مراكش – أخيرا نجحت! / Marrakech – J’y suis enfin arrivé !

I didn’t sleep super great last night. I had a bad stomach so that caused me to wake up early. It wasn’t fun that’s for sure. I don’t even know what caused it either. I was careful with what I had eaten yesterday too.

It was about 01:30 that I woke up. I managed to get back to sleep about 30 minutes later. It turned out well since I was getting up early (ish) for the walking tour.

I had a shower and this time it was warm water. It was way better than yesterday, that’s for sure.

I got ready and then left the hostel. I decided I would leave an hour before the tour was due to meet so I could get something to eat and drink and I could also take a slow walk to where the guide would be meeting. I like to walk slowly and take pictures.

I did that this morning too. I walked by the Royal Palace and then to the Koutobia mosque. On the way there I saw some guys selling caps. I found a black one and they told me it was 200 Dirham. I told them it didn’t matter and he asked me to name my price. I told him I had 100 Dirham and he accepted that.

I was so glad to have a cap again, given how hot it was and how much the sun was blazing.

I went to the meeting point and then saw that I was 30 minutes early. Grrr. Oh well, it gave me time to go get some cash as I was low and needed some for the transfer tomorrow. I would get the bus, but I just can’t be bothered.

The guide turned up and the group was only 8. I liked that it was a small group. It allowed the guide to tailor the time to the group.

He did give some background about the city and how it used to be the capital of Morocco. He said the Berber tribes would come up from the south and stay in Marrakesh.

I tried my best to remember everything he was telling us but the heat meant I couldn’t concentrate properly. That, and I’m getting old and my memory isn’t what it used to be.

I enjoyed the walk around the city and seeing the different spots.

One of the stops was the King’s Palace and he said we weren’t allowed to take pictures here. That’s ok though as all you could see was the wall surrounding it.

We walked around the neighbourhood where the hostel was. He was showing us a lot of the damage from the earthquake of 2023. I don’t remember reading about this, though. It happened on September 8th 2023. It had a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was only about 45 miles from Marrakesh. It was mostly the old city of Marrakesh that was damaged.

You can see some pictures below showing the damage done by the earthquake.

Morocco Earthquake Info

We walked by the Moulay El Yazid mosque, which was being renovated because of earthquake damage.

We walked around the winding side streets of the Kasbah area. You really do need to be a local to be able to know your way around without any issue. It is such a maze.

As we rounded a corner, a guy was playing some traditional music

We left here and carried on walking through the Kasbah area and went to a souk here. He said the smell of chickens might be off-putting but we wouldn’t stay in long. The smell of the chickens is nothing compared to the smell of the tanneries I walked by in Fes.

They have live chickens in the souk and he said that you choose one and they will kill it and prepare it for you to take home with you. No thanks.

We left here and then crossed the road to the old Jewish district.

The road was super busy and you just have to cross where and when you can. This is very typical of African/Middle Eastern countries.

It seems such a small area for the Jewish district, too.

You could tell you were in the area though as there were a couple of signs that had (what I’m assuming is) Hebrew on them.

After we were done here, we went to the museum of Moroccan cuisine. I wanted to go in just so I could use the toilet and sit down. Museums aren’t really my thing so I didn’t care too much about it. I did get a couple of pictures here though.

He said we could end the tour here or on the big square. A couple left us here and the rest of us went to the big square. The square is called Jemma El-Fnaa Square.

It was so busy. So many tourists. So many stalls. So many restaurants. So many touts.

I enjoyed just looking around here and taking in the sights and sounds.

There were snake charmers but I didn’t get a video of that as they wanted money from you and I didn’t want to hand any over.

I got a video walking around and it caught some of the sights and sounds.

I decided that I wanted some food and I knew there was a KFC nearby. I went and got some chicken and fries and sat inside for about 90 minutes. It was lovely and cool in there. I didn’t even want to move.

I left here and decided I would take a slow walk back in the direction of the hostel. I decided I would walk through the souks and the side streets and see what happens.

It was nice to walk through them as it was cool and there weren’t many people here.

I did walk down a dead-end street a couple of times, but that was OK. I enjoyed seeing where my feet took me.

I got back to the hostel and now I’m just chilling. I’ve checked in and now have to pack and arrange a transfer for tomorrow.

I might go back out walking soon, but it just depends on the temperature.

After staying in the hostel for a couple of hours and the temperature dropping by a whopping 1 degree, I decided to put my shoes on and go back out for a walk.

I decided to go left at the end of the street where the hostel is. It was sad to see all the earthquake damage still.

I had a couple of people tell me that the way I was going was closed. One I told I was just walking around and he said when I walk back I should go in the direction he pointed. I thanked him and started walking.

I walked for about quarter of a mile and then turned round and went back to the place he suggested. It wasn’t that I thought he was right, I had just seen what was in the area and got some more steps in.

As I was walking down that way, someone else stopped me and said the way I was going was closed. I told him I was just walking and he was insistent that I not go that way. He asked where I was from and he told me he wasn’t Arabic but a Berber. Not sure why he told me that.

Spoiler: the way he suggested wasn’t closed and I was able to get out onto the main street and find my way back to the hostel.

I decided to sit out in the main part of the hostel so I could eat something and just chill where there is a breeze.

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Marrakesh has been a good visit and I’m glad I found another hostel to stay at and that I didn’t miss out on this trip.

Below are some pics from today