Currently sitting at my desk back at home, about a week after my travels.
As the second leg of my trip, we went to Marrakech for a couple of days. The city was very beautiful and it was great to visit all the spots, but to be honest it was a lot more intense of an experience than I expected, I’ll talk more about it in detail later.
We stayed in a riad that was quite close to the medina, so it was quite convenient for us to explore the city. On our first morning, we started our day by eating at Zeitoun Cafe, and we ordered traditional Moroccan breakfasts, which came with an omelette, bread, orange juice, and coffee. It was about $3 and delicious. After breakfast, we went to visit the nearby Saadian Tombs which was very detailed and ornate. After visiting the tombs, we went to visit the palace ruins called El Badi Palace and a restored palace called Bahia Palace. El Badi Palace was quite fun to explore, and Bahia Palace was full of beautiful, colorful patterns. After Bahia Palace, we visited Koutoubia Mosque and the major marketplace Jemaa el-Fnaa. We found a rooftop restaurant to rest and eat some tagine and traditional chickpea soup as we overlooked the bustling marketplace. We then walked around the marketplace and ate some escargot and kebabs at the stands in Jemaa el-Fnaa. On the way home, we bought some delicious 40 cent fresh-squeezed OJ.
The next day, we ate breakfast on the rooftop of our riad and then we rode camels in an area near the medina, which was pretty fun. We had a guide that led us as we rode the camels, and he was about our age. It was pretty interesting to learn from him and his perspective on what it’s like to live in Marrakech. After our camel ride, we visited Jardin Majorelle, which is a beautiful garden outside the medina that was maintained by YSL. We also visited the YSL museum next door, which was full of beautiful dresses and outfits that YSL had designed. Afterwards, we took a taxi back to the medina and visited the Museum of Photography. Since we saw that going to a hammam was a classic thing to do in the medina, we found one to visit. We booked a body scrub and a massage, and it was probably one of the most intense spa experiences I’ve ever had because we were bare naked in a semi-public area, scrubbed down on the floor with different ointments by naked ladies with water that was gathered from buckets. It was fun but I personally don’t think I’d go to that particular place again. We then walked home and rested for a bit before going out for dinner. We ate lamb couscous and chicken tagine at a nearby rooftop restaurant, and it was delicious meal to end our trip.
The next day, my friend left early morning for the airport, and I relaxed and ate breakfast in the nearby area until my flight in the afternoon.
Marrakech was a very interesting experience overall. It was very interesting to visit as an Asian female tourist, which for those three reasons (person of color, female, tourist) I think made us quite the target of many locals. Our time in the medina involved a lot of catcalls, marketplace owners blocking our way, and racist, sexist comments. It was pretty taxing overall because we felt like we always had to be on guard so that we wouldn’t be scammed and harrassed. People were very kind and almost overly helpful, but it was hard to relax when we constantly had to think of what their intentions were in talking to us, since many of them were drivers, store owners, or tour sellers. I think for next time if I go to Morocco and/or if my friends are visiting, I would recommend to go with a larger group with males just for more of a peace of mind.
Until next time!
the world around me 