Morocco Storybook Tour – Day 1 can be found here.
I suspect all of you were left riveted after yesterday’s update.
Did they sleep? Or did the dreaded nap attack throw a wrench into their nocturnal plans, as feared?
Fear not, dear reader. We slept like the dead. Even I managed a full 8 hours, and the kids were closer to 12.
So this will be the plan going forward – sleep on the plane as much as possible, get a 1 to 2 hour nap midway through the day regardless of the number of alarms that need to be set on my phone, and then sleep properly at night.
And it was highly fortunate that this plan actually worked, because this was the first full day of our Storybook Tour.
We started with a lovely breakfast on the rooftop of the Le Pavillion de la Kasbah – which opened at 8:30 am, and not at moment sooner. It included a variety of various pancake and crepe-like items served with honey, jam, and some kind of cream cheese, all washed down with coffee and mint tea.
We got ready, and had a few minutes to enjoy Le Pavillion’s beautiful lobby.
Our guide arrived at 10 am, and introduced himself as the dear friend who would take us in search of the magic lamp – Uncle Edmund’s much vaunted friend, from our previous letter.
He took us out into the Old Town, which felt somewhat daunting after our previous day’s arrival – and the vast quantity of traffic that we saw zipping between pedestrians. But we soon found ourselves relaxing, and enjoying the sights and sounds of this beautiful, ancient, vibrant city.
I was very pleased to be starting at the edge of Medina, as it meant that we got to experience much of the authentic, real Marrakech before we headed into its heart – here people shopped for their daily meat and produce. They went to the hammam (bathhouse) and baked bread at the communal ovens.
It was so much more than just an endless stream of postcard shops, crowded with knickknacks.
I’m sad to admit that I’d been somewhat worried about our trip to Morocco given some of the reviews I’d previously read – and our own experience in Egypt more than a decade earlier. Having spent a significant part of that trip dodging aggressive sellers and cries for Baksheesh, I had wondered how our kids would handle it.
No pressure here, just spice…
We may yet encounter that later in our travels, but I must say we did not have the same problems in Marrakesh. Yes, there are storekeepers selling their goods and yes, you do find people asking for charity in the street. None of it was done aggressively. We certainly weren’t swarmed or yelled at. We felt completely comfortable walking through the Medina – at least as far as other pedestrians were concerned.
The vehicles, on the other hand, took some getting used to. Cars and motorbikes were ever present, often squeezing through the narrowest of gaps. And it was all fine in the end, but I could potentially see this being insurmountable for parents of younger children. I think for very young children you’re prepared to carry you’d be fine but after that you likely want to wait until they’re 7 or 8 and can follow directions and look carefully around corners.
But the sights! The sounds! The vibrancy of it all… it’s difficult to put into words.
Our guide (nicknamed “Pink Floyd”) seamlessly moved from discussing the impact of the recent earthquake to taking the kids inside a tiny tailor’s shop where we discovered our very first clue – and the map that would take us in search of the magic lamp.
Morocco might be rebuilding…
… but adventure still awaits
From there we went in search of… a donkey? Strange… but all would become clear in time.
Along the way, we learned of many of the little details of Marrakech. Like the presence of Fatima’s Hand on buildings as a kind of good luck talisman, and the difference between a Dar and a Riad – though these days both are used virtually interchangeably to refer to guest houses, a true Riad has a courtyard, a fountain, a planted garden (not just plants in pots) and decoration.
Look closely, or you’ll miss the Hand of Fatima…
One of the amazing things about the Medina is that you have no idea what’s behind any of these doors. They could hold a ruin, or the world’s most lavish palace. You’d have no way of knowing until you peek inside.
A future palace in the making?
This apparently has resulted in a very egalitarian system here – with families of all backgrounds mingling with each other. Less so in the New Town, our guide said, where the wealthy have instead opted for expensive villas over riads.
Then we found our donkey! Next to a musician playing the Sintir and singing traditional songs with their roots in the slave trade. Highly percussive songs, which developed this way due to the way the slaves’ hand and feet had once been bound with chains.
Can you spot the donkey?
Next on the list was a ring… so the kids kept an eye out for a jewellery store.
But before we could find one, we entered Bahia Palace.
Another strong argument for getting a guide – not having to wait through this kind of line-up to enter the palace.
See the small white building farrrr in the distance? Yeah, that’s the ticket office. Good thing we have ours already…
Even so, it was crowded. Not to the point where it really distracted from the excursion, but sufficient so that you’ll enjoy the official photos far more than what I was able to capture. Still, I’m glad we were able to see it with our own eyes.
Very kind of the royal family to allow the public to access this beautiful palace. That said, this palace is one of about a dozen owned by the royal family, two more of which are in Marrakech itself – so they’re not exactly put out by this largesse.
Midway through the palace, however, we came face to face with – a genie.
And his ring.
There we were told a fascinating story of a desperate fisherman, and his very strange catch of a golden fish… But not a story we would ever repeat. This is one that must be heard in person from a Moroccan genie (aka storyteller).
Truth be told – as good as our guide was, it was the storyteller who stole the show. He’s a true artist, and he really made this tour something special. Something we’ll always remember.
At the end of the story, the genie handed our children the ring and told them that they must keep it safe until a future meeting. They took that promise very seriously.
Then we were off in search of our next item, a set of slippers.
Followed by the hand of Fatima.
At this point, we were getting deep into the heart of the Medina.
The tour had run for close to two hours at this stage, but our kids showed little sign of flagging. The “scavenger hunt” element kept them incredibly engaged.
Fun fact: A Souk is actually an area where all the shops sell the same thing, while a Bazaar has a wider range of goods. This isn’t strictly followed these days, but that’s the origin of the two terms.
Next, we went in search of the magic lamp – unlocking several puzzle boxes in our search. But alas, the lamp was not to be found there that day. Something for us to continue searching for later in our journey, it seems.
It was around this time that the wares of the Medina started to become somewhat monotonous – there was only so long that miniature lamps or leather belts or brass mirrors could hold your attention. But every once in a while, you’d find something quite remarkable
Like some brass lamps:
Or these incredible statues:
Full disclaimer, though – we are not big shoppers. So the fact that the Medina held our attention for as long as it did is itself quite remarkable.
We then found a drum in a carpet shop, and some saffron in a spice shop. And finally we recovered a pot of tajin from the coals behind a local hammam, which we took to the restaurant at the Museum of Music so that we could enjoy a delicious lunch.
The view was absolutely stunning, and it was further improved by the return of our storytelling genie and a private performance by a pair of very talented musicians.
Lamb tajin with vegetables (above)
Carla mentioned that they sometimes do a longer version of this tour, but the 3 hours (plus lunch) was just right for us.
Our guide then took us back outside the Medina, where we hopped in a car and were whisked back to our hotel. Quick power nap, and then I took the kids up to the rooftop patio once more to play a bit of Dungeons and Dragons and enjoy some mint tea and cookies brought up by the staff.
Back to the rooms to change, and then down to the lobby for 6:30 where our driver from yesterday, Ali, met us. We then hopped in his car and took a drive to a different section of the Medina – and during which I once again thanked the heavens that I had not been foolish enough to attempt to drive us through Morocco. Bringing on an experienced touring company was absolutely the way to go.
We then visited Riad Kniza for a fantastic dinner, joined once more by our storytelling genie.
“Again?” you ask. “Aren’t you getting tired of all these stories?”
No. Not at all. It’s really been the highlight of the trip.
It also helped that the setting was absolutely stunning:
Your dining room awaits…
And the food was incredible:
Rice and lentil soup
Sweet pastry stuffed with chicken
Pastries with chicken, beef and shrimp
Chicken tajin
Lamb and couscous
Pastry with some sort of whipped or clotted cream… light and delicious
We went into this event knowing that it was going to be a three-hour-long experience, but our kids were fading pretty hard by the 2 hour 45 minute mark. The staff very kindly accelerated the dessert course and we left soon after, carefully making our way through the crowded Medina through the shouts of vendors and clouds of charcoal smoke.
On the drive back, we made some trekking plans with Ali for the next day and arranged to meet him about 30 minutes later than we had originally planned – another benefit of booking a private tour. This allowed us to let the kids make up for the 10pm bedtime by sleeping in late the next morning. At least in our household where sleeping until 8am is unheard of.
Speaking of which, it’s time to retire myself lest the rest of my family find themselves having to drag their father up a mountain tomorrow…
Continue reading Morocco Storybook Tour – Day 3.