcharge and do poor work. So I politely refused her, and when she said come back to me next time, I (without thinking) said "Insha'Allah" or "God Willing". She freaked out about how I could speak Arabic (all eight words of it). And offered me free henna. Fr. Will's Fourth Rule of Pilgrimage (which I adapted for normal traveling), "if someone offers you something, take it," applied here without a thought.
 |
| Car, motorcycle, donkey ONE ROAD! |
I said it before, and I'll say it again. Morocco was my favorite stop on this trip. It wasn't just because it was warm and sunny...or that I got to ride a camel. It was filled with excitement from the moment you walked out of the hostel door. Moroccans are welcoming and accommodating. If you invest time into learning about their culture, they'll talk to you for a solid hour. Life is entirely different there than anywhere else I've visited and it was spectacular to have to opportunity to learn more about it.
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