Marrakesh 1

Wow, can't believe I'm finally in Morocco!  I meet up with Chris and our hosts at the taxi stand coming in from the airport and settle in after a long day of traveling!  Here is the beautiful hostel that started it all for me in Morocco....

Riad Layla Rouge, our hostel in the heart of Old Marrakesh....  Found by negotiating an impossible knot of mazes through the medina (old part of town) -- thank God our hosts led the way or we'd still be wandering around in there.... FYI, a riad is a house that has an uncovered courtyard in the middle and all rooms are built around it.... Many riads have now been converted into hotels.

Looking up from the ''courtyard'' or living room of the hostel

Looking down into the colorful living room....

The upstairs terrace, where breakfast is usually enjoyed, as well as a small bar and hookahs for the guests

One of many terraces (I think there were three) to people-watch from the top of Marrakesh

View from one of the hostel's terraces

The amazing ceiling of my room

The next morning, Chris and I decided to throw ourselves head-first into the craziness that is Old Marrakesh (medina). Before leaving the hostel, we had an awesome free breakfast of homemade crepes and pastries, date and orange jams, freshly-squeezed orange juice, coffee and Moroccan cakes. 

Marrakesh's main square, Djeema El-Fna, has been a bustling place since 1050 and means ''assembly of the dead', due to its public executions way back when.  The square is surrounded by a 19-square-km (!) extreme tangle of labyrinthine alleys,  packed to the brim with anything one could hope to purchase. Bright colors and tiny details everywhere... people following you to try to guess where you're going... stepping in front of you to guide you into their shops... donkeys braying... scooters roaring by just a few inches away from you... way too many horns honking... children running and yelling everywhere... salesmen trying to catch your attention by yelling out and waving at you... For 6 hours it was a constant game of smiling demurely, ignoring some people, saying hello to others, politely declining a constant barrage of offers, trying to shake off the ''faux guides'' who will relieve you of some banknotes by leading you somewhere you absolutely must see...  I found it all at once fascinating and exhausting, and I was so glad Chris was there!  Being the assumed 'man of the house' and decision-maker in our assumed ''couple'', I found most of the verbal harassment was directed at him, although I took the brunt of the staring, leering and lewd looks.  

My occasional ''I-told-that-creep-you're-my-husband, just-go-along-with-it'' travel companion

Spice Souq (souq = market). Chris distracted the salesman so I could take this photo without having to hand over a bunch of dirhams (Moroccan currency).

The tanneries, where leather is processed and dyed. We couldn't stay here more than 5 minutes because the level of harassment by faux guides/hustlers was becoming threatening.

One of the nicer alleys, much wider than the others, where salesmen generally left you alone. Here, I didn't have to perform a sneaky James Bond stunt just to take a photo. It was quite refreshing to walk through after a long day in the markets and we were able to actually look at the beautiful things on sale without invoking constant attention from the owners.

Dried fruits in the stall market at Djeemaa El-Fna. Hundreds of stalls are set up in the main square every night and all kinds of performers, from belly dancers to snake charmers, compete for your money.

The hostel manager recommended Stall # 100 for some good, cheap food, so here I am picking out some fresh veggies for our supper.

This meal looks simple, and it was some of the best, freshest food I'd eaten in a long time (sorry, Spain and Greece)....  A combo of fresh-baked bread, 4 samples of Moroccan salads and a vegetable tagine (Morocco's signature dish).