Morocco

February 04, 2022

Morocco

Marrakech - October 2021

There are so many words to describe Morocco.

Morocco is noisy, dusty, chaotic, crowded and old but it is so pretty, aromatic, flavorful and its people exude kindness and a generosity that is rarely seen.

Morocco is everything I imagined it to be and everything I didn’t.

For years I was intimidated by this North African country. I knew that I wanted to visit someday but I assumed it would be an overwhelming place. I was right. I’d seen it on tv and in movies and knew that it was very busy and different than any place I’d ever been. The day after my arrival in Marrakech I had a food tour scheduled and I was to meet the guide at the Jemaa el –Fnaa square in the heart of the Medina. What an experience and shock to the system that was!

Hundreds of people crammed into tiny alleyways, scooters, motorbikes, women pushing strollers right onto your ankles. Every cautious step so as not to get hit by a bike, roll an ankle on the stone dirt pathway or step into a fishy smelling puddle. Merchants selling items out of small cubby shops. Food carts selling sheep’s heads and preserved lemons and mint leaves. Coned shaped piles of spices and baskets of aromatic olives. Leather good stalls, colorful scarves and knock off designer sneakers. Arabic being yelled back and forth across from shop to shop. Jumbled sounds of French mixed with English being spoken by tourists. All of this to take in within seconds of rounding the corner toward the square. We walked through this maze of chaos for about 10 mins before we came across an expanse square with even more chaos. Food stall after food stall with men shouting at you to stop at their cart. Fried fish carts with stray cats lurking by the grill and trash. Snail stalls with small children begging for dirham or less excitedly, for a bowl of shells with eyes.

It was all breathtaking and frightening. We clung to each other and I clung to my purse as we scoured the crowd for our tour guide and his laminated sign. When we found him it we were so skeptical that he was real and assumed he was a scammer. I gave him the 3rd degree while he smiled and showed us the box of baked treats his Mom made for us, his food tour guests.

His name was YaYa.

Ok, we’ll follow you into the depths of the Medina because what scammer and thief travels with mom’s baklava?

He saw the look of hesitation and regret on our faces as we began our culinary journey, and told us not to worry, the shock would wear off and in a few days we would be comfortable in the Medina. He guided us through the maze sampling nuts and olives, pigeon pie and spices before tucking us into a traditional restaurant on a rooftop overlooking the famous square. The call to prayer beautiful sang through the loudspeakers all throughout Marrakech, as savory aromatic dishes arrived at our table. Chicken tajine. Lamb tajine. Salad. White beans. Rice. Bread. Yogurt and more baked goods. Endless amounts of delicious food.

As we walked back to our Riad, back through the maze of dark alleyways sometime around 11pm, I realized that I knew my way back. I didn’t need the GPS, I remembered by heart, the streets we maneuvered earlier to get here. I didn’t feel as high alert. I didn’t feel as overwhelmed as I did before. Something about our meal and the prayer and our new friend that seemed to melt away an anxiety we had. We had laughed and talked so much during our dinner together that it felt almost like home. I looked around a bit more casually this time. Seeing the place with new eyes. A little strut in my walk, more confident now knowing where the puddles are and dips in the dirt. One hand on the crossbody purse, my man right behind me, head held high, I understood in that moment what YaYa meant earlier. I was no longer afraid of the Medina but started to appreciate the art of it. The dance to get around and thrive in it. The background noise now a melody.

Over the next week, with all of the cultural experiences I took in (cooking class, palaces, the #1 rated hotel in Africa, argon oil demonstration, a luxury day trip experience and spa) I started to feel like I had been in Morocco my whole life and didn’t want to leave. The generosity and kindness from everyone we encountered, the vibrant food and music. The ancient walls and stray cats.

All of it. I wanted to experience all of it, always.

I see why so many famous people fall in love with Morocco and got lost in it all.

Marrakech is not for the faint of heart. Oh no.

But it is definitely a place that will steal your heart.

Enjoy the essence of travel

Stayed:

Riad I'Oiseau du Paradis

http://www.riadloiseauduparadis.com/