AwalkwithMO

”For you my friend, I will give you for cheap price”. The most famously used phrase we encountered during our visit, spoken in their unique Moroccan Arabic dialect. Five days was all we needed to explore one of the chief central cities of Morocco.

Lights off, face down, music on. That was the mood in the room. The main highlight of my visit. A traditional Moroccan Hammam experience that involved a full body scrub of grown adults in a sauna and steam room. Topped with a Moroccan traditional tea break and a full body deep tissue massage.

Sandwiched between two of the Mandem in the massage room, we laid in a tranquil state for the professionals to bless us with their traditional magic. As this was a new experience for us, I struck conversations to keep us comfortable and this went on for a few minutes. Silence kicked in as the professionals started to sink their oily fingers into our stiff muscles accompanied by some uncomfortable twists and turns of the arms and legs. At this point you’re probably wondering where am I going with this – not to worry this isn’t what you think it is. Moving on..I battled the pain and pleasure with sounds of constant groaning. It was only a matter of time until I fumble. Ouch.. there it was! My groaning sound went up in several decibels – lets just say it was loud enough to catch everyone’s attention in the room. What happened next was unforeseeable. Everyone is the room burst into laughter like you’ve never seen or heard before. A sense of relief that was much needed at the time. We walked out of that room feeling resurrected from stiffed joints and tensed muscles.

This isn’t a blog about showing or telling you what to do in the city of Marrakech, and for that reason I don’t do vlogging. I’d like to think vlogging takes away too much of the lived-experience in the moment. In other words, I tend to put down the phone to enjoy the moment and then capture photos with my camera having explored and enjoyed these moments. This is a blog about the people, culture, a heads up, recommendations, suggestions, and feelings of Deja vu.

Upon our arrival at the airport and having made it through the security checks, we hasted straight to the currency exchange and sim card network provider office units – located within the airport. Some of the currency exchange providers required cash and others, credit card. Cash machines are also scattered within the city that could automatically convert to local currency (Moroccan Dirham). Lined up outside the Menara Airport are taxis waiting to be scooped up. I call this the TSC thought process, meaning :Transport, sim card, and cash. The 3 fundamental peace of mind factors that I often take into account whenever I pay a visit to an unfamiliar territory.

Off we went! To Riad Qariya Siyahiya. The culture-change hit me the moment we entered the taxi. ‘As-salamu alaykum‘, I said. ‘Wa alaykumu salam’ said the taxi driver with a smile on his face. Now, Morocco is a Muslim dominated country known for its culture and beliefs around religion and also how women should be treated with utmost respect. So you can see why the taxi man smiled when I greeted him in the way I did. Our main taxi driver that chauffeured us around was astonished when I told him my name is Mohamed. I think the dreadlocks and the tourist look may have threw him off a bit – a kind and helpful man he was. In a similar sense, the people of Marrakech are very welcoming and friendly to all that visit.

The hustle and bustle, the beep beep sound of cars and bikes, the adrenaline rush of anxiety when cruising through a heavy and less organised traffic system (the privileged would call it that), the bystanders throwing hands in the air to see if they could halt taxis or buses to snatch a spot and take them home after a long days work. I said to myself this’s certainly a feeling of Deja vu. One that I witnessed growing up in west Africa. The smile on my face was one that reminds me of such. Indeed the continent of Africa do have a lot of cultural similarities in common.

We arrived at our Air bnb – Riad Qariya Siyahiya. A gated community of apartments cuddled in the centre of Marrakech with breakfast and dinner spots, a tourist enquiry shop and a mosque – couldn’t have asked for more. So MANY highlights… from the basics : camel riding and quad biking. To key adventures like exploring the open square main market Jemaa el-Fnaa, the maze-like Souks (north of jemaa el-Fnaa). My second-best highlight was walking through the alleyways of souks market with hopes of buying a few traditional Moroccan clothes for the family along with souvenirs. ”Don’t come back without those traditional clothes, for us” mom uttered before I left for Morocco. You should have seen the excitement on her face when I brought them. It was like a scene from the prodigal son. That being said, I don’t ever fancy buying clothes for the women because of the stress that comes with it. You know what I mean! Chances are you’d buy the wrong size or wrong taste. Just give them the money. In my case I was lucky, my choice of selection for both mom and little sis were chosen to perfection. I bought some for little bro and Dad too. Lets just say I was their stylist for this year’s Eid celebration.

Anyway, where was I? Right..what I found most interesting about the Souks market was the concept of bargaining and haggling for the cost of items in any shop and food stands. Yes, we got haggled but we did unleash our bargaining skills. ‘For you my friend, I will give you for cheap price’ – sound familiar?

The architecture of the city is embodied in a unique clay-like beauty, etched with an irresistible colourful look. With roof top access to pretty much every building. Amazing kids with beautiful smiles waved in compelling gestures. The beautiful cats within every community.

I must admit, if you’re not used to being in an environment where you do not wish to be haggled, approached by unfamiliar generous faces asking for money (very rare), and fast pace – then I suggest you try to be vulnerable and enjoy the experience – be safe and vigilant of course. Alternatively, find a place to stay that isn’t within the confines of the constant movement of people. Somewhere you could easily hop into the city and hop out. I personally like to experience ALL, especially the hustle and bustle because that’s how I get to understand the real culture and tradition of a place. With that being said, I understand everyone’s boat is different, as it should be. I most certainly will re-visit Marrakech. Perhaps kill 2-3 birds with one stone by visiting 3 cities/towns in Morocco?… I will see.

Below are some suggestions :

1. Download the ‘GetYourGuide‘ app to discover things to do and book directly from the app. Highly recommend.
2. Visit Jemaa el-Fnaa & Souks market.
3. Visit Azar restaurant for a unique dinning and live show experience.
4. Visit Casino de Marrakech the oldest casinos in Morocco.
5. Visit So Lounge Marrakech for purely chill vibes. There are surrounding nightlife clubs within this area but that wasn’t our vibe.