MARRAKECH - MOROCCO Part 2 - Market Mini-Series

Following on from last week's post - our next big city was Marrakech. 

Finding our way to the car park where Motorhomes can park overnight was a nightmare. My navigator role was tested to the limit – as was my driver husband’s. How he held his nerve as we kept teetering on the verge of being killed, I’ll never know. 
Imagine a cacophony of cars, mopeds, tuk-tuks, bicycles, trucks, buses and donkey carts - all ignoring the marked lanes, no indicating, no entering and exiting round-a-bouts correctly, jumping red lights… you name it – they were doing it.

And that’s not forgetting the pedestrians stepping into the road whilst looking the other way. Inshallah that they make it to other side.

We were almost hysterical – but found the whole challenge strangely exhilarating.

I could hardly believe it when we found our car park. 
We were directed to a quiet location round the back next to a lean-to containing sacks of garlic.

A few men were sitting in the shade opposite us. After we’d settled in, we gave them French walnuts in exchange for tiny glasses of teeth-clenchingly sweet tea.

In the heat the pungent smell of the garlic was rather overpowering. 

We were a short walk from the main action in the famous Marrakech square: Jemaa el Fna (spelt how you will!) 

There were African drummers, snake charmers, men with monkeys and hawks, women offering to paint Henna patterns on my hands, fortune tellers, storytellers, clowns, dancers, singers and beggars. 

The hustling was good natured and friendly. 

At dusk the food stalls cranked up the action. Tagines, couscous and kebabs were all on offer. We chose a non-touristy stall and ate ‘Arabic’ soup with small wooden ladles and sweet sesame pastries called Chabakia.

Mint is massive in Morocco. We saw the aromatic herb being sold everywhere.

We returned the following morning. Things were much quieter, with people restocking their stalls.

All in all, the iconic square in Marrakech is an unmissable stop on any itinerary to Morocco whether you’re in a Motorhome or not.

Next stop Ouzoud in the Atlas Mountains…