Mystifying Marrakesh... |
The Souks and the Palaces of Marrakech are quite an experience. From the manic clamor of one to the serene beauty of the other in a 5 minute walk
Well it could be a 5 minute walk if you don't stop to look at places on the way, and what wonderful places they are. Shops filled with every imaginable craft product made in the bustling workshops in and around the major tourist street. Places fulled with noise, smells, sights and sounds of industrious living.
Simply sublime, but manically active so we spent just two days of our Holiday in the city, and enjoyed walking the streets and taking in these sights and sounds, and especially a glass of mint tea to sooth away the aches and pains of the walking
Back in the Souks there are many bargains to be had. remember the adages "caveat emptor" and "decide what it's worth to you before starting". Many books say that things are worth about 50% of what is first asked for. In my opinion this is Nonsense!
There is a lot of junk that's worth much less than that, and many vendors who are happy to take 50% because they have priced things knowing that this is the advice. Fake fossils, Painted minerals, Plastic leather, but there are also many fine items that would be worth what is asked for them. Look carefully and make your own decisions. There are also gems real treasures and real craftsmanship and things where you would be getting a good item at close to the original asking price so it's up to you to decide and do not use guidelines too much
In terms of places to see and take picture of the Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace, Sadian tombs, Bab Agnaou, Koutoubia Mosque and my favorite the Musée Bert Flint / Maison Tiskiwin (Bert Flint Museum)
People comment on walking around in such places, and you do have to be on your watch a little, because like every big city there are the few rotten apples who spoil the barrel, but in the main the people were friendly, courteous and above all salesman like.
The only trouble we had on our walks arround Marrakech was when a local decided to guide us the way we had decided to walk on the map. We told him we didn't need a guide, but he became very insistent and in the end we had to take another route away from where we wanted to go just to be going a different route. We left to a string of expletives which was not at all pleasant. This was off the main tourist routes and we we were on our own so we had to take a very conservative approach when challenged and in these situations it pays to be on the safe side.
For the photographer they are other concerns. Many of the people are not keen to have their picture taken, and I believe that you should respect people's wishes but I found that being polite and especially when you had made a purchase that quite a few people were happy to be in a picture if not looking directly into the camera. As in many places like this a small donation can go a long way to gaining friends. And in some areas it's positively their way of living so people will expect to be paid (especially in the main Djemaa el Fna square with the snake charmers).
The other problem you will have is that the usual offering of a few coins will be very hard because almost nobody will give you coins as change and we had real difficulty in keeping hold of small notes and coins throughout the holiday as everyone claimed not to be able to split a large or even small note. My advice for visiting get as much small note currency as possible when you start, and of course do not accept the answer that people have no change. If you are in a position to walk away from the deal, then it may be worth doing so. You will find that magically change is suddenly available to ensure that the transaction takes place
The quiet corners in the Fondouks and areas just around the Souks are a photographers paradise and were some of my
favorite areas as I hope you will agree when you look at the pictures!
All day out walking you will need to consider taking water if it's hot, but the street cafe's were not extortionate apart from those very close the the Djemaa el Fna square which are also those most frequented by the large organized walking groups so probably best avoided anyway if you like somewhere quiet. We snacked on street food from different vendors and enjoyed everything we had.
All of the pictures here are taken with available light and even the ones in the dark souks are taken without a tripod because of the impracticality of using one in such a busy place. Walls, Doors and a firm stance are the best way in these places
In terms of accommodation we were in the Imperial Holiday a 4* hôtel according to local classification (consider it about 3* in UK standings) on the Avenue Moulay in the New Town area of Marrakech.
The rooms were clean and it was in a relatively quiet part of town about a 15 minute walk from the centre In terms of food the menu seemed a little limited, but there are a number of excellent restaurants within a 10 minute walk, especially northwards to the Avenue Mohammed V
We didn't make use of the pool as we were out all day and it was closed in the evenings for safety, but it looked OK and the high walls around gave it quite a sense of privacy even with high rise flats surrounding. The poolside bar served cold (if a little expensive) beers which were really nice after a long day walking. In terms of Staff they were helpful and spoke excellent english (as well as clearly many other languages)
We enjoyed the walk from the hotel to the centre and back, but there is a tourist bus, which goes from the bottom of the road, and many taxis available if you didn't fancy the walk
Our summary was it was fine and exactly what we needed for two, 2 night stays at the beginning and end of our Holiday. If we'd been going for the Marrakech experienced it would have been nicer to stay in the walled city in one of the Riads
The pictures in this section are all taken with my E-30 Olympus cameras with the 14-54 lens because I find it easier to use just the one camera and lens in these type of places and the superb quality of the 14-54mm lens even wide open in dim light is a combination that is hard to better with any system