Marrakesh

After my crazy stay on the roof in Marrakesh I actually got to spend some time exploring the city! I spent two complete days in Marrakesh and parts of another two there, so I had a good amount of time to see some of the different sights and engage in the local culture!

The first full day in Marrakesh I spent most of the day wandering the souks (markets) of the old medena. The Souks go on and on and on....and you will get lost in them. As you pass each souk the owner will come out and try and get you to enter their shop, and no tactic is below them. Some just ask you to enter, others tell you they have the best stuff in town, others still will run after you once you pass them and try and bring you back, and once they get you in their shop the haggling and bargaining has only just begun! There is no such thing as just looking as the owners are normally in your face telling you how great each thing is and trying to negotiate a price and then offended if you leave without buying anything. It is a stressfull environment, but it is more then worth it for the fun of seeing all the different Moroccan things you can buy and to try your hand at bartering. Throughout the day I did not really buy much, but it is still fun to bargain and watch your friends do the same.

Photo of the souks in Marrakesh

Overlooking the old medena and souks of Marrakesh from the terrace where we had lunch

After essentially a full day in the Souks my friends and I decided we wanted to relax for a bit so we headed to a traditional Moroccan Hammam! A Hammam is basically just the local type of spa, but Marrakesh is well known for the quality (and low prices) of its Hammams. So we decided to give it a try and experienced their massages, steam rooms, and other amenities. It proved to be an excellent way to relax after a busy day.

Another fun activity in Marrakesh was the main square. There you could get all sorts of different food. Watch Snake Charmers charm snakes, take photos with monkeys, get henna (a type of tattoo that last only about a month), listen to local music, and do a number of other things!

My second day in Morocco I headed with a friend to some of the local gardens. We were trying to go to the Kings gardens in Marrakesh but apparently the current King does not allow people to visit his gardens. There were others though outside of the city center that we were able to explore and relax in though. So we spent a good part of the day wandering around the gardens and exploring the outskirts of Marrakesh and in the
afternoon we made our way to one of the old palaces.

In the gardens

Fish pond in the gardens

Palace

In the evening we met up with a bunch of other SAIS students for dinner and had a good time relaxing and having a leisurely dinner in the new part of the city. Also some of us decided that the following day we would leave Marrakesh for a two day desert trip which would be our final major adventure in Morocco!